Boudoir photography is a photographic style featuring intimate, romantic, and sometimes erotic images of its subjects in a photographic studio, bedroom or private dressing room environment. Primarily intended for the private enjoyment of the subject and his or her romantic partners. It is distinct from glamour and art nude photography in that it is usually more suggestive rather than explicit in its approach to nudity and sexuality, features subjects who do not regularly model, and produces images that are not intended to be seen by a wide audience, but rather to remain under the control of the subject.

​

Increasingly, boudoir photography is seen as something that a person might do purely for their own enjoyment, for the pleasure and affirmation of seeing themselves as attractive, daring, sensual, and sexually-desirable, or made as a gift to a partner..

​

Boudoir photography encompasses a range of styles and moods. Named categories of boudoir photography include so-called "naughty girl", "fun and giggles", and "provocative and sensual", with varying degrees of explicitness and nudity.

Visually the genre is characterized by diffuse high-key images that flatter the appearance of skin, short focal distances, and shallow depth of field, which together impart an intimate, "dreamy" mood. Other common styles include a low-key, deliberately grainy black-and-white, reflecting the influence of art nudes, early erotic photography, and film noir, Also common are poses and lighting setups intended to replicate the mood and appearance of classic pin-up photographs and paintings..