The Photographer’s Pitfall
Boudoir, Implied, and Nude Photography in a Professional Career
“Before we get into this blog, it’s just my opinion and how my business works. All professional photographers' businesses run differently. Read this with a grain of salt”.
As photographers, it’s easy to fall into the pitfall of boudoir, implied, and nude photography. These genres are eye-catching and often perform well on social media. After all, “boudoir gets me likes, but doesn’t get you paid.”
First off, I feel that all women are beautiful—every woman I’ve worked with. That’s part of why I enjoy shooting boudoir. But here’s the interesting part: I don’t showcase it on my website in my portfolio. Why? Because it actually hurt my business.
Back in 2017, after a portrait session, a client told me she loved my work but felt uncomfortable with her husband seeing my boudoir portfolio online. At first, I brushed it off. But after hearing the same concern from multiple clients, I realized that having boudoir photos on my business site was costing me clients. So I removed the boudoir page from my portfolio. Within three months of taking that page down, I booked several new clients.
So why do I still shoot boudoir? Because it’s a way to be creative. Now I’m showcasing that work differently—through my magazine, in a feature article called “What Is Sexy.”
My Archive portfolio: I’ve built an archive of over 10,000 boudoir images across the past decade, all with proper release forms. But here’s the reality—just because a release is signed doesn’t mean a model or client will always feel the same way about those images years later. People’s lives, careers, and comfort levels change. As a photographer, I’ve learned it’s not just about legal rights—it’s about respecting those evolving feelings, which can sometimes mean keeping certain work private or archived.
Money in Boudoir photography: Still, there are undeniable pros. Boudoir photography allows you to be creative, elevate your portfolio, and capture stunning images. And while I personally never received major paychecks from this genre, dedicated boudoir photographers do. Many make $30,000–$80,000, but not limited to $100,000 per year, especially women in the industry who excel at building client trust.
Some of the best in this field include Sue Bryce, Michael Schaefer, Peter Coulson, Nathan Elson, and Lindsay Adler. Their success shows that boudoir can be profitable if treated as a serious business model, not just a passion project.
Takeaway: If you’re a photographer considering boudoir, implied, or nude work, know the risks, secure model releases, and decide whether you want this as a core part of your business or a creative side project.
Summary: Even with release forms, boudoir photography is a tricky business choice. People’s feelings about their images can change over time, which is why I keep most of my boudoir work private. For me, it’s a creative outlet, not a main source of income.
