Boudoir Lens

<p>I have been asked by a dear friend to do some boudoir images for her. I have a D7100 and just need recommendations on what would be preferred lenses for this type of photography.</p>

<p>How much distance will you be able to get between you and the subject? Where are you setting up your lights? Space you have affects what lens you can use.</p>

<p>If I were doing this session and assuming there is a reasonable amount of room to set up I would get a manual focus 55/1.4 or better a 1.2 because the 1.2 has a soft feel wide open while the 1.4 is sharp and gives good contrast. I would add an 85/2 or for closer up a 105/2.5 which for me is Nikons best portrait lens. All of these can be had at very reasonable cost. I've also used the 18-55/2.8 Nikkor and it is superb. I use the Tamron 28-75/2.8 regularly and it works well in this situation. Both are a good bit more expensive. If I were to shoot this with little notice I would go with the 55 and 85, maybe add a 35/2 as well. <br /><br />Rick H.</p>

<p>Jeff.... will be using available light. Room being used has one entire side which is all glass, so natural light will be prevalent.<br /><br />Room is wide and open, Sheer curtains cover full wall windows that can be opened. King size bed with dark headboard, two matching night stands but lots of room to move around on all sides of bed. Plenty of room to free shoot or use tripod.</p>

<p>There is no special lens for Boudoir photography. Basic portrait photography lenses applies. 35mm 50mm 85mm. The more important factor is to make your subject look flattering and in good taste with the posing of the body. If you make them look good it really doesn't matter which lens you used. <br>

The lighting comes second to the posing and is very important. Two lights is good three is better. Soft lighting with some highlights look great. Available light looks great too if it works. Last is the choice of lens. Basic knowledge and experience of lens focal length and lens characteristics will dictate your choice. Remember you can have the best lenses and all the lighting but if your subject is posed bad what difference does it make?</p>

<p>Michael is right on, much more important is posing, clothing, props and lighting all setting the mood. If you are shooting in the f/8 or 11 range, lens choice isn't critical except for angle of view. If you are going for a narrow dof, then with a crop sensor like yours, a 50 1.4 is reasonably priced and will do the job. On full frame, I like the nikon 135 dc not only for bokeh but can also dial in softness by exceeding the shooting aperture on the bokeh ring one or 2 stops. And as an homage to Nadine and Bob Bernardo, I do like to use a softar filter occasionally on these types of shots. You don't say what direction your windows face but with clouds and sun movement there will be changes in lighting. I would keep the sheers covering the windows and if you have drapes over them, you can close the to create more directional, although harder and less intense, light. I use a black sheet, $10 from Walmart to precisely locate the opening in the drapes and if you want to restrict the lower light, a 4x8 panel works effectively. With sheers, don't miss a shooting using it as a pure white background with some nice spill around the subject. Use a reflector or v flat as front fill. </p>

I use my AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G (on a full-frame body) almost exclusively for full-length shots. For head-and-shoulders shots, I generally use my Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro, since its super-sharp, and provides a nice amount of compression. I never use my 50mm for anything closer than a full-length shot due to its noticeable foreshortening.

 

As Rick mentions, the Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 Ais when shot wide-open does impart an inherent bit of spherical aberration which adds a nice bit of softness which is sometimes desired. As Bob mentions, the AF DC-Nikkor 105mm f/2.0D and 135mm f/2.0D lenses can dial-in additional spherical aberration for enhanced highlight-halation; though I generally shoot my DC-Nikkors at their default settings (i.e., where the DC-ring aperture equals the shooting aperture). This renders a sharp image with some subtle halation, which I like for shooting women.

 

For medium-close shots, I'll use anything from my AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G, the DC-Nikkors, or my Sigma 150mm. For full-length standing shots, sometimes I'll use my Sigma 35mm f/1.4 to lengthen the subject's legs (using a lens-height just below the subject's hips). So, in general, I'll use a 35mm-50mm for full-length shots, and 85-150mm for head-and-shoulders shots.

I would go with Zeiss Milvus series.

And don't forget the hair styling and makeup - critical components, IMHO. Not something the subject should be doing, but something a professional should be doing for her to maximize the desired look for the photoshoot.

At the risk of sounding a little contrarian, may I suggest that this may all be a little too complicated. For the last ten years and more, I have been using a digital camera with a standard kit zoom lens and a flash attached to the camera (NIKON D90 and SB800 flash). This would seem to me to be quite adequate, especially for someone who appears to be trying this for the first time. Frankly, in my view, the most important thing for this kind of photography is the relationship developed between the photographer and the model, not the paraphenalia that surrounds them which, moreover, an inexperienced model may even find a little intimidating.