The Beautiful Art of Photographing Strangers In Intimate Settings

Couples photography has become more popular in the boudoir industry. It is a way to connect, interact and photograph moments between a couple to give a glimpse into their relationship. Although what happens when the couple is a pair of complete strangers? A professional photographer based in Oklahoma City, Ore Adesina specializes in couples boudoir photography. Photographing couples boudoir shows the clients a more intimate perspective in their images. However, she wanted to try shooting a couple of strangers that had never met, in order to see how the dynamic changed in the intimacy and connection. Recently on a trip to Haliburton, Canada during a boudoir photography workshop, she had the chance to explore this idea with fellow photographer Rob Woodcox. 

Woodcox and Adesina first met during this workshop in June 2019. They established a friendship during the week long event and she discussed her ideas about this creative couples session between two strangers. Woodcox was able to connect with classically trained dancer Mark-ché through mutual friends. They agreed to collaborate in this unique spin to couples boudoir photography. While Mark-ché is a classically trained dancer and model, he and Woodcox had not met until the day of the shoot so there was an element of uncertainty on how successfully this would be. Modeling with another person may not show the same feeling of intimacy Adesina was hoping to obtain with this session. 

However after just a little bit of time the scene was set. The connection was not only believable but if you did not know they were strangers you might have thought they were long time partners. "Rob and Mark-ché had instant chemistry. After some initial warming up and getting comfortable with each other, they were able to be playful, relaxed, and showed a wonderful connection in front of the camera. Sometimes you get to photograph something that inspires you, invigorates you, and makes you realize you are on the right path" Adesina wrote.

This creative couples boudoir session was one of those moments admitted Adesina. Her creative mind was able to test, explore, and experiment while photographing the strangers together. Each set up had a different them and feel to them in order to convey a different feeling to the viewer. 

The more stylized shots where portraits on the rooftop of the Airbnb they rented. Both men fitting into the large pink tulle skirt. This part to the viewer gave a feeling of being one with another. 

The set in the master bedroom were meant to be more relaxed and playful in nature. At this point you can see the strangers become more comfortable as well. 

At the end of the day after photographing for hours, they went to the more intimate set in the large bathtub only lit by a skylight window directly above. 

This last image is what set this writer out to contact the photographer and models about the session. This one touch through the fingertips is all it took to create a connection with the viewer as well. We pass by strangers daily, failing to create a connection of a simple greeting and yet these two strangers could bond over photography in such a intimate way that we as the viewers truly felt it. This creative exploration into moving into a unique way to photograph couples boudoir can fuel other creative ideas for the photographers, models and viewers. Throughout the session, the strangers became friends, connected with one another and built upon this connection that came across in the final images. 

All images with permission and courtesy of Ore Adesina