Should I have my erotic photoshoot in the photo studio or in a hotel room?

That is the question I am frequently asked by out-of-town couples who are seeking an erotic couple's photoshot.

In order to answer that question, I often have to exchange a few emails with potential private clients.  So to save time I've created this blog post to help you decide for yourself.  You can still ask me questions, of course!

Before we start, let me remind those who live in the Portland region that I do make house calls.  If you have a nice bedroom at your place and a few hours of privacy, that may be your best option.   Now, on to the main question.

My studio offers a number of advantages, so let's discuss that first.  

The studio allows us to control the light and the background which allows us greater freedom to create many artistic looks that affect the feel of the photos.   For example, we can use strong lighting and a white backdrop to create what is called a "high key" image, like this one:

I like using the high key technique for models with dark skin.  Pale models tend to look a bit lost, so I will often pose them against a black backdrop like this:

There are many lighting options in the studio, such as backlighting to highlight the smoke in this photo:

Some people don't like photos posed in front of fabric backdrops.  They'd rather see the model (or themselves) in a real room, so the photo seems more real to them.  In that case, I just don't put up a fabric backdrop at all.  The end of my studio often has interesting objects which are rendered slightly out of focus to help give a sense of depth and reality.

My studio strobe units give me lots of control and many options for how I light my subjects.  One of the fun techniques is a stop-motion style that was popular in the 1960's when photographers first gained access to electronic strobes.  Quite a few celebrities were caught in mid-air, as if they were floating.  I don't recall any of them being nude, but I thought that was a logical next step.  Don't you agree?

My studio has another window in addition to the one you see above.  This one faces South, which gives us a number of fun options with natural sunlight.  If the day is sunny, the blinds can be adjusted to give interesting striped shadows like this:

If the angle of the sun is right, you can do some fun techniques like this.  The white background is a big piece of foam core board that I also use as a reflector.

I can also pose my subject very close to the window to take advantage of the very soft natural daylight.  This works best on cloudy days.

I could go on forever about this, but I think it's time to point out the most important thing the studio lacks -  a bed!   I get around that to a degree by posing models on the floor with satin sheets and pillows like this:

It's not bad, but it really isn't quite the same as a real bed, especially for couples who might want to have some adult fun and prefer a softer surface.  That's why I've gotten very good at shooting in vacation rental homes and hotel rooms.  These two shots used portable strobe units with soft light diffusers.

I also highly recommend finding a vacation rental for your shoot.  Avoid the little apartments and single rooms, you want a full size house.  Here are a few examples:

I really can't get that exact look in my studio.   But there is something that can be done in the studio that you can't do in a hotel room.  My studio has what are called "hard points" that allow you to suspend heavy objects from a ceiling beam like this:

So the choice is yours!  It depends on what activities you wish to do in front of the camera and what kind of look you want.  Whatever you choose, I will make sure you get great photos to give to your lover or to create archival evidence of your passion for each other.  Use the contact form or email me at:  [email protected]  to schedule your own private photoshoot.