Sultry, Sweet or Sassy: The Professional Photographer's Guide to Boudoir Photography Techniques Paperback – July 15, 2014 by Kay Eskridge (Amherst Media)

As a relatively experienced professional photographer, I like to think I can turn my hand to any job that presents itself to me. In that sense, I like a challenge. But when I was asked if I would do Boudoir, my initial response was 'sure, I can do that', shortly followed by 'oh heck, what have I got myself in to?'! Thanks to Kay's straightforward book, I was able to pull off some great photos that my client really liked. If you are looking to get started in this bourgeoning field, you can't go wrong with her guide.

This book is a well-organized compendium of recipes for success, applicable to beginners through advanced photographers. What makes Kay's approach so accessible is her careful use of un-complicated lighting setups, together with inspired posing and prop suggestions. It's easy to get overwhelmed with elaborate equipment demands in some tutorials, but Kay keeps it really simple (only 4 different light source combinations, plus window light, are used throughout the entire book), emphasizing instead how much you can do with relatively few light sources and modifiers.

During the course of our first session, I found myself turning to this book over and over again, not only to remind ourselves of what we had planned for the day, but also to bounce ideas off the client by showing the amazing sample images in the book as a source of inspiration for both of us. Being as the formulas were relatively simple, I soon was able to produce results as flattering as the sample images, and soon had the client's confidence.

Boudoir photography turned out to be one of the most challenging assignments I had encountered, but with the help of Kay Eskridge's book, I was able to both overcome my anxiety, and produce some photographs that both my client and I can be proud of!