Above: Portrait Masters Top 20 award-winning image
It started with a question.
At a gallery show in San Francisco, a woman stopped in front of my photographs and took her time looking through them. She turned to me and asked, “Can you photograph me like this?”
She had seen something that interested her. She didn’t need me to tell her what she should want. She wanted to know if we could create it together.
That question is still at the heart of my work. Whether you’re drawn to boudoir, bodyscapes, fine-art nude, or erotic portraiture, we start with your curiosity and design the shoot together.
Intimate portraits can be elegant or provocative. Polished or raw. Suggestive or explicit. We can borrow from fashion, beauty, erotic photography, or something that doesn’t fit neatly into any category at all.
I don’t begin with an idea of what an intimate portrait session is supposed to look like. We begin with what interests you: the photographs you’re drawn to, what you want to show, what you’d rather leave to suggestion, and how far you want to explore.
I work differently with different people. Some know exactly what they want to show me; others discover it as we shoot. I use what I’ve learned as a teacher and as a photographer, working with both amateur and professional models, to help you feel comfortable enough with me to be yourself in front of the camera.
Then I find the right angle and the right light, and we have the shot. My experience gives us the freedom to explore without sacrificing the quality of the photographs.
The result isn’t my version of you. It’s something we create together.
The Experience
Hair and makeup done, the lingerie you’ve been saving for “someday” finally on, the first frames lighting up the back of my camera: that’s when you stop wondering whether you can pull this off, because you’re looking right at the proof.
That’s the feeling. Here’s how we get you there.
First, your design consultation. Tell me what you want, show me what you’re drawn to, or both: the photos you’ve saved, the images that stop your scroll, the mood you keep coming back to. From there, we design your shoot and choose your wardrobe together, because what we create and what you wear go hand in hand. Nothing’s too much, and nothing leaves the room.
Then, your day. You sit back like a celebrity while a professional artist does your hair and makeup. Then we shoot. No stiff, static posing. I have my own methods of directing you in front of the camera, so you look natural and authentic. The hardest part is showing up.
Then, choosing your photographs. You’ll have more beautiful images than you expect, and that can be a lot to take in. So we go through them together. The choices are yours. I’m there to answer questions, give my opinion when you want it, and help you get unstuck if you’re torn between favorites. I retouch each image you choose myself, by hand, and you decide how to keep them: digital files, albums, wall art, and more. I’ll show you every option when we meet.
Behind all of it is my fashion and editorial work, from intimate portraits to magazine campaigns, including years as editor-in-chief of an art nude magazine. You get to have all the fun. I’ll handle everything else.
The previews I saw on his camera blew me away… that was ME!
Stop hesitating and book with Rich.
You won’t regret it!
–Paula Shepherd
Reviews
“Rich made me feel extremely comfortable from the moment I arrived to the time I left my Boudoir shoot. I was very nervous leading up to the shoot. I felt totally safe and respected. The shoot was actually very fun! Rich’s hair and makeup artist, Martha was incredible, she did her magic on me… The entire experience was a time to remember. I am excited to give this gift to my fiancé on our wedding day.”
–Angela Steadtler
“Just had my photo shoot, was a bit nervous at first, but he put me at ease and made the time fun and relaxed… Every woman should do one to show her beauty and that she still has it, even if she is almost 60. Thank you for making me feel beautiful.”
–Laurie Anne Hudgeons
“The decision to do a boudoir shoot after a mastectomy and reconstruction was tough for me… I took the leap and today stepped right outside of the comfort zone and did it! I couldn’t have chosen a better photographer. He is every definition of professional and made me feel like I’d been modeling this way for years.”
–Paula Shepherd
“The experience was uplifting and I felt very sexy and beautiful. His work is phenomenal and I can’t even believe it’s me when I saw the outcome of all the pictures.”
–Julie Matthews
“I personally have done 3 different boudoir photoshoots with Rich and never in a million years ever expected to walk out of the shoot 150% MORE confident, than I was walking in.”
–Shayna Danko
What would you want to create if you didn’t have to play it safe?
Your session can be glamorous, playful, provocative, erotic, or something else entirely. We’ll design it around what you want to explore.
There is no expectation that you go further than you want to. There is also no expectation that you hold back because of what an intimate portrait is supposed to be.
Who is Rich Cirminello?
I’ve spent 20 years photographing people, from intimate portraits and private commissions to fashion campaigns, editorials and runway at New York, London, Paris Haute Couture and Hong Kong Fashion Weeks.
What has kept me interested all these years is that no two people bring the same thing to a photograph. I don’t want to turn you into someone I’ve photographed before. I want to discover what happens when my experience and point of view meet yours.
That’s why my work can move from elegant to provocative, restrained to explicit, polished to raw. The photographs change because the person in front of my camera changes.
Based in Dallas, TX. Your session can happen anywhere.
Private commissions are available throughout the U.S. and internationally.
Questions
No. And I won’t run you through the same five poses every other studio uses. I have my own methods of directing you in front of the camera, so you look natural and authentic.
That’s normal. By the time you arrive, nothing about the day is a surprise: we’ve already designed your shoot, chosen your wardrobe, and picked the setting together. Hair and makeup gives you time to get comfortable with me and the space. And once we start, you’ll be too busy to be nervous.
We choose your wardrobe together at your design consultation, and this is your chance to be anyone you want: the femme fatale, the bombshell, the woman in nothing but his shirt, or someone you’ve never let yourself be. Lace, leather, heels, nothing at all. If you can imagine it, we can design around it.
A boudoir studio, a hotel suite, or your own home. We choose the setting at your design consultation.
Me, my stylist, and sometimes an assistant. Depending on your session, your stylist may stay for touch-ups or head out once you’re camera ready.
Someone’s welcome to drop you off, come in, meet me, and look around. Once we start, it’s just us. Even the most supportive friend changes the energy in the room, and this is your time.
About 3–4 hours, including hair and makeup.
Yes. Nothing from your session is shared anywhere without your written permission. You decide in your contract, and if the answer is no, they stay private.
So is everyone I’ve ever photographed, from fashion models to grandmothers. I’ve seen it all, and I don’t judge.
No. My clients range from brides in their twenties to women in their sixties, every shape and size.
By hand, one image at a time. You’ll look like yourself on your best day, not like a filter.
Yes, as much or as little as you’re comfortable with, from implied to fully nude fine art. See the Boudoir Portfolio and Bodyscapes (both contain nudity).
Yes. I photograph couples too. Ask me about it when we talk.
Yes, individually or as a couple. Every session is designed the same way and kept just as private.
Sessions begin at $3,500. Most clients add to it and spend $5,000 or more. We’ll go over everything when we talk.