The Price of Beauty

I couldn't find the original source, but it's swimming all over the blogosphere, Rihanna allegedly spends $840,000 a year on her looks. Wow.
While much of that is spent on a personal trainer and an on-call chef, part of it is the obvious hair, makeup, lotions and potions she must use.

I am going to apologize in advance for hopping on my soap box and also for my superfluous use of exclamation points :)

No wonder we are all losing the game of trying to compare ourselves to celebrities and models! I think we need a good healthy dose of perspective. It is their job to look beautiful and as perfect as possible (and they have the resources). Our jobs are different. We may be housewives, secretaries, moms, {photographers}, CEO's, babysitters, waitresses, whatever. And we are important and strong and beautiful too!

One of the ways to enter the recent boudoir shoot contest was just to send me an email stating why you wanted a photo shoot. While I made it clear the answer would not affect the random drawing I could tell a lot of thought was put into some of the entries. I read them all. Most were pretty short and simple. They talked about wanting to show their husbands they are still sexy, or about needing to do something indulgent for yourself. They were sweet, they were sincere and they really touched me. So thank you, I am glad everyone shared. More than ever, I love what I do.

What is Digital Editing?

Interested in knowing what "digital editing" means? Check out the post on our wedding blog here:
Utah Wedding Blog

While all the basics are the same, boudoir photos are a little different. First of all, you have more skin showing, so the retouching portion is a little more extensive. Boudoir images call for more of a magazine look so a few little special effects (like a little glow on the skin) are totally appropriate. But the editing still shouldn't look obvious and you should still look like yourself, although with a little help from a hair and makeup artist you will look like a glammed up you!

And the winner is.....

Alright, it's time to announce the winner of the boudoir session. I did a random drawing from all the entries and the winner is...

Melissa from Orem!

I just contacted her to let her know and she is excited (but not as excited as her husband will be, I'm sure)!

International Princess™ Project

This may seem like an unlikely topic, but I am a huge fan of empowering women and also empathetic to causes that support women, especially those in other countries that face horrors that you and I will probably never know or understand.

I found out about the International Princess™ Project from The Pioneer Woman's blog and I knew I had to pass it along.

You can read all about this cause that helps women restore their lives after being enslaved into prostitution here:

http://www.intlprincess.org/

And you can support the cause here:

http://www.punjammies.com/

Punjammies are darling lounge pants (way better than my ugly functional yoga pants I wear in my studio for shoots) that are made in India by women who are learning a marketable skill to better their lives.

Check back in a few hours for the announcement of the winner of the Boudoir Session Giveaway. In the meatime go pick out your new Punjammies and buy a pair for a friend!

Last Chance to Enter the Boudoir Contest

ONE

MORE

 DAY...

to enter the Boudoir Session Giveaway! Time is ticking so get your entries in before noon tomorrow.

This post details all the ways to enter:

http://utahboudoirphotography.blogspot.com/2010/03/boudoir-session-giveaway.html

Good Luck, and check back in tomorrow when the winner will be announced!

For Photographers

Check out my blog on The Perfect Pose. It's all about using a mirror in your boudoir studio for posing. While you are there check out the other great blogs all about posing, lighting and running your photography business. It's a great resource.

Giveaway Reminder

Don't forget to enter the Boudoir Session Giveaway contest. I will announce the winner in two weeks!

Alice in Wonderland

I saw Alice in Wonderland last night. It was pretty good, here is my unofficial, abbreviated, no-spoilers review:
I loved the imagery and the world that Tim Burton created. The costumes and makeup were pure eye candy.
However, Alice's character was either under-developed or just plain dull. I never gained empathy for her and could have cared less if the jabberwocky ate her!
So there you have it, my honest opinion.

And as an aside, I realized I no longer belong to the generation au courant. During the movie I was annoyed by several people using their Blackberries. I mean, come on, it's like driving down a deserted road at night and then being blinded by someone with their headlights at the brightest setting. It's distracting.
Then the moment the movie was over the whole place lit up with cell phones. That part was just mildly funny. Here I had arranged for a babysitter and turned off my phone to enjoy an evening out with my husband. No way was I going to turn on my phone to check emails. Oh well, I'm getting old.

More of Deena's Shoot

A couple more preview pictures of Deena.

We did two hair and makeup looks, which I highly recommend if you want a lot of variety to your album

(I know, I say that a lot.)

We ended up doing a few pinup-type shots. I guess we just couldn't help it.

Boudoir Session Giveaway

I am so excited to present a Boudoir Giveaway this month!
There are 5 ways to enter! It's so easy to get multiple chances to win!
Each qualifying entry will be put into a random drawing. The winner will be announced on March 20th. All entries must be complete by noon that day.

The Prize:

• 90 Minute Mini Boudoir Session
• 2-3 Outfit Changes
• Complete Digital Touchups and Enhancements
• Black Leather Mini Album with 30 Sides
• Black Presentation Box
• Hi Res CD of all 30 Edited Images

This is a $700 value!
You can add hair and makeup for a special price of $100.

Ways to Enter:
1. Follow me on Twitter. Once you start following me (or if you already are) send an email to contest@definitionimages.com - put "Twitter" in the subject line and in the email just put your Twitter username, and Voila! You are entered. So easy. (Get a bonus entry for tweeting the link to this blog post)


2. Subscribe to my blog (in the right column). Then send an email to contest@definitionimages.com - put "blog" in the subject line and in the email just put your Blogger, Google or whatever account name you are using to follow me. Ta Da! You are entered again!

3. Put a link to my website or blog on your website or blog then send an email to contest@definitionimages.com - put "link" in the subject line and in the email send me a link so I can check it out. Presto! Another entry. (Get a bonus entry for writing a blog post about my boudoir photography or this giveaway).

4. Book your wedding with Charles Barnard Photography and pay your deposit. This one is big, you get two entries for it (make sure you mention this contest when you book).

5. The easiest of all, just send me an email: contest@definitionimages.com and put "entry" in the subject line and in the email tell me why you want to do a boudoir session (don't worry your answer won't affect your entry, I'm just nosy like that).

If my math is right you can get up to 8 entries! Good Luck!

The fine print: You must be 18 years or older to enter. The prize is non-transferable and has no cash value. The winner will be chosen at random from all entries and will be announced on March 20th, 2010. No entries after this date will be eligible to win. Your privacy is important to us, your email address will not be sold. Only the first name and city of the winner will be announced.

ETA: I am getting lots of entries already and a couple questions. I will post the answers here for everyone. First, if you have already done a session, yes, you are still eligible to win this one. I love how most everyone I shoot says they want to do another session some day soon!
Also, I am not going to respond to each email. Trust me though, I am getting them!