A Sisters Boudoir Photo Shoot is the most unique type of boudoir. It showcases their bond in all of its subtlety. Over the course of several hours and outfit changes the girls reflect and dig into what makes their sisterhood work.
The mood drifts from joyful to reminiscent to thoughtful and engaging, all over the course of the photo shoot.
Revelations often come up. A client brought in her three daughters a bit back. They were very different with a bit of an age span. They had not always connected well; Gail was a bit nervous bringing them in. The oldest was a relatively new mom, the middle one was the pretty go-getter and the youngest, around 18, was the deep thinker, scholastic, very smart.
The interactions flowed with the photos focusing on how to express their personalities singularly and as part of the sisterhood threesome. By the end, they saw each other in a different light, understanding their points of view and getting it.
Gail was near tears in the background at times. Seeing her argumentative girls connecting was huge for her. The non-judgemental nature of my photo sessions allowed space for the women to connect. Their photographs showed their fresh appreciation for each other.
Emily and Liz have become two of my favourite sisters. We have become good friends, with Liz coming in often to model for my many projects. Their session became a watermark of their connection.
You can see how comfortable they are with each other. The laughing outtakes are as much fun as the more traditional images. They are very dear to each other. Getting anything other than their outrageous, mirthful images was the challenge, but a fun one.
Their quiet in between moments are timeless with subtle, complex depth.
Then, we went off the standard path, adding ray guns and Mardi Gras masks as props. I think the session was more of a play date for them! We did some singles too but they really shone when they paired for the sisters shots.
The energy in the studio takes an interesting change when sisters arrive. Sometimes, like with Gail’s daughters, it starts out a little hesitant. The girls were there for their mom. As we started working to express the connections I felt existed, you could see them relax.
This may sound a bit strange since a Calgary photography studio is not usually the place for emotional growth and personal sharing.
Yet that is the space I create. It allows for the most amazing images to emerge and the most amazing connections to form.
They are not always young women. We had twins in a bit back. They were in their late 40s when they came in. Very free spirited. We shamelessly exploited the twins factor. They leaned right into it. I used mirrors to show off their mirror image.
They were identical twins and even at this age they were nearly impossible to tell apart. Even their taste in clothes ran so similar that some of the images, bought separately, were the same.
They laughed a lot too. There were a few practical jokes they pulled on each other. They had me create a few images to have fun with their husbands and this was not the first time, as they shared stories. Those poor guys. We created a seductive image with lots of leg and cleavage, they were going to have the husbands guess which was which. They had me do a second image, same pose, where they switched positions. Their plan was, once the husbands had figured out who was who, they would switch the photos to see if they noticed.
They were delightful!
Early in my career, two sisters came in with a concept shoot idea. Their happy place was a cabin retreat. They loved firelight in a cozy room. I built a cabin set and covered the wood floor with a buffalo skin rug.
I set up a studio light to mimic the warmth of firelight. They had on matching long, white night gowns and held wine glasses and books. We did a whole story. The soft glow of the golden firelight gave the images a grainy, softly aged feel. You can feel their connection in this, their safe space.
As I was photographing them, they were sharing big dreams. It was a revelation.
Sisters are not just young or older women; they are also kids. A mom of three, Bonnie, brought her three girls in. Rather than doing something traditional and “adult”, we asked them for ideas. In unison it was “Pillow Fights!”
They arrived in their onesie pajamas and tussled, hugged and yes, had a pillow fight.
For the next scene , we re-enacted moments from their favourite dragon book.
The last sisters session to share is Emily’s two girls. They were thrilled to be playing in our water set, we even had mermaid tails that fit them. Emily equally had a blast throwing buckets of water at them for that splash effect. They loved it and talked about the adventure for days!
Sisters. They are amazing to photograph. To be part of a treasured moment that captures their love, their connection . . . their togetherness.
It is a privilege and a delight.
Do you have a sister?