Mighty Aphrodite Boudoir Photography and Naked Portraits

Third Shoot for Claire

2012-02-10T16:38:00.001+01:00

For a lot of our clients, once just isn't enough... they enjoy their shoot so much they come back for a second! A few clients even come back three times...like Claire. She has had three shoots since 2009 and has used 7 of our 11 studio sets! Thank you to Claire for agreeing to share some of her beautiful images. x

Client's review - Angela's story

2012-01-17T17:59:00.000+01:00

Angela had her boudoir shoot in 2011 - at 47 and a size 12, she is fairly typical of the average Mighty Aphrodite client, so we asked if she would give a review of her shoot and share some of her images to show how stunning she looks. There seems to be a misconception that all our clients are 21 and a size 8 - this is actually very rare! Most of our clients are in their 30's & 40's and average at a size 12. Read what Angela has to say about her experience...

Artistic Nude Studio Set

What was your reason for doing the shoot?

I really wanted to do the shoot for myself before I get too old and frumpy! It is hard work keeping fit!

How did you feel before the shoot. Were you nervous or worried about anything?

Before the shoot I didn’t really have time to think about it due to work commitments and only really got nervous on your drive! I almost drove away but thought “No, get yourself in there”.

Glamorous Studio Set

Was the shoot how you expected? Were any aspects easier or harder than you expected.

Never having done anything like this before, I had no expectations. The biggest surprise was actually doing full nude. I had already decided I was not going to do full nude and would perhaps consider topless.
But you both made me feel so confident and relaxed it just seemed the natural thing to do and, I have got to say, was just so liberating.
I felt so confident and excited that I had actually done the shoot. Seeing the photos as we went along, and both of your reactions, really helped boost my confidence.
Never did I think I would be happy standing naked at the end of the shoot!

How did you feel after the shoot.

I felt just wonderful, very happy and keen to tell friends how much I had enjoyed it.

Have you shown anyone else your pictures? What was their reaction.

I have shown three girl friends who think they are just amazing. I have also shown a male friend, much to his delight, and he was just blown away by them - all of them commented how beautiful and artistic they are.

Do you have any advice for anyone who is considering having a shoot?

Just do it! The only real courage you need is to walk through the front door - after that you both make it so easy.

See - it really is a lot easier than you think! Take Angela's advice and don't put it off another day - get in touch to book your shoot and we promise, you will have a fantastic time and some images to treasure. :o)

Second Time Around

2011-10-27T17:42:00.000+01:00

It is amazing how many clients have come for a second shoot this year. Ms. T had her first shoot in 2009 and came back to day to try out 2 different studio sets. This shot was taken in our Glamorous studio set and we had to ask Ms. T if we could share it as we think she looks stunning!

Something for the Weekend

2011-10-21T17:27:00.000+01:00

Brilliant couple shoot today with Mr & Mrs H. Mrs H. had been to us for a shoot in August and had such a great time she persuaded her hubby to come back with her to do some pictures together. We also did some individual shots of Mr H. who was pleased to see that all his hard work in the gym leading up to the shoot paid off. We couldn't resist trying out a new pose which he very kindly said we could share. Fabulous! Visit our website to see more Men's Physique Photography

Life begins at 40...

2011-09-12T16:47:00.000+01:00

Diane's story of how her Mighty Aphrodite shoot had the "How to Look Good Naked" effect!

"At the beginning of 2008 I had a shaggy shapeless mop of hair and had been wearing glasses since the age of seven. I was a busy working Mum with no time for myself and had been that way for over fifteen years!!

So what happened? My daughter happened! She and I both love Gok Wan and his way of making a girl look again at the way she sees herself. As my 40th birthday approached I became obsessed with my age and everything else paled into insignificance. Eventually, my 15 year old daughter, Emily, suggested that I get a grip, have a new haircut and lose the glasses.
So I did! She came with me to the hairdressers and the hair went. I loved it! Why didn't I do this years ago? Next I saw the optician and swapped my glasses for contact lens… I haven't looked back since - I even bought make-up and used it!

I felt so different that I decided a portrait was in order ... not a naked one at this point - just a regular photo but that led onto thoughts of what to wear… or not… and then I found Mighty Aphrodite!

The idea of a naked photo shoot was firmly planted in my head and just wouldn't go away. Don't get me wrong - I am rather timid really - but I simply couldn't shake the idea and felt that if I was really going to make a statement then I should just go for it.
They had so many beautiful photos on their website but I just couldn't get away from one particular image...a girl, naked, bound by chains, suspended in darkness ...
That was it - the more I dared myself the more I wanted to do it…so I decided to be brave and have a go.

If truth be told I never thought I would actually do the whole naked thing and hoped to come away with a few nice lingerie shots...in fact, when the day came, I allowed myself to follow my heart...I dared to be me…and won!

Leigh was great - really down to earth and he made me feel completely at my ease. Nothing awkward or forced and it was really rather fun ;-) Zena was fab too and her compliments and easy manner made me completely relax.

The lighting was carefully done and Leigh knew exactly which shots would flatter me. I bravely told him which shot had inspired me and he said that there was no reason why I couldn’t go for it… I was braver than I dared to hope ... and I am so pleased with the results.

My fantastic hubby, John, was with me for the whole shoot and he thought it was fabulous! He was so proud of me and spent the whole time grinning from ear to ear.

It took all my courage but I did it - I got naked in front of a stranger and had him take photos of me. It was the wildest, most scary thing I had ever done but it was great!!

The photos gave me the confidence to do what girls do best… shopping! Previously I had been a frustrated shopper, looking for clothes which covered me up and hid the parts I didn't want to show. But now... I looked for tops which showed my shape, I wasn’t afraid of wearing things a little more fitted and I tried on high heel shoes - it felt good - really good.

My confidence soared and I started thinking about my life and about other things I wanted to do...You simply wouldn’t believe where this journey has taken me… ;-)"

Last Shoot of the Week

2011-09-09T18:30:00.000+01:00

Today's shoot with Miss P was a great way to round off another busy week at Mighty Aphrodite. We did the Glamorous and Artistic Nude sets and after settling in with a few lingerie shots, Miss P took the plunge and decided to go nude. As is usually the case, she preferred the nude shots to the lingerie ones!
Her boyfriend is in Afghanistan at the moment and she couldn't wait to email him this picture from her shoot as a taster of what is waiting for him when he comes home.

Thank you Miss P for giving us permission to share this beautiful picture xx
Inspired by Miss P? Why not get in touch to have your own Nude Photography experience!

Yvonne's Story

2011-07-26T21:54:00.014+01:00

Yvonne, 48, had her shoot to make a Calendar for her boyfriend.
"I decided to get my boyfriend some pictures done as a special surprise for his birthday and also to help me as I was beginning to feel pretty unhappy with my body as I approached another birthday! I chose Mighty Aphrodite because the pictures shown on the site were so great that I thought if they could make me look half as good then I would be over the moon! I finally plucked up the courage to call and after 20 minutes chatting to Leigh I knew that I had chosen the right people.

Driving down to Reading on the day of the shoot I can't begin to explain how nervous I actually felt, I was shaking and had butterflies and suddenly began to question whether I would actually be able to do the shoot at all. I needn't have worried, Leigh and Zena sat me down with a cup of tea (there was me thinking that I would need a bottle of wine!) and chatted away like they had known me forever whilst we decided which underwear I should use.

We then went upstairs to the studio where Zena did my make up and then I got changed. I must admit I felt quite self conscious when I came out of the bathroom wearing stockings, heels and my underwear but again I was at ease within a few minutes and totally shocked myself within an hour by posing naked. During the course of the shoot I was given lots of opportunities to look at the pictures and could not believe that I could possibly look this good at my age.

I can't thank you both enough for the amazing confidence boost you gave me and the feeling that my body is fine and can still be quite sexy! I did not stop grinning for months and my boyfriend was gobsmacked when I gave him the calendar for his birthday and insisted on hanging it in the kitchen so everyone could see it ( I didn't really mind as I was very proud of the pictures). He is paying for me to have some more done next year as a present. I enjoyed the experience as much as he enjoyed the final pictures!!

To anyone contemplating having a shoot I would say "just do it", the experience is just amazing."

See more of Yvonne's beautiful pictures and read more Clients' Boudoir Photography Reviews
Lots more Clients' Stories coming soon!

Our New Baby!

2011-06-17T12:53:00.013+01:00

It is five years since we launched our gorgeous steel-covered ImageBook (how time flies)! Now to give you another beautiful option for your boudoir images, we are ready to unveil the ImageBook’s baby sister...the stunning Mighty Aphrodite ArtBook.

Sexier than a chocolate Ferrari, the glossy hardback ArtBook is A4 size with satin-finish pages. You can have a ten-page or a twenty-page version – depending on how many of your images you want to feature. The page layouts are designed around your images to give you a combination of different page styles including montages and double-page spreads so each ArtBook is unique.

You can have an image on the front and on the back cover, along with a dedication or any wording that takes your fancy. The ArtBook makes a really special gift, especially as you can dedicate the book to the one you love. Put an anonymous picture on the cover and keep him guessing, until he opens up the book and sees that it is YOU in the pictures. Then watch his jaw drop to the floor!

We will be launching the new ArtBook packages soon...
Package One will give you a ten-page ArtBook
Package Two will give you a twenty-page ArtBook
You will also be able to add an ArtBook to the Freedom Package.

New Sensual Boudoir Studio Set

2011-04-15T15:17:00.006+01:00

Unveiling our new Sensual Boudoir studio set! Ideal for Bridal Boudoir, Lingerie Portraits and tasteful Sensual Nudes. A bit softer than our usual style - what do you think?
It is designed to look like a classy boudoir hotel room and has a very opulent mood.

The lighting is soft and natural with a real daylight feel (although the window is actually fake! )

This is a great set for anyone who likes the more romantic and sensual side of boudoir. Ideal for Lingerie pictures or tasteful Nudes.

M.A. Confidential - Exclusive Offers for Members

2011-04-08T17:32:00.002+01:00

Introducing...M.A. Confidential. Yes, you're right, I really do love to incorporate film references into everything I do.

M.A. Confidential is the new Mighty Aphrodite Club for boudoir connoisseurs. Club Members will have access to the special M.A. Confidential area of our website which is updated regularly with special prices and offers exclusive to our Club Members. Each month we will have either discounts on our normal prices or free gifts when you book a shoot that are not available to non-members.

New images and videos will often be premiered in M.A. Confidential before they are displayed on our website and if you stay subscribed to our Newsletters, you will also be the first to know about new Clients Stories and other updates.

Join the Club for Special Offers, behind-the-scenes info...and just to feel Special :o)
Find out more about M.A. Confidential now!

Leigh's Men's Fitness Shoot

2011-03-18T16:56:00.002+01:00

You may have already seen his pictures, now read Leigh's story of being on the other side of the camera! See what happened when Zena turned photographer for the day...
Leigh's Story

Darkest Desires Unleashed

2011-03-01T19:11:00.003+01:00

We've just uploaded some brand new images to our Darkest Desires Gallery...want to see? This was one of the first sets we ever designed for our studio, so it needed updating after 7 years! We've got new poses and more chains...you can never have too many chains! Purely for aesthetic reasons, you understand...;o)
See the full Darkest Desires gallery in all its glory. Definitely Not Work Safe!

January Sale!

2011-01-12T18:02:00.000+01:00

New Year, New You! If you are working hard to get into shape and lose the holiday weight that magically appeared over Christmas (I know I am) then booking a date for a nude or lingerie photo shoot is a fantastic incentive to stick to the healthy eating plan and get those gym shoes on and get working out!

But after the December festivities and excess, the New Year can also bring on the January Blues. So how can Mighty Aphrodite cheer you up? To celebrate the start of 2011 and help to put a smile back on your face, we are having a January Sale to make it more tempting than ever before to book a Boudoir photo shoot. We are offering major discounts on our normal prices for all our Individual and Couples photo shoots:

■The Limited Edition was £225 now £199 (was £275 now £249 for couples)
■Package One was £450 now £399 (was £550 now £499 for couples)
■Package Two was £670 now £599 (was £770 now £699 for couples)
■Package Three was £1050 now £949 (was £1150 now £1049 for couples)
■Calendar Package was £590 now £529 (was £690 now £629 for couples)

But these special prices won't be around for long! To qualify for the discounted prices your shoot must be booked and take place between 12th January and 25th February. What are you waiting for? Get in touch.

Valentines Day Gifts

2011-01-03T13:50:00.004+01:00

So what are you giving the one you love for Valentine's Day? A Mighty Aphrodite boudoir photo shoot is perfect - they get some gorgeous sexy pictures of you to drool over and you get a fantastic confidence-boosting experience! Get in touch to book your sexy photo shoot - you need to have your shoot by 31st January to have your pictures in time for February 14th.
Or if you think your better half deserves a photo shoot to capture their beauty and sensuality, you can purchase a Gift Voucher to give to them on Valentines Day.
For the ultimate romantic sexy gift, why not treat yourselves to a Mighty Aphrodite Couples Boudoir photo shoot. Celebrate your love with gorgeous images together.
Go on, indulge yourselves and give the Valentines gift of a lifetime!

Helping our Heroes

2010-09-18T14:00:00.000+01:00

With so many of our brave Forces personnel deployed in Afghanistan at the moment, we have had a flurry of Forces Wives & Girlfriends booking Boudoir Photo Shoots. Miss C, pictured here, gave her boyfriend his album when he was home on leave so he has a morale-boosting reminder of her to keep them close while they are apart. Our Wallet album is a perfect pocket-sized version of your main album and is ideal for him to tuck away and take wherever he goes. Thank you Miss C for allowing us to share your images.

For Men

2010-07-10T10:30:00.002+01:00

Finally, we have compiled our Men's Photo Gallery so the boys can see what Mighty Aphrodite can do for them. Even if you haven't got a six-pack, our expert posing and lighting will show you muscles you didn't know you had.
Whether you fancy a Men's Health style fitness shoot or want to explore your devilish side with some chains, we will style the shoot around you and make sure we show you at your best.
It's up to you whether you wear your jeans, boxers, briefs or go the Full Monty. The images make a great gift for the woman (or man) in your life, or why not do it just for yourself - How to Look Good Naked for the Boys!
See the full Photography for Men Gallery

Wet Look Set now online

2010-06-16T11:42:00.018+01:00

Our new Wet Look set is finally revealed...and it was worth the wait! Whether you are a bikini babe and want to go for an FHM feel or you just want some classy and classic nude images, this set has it all. The water droplet effect is what we are famous for and works beautifully if you are looking for some unique, modern and very personal works of art to grace your walls at home. Perfect for the bathroom, we think...See all our Wetlook Photos

Today in the Mighty Aphrodite Boudoir Studio

2010-05-20T15:07:00.009+01:00

We had the fabulous Miss N in the Mighty Aphrodite Boudoir Studio for a photo shoot today. When she arrived she told us that she hates her bum. I think you will agree that she needs to start appreciating how lucky she is! Thanks to Miss N for allowing us to share her beautiful derriere. xx

Boudoir for Brides

2010-05-04T20:42:00.015+01:00

Busy busy with lots of Brides-to-be doing Bridal Boudoir photo shoots this month. May is now fully booked and 50% of June's appointments are already full. So if you are getting married in the next few months and want the ultimate sexy gift for the Groom, you'd better get in touch soon! xx

Hilton Reading

2010-05-01T15:17:00.002+01:00

If you need a hotel close to the Mighty Aphrodite studio, we recommend The Hilton in Reading. It opened in 2009 and is only 15 minutes drive away from us and just 5 minutes into Reading town centre. It has a beautiful restaurant, a great bar and also a gym and swimming pool if you are feeling energetic. Current prices in 2010 are from £65 per room per night. Go on - treat yourself to a night away after your photo shoot...you are so worth it! Check availability on their Website

Coming Soon...Our New Sexy Wet-Look Set

2009-12-20T14:51:00.003+01:00

Coming up with new ideas for photoshoot sets is one of the fun parts of our job. We already include water droplet shots at the end of the Art Nude set and we love shooting these images so much, we have decided to dedicate a whole set to the Wet-Look style.

The shots have a very sexy hot and wet look and work great in a bikini or nude. We will be uploading the complete Wet Look Gallery to our website soon!

Sneaky Peak - Couples Galleries

2009-07-10T16:25:00.004+01:00

We have been photographing couples ever since Mighty Aphrodite started in 2004, but 2009 has been our busiest year by far for Couple Photoshoots. Photographing two people together is more much more complex than a solo shoot (all those arms and legs to pose), but it can be twice the fun!
Why not combine your photoshoot with some time away together. Book a romantic hotel room and spoil yourselves. Just remember to bring your laptop so you can spend the evening reviewing the pictures from your shoot in your room :o)
We will shortly be adding a dedicated Couples Photo shoot section to our website with special Couples Galleries. But in the meantime, here are some couples images to give you a taste of what you can expect.

The Men's Room

2009-07-02T15:50:00.002+01:00

Why should the girls have all the fun. We have seen a big increase in the number of guys looking for nude or semi-nude portraits of themselves, either as a special sexy gift for their partner or just as a record of how their body looks at a particular time in their lives.

If you have been training hard and are feeling in good shape, why not treat yourself to a photoshoot to capture your body at its best?

For many men, having a photoshoot can be a bit of a daunting proposition - in general, men aren't as used to being in front of the camera as women are. But we are experts at posing and lighting to get the best out of your individual physique. You are directed all the way and we demonstrate each pose to show you how to do it.

If you are still nervous about coming for a solo sexy photoshoot, why not bring your partner along and have a couple shoot - more on that subject soon!

Digital Magic...you're going to like this - a lot!

2009-06-04T22:18:00.009+01:00

One of the questions we get asked the most by potential clients is "Do you do airbrushing?" So to give you the opportunity to see just what we can acheive with a little digital wizardry, we have produced a couple of videos showing some of the techniques we use.

Most of the work to get your boudoir photos looking great is done with posing and lighting, what we do at the editing stage is really just polishing. We encourage our clients to keep their images as natural as possible - that way when you look at them in ten years time, you can be really proud as you know your images show the real you. We don't think there is anything wrong with removing blemishes, scars, stretchmarks and the odd line here and there. A little nip and tuck where your bra and knickers dig in or your hold ups create the muffin-top effect is something we would do automatically (it is one of the reasons why many of our clients prefer their nude shots - they are more flattering as there are no bulges!)

But it is our unique skin softening techniques that really make your images special. You won't find any soft-focus effects or blurring on any of our images - we work specifically on the skin to get it looking flawless. But you won't look like a Barbie Doll or a waxwork dummy like in FHM - with our techniques you can still see the real texture of the skin.
See our Boudoir Videos for more information.

Leigh & Zena on the Other Side of the Camera

2009-06-04T18:02:00.007+01:00

I've been wanting to do this for ages and finally managed to convince Leigh that we should have some sexy photos done together. So I bought some special new lingerie, we set the lights and got Sam to do the honours with the camera. Neither of us really enjoy being on the other side of the camera, but as we saw the images coming through on the computer (we shoot wirelessly into a PC in the studio so you can see the images immediately) we were both really impressed by how good we looked! Not bad for two over-40s. We will be creating a new Couples Boudoir Gallery on the website soon, so there will be lots more images to see then.

Glamorous Rocks!

2009-06-04T16:06:00.029+01:00

Our previous "Glamorous" set proved very popular indeed but our lovely reflective floor did cause us one or two problems (Zena got fed up with polishing it!) So we scoured the globe for a solution and can now unveil the first images from the new improved Glamorous gallery.

We have a new floor which is even more versatile (and a lot warmer) than the old one and allows us to be even more creative with our lighting. Our gorgeous black Damask wallpaper also gives a very opulent feel to the standing shots in this set. (It also features as the new background to our web pages).

See more Glamorous images on our website:

Boudoir Photography Glamorous Gallery

Supersize Me! - Our New Larger Albums have arrived

2009-06-04T10:46:00.009+01:00

Who says size doesn't matter!
At Mighty Aphrodite, we aim to give quality AND quantity. Our beautiful new Italian Handmade albums are 20% bigger than our previous albums and are now in stock. So all Package One and Package Two shoots now come with 12" x 8" prints as standard (that's 305mm x 203mm in new money or A4 if you prefer), rather than the old 10" x 8" size. That's an extra 2 inches - just what every girl needs!

It took us quite a while to find the right albums, but the quality of these is amazing. The cover is embossed with the Mighty Aphrodite logo so they are totally unique to us. They are almost more like a book than a photo album, they are so stylish. The albums come in a lovely black presentation box, all ready to wrap up and give to the one you love.

Malmaison Reading

2009-06-03T22:34:00.005+01:00

With so many of our clients travelling great distances for the Mighty Aphrodite Experience, why not turn it into a Mini-break and stay overnight. Reading is a great place to spend the night and the sexiest hotel in the town is Malmaison.

This one-time Great Western Rail Hotel, was designed by Victorian master of engineering Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It was originally built in 1844 and is reputedly the oldest surviving railway hotel in the world. Malmaison have totally refurbished the interior and the style is "contemporary with an opulent twist". It has a stunning brasserie, wine bar and cafe.

There are 75 luxury rooms, including 5 stylish rail themed suites if you fancy a touch of luxury. One of the things I love about the Malmaison hotels is the gorgeous toiletries in your room - they are full sized and are yours to take home.

If you are travelling to us by train, the Malmaison is right across the road from Reading Station. Alternatively there is discounted parking near to the hotel.

Get full details on the Malmaison Reading Website

The Blog of a Boudoir Photographer

2009-05-25T18:58:00.012+01:00

Hello and welcome to our Blog. We will be using our blog to keep you up to date with the latest happenings at Mighty Aphrodite - any news, new portfolio pics and other random ramblings we think may interest the world at large will appear here.
In case you are wondering who we are, Mighty Aphrodite is an Erotic and Boudoir Portraits studio based in Reading, Berkshire in the UK. We are a husband and wife team: Leigh (yes his name is spelled the girl's way) is our photographer and Zena is make up artist, studio assistant and lingerie technician extraordinaire! (she must have done up more suspenders than an Agent Provocateur window dresser). The third member of our team is Sam, who is our expert image retoucher. She spends her days putting the final finishing touches to our images making sure they are perfect.
So for now I'd just like to leave you with one of our brand new images from our new Glamorous Gallery.