An intimate portrait is a photograph taken close enough that it actually looks like you, by someone who is paying attention. Intimate as in close. Not necessarily as in sexual. You can be fully clothed in every frame. Some people are.
I use the phrase because it is the most accurate one I have found. This page explains what it means here, what a session involves, and where it sits next to boudoir.
Does "intimate" mean I have to take my clothes off?
No.
The word puts some people off, and I understand why. "Being intimate" usually means one thing in conversation. But in a portrait, intimate describes the distance and the attention. The wardrobe is a separate choice. A photograph of someone in a sweater on a window seat, looking at the camera without performing, is an intimate portrait. So is a photograph of someone in lingerie. The clothing is a decision you make. The closeness is the point.
Think about the difference between a school photo and a photo a close friend takes of you when you are not ready. The second one is intimate. That is what I am after.
Who books an intimate portrait session?
People who want a real photograph of themselves and have realised they do not have one.
Most adults own thousands of pictures of themselves, and almost none of them are any good. They are phone snapshots from bad angles, group shots at weddings, or headshots for work. Nobody has photographed them, on purpose, as themselves.
The people who come in for this are usually at some kind of marker. A birthday that ends in a zero. The end of something hard. The start of something new. Sometimes there is no reason at all beyond "I wanted one good photograph of me before I get any older." That is a perfectly good reason.
It is a different thing entirely from a boudoir client who chickened out.
How is an intimate portrait different from boudoir?
Boudoir is a type of intimate portrait. It is the type where lingerie, the bedroom set, and sensuality are the intent going in.
An intimate portrait session starts somewhere else. It starts with you, dressed however you would like to be seen, and works from there. Some sessions stay fully clothed. Some end up with a bare shoulder or an open shirt because it felt right in the moment. Some people book an intimate portrait session and, an hour in, ask if we can do something closer to boudoir. We can. It is the same studio and the same people.
The practical differences:
The wardrobe is yours. Jeans, a sweater, the shirt you actually sleep in. There is no expectation to buy anything.
The set is often the window seat or the chaise, though the bed is available if you want it.
The mood is quieter. Fewer looks, more time on each one.
Everything else is identical. Marggie does your hair and makeup, she is in the room the whole time, I direct with words, and your images are private unless you say otherwise.
What does a session actually look like?
You arrive at the studio and sit in the makeup chair for about an hour. That is where most of the nerves go. By the time Marggie is done you have been talking with both of us for a while and the room feels familiar.
Then we start with whatever you are wearing when you walk in. Most people expect the first frames to be throwaways. They usually are not. People are least self-conscious before they think the "real" pictures have started.
From there we work through two or three looks. I will show you where to sit, where to put your hands, and where to look. You do not have to know any of that. Between frames we talk. When something is working I say so, and when something is not I move on without making a thing of it.
Sessions run about two hours. They are unhurried on purpose.
Can I do this at home, without the studio?
Yes. On-location sessions are available throughout Austin and Central Texas.
Some of the best intimate portraits I have made were in someone's own kitchen, with their own coffee cup, in their own light. Home removes one more layer of performance. If you have a room you love, or a window you always sit near, that is worth talking about.
What do the photos look like?
Honest and quiet. Mostly window light. Retouching that removes a blemish but leaves your face alone. I have written a whole guide on what my photos look like and why, if you want the detail.
What does an intimate portrait session cost?
The same collections as every other session here. Every session includes professional hair and makeup, studio time, direction throughout, retouching, and your images. Collections start at $795. Full pricing is on the pricing page.
Is this for me?
If you read the word "intimate" and thought "oh, that's not what I want," but you have kept reading this far, it might be.
The simplest way to find out is to ask. Send a message and describe what you have in mind, even if you can only describe it vaguely. There is no obligation and no sales call.
Written September 2026.