Boudoir shoot tips for Cross Dressers

Whether you identify as a cross-dresser, transgender, transvestite, drag queen or anything in-between, a photoshoot can be an empowering way of capturing and celebrating the art of dressing to look sexy and amazing and explore your feminine side. Although, it may be a scary prospect; especially if you haven’t had a professional photoshoot, or even dressed in front of anybody else before.

One of my lovely clients (who’s a cross-dresser and recently did a boudoir shoot with me) has kindly shared some of their top tips for other men or trans people wanting to book a boudoir shoot. This is to help them be prepared and feel confident, sexy and their absolute best when dressing.

Pre-shoot planning tips for Cross Dressers…

Before the shoot:

1. Remove any unwanted hair

To ensure you look your best on the day of the shoot, make sure you have shaved or removed your body and facial hair in any areas intended to be on show for the shoot; ideally, with enough time to avoid any rash, bumps, or red skin on the day. Make sure you haven’t missed any areas such as your legs, back, shoulders, and chest. Be careful not to cut yourself or create shaving rashes. If possible, ask if someone can check those areas that might be hard to get to or reach, such as your back. Your beard should ideally be shaved 2-3 hours before the shoot; this will give you the best look with makeup.

2. Organise your clothing

Ensure anything you intend to wear for the shoot is clean and has no marks, loose threads, rips, or tears. Have a good check before you leave and fix any issues before the shoot. If required, iron any clothing to remove creases. Ensure any tags are hidden or removed.

3. Sourcing the best Wig(s)

Make sure your wig (if wearing one) is in the best condition. This is a key part of your look so please ensure you invest in a high quality wig before the shoot. A good quality HD Lace front wig would be a good option. The hairstylist can use a suitable product to control any stray hairs on the day.

4. Stockings or tights

If you are wearing stockings during the shoot, it’s worth bringing at least one spare set in case they rip or get a ladder (easily done when putting them on!).

5. Cleanse and moisturise your face daily

This will help remove or reduce wrinkles and give you the highest quality of skin on the day of the shoot. Hydrating before the shoot can play a key role in ensuring your skin is in the best condition. Also, scrub and moisturise your lips to avoid dryness and cracked skin.

6. Shoes… & keeping your feet comfy

Check they are clean and have no marks which might show up on the photos. You should consider whether you would want to put an insert inside shoes to help reduce any pain from prolonged wearing (you could be standing for most of the shoot). Shoes with a high heel will give your legs the best shape.

7. Tips for packing your car…

Iron your outfits before you leave the house. Ensure dresses or clothing can hang so they don’t get crushed or creased. It’s worth bringing loose items like jewellery in boxes, which you can lay out upon arrival and quickly find what you need to wear or apply.

On the day of the shoot:

8. Food & Drink

Bring a drink and a light lunch that is quick to grab and eat, as you will be busy throughout the shoot. Try to avoid any food item which might bloat you or make you feel uncomfortable. Make sure you drink plenty of water during the shoot to avoid dehydration and fatigue!

9. Arrival

Ensure you arrive at the shoot location at least 5 minutes early so you don’t lose any valuable time getting ready for your fantastic shoot.

10. Nails

One of the benefits of arriving early is that you can glue any false nails on at the last minute. False nails can occasionally fall off, so make sure you bring spares just in case, especially during outfit changes. They can be quickly reapplied if necessary. Alternatively, you could use nail varnish. Consider whether you wish to paint your toenails too.

11. Removing Makeup

At the end of your fantastic day, you will need to decide whether you want to remove your makeup before leaving. If so, let me know and we can support you with make-up remover/wipes. Alternatively, feel free to bring your own make-up remover.

Here’s a fun cross-dressing shoot I did for another client…
>>>Check out J’s transformative cross-dressing shoot here<<<

Lovely testimonial from one of my cross-dressing clients…

Here are some lovely words, my client (let’s call him R), said about his shoot:

“I was most nervous about whether I was going to look as good as I hoped! I was more excited than nervous though. I was also worried about putting Ginny and Nicky in an awkward position due to me being a man who had chosen to wear some very revealing outfits, especially as I have never shown this side of me to anyone other than my wife.

Prior to the shoot, I did lots of preparation and was disappointed with myself that I had not shaved well enough on my neck. Thankfully, Ginny was able to photoshop this out for me and enhance the best version of me in the final images.”

“I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would!”

“Nicky (hair & makeup artist) was very supportive and I’m glad she was able to get me to look my best with the make-up and hair.

Once I got the hang of it, I was very comfortable and able to relax into the whole experience. I am glad Ginny knew what she was doing and could guide me to achieve the best look for me.

The photos were great and I noted that we successfully achieved all of the ideas for potential poses I shared on Pinterest. I think Ginny did a great job in capturing me at my best in the outfits I chose.

I often think about how this was such an unusual but great experience. I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would!”

A bit about me…

Hey there! I’m Ginny Marsh @ Gorgeous You Photography, based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, and I also travel regularly to Farnham, Surrey. I’ve had my business for over 14 years now, and what I love most is helping people to feel good and confident in their bodies!

I absolutely love seeing the transformation and helping my clients to love and accept themselves more, especially when they’re very nervous, aren’t confident about their body, or hate being in front of the camera.

Most of my clients benefit from coaching before their shoot to help them feel more confident, whether that’s loving and accepting themselves more, improving self-esteem and self-worth, improving their relationships with themselves, with their loved ones, or even with food. Especially if you have a partner who’s not so supportive of your love of dressing, which can make it very difficult to feel fully yourself and accepted as you are. I’m a certified Body Confidence and Wellbeing Coach and love to combine coaching with photoshoots as it has so much more positive impact on people’s lives (not only do my clients benefit, but their loved ones benefit too).

You can find out more about me here

Thankyou so much to my lovely client R, who helped write this blog and allowed me to share some of his images.

Are you thinking of booking a shoot like this? Get in touch and quote “RCD2022” to get £100 product credit when you book your shoot, as a thankyou for reading from R and me!

And if you’ve reached the bottom of this blog, I hope you’ve found it useful! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via the links below.

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