The Vignette Effect

The vignette effect is a post production technique that often lends itself extremely well to Boudoir Photography. The softened edges of the photograph can add to the romantic feel of the shot.

For amateur photographers the technique can have an additional benefit: you get to hide unwanted details from the photograph - if you are shooting in a confined space for example you may be unable to avoid including objects which are unsightly or distract the eye from your glamourous subject. The 'before' version of the picture on the right is show below. As you can see the room we were using was in an old ruined building, but the vignette effect has erased all of the peeling wallpaper etc.

Depending on the tone of the image you can vignette to white or black to give a 'dodged' or 'burned' effect.

How to Create the Vignette Effect

There are many ways of creating a vignette effect - I personally use layer masks in Adobe Photoshop. There are many Photoshop tutorials available which demonstrate this simple technique very well. For example:

Graphicssoft Vignette Effect Tutorial

All-Things-Photography's Create a Vignette Effect

That Antique Look

If you want to create the antique erotic look, then combine the vignette effect with a desaturated, sepia tint.