The Business of Beauty with Sal Cincotta
Beauty photography is not new. Some see it as soft porn, while others see it as a celebration of the female form. Regardless of your personal opinion, it is a genre that can be extremely profitable if pursued correctly.
In this article, I break down some of the things you should consider if you want to take your beauty business to the next level—and by next level, I mean profitability.
Is beauty right for you?
This is not a rhetorical question. It’s something to consider. There is more to beauty photography than just wanting to take pretty pictures of pretty girls. What I truly love about this genre is the celebration of the female form. Our job is to see and find that beauty in every subject that gets in front of our camera. Why am I highlighting this? Because if you think “beauty” is just about taking pictures of size 0 models with fake tits… you might want to rethink your efforts here.
If you didn’t already know this, I’m here to tell you, that is not the real world. You will be working with real people of all shapes and sizes. Again, our job is to find and showcase their beauty. It’s not as easy as you might think.
What’s in a name?
First, I will tell you, I hate the word boudoir. Like… with a passion. What comes to mind when I hear the word boudoir? Lingerie. Hotel rooms. Cheesy poses. And a very limited audience. Try this exercise. Post on your Facebook page or ask a few friends: What are some adjectives that come to mind when you think boudoir photography? Document the answers you get. I think you will find they are not always positive in their descriptions.
This is why I like beauty or glamour as an adjective. It doesn’t bring with it the negative connotations. Now, you might think this is some small or trivial point I am making, but in reality it is a very important distinction. See, when it’s all said and done, this is about making money. And to make money, you need an audience. I’m making the argument that the market for beauty is significantly larger than it is for boudoir.
