Experimental Lighting | In the Spotlight Sessions at Render Boudoir Studio

Sometimes I really get the itch to shake things up — and 2025 was a year for that at Render Boudoir! I had gotten interested in this dramatic spotlight technique a few years ago, purchased the equipment, and then it all sat in my office for 2 years untouched! Classic, right? Well, I finally got around to trying things out — I started with practicing with my friend and fellow photographer, Rachel. She was so patient while I fumbled through my first attempt — the spotlight is particularly difficult to work with because the light is a strobe, so it doesn’t show you where light and shadows are falling in real time. I need to do test shots until I get positioning just right, nail it once, then move on to more trial and error.

This technique was a bit of a bear to work with compared to my natural light studio work, but I liked what I made and wanted to open up this type of session to my clients! I didn’t quite feel right about charging my normal rate, so I came up with the idea to pitch these as “skills sessions” — there would be no session fee, so there would be absolutely no risk in booking one. If we nailed it — awesome, clients could make a purchase! And if I flopped? No big deal, you’re just out an hour of your time :) I had a lot of interest in this new idea and I loved how the rest of the sessions turned out…

Inara and Jessica booked back-to-back session times and asked if they could do some bestie poses together — um, yes!

I really enjoyed stretching myself outside of my normal routine and into something creative, experimental, and new. Working in a creative field sometimes (and this is going to sound silly) feels pretty UNcreative, so it’s fantastic to reach back to that childlike, playful place where you’re not sure how things will turn out. I’m so glad I gave this a try and I’m so grateful for the clients who were willing to roll the dice with one of these sessions. There are a lot of unique art experiences in Minneapolis, we have just an amazing art culture here, and I’m proud to be a small part of it!

Do you think you’d enjoy rolling the dice on an experimental session? After I did In-the-Spotlight sessions, I did two more experimental skills sessions the same year. Not sure when I’ll have more to offer, but following me on Instagram and on Facebook and in the VIP group, you’ll be sure to hear about it when it happens!