Would a Boudoir gallery hurt my wedding gigs?

Weisel · June 27, 2010

Hey all.

I'd like to hear lots of opinions or words of wisdom on this one. I am a wedding photographer, but I also do boudoir to some degree, and plan to do a lot more. This will especially help me in the freezing TN winter months here in Nashville.

If I include a boudoir gallery in my website, do you think this could potentially hurt my wedding business? Keep in mind, I live here in the "Bible Belt" part of the country. Maybe I should open a whole new website just for boudoir, rather than add it into my wedding site(which already includes a "portrait" gallery? Maybe link them together,or maybe not.

I'm just wondering if you think it could be a turn off to prudish people, or even just to average potential brides?

I would especially like to hear from anyone who has had experience dealing with this issue, for the good or bad.

I'm including 3 photos of a couple models I've shot with recently, just more as a backdrop to the topic. These were experimental locations.

Agnieszka · June 27, 2010

Hm, I personally have an external link on my website. I don't want to have any moms find their daughters photos on my website. This way they'll mooooost likely not find them (tough I usually don't show faces anyway, sooooo).

I really like keeping it "separate" like this. Most of my brides know that I'm offering them (+ there is a link on my website / blog, so they definitely always find them), but they also appreciate that I don't have them all over my website, in case some of their family members / guests look for their wedding photos

zoomer · June 28, 2010

Yes it will hurt your business for weddings if you put them on the same site or are associated with it on the net.
Doubt you could do enough boudoir shoots to make up the difference.
Just my opinion I could be wrong.

I am in Mormon country and we don't put anything up that could be considered offensive. I have another pro site and business name for that type of stuff. Of course I don't make any/much money on that stuff.

jwsphoto · June 28, 2010

When a client looks at your images she will envision herself in those images when she decides if she wants you to be her photographer. So if you have boudoir shots on your site you will probably scare away most of the brides who are not interested in that look. Also, some people are funny about boudoir. Where you and I see beauty in the human form, they see softcore porn. So my feeling is that the only photos that should go on the site you are using to market your wedding photography service is wedding photography photos. I would keep any other type of photography on its own site. That is just basic marketing. You wouldn't show landscape photos to a client looking for a product photographer either. You build confidence in the client by showing them that you can deliver what they are looking for. So I would keep the other stuff separate.

Weisel · June 28, 2010

There actually IS at least one major Nashville wedding photographer who also has boudoir on their wedding site. They are pretty big, and maybe they are at the point where they can afford to lose the would-be brides who are scared off by boudoir. Being as the vast majority of wedding photog's don't market boudoir on same site, I think I will keep it seperate. Not to mention, the words of advice given here so far. I will keep very small plugs for my boudoir biz in my marketing, just to let those interested know that I do that. Then, I can refer them to my other site. Of course, I'll market my boudoir as it's own thing as well.

Thanks for the words so far everyone. I'm strongly leaning toward having a seperate site. I've always felt that was the right thing anyway.
More advice and opinions still welcome!

Would a Boudoir gallery hurt my wedding gigs?

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