Client Tips

I just wanted to share some great tips for doing a boudoir session that a wonderful client of mine posted on her bio on TheKnot.com. Take a look at Jennifer's Bio.

My B-Pic Advice
I just wanted to give my advice to people who are thinking they are wanting to do a session for B-Pics.
1. If you think you'd like them, DO IT! Don't let the fear of how your body looks deter you. There will always be those 5 lbs you want to lose, you hair to be just 3 inches longer...you can make excuses forever, but in the end, you will love how you look and realize how beautiful you really are!
2. Get your hair and make-up done professionally. My photographer always does this, and there is good reason, I felt so glamourous, confidant, and ready to go.
3. Take a lot of clothing choices. I had some many different outfits, I didn't half of them, but it was so great to be able to see how I was feeling that day, see what made me sexy, and I went with that.
4. Don't be nervous. If you did your homework, I am sure you found a reputable photographer who isn't a sleeze-bag...so don't worry about it!
5. Just have fun. Do silly things, make funny faces, who knows, they might look awesome...the might not. But you should feel awesome and like a super model.
My Don'ts...
Don't feel stupid for doing them
Don't be pressured, if you aren't comfortable doing them, it will show.
Don't go out and spend a ton of money on new clothes...maybe a few new items, but I'm sure you have some good stuff in your closet
Don't be afraid to try something you haven't seen before, just because it is a little different, doesn't make it wrong!

Good luck and have fun...and go to Susie with Definition Images if in Utah!

And this is from her bio on her married bio, which includes recommendations for the vendors she used for her wedding. Jennifer got married in exotic Hawaii!

vendor - definition images
I knew that I wanted to do B-Pics for Nate's gift. I had wanted to do them before and this was the perfect time to do them. I was lucky and got a great deal on them too. Nate's was really pleased with them, and hopefully when we are 89 years ond and all saggy and what not, he will be able to look at them and remember what a smoking babe he got to marry.
Recommendation: Yes, highly.
Explaination: I recommend both doing B-pics and my photographer, Susie at Definition Images. The whole experience was very empowering, and it is awesome to be able to look at pictures of yourself and say wow, I'm hot! It also makes you realize that with the right lighting and a little bit of touch-ups, everyone can look like a supermodel.

Thanks Jennifer! I love the tips and I am so glad you shared. I am so lucky that I get to photograph and to get to know such awesome women and that I get to help them create something really special.

Spread the Word - Boudoir Photography is Hot!

I just wanted to post a little reminder about spreading the word about boudoir photography! Girls, if you have done a session with me and tell your friends you get a gift when they do their session. (Shh, I am bad at keeping surprises, so I am telling what it is) It's a Victoria's Secret gift card so you can get some fantastic new lingerie to treat yourself while your friend gets a pampering and fun boudoir photography experience, it's win -win!

If you are thinking about doing a session and have a friend (or several) that want to do it too you all get a discount when you book your sessions together (the sessions don't have to be on the same day, you just have to book at the same time).

So spread the word about how awesome and sexy boudoir photography is!

Happy Valentine's Day

Tales From My Life

Do you ever feel like things don't turn out like you intended (I do all the time). Well, my week started out with grand visions of redecorating and decluttering and started out instead with an emergency surgery... alright, so it wasn't really a surgery, per se, but it did involve a scalpel and some blood. But I am getting ahead of myself.
It all started when my daughter's nanny planned a to take a trip to New York/Washington D.C. with a friend. My husband and I decided that instead of trying to find someone to care for our daughter we would take some time off together and spend it as a family and working on our house. This is the house we have lived in for two years now, although we have yet to unpack everything. It was perfect timing. It's too close to Valentine's Day to get albums back, so all my boudoir sessions were completed and wedding season is still a small way off.
But my dreams were derailed on Sunday when I started feeling a dull pain in the bottom of my foot when I walked. I had my husband take a look and he announced that he thought it was a sliver that was in really deep. So on Monday I visited my doctor who also thought it was a sliver. He told me an option was to numb my foot and cut as deep as he needed to go to get it out. I asked him what the other option was. He said "actually that's the only one". I don't know what I was expecting... a laser that would magically extract it without cutting or blood??? Anyway, he said "I'm not gonna lie, the numbing shots are gonna hurt like a bugger". They did! He extracted it with tweezers and held it up for me to see. It was the size of an eyelash, and he thought it was probably wood. I have NO idea how I got it, I never felt it going in. It was at an angle and I guess it just kept going deeper when I walked on it. The incision was the size of a paper cut, but pretty deep and I couldn't walk on it. And, to top it all off, a few days later I developed a cold/allergies/or something that makes my nose drippy and my eyes red.
So that's that, it's the end of the week and I have an unpainted living room and too much stuff.

Black and White! Baby!

I love black and white (I mean, what self respecting photographer doesn't?).
Boudoir photography is just made for the artistic and intimate look of black and white.
Don't ya think?

Balance and The Mommy Wars

Now more than ever have us mommies had so much to balance and figure out. Aw, how do we do it...

I am not a feminist. I am not an advocate of being a "working mom" or a "stay-at-home mom". I don't believe in labels or stereotypes. I believe we need to give each other a break and stop judging and start supporting. We are all trying to do our best. I believe that, anyway.

A friend recently asked me how I work and balance being a mom. Well... I don't know. I can crave the lifestyle of the "old days" where moms were moms and they had blissful days filled with teaching, discovering and playing with the kids and concocting gourmet meals to be ready for the "bread winner" to return home. But then I realize these women worked just as hard... but differently.

A fellow photographer once said the key to balancing home life with working was to not let your clients rule your life, because they will. My experience hasn't been that though. I find that setting realistic expectations and being honest about what I can do and how long it will take is the key. I am lucky. All of my clients have been fabulous and I really truly like them a lot. I get to meet amazing women. Some are mothers, some aren't. Some are getting married, some have been married for years. Some work and some don't. But, they are all amazing and inspirational and truly love their men and want to do something for them. They are brave and self confident and also self conscious and fragile... all the things that make them, well, Women.

The Skinny on Looking Skinny

"Make me look skinny". I hear that all the time at all types of photo shoots. I hear it from brides at their weddings, from girls doing a boudoir session and even during family picture sessions from grandma. Yes, I even say it when my husband takes snapshots of me. Of course we all want to look our best. Photographs are reflections of us and are meant for others to see.

So, here are some tips and tricks to make sure you look like your best (and skinniest) self in snapshots. These tips should be helpful when you are left to pose yourself, hopefully any professional photographer taking your picture will know these things.

1. Watch your posture. Whether you are standing or sitting you should straighten up a bit. Try it right now while reading this, sit up taller, don't you feel more slender? Just remember to relax your shoulders; you don't want to appear tense.

2. Turn a little bit. Don't face the camera straight on. It isn't very flattering. In fact, that's why designers like such thin runway models. They are photographed straight on and need to appear thin at that angle. The rest of us have the luxury of turning a little bit. A 45-degree angle is just about perfect.

3. Find the light source. If the light is coming from a flash on the camera there isn't much you can do. However, if you are outdoors or somewhere where a flash isn't needed find where the main light source is coming from and turn toward it. Photographers call this "short lighting". It's the most flattering and will make your face appear narrower. The broad side of your face that is toward the camera (remember we turned you 45 degrees) will be in shadow and the front of your face will be lighter. It's an optical illusion.

4. Put your weight on your back foot. If you are standing put your weight on your back foot and bend the knee of your front foot slightly. It will slim your hips and make your legs appear longer. In fact, do this if you ever have to stand in front of other people. Miss America contestants do it.

5. Smile convincingly. Real smiles look differently than fake ones. If possible have the person taking the picture countdown before they shoot and smile just before they do. Smiles fade and start looking more fake the longer they are held.

6. Position yourself below the camera. It is best if the camera is just above eye level. This is the most flattering angle. You will be looking up just slightly which will improve your neck line and make your eyes more open.

7. Relax. We are the most critical of ourselves. No one is going to see the little flaws you may think you have. I remember seeing a picture of myself and a bunch of friends that I felt I looked horrible in. I mentioned this to one of my friends and she said, "I don't remember what you looked like in it, I was concentrating on how bad I thought I looked". And come to think of it, I couldn't remember how she looked... See, we were both being too busy over analyzing ourselves when no one else cared.

So there you go, some tips to help you feel more photogenic.

And P.S. - That's a vintage camera at the top of this post (someone asked, I just figured everyone likes old cameras like me).