The Art of Boudoir Photography: How to Create Stunning Photographs of Women 1st Edition by Christa Meola (New Riders)

There are a few books about photography that take such care with their subject matter. Christa has created a full program that takes you from the challenge of working with models at their most vulnerable all the way through the post-production process, including retouching the photos and dealing with the client.

The book covers it all, and it covers it with style, grace, humor, and a care for the art that is truly inspirational. The pictures are beautiful and each one has at least one lesson to teach - from posing, to lenses and lighting, to the importance of communicating a concept with the model and taking the model's needs and desires into the project. It's a book that teaches as much about the technicalities of photography as it does about the humanity.

It is truly a book about art and craft. The book treats the subject of the human body with the humaneness, respect, and seriousness it deserves while keeping the writing humorous and approachable. Every client is a person, and each person has different needs and goals, and Christa makes that abundantly clear in the way she works with client. She repeatedly makes sure that the project is the focus of each shoot, but never crosses the line into being preachy about how a photographer should be. She gives ample room for each person reading her book to develop their own style.

There are few books that have given me as much guidance and inspiration. I would recommend Stunning Digital Photography by Tony and Chelsea Northrup as a companion book to this. Between the two, every bit of photography is covered in great detail.
THeThis is a book is sold and marketed as being about photographing nude or semi-nude women, but every bit of material is applicable to any photography project. Every time I open the book up, I discover a little tip I missed before. The book is packed with tons of information and will be a learning tool for years and years. But, in essence, this book is really about connecting with people, finding a common artistic goal, and using light to make art.

 One of the best parts of this book is that Christa puts her camera settings beneath every picture in the book: aperture, F/stop, shutter speed, and focal length. I haven't found another photography book that does this. It may be the most helpful thing in any photography book, and I wish more photographers would do this. It's so important)