Blog - The Boudoir Divas - San Diego Photography

“The Marketing Vault” ebook

By boudoirdivasadminBoudoir Tips, Inspiration, Press & NewsNo Comments

It’s launched!!! 125 pages of exactly what we did to get our business to where it is today! Some things worked great, and some did not, but we tell ALL in this digital download. 24 hours left for our launch sale. Get yours now!!!!

If you know us, you know that we pour ourselves into our books, and hey, to be honest, we are gosh darn proud of this bad boy.
Mainly because it really illustrates the sweat and creativity that we have put into this studio and getting to the point it is now. We would be ridiculously honored if you purchased it people. And we truly know it will be helpful to you.
xoxoxoxox- Marissa & Kimberlee

Next on the agenda… PARIS photo shoots and mentor sessions in April 2015 and

launching our next “Boudoir Retreat!!!”

March 11, 2015

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Shaking it in the Philippines

By boudoirdivasadminPersonalNo Comments

I, Marissa, have to tell you about this non-profit called Kusewera. Here’s their wonderful mission “Our mission is to empower and educate children in impoverished countries through active and creative play. We create affordable humanitarian service trips for people of all walks of life, so that they can personally help implement the Kusewera Empowerment & Educational Program (K.E.E.P.). We organize activities such as sports, dance, music and art. This sustainable year-round program empowers the children to learn, laugh, play. We hope to empower the children to pursue goals, dream for a better future and be positive leaders in their community. We encourage and invite anyone to volunteer, and in turn, gain valuable perspective while making a long term difference in the lives of the children.”

I was invited to join this group with one of my closest friends, Tenley Molzahn. She and I met when she had a shoot with our studio in 2010. Since then she has been one of K and my most awesomest friends (in fact she’s even my neighbor and she went to Paris with us!). What a trip this was….

I meant to write this post when I returned from my trip in October, but you know…. life. It happens. So here I am now looking for a few of my fave pics to post to tell you what an INCREDIBLE trip this was. This was my first humanitarian venture where I wasn’t asked to photograph it, so to say the least, I was stoked. WAIT, don’t get me wrong, I love being able to serve with my talents, but being behind the lens always leaves me feeling a little disconnected while documenting other people playing and interacting with their new friends. So I was ready for this new take on this type of trip where I felt like I could really goof off with kiddos.

All that to say, sorry for the quality of some of these images…. I was too busy having fun and DANCING!!!

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I truly fell in love with the Philippines. I felt so at home with all the friendly faces, the weather, their customs, their BEACHES (omg)! This trip was such a reset and reminder that there are billions of people that needs our help and resources and hope that I never forget that and am intentional with the way I live my life, in hopes to make a small impact. If you are looking to to do something like this, I STRONGLY recommend you look into a trip with Kusewera.

One of our “play” assignments was teaching a dance to these kiddos! We had about 30 minutes to teach them this cute little number and man did they get into it. Here’s the end result.

I still have more stories to tell, and I so, so, so plan to return and hope to teach a photography and business course to a group home of girls that I fell in love with. I’ll will be sure to fill you in when that’s a little more on the horizon with that.

Thanks for reading and be sure to shake it off, shake it off.

Can’t stop won’t stop mooovin’- Marissa

January 6, 2015

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Paris 2015

By boudoirdivasadminParis Boudoir WorkshopNo Comments

Happy New Year everybody! We are THRILLED to say that we are returning once again to Paris, France, in 2015! This year we will be doing photo shoots on the streets of Paris, and will also be offering 1-on-1 consultations for professional boudoir photographers. If you are interested in joining us we would love to meet you in our favorite city for a day of inspiration, talking business/marketing, and of course – SHOOTING – in our favorite city n the world!

***CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO & ALL THE JUICY DETAILS***

“A dream of a lifetime. To be there in the city of lights was just amazing, but to be in the presence of such talent guiding me in such a magical place is something that I will never forget. Marrisa gave a confidence that I didn’t have. In such short time I feel I learned so much from her. I will forever be thankful for all she did. AMAZING EXPERIENCE. BOUDOIR DIVAS ROCK!”

paris boudoir divas workshop
Ready to sign up and join us in Paris!? We have made this as easy as possible for you by creating a payment plan! Click HERE to sign up today! *Please note – we only have TWO more spots available… please contact us as soon as possible to take one of these spots! Email with any questions you may have: [email protected]

See you in PARIS! 🙂 xoxo, Kimberlee & Marissa

January 3, 2015

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Christine Penny Paris Video

By boudoirdivasadminBoudoir Photo Shoots, Paris Boudoir WorkshopNo Comments

We are beyond thrilled to say that we have officially launched our behind-the-scenes video from our 2014 trip to Paris with the fabulous Christine Penny! If you haven’t seen her website go check it out immediately. This was such a cool collaboration, and we were so honored to work with Christine again. We had so much fun traipsing around Paris, spending hours together, with 5 looks and locations, and capturing some beautiful images and video footage. So without further ado, here is the Premier of “Jour a La Nuit”:

Christine, we loved capturing these images and creating this fun video with you. You are so freaking talented and we loved having the opportunity to work alongside you with this project! Until next time… 🙂 xoxo, K&M

December 12, 2014

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Miami Boudoir and a little TBT

By boudoirdivasadminBoudoir Photo Shoots, Inspiration, Press & NewsOne Comment

A little random combo of a post on this lovely Thursday. Today I sit in a Cafe in Encinitas, loving the ambiance but also kinda wishing I had chose a spot with some AC. It’s hot as heck in this little beach city and all I am thinking about is the ocean. Kimberlee is in what I am assuming is much cooler Anacortes, Washingting plugging away (I am visiting her next week and stoked about it). She writes this as the first part of our combo post…..

YAY MIAMI!!!!! We are so excited about this… can’t believe it’s about a month away! If you are thinking about joining us, we’d love to connect with you via email ([email protected]) or our Facebook Group. Or visit all the details and booking page here. In case you’d like to see exact dates, here’s a little calendar for you. Keep in mind there are only TWO SPOTS LEFT for boudoir shoots in Miami! If you want to snag one, go ahead and email us to get it booked. Note that we are open to booking a shoot on a consult date if that’s where the demand leads us….

And now onto my part of the post, our funny #TBT to what I think was 2006. Kimberlee and I made our first video ever on our little point and shoot, this was one of the first shoots ever in our new studio. The comments are particularly hilarious, and while I do agree with some of them actually, I still somehow managed to come out of this shoot with an image that won an Accolade of Excellence Award from WPPI. So glad I didn’t listen and submitted the image. Kinda proof that you should never listen to your critics. Or at least only listen to the ones you trust ya know, never internet trolls. Sorry about the ad at the beginning, the you tube account is so old I can’t even remember the login to change it. Go ahead and laugh at the video, we sure are. High five to just going for it before you totally know what you are doing right Kimee? 😉

Here’s the image that won….

September 4, 2014

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Help us send Marissa to the Philippines!

By boudoirdivasadminPersonalNo Comments

Remember that awesome hand made gown we photographed in Paris?! Well we’re putting it up on auction! This October, Marissa is planning a humanitarian trip to the Philippines with the non-profit group Kusewera. She’s auctioning off that amazing Parisian striped tulle dress to support her effort. Now’s your chance to bid on these one-of-a-kind items! Help her make a difference and support this amazing cause!

This hand-made Striped Dress with tulle skirt is great for photo shoots! The tulle skirt can be worn alone or under striped dress. It’s been photographed by The Boudoir Divas studio in Paris on two separate editorial shoots. Both items are beautiful and timeless! Listing also includes a 12×18 thin wrap print of Hotel de Ville photo, shot by The Boudoir Divas.

Place your bid here! XOXO

September 4, 2014

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Book a boudoir photo shoot

By boudoirdivasadminBoudoir Photo Shoots, WorkshopsNo Comments

So just in case you are new to our blog, we are boudoir photographers and we have a lovely studio in San Diego. BUT we are also a little bit of a traveling circus, as we love to go to our favorite cites and book client shoots. We have taken our traveling circus to Paris, Italy, Spain, Peru, Africa, Caribbean, and most of the larger states in the US and A. Next up on our list, Miami and Scottsdale!!!

If you haven’t had a boudoir shoot, well it’s one of the best things you can do for yourself. We know that a lot of the audience that reads this blog ARE bou photogs themselves, and yes, we are still very much talking to you ladies!!! Yes this is the perfect gift for a special occasion like a wedding gift, or anniversary gift, however we have plenty of women who come to our studio to a book a boudoir shoot simply because they want to do something special for themselves. They want to take a step towards being kinder to themselves, feeling good in their own skin, and have a damn good time doing it. If you are a photographer you especially need to have a photo shoot, as I assure you that core belief in your product/experience will be a pivotal changing point in your business. I know what you are thinking, ‘I hear testimonials all day, I get it.’ Trust us when we tell you, you have no idea what your clients are experiencing until you have been in the hot seat yourself.

As a little inspiration to get you excited about your potential upcoming shoot, take a look at one of our latest shoots. Meet Hannah who has kindly allowed us to show of her images…..

Email us at [email protected] to book your Miami or Scottsdale boudoir photo shoot!!

August 21, 2014

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2014 Miami Boudoir Workshop & Consultation

By boudoirdivasadminWorkshopsNo Comments

We are coming to MIAMI!!!!!!! Through the years, we’ve had a TON of questions from photographers asking if we’ll do a workshop on the East Coast, and recently a lot of you have requested that we come to Florida. So yes, it’s true – we’re finally doing it! We are offering a 1-day workshop on Oct 7, then we have blocked out 2 days to schedule a VERY LIMITED number of 1-on-1 consultations. Lastly, we will also be offering photo shoots for those of you photographers who would like to get in FRONT of the camera and see what your clients feel like!*********MORE INFO AND REGISTRATION FOR MIAMI!*********

We wanted to make this doable and EASY for you to sign up, so we’ve created payment plans for EACH of the options! Also, we’ve had a few people email to ask if we could create a custom package & registration link for both the 1-day workshop AND a 1-on-1 consult. So we’ve also got that option for you here (with $100 OFF!)

1-DAY MIAMI BOUDOIR WORKSHOP: We are super excited about offering our 1-day workshop in Miami. We are going to pack as MUCH info into this 1-day as we possibly can! We’ll be touching on boudoir business, branding, marketing, and pricing… as well as give a demo with a model to showcase lighting & posing tips. We’ll also talk about the Supermodel Experience and how we’ve created a space & environment where our clients are allowed to feel sexy, beautiful, and empowered. Pricing is SOOOOO important and such a HUGE part of building a successful business. We are passionate about sharing as much info as we can about how we have built our business, and we won’t hold back when it comes to giving tips and advice on creating a business model and pricing structure that works for YOU. And during the demo, we’ll be sharing our easy lighting recipes and top posing tips & tricks to make our clients look their absolute best.

1-ON-1 CONSULTATIONS WITH KIMBERLEE OR MARISSA: This is something that we absolutely LOVE…. having the opportunity to sit down with you 1-on-1, and talk about your boudoir business. We will go over anything you’d like to talk about, from marketing and branding, to pricing and business model. We’ll also be scheduling a photo shoot for you with a model, so that you can build up your portfolio! Have uninterupted time with Marissa or Kimberlee to get an in-depth review of your boudoir business, strategize and brainstorm, and get feedback on the areas that you want to talk about. 4 hours on either October 8th or 9th. You will meet with Kimberlee or Marissa for 1 hour of shooting with a model, and 3 hours of 1-on-1 time to discuss your business, marketing plan, online presence, and anything else you would like to talk about. And if you book a consultation with us, we’ll be shooting YOU for a quick headshot session at some point during your time with us!

*NOTE: VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF CONSULTATIONS ARE AVAILABLE.

BOOK YOUR OWN BOUDOIR SHOOT: Want to have a taste of what YOUR clients go through? Get in front of the camera and have your very own boudoir experience! If you are a boudoir photographer and have never had your OWN boudoir session, you really should think about booking a shoot for yourself. We think it is an invaluable experience to get in FRONT of the camera and feel what your clients go through.

We hope to see you in Miami in October! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot us an email ([email protected]), or join our Facebook Group to add to the discussion about Miami & ask your questions there. Or, are you ready to lock in your spot? Then go SIGN UP NOW!

July 21, 2014

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Things are changing….

By boudoirdivasadminPersonalOne Comment

When we were young 20-somethings, our imaginations ran wild with the possibilities for this vision that was our photography business. But what began as a grand dream in our minds, we matched with some serious will and hard work. Persistence doesn’t even come close what would describe what when on the countless times we were knocked down, made mistakes or just plain worked through the exhaustion. We had a vision and we wouldn’t stop until we saw what was so brilliantly clear in our minds as a functioning, beautiful reality. We wanted to create our own little castle, a lovely little kingdom that was authentically ours. That the rest of the world would see as “The Boudoir Divas,” the world’s largest and most sought after boudoir studio, but we would see as something that was totally our little universe. A world where women could enter, feel amazing, learn what it meant to embrace their own skin and unique beauty, and have one of the best days of their lives in the process. Through the years we were honored to hear over and over how a woman’s shoot was the mark of a new chapter in her life that was titled, “Self Acceptance.” Our little world was so loved and we were, and are, incredibly grateful to all of the women who have trusted us so willingly.

Our little world…… 6500 sq feet, 7 full time staff members/photographer/artists, 500+ shoots a year. Adding crazy photo shoots all over the world, having people from as far as Hong Kong flying in for a shoot or to learn from us, traveling and speaking to other photographers showing them pieces of what’s possible and how to get it. If we are unabashedly honest in our content, well it was electrifying to pour out hearts into our art and have it so well-received. What more could or would an artist ever ask for? I think the answer to that is nothing. They would ask for nothing.

But if you are like us, if you think in pictures, if you see the world as an open sketch pad just waiting to put your pen to it, then you will never harness your imagination. You just have to let it keep creating. When one creation is done, you revel in it, you enjoy it, but then you turn the page and go on again. But this time around the artist sees things differently. What was important to her is still VERY important, but it has changed a bit. Mainly because her medium has changed, her brushes or tools are different, and an artist is nothing if not resourceful and ready to adapt. She loves the challenge of using the best pieces of the beauty that is currently around her.

This is exactly what happened to us. Our lives are different and change is in the air. A lot has been happening in our lives, and we are excited about all of the big changes that are taking place. It’s actually very simple, all of it. And my goodness is it colorful, risky, and exciting. Instead of continuing in this gorgeous chaotic world that we call our BIG studio, we were inspired by the words in the quote above, and we are changing-up our business and our studio a bit. We will be leaning-out, freshening up, condensing, and reinventing The Boudoir Divas. We won’t be doing as many shoots, but we will remain just as profitable. We are the same crazy-entrepreneurial-minded-business-women-best-friends. None of that has changed. But we are ready to reinvent and give a new look to the San Diego studio.

We are learning that you need to embrace the simple in order to enjoy the extraordinary. Now for us crazy dreamers (who, mind you, still have a lot of long-term crazy dreams), when we were talking about this new direction for the studio – for a few minutes, ‘scaling down’ felt a little like ‘going in reverse.’ But if we keep our focus and continue pursuing our big dreams, we know that the opposite is actually true. Sometimes in order to move forward, you have to take a small pause and decide what changes need to be made in order to jump into that next season of life. Our hope and big dream is to open more Boudoir Divas studios someday, and in order to do that we need to create more time to focus on just that. And in order to create more time, we need to get the San Diego studio more streamlined, and give it a fresh new look, or facelift, if you will.

Not to mention… with this change, we are going to create a little more time to explore life. What’s the point of hitting your goals if you don’t take the time to relax and enjoy them?! Life is so sweet right now. Kimberlee is enjoying mamahood in Washington. I am planning my next wanderlust adventure. We are blessed beyond measure.

So what exactly is getting sketched up on this blank page you wonder? Well, we currently rent two suites that make up the 6500 sq feet of our dreamy little castle – upstairs and downstairs in a huge building in San Diego. So we are now consolidating into one suite, currently under massive reconstruction, putting up walls, windows, lofts, doors. Creating all new sets, with hopes of going from a kitschy look to a very fresh, modern look.

We move into this space on July 26th. So we have about a week to paint, host the biggest yard sale in the history of Sorrento Valley, move our entire offices downstairs, and build our new sets to be up and running on August 2nd. It’s going to be a challenge, but this little family can hustle like NO other, and I think we are all excited about the task at hand. Hard work has never intimidated these beauties we roll with.

Let the new adventure begin, chin chin!

PS. We JUST LAUNCHED our San Diego Boudoir Retreat and Miami Workshop/Consults/Shoots.

July 8, 2014

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Our Awesome Retreat Attendees

By boudoirdivasadminWorkshops2 Comments

As we have mentioned in some of our other posts, one of the reasons we really wanted to a longer, more intensive, 4-day retreat (versus our usual shorter 2-day workshops), was because we wanted to get a chance to really get to know all of our fab attendees. To each of our attendees – we are so glad that we were able to spend these 4 days with you, and we are so incredibly honored that you made the investment and took the time to travel to hang out with us in San Diego. We feel like we were able to truly get to know each of you a little bit, to understand your business, personality and to really be able to speak into exactly what it is you are doing with your boudoir biz.

Another added bonus is the freaking awesome camaraderie that comes from sharing so much time (not to mention sharing a cool home) with others who are your peers in this industry. To spend time collaborating with these incredible people who are doing everything in their power to build a dream similar to yours. The ideas, inspiration, brainstorming, and questioning that is bounced around is like nothing else when it comes to pursuing your dreams. I think it’s safe to say that we are 100% happy with the decision to start the Boudoir Retreats! These are some headshot images that we took (although most gals got a boudoir shoot at our studio too, so you may want to head to our studio blog, www.sandiegoboudoir.com, and see who gave us permission to show them off). 😉 All of these photographers are killing it in the boudoir industry on their own, and it kinda blows our mind that they flew to us to learn, as we have learned heaps as well from being with them and bouncing a ton of ideas around with everyone. These are no longer just our ‘industry peers’ or our ‘Retreat attendees’. So without further ado – here they are, our awesome peers, boudoir retreat attendees, and even cooler than that, our new friends…..

First up are the lovebirds, Andrew and Maggi Woo, from British Colombia, Canada. These two are such a great pair, and you can tell that they really complement each other not only in their sweeet relationship but also in their business – Maggi Woo Photography. She shoots beautiful images and then shares her work on her blog, through her gorgeous words (seriously, you have to check out her blog – she’s such a great writer!) And then this exec, Andrews, is all about helping out on the biz side, supporting her as lovebirdy husband does and giving tons of insight with his extensive experience in the business world. These two are unstoppable!

Next up is a face you may recognize… We know this gal pretty well at this point, as she has been to our workshop and studio a couple of times before! And did we mention are bananas about her. You just might know her cuz she’s cool like that, makin’ a name for herself in this industry and standing out – it’s the fabulous Denise of Modern Love Photography! We know that our paths will continue to cross in the future. Sorry, Denise, but you’re stuck with us, whether you like it or not. 😉 Go check out her site and see all the cool stuff she is up to (including a new ebook coming out soon!)

Apparently this next girl knows how to brand – I mean, just look at that hair! 🙂 Introducing Jennie of Pink Photography. Jennie owns a studio in Richmond, Virginia, and this girl is going places. Jennie is one of those gals who may seem reserved at first, but that’s just until she’s had a chance to warm up. She is such a sweetheart, and it is easy to see that her clients feel incredibly comfortable around her. There’s no doubt in our minds about why she has already built up a successful boudoir biz!

Next up is the bubbly-life-of-the-party Krystyn! This girl knows how to make friend. And geez louise she’s another one who will make you feel comfortable in two seconds. How did we get so lucky, to be surrounded with such sweet and wonderful people at this Retreat?! Krystyn has a studio in Pittsburgh that is both a boudoir studio AND lingerie boutique. Super cool. Check her out here: KBS Photography. Also, you have GOT to read her blog post about her experience BEHIND the camera – we just loved reading about her time at our studio and thought she did such a great job of explaining the experience.

Korin, the artist also known as Martina, comes off as pretty chill, but let’s be honest, if you know her, you know that this gal has some unexpected fire. 🙂 (Which, come on, we all have to have a little ‘fire’ to be in this line of work, right?) Korin of Wonderland Boudoir has a successful portrait photography biz in Dallas, Texas – and we just love her style. Plus, her laugh is pretty infectious. We’re excited to see her biz continue to grow and grow!

Natasha! Ah! I think this girl can Carebear-stare a smile right into you heart, hahaha! Seriously though, she is salt-of-the-Earth-good-people. We loved getting to know her (and especially loved hearing her story of how she met her hubby!) Introducing Natasha!!! (Her website is under construction so we’ll have to post a link to it once it’s up!) She is about to launch a really cool concept… a salon-meets-boudoir studio, in South Dakota! We think this gal has exactly what it takes to create the business that she is envisioning, and we can’t wait to see it come to fruition. Watch out, because she’s going to take the South Dakota market by STORM.

Ok and now last but certainly not least… Miss Agi Magyar, who was definitely the one who traveled the farthest for this Retreat – she came all the way from Sydney, Australia! We met Agi last year when she came to have a destination boudoir shoot with us in Vegas, and we knew we would become instant friends from the very moment we met her. When she said she was coming to the Retreat, we were super excited because we knew she’d bring a fun energy to the experience. Definitely go check out her website, she’s doing great things – Agi M Photography! We also loved reading her review and recap of the Boudoir Retreat on this blog post.

We also have a little video of Agi that we wanted to share here. We were filming videos throughout the Retreat, and at one point, Agi asked if she could get on camera and film herself. So she took matters into her own hands and filmed herself speaking! We didn’t know what she had up her sleeves, and we didn’t even have a chance to watch it until recently. Thank you, Agi, for taking our camera and sharing what you did. Your words truly touched us.

And THANK YOU to all of our Retreat Attendees – ahem – FRIENDS – who came to the 2014 Retreat. We are so thankful that we had this experience with you and we are excited to continue this journey with you as we all continue to pursue our passion of making women look and feel beautiful through the empowering boudoir photography experience.

We have had a lot of people inquire about our future Boudoir Retreats, and we are happy to say that we will be launching the next Retreat VERY SOON!
We had such a great time at this one and we can’t wait to launch one for 2015! And in case you can’t wait that long, we are also THINKING about doing some 1-day workshops this fall on the East Coast. (Looking for 3 hosts on the East Coast who would be willing to let us take over your studio and let in a group of photographers for a day of learning!

EDIT TO ADD: We have now officially launched our 2015 Boudoir Retreat AND a 1-Day Boudoir Workshop in Miami!