One of the areas of my business that I have been pushing more here in 2017 is the idea of in-home boudoir shoots for my clients. This is partly for my own sanity so that I am not always shooting in the same studio against the same brick wall. But also because there are actually some great benefits for the women (or men) who are doing these shoots.
But that is a topic for another day, today I wanted to answer some questions I’ve received about my kit loadout for these in-home boudoir shoots. If I am being honest, my kit loadout doesn’t change much no matter where or what I am shooting, this is part of the glory of my Fujifilm kit, everything is so small and compact that I don’t have to think about bringing this or that, I just bring it all.
If you have followed me for any amount of time you would know that my primary camera is the X-Pro2, I love this camera for its compactness. The 24MP X-Trans III sensor is incredible and quite honestly does everything I need it to do, even in these in-home sessions where the light may not be exactly what I was hoping for on a given shoot.
Paired with my X-Pro2 is my two XF lenses, the 23mm F/2 R WR and the 35mm F/2 R WR. These two lenses make up the majority of my work of late, and I am hoping to add the 50mm F/2 once it hits the market. But even if I had more XF lenses in my kit, I am and always have been a primes shooter, so I doubt my kit would change much. For in-home sessions, I find that the 35mm F/2 can often be a hair too tight in bedrooms, so this is where the 23mm F/2 R WR excels at giving me the working room I need to create my imagery.
In terms of other accessories, I always have my YN-560-TX and pair of YN-560 II speedlights in my backpack. However, I very rarely, if ever get these out. I very much prefer the natural light look, so I only bring the lights for the occasion that I just don’t have enough natural light to get what I need.
One accessory that I do get a lot of use out of is my reflector. I use the Profoto 33″ Sunsilver/White reflector, which I love because it has handles built right into it making it super easy for me to hold in one hand to manipulate light while I have my X-Pro2 in my other hand shooting. For these in-home sessions I rarely have an assistant, in fact, I rarely have an assistant ever. I just prefer it that way a lot of the time. So this is why I love the reflector I have, it gives me the capability to manipulate the light that I have without needing to use an unwieldy stand. The reflector also folds up nice and compactly making it really easy to take with me without adding a ton of bulk to my kit.
Beyond this, I have a couple of extra batteries with me and an extra SD card or two. I also bring my iPad and a bluetooth speaker in case the client doesn’t have any audio solution in the home. I find music really helps to help keep the flow of the shoot going, it also helps avoid awkward silences that can make the client antsy and uncomfortable. But this is really all I take with me for my in-home sessions, I very much prefer to keep things as simple as possible.
I am happy to answer any questions that you may have in the comments below, or over on my website. If something peaks your interest let me know!
