On a regular basis I think K and I tend to feel a little overwhelmed. And that’s totally fine! We understand that that is part of operating a business and of doing our best to constantly GROW that business. One thing we have learned is to be as organized as possible with our tasks and our priorities. It has taken us a while to develop the perfect to-do list and since we
feel it works so well for us we are eager to to share it with you…….
Just got this email, and it made me smile. So, I thought I’d share it with you all. 🙂 YES, we DO still have spots open for our January workshop – if you have any questions about it, please feel free to shoot me an email ([email protected]). And be sure to check out our boudoir workshop website for more information!
“I appreciate everything you guys had done for me and my business. You guys are simply the best, and every time a client asks me how I got into boudoir your name undoubtedly come up in the conversation. I remember couple years back stopping at your booth at the WPPI at Vegas and falling in love with all your work and the whole concept. I attended to your workshop back in April and so far it has been one of the best experiences in my path as a photographer. Stay fabulous!” -Viriginia Valdez, Le Dolce Boudoir
Chelsea is so, so cool. Here is why… she flew into Cali to have a boudoir shoot done by yours truly, she bought most of her amazing outfits on Pinupgirlclothing.com , she added a “Cinema Short” to her Supermodel Package, she is comfortable in her own skin, AND she let us show her boudoir video with you. Oh and best of all she is also a photographer! You rocked it Chelsea!
This morning I had a WONDERFUL Skype consultation with a new friend (who was the winner of the Thirst Relief Auction for a mentoring session with me!) One thing she mentioned was that she had come up against some opposition from someone recently, who made it seem as though boudoir photography is sleazy. This is just SO not true!
We are boudoir photographers. We take gorgeous pictures of women in a classy, tasteful way. We give women a piece of art that is beautiful – and something that they will treasure. It is not sleazy. As one client said: “This isn’t about sex, it’s about confidence! It’s important that I feel beautiful and it’s something I am working on to change my perspective on everyday.” Boudoir photography is NOT about objectifying women. It is NOT about reducing a woman’s worth. It is NOT about trying to fit women into a particular ‘mold’ that the media, & society as a whole, has created for a ‘perfect’ woman. It is NOT about having a makeover and trying to be something you’re not. It is so much more.
It is EMPOWERING. CONFIDENCE-BUILDING. BEAUTIFUL IMAGES OF WOMEN. Helping a woman feel sexy and beautiful is not wrong. I (Kimberlee) am not ashamed of my profession. I am PROUD of what we do. I am thankful to have a job that affects women in a positive way. Every single client who comes to our studio is given the chance to see herself in a new light, and to have an experience that shows her just how beautiful she truly is. What could be more rewarding than that?
There is no better way to explain this than through the words of a client. We just got this email yesterday, and as soon as I read it I just got chills! I couldn’t wait to share it here on the blog. Susan, THANK YOU for putting your experience into words, and thank you for giving us permission to share your words here on the blog:
“OMG Erin!! 😀 I got my album and CD’s in this afternoon’s mail! You guys r-o-c-k in getting your work out so damn fast (less than 24 hrs, sheesh!)!! I was once again, stunned speechless as I beheld my beautiful photo album in my hands. I felt, and still feel, choked up in gratitude, appreciation and sincere thankfulness. Emotions that are welling up from the soul because of giving me such a deeply personal and truly unique gift that no other person has. Your lovely team that day has shown me a beautiful side to myself that I’ve never seen. And now that you’ve allowed me to peer behind the heavy curtains of self doubt and dancing threads of insecurities, a mystical force of confidence has seared itself into my character which allows me to fight those horrible thoughts, perhaps forever! 🙂 If I were to wish any one thing for all of womankind, is to spend the afternoon with your girls, such as the wonderous day that I had, all for the sake of “gifting” unto them what I have been blessed to have received. Please, please, please pass onto the entire staff my heartfelt thank you! ♥ Forever stronger, Susan”
Happy Friday everyone! This post is specifically for all of our past workshop attendees… I’ve been alluding to this on Twitter & FB, but now I’m making the official announcement of a new contest! The winner will get their choice of the following three prizes:
First choice is a 60-minute Skype consultation with me (K), where you can ask me ANY type of follow-up question that you’d like to chat about. After the workshop, I know that a ton of questions probably come up as you get your business up and running. This is your chance to pick my brain & ask anything you’d like. I love brainstorming ideas about business, marketing, etc, so I am really excited about offering this (and, hint hint… this MIGHT be something that we will start regularly having available in the future!)
Your other prize choice is a $100 gift card to The Boudoir Shop!
So, what do you have to do to win??? All you need to do is:
1) Film a short video of YOU talking (2.5 minutes max, keep it short & sweet!)… In the video, talk about what has happened with you and your business since coming to the workshop (we just want to know an update on you and how things are going for you since the workshop!)
2) And then post your video on Facebook, and TAG the Boudoir Divas (you have to ‘like’ our page to do this)
DEADLINE: You must film your video and post it on FB by December 16 (that’s two weeks from today!) Please keep in mind that the video doesn’t need to be anything fancy! We are HUGE proponents of getting your face on video and putting it out there for your clients/potential clients to see you, recognize you, and get to know you. As you may know, we have hundreds of silly/dorky videos on our Boudoir Divas YouTube Channel, and from the time we launched this business, we haven’t been afraid to put ourselves out there. When we were first starting with posting videos, we would just grab a point & shoot camera, hold it out, and film ourselves. So just do that! Or, sit in front of the built-in video camera on your computer, press record, and upload that video. You can make it whatever you want – but we just want to make sure you know that it doesn’t need to be anything crazy. If you don’t know how to edit video, don’t worry – don’t let this project intimidate you! Just go for it, film it, and upload it!
We really just LOVE hearing how our workshop attendees are doing… we love seeing what they are up to, and how their businesses are thriving. So we want a quick update on each of you! We’ll choose one random winner (so it’s not based on your filming skills or based on what you say)… anyone who posts a video will be entered to win!
Have fun – and we can’t wait to see your videos and hear what you’ve been up to!
Don’t miss out! We are doing this webinar TODAY, Tuesday Nov. 22, at 12noon pacific standard time. Go register now for the webinar with GraphiStudio! We’re really looking forward to this webinar – it will be one hour, and we’ll be taking questions at the end, so you’ll have an opportunity to submit a question that you’d like us to answer!
Also, very very SOON we’re going to be sending out our next newsletter for professional photographers – so be sure you are signed up for that! It’s going to have a link for you to read an article that Marissa wrote, all about when to move into a larger studio space. Sign up for the Boudoir Divas newsletter below:
I am SO thrilled to be a part of this. So, if you have ever wanted to sit down with one of the Divas, for an uninterupted hour and a half, to ask ALL of your questions about boudoir, get a critique, brainstorm marketing ideas, and talk about taking your business to the next level… NOW is your chance. The mentor session can be done via Skype, over the phone, or in-person at a coffee shop in Seattle. The choice is yours. And, I am also giving a copy of the new Posebook Part Deux to the winner of my mentor session.
The auction is happening RIGHT NOW – and it will end on the 17th at 11PM EST. So go BID ON ME! 🙂 As of right now the price for a 90-minute mentor session is only $105… which, I’m sorry, but is that all I’m worth?! 😉 Haha, Just kidding… but keep in mind, peeps, that a mentoring session like this would typically cost upwards of $500… PLUS you are also getting the new Posebook Part Deux (which is $99), PLUS, your money is being donated to Thirst Relief! ALL of the money is going directly there! So, it’s for a good cause… we get to hang out for an hour and a half… you get the new Posebook out of it… what are you waiting for? Go bid on me! 🙂
Last year, the sponsors and 90 mentors who participated in the Mentor Auction raised more than $40,700 which directly provided 8,147 people with clean water! 100% of the proceeds directly benefit Thirst Relief International, who provides at least 25 years of clean drinking water to the more that 1 billion people who don’t have it!
Watch this video to learn more about this amazing organization):
“The mission of the annual Thirst Relief Mentor Auction is twofold, to save lives and change the world by tapping into the talent and generosity of the photography industry and to create better and more successful photographers. To accomplish this goal we’ve asked some of the best and brightest in these industries to donate 90 minutes of mentorship (instructional) time and anything else they feel like giving to be auctioned off to a winning bidder! The auction takes place on eBay and is open for three days. At the end of the auction the highest bidder wins the 90 min. mentor session as well as any other prizes the mentor may have included. The winning bidder is notified that they won the auction by Thirst Relief staff and are put in contact with their mentor. The winning bidder and mentor then communicate on how they plan to carry out the mentor session.”
Yayyyyyyyy is right. We are SO excited for this book! After months of working on this project, and writing our tips for boudoir posing, we are happy to announce that it is FINALLY available to pre-order! CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER THE BOUDOIR DIVAS’ POSEBOOK PART DEUX! And the best part: for a limited time, it’s only $99 – with FREE SHIPPING! Books are expected to ship out starting December 12 (just in time for the holidays – yay!) 🙂
The much-anticipated second boudoir posing guide by the Boudoir Divas, with more than 100 pages full of inspiration and ideas for professional boudoir photographers, is NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-SALE!!!!!! Posing is one of the most difficult aspects of boudoir photography, and your clients are going to look to you to help coach them throughout their entire experience. It is essential that you learn your favorite ‘go-to’ poses, and this book will help you add even more poses to your repertoire. The Boudoir Divas have a high-volume boudoir studio in San Diego that serves over 500 boudoir clients per year. With this experience behind them, the Divas have a lot to share with you! Often regarded as the ‘boudoir experts’ in the industry and the ones who “Brought Boudoir Back”, Marissa & Kimberlee share their tips and posing ideas for boudoir in an easy, natural way that makes posing FUN!
CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER THE BOUDOIR DIVAS’ POSEBOOK PART DEUX!
We had SUCH a wonderful time in Madrid last week! While it was only the first leg in many adventures to follow, it was a big one for sure. Foro de Fotografos are a group of people that despite the language barrier, make you feel so very welcome. From the seventy year old woman who was a firecracker of a gal, to the many friends we make in our workshop and our speaking presentation, and then Rudy – the one to whom we owe the honor – each person we met was so darn friendly and thrilled with the concept of boudoir.
We spoke for 3 hours, which besides a workshop is quite a record for us, but get us on the subject of boudoir and you will have to pull us of the stage with a hook. The new experience of having our audience wear headphones while listening to a translator was a newbie of many newbies this week. Boredom in our lives seems a rare thing, and we love that!
Thank you to Julietta our translator whose brain was so far next level that it make me really want to go back to school to freshen up my recall skills. Holy crap lady.
Oh and for our workshop attendees, you wanted to see what the dark underexposed (purposely) photo would look like. Here ya go…
Although we were working most of the time in Madrid, we DID get out to explore the city one day. It is a really cool city, and we especially enjoyed spending the afternoon at Retiro Park – and then that night we got to see a really amazing flamenco show too. We really enjoyed being in Spain, and can’t wait to go back. Thank you again to all of the wonderful photographer friends that we met in Madrid. We really had a wonderful time with you all, and hope to see you again soon! Until next time, besos y abrasos! -K & M
OH – also, we wanted to let you know that a LOT of your email addresses ‘bounced back’ to us when we were sending out invoices for the digital version of the Posebook. So, if you would like to purchase that still, here is the link for that: thedivasblog.com/madrid/ Simply fill out your info, and purchase it through Paypal – and we will email the digital version to you asap. Thanks!
Wow, this has been a WHIRLWIND couple of weeks! After my wedding & honeymoon, Marissa & I traveled to Madrid, Spain, to be a part of the Foro De Fotografos annual convention. It was AMAZING – we had such a wonderful time! (More on that to come soon, we are hoping to blog some pics later this week).
Currently we are in Venice, and I can’t BELIEVE how beautiful it is in this city! We’ll be here for a few days, and then we’re heading up to Maniago for the Graphistudio event! We are THRILLED that we have been invited to be a part of GraphiStudio‘s Accademia – a full-day event with a star-studded lineup of speakers, including Yervant, Jim Garner, Bob & Dawn Davis, and MORE! Can’t wait to meet everyone who will be attending! Click here for more info!
***EDIT: We also just found out that this program will be streamed LIVE!!! Which means you can watch us at about 10:15am pacific standard time on Saturday morning! Click here to watch!
Our program description: “Boudoir Posing & The Supermodel Experience”… The Boudoir Divas will share how they have created their unique Supermodel Experience that brings people flying to their studio from all over the world. They will also share how they created a marketing and branding strategy that brings them 500 boudoir shoots per year and how they sell their top products including high-end books. The information they will share will be helpful even to photographers who do not intend to shoot boudoir.
