Boudoir Divas: So Ali, are you a professional model?
Ali: Oh my goodness! I am most definitely NOT a professional model! I am probably the furthest thing away from that!
BD: Can you tell us what you do for a living?
A: I actually teach ninth grade English at a high school, so getting to do stuff like this is like embracing an alter ego! In the past two years I actually lost about 80 lbs, so besides being able to step out of my normal life as a teacher, it is really nice to feel beautiful and sexy in my new body when I have these pictures taken. I think that NOT being a professional model is actually an advantage in situations like this, because I really am like a canvas for the photographers to use since I have no idea what is going to make my body look good and I have to fully trust the person taking the pictures and trust that they are going to make me look great!
BD: Congrats on the weight loss! Have you had a shoot with the Divas before?
A: Yes! I actually had the opportunity to shoot with the Divas about a month ago and it was the coolest thing ever! I felt so beautiful and it was SO FUN! WE had music playing, everyone was laughing and talking and just having a great time in general.
BD: What made you want to get the shoot done?
A: My sister has worked with the Divas before so I was eager to have the same experience that she was able to have. She RAVED on and on and on about how cool they were, so when I had to opportunity to work with them, I took it! I also wanted to do something that celebrated ME. So much of my life is about everyone else around me and making sure that everyone is learning, affirmed, comfortable,etc, so being able to be the center of attention without being in my classroom was so exciting! I mean, what girl does not like to be the center of attention every once in a while!? I don’t have a boyfriend or husband right now, so it felt very decadent to be taking these pictures that were going to be for no one besides myself. It feels so good to feel pretty/sexy/desirable….which is something that is not an everyday thing for me. Although I do have to say that since my first shoot with the Divas, I HAVE been trying to channel my own inner Diva in my day to day life. I LOVE IT!
BD: And we love hearing that! What did you think about the Studio and your overall experience?
A: OMG!!! (can you tell that I spend the majority of my time with teenagers??) I seriously walked in and was in awe of their amazing space. I had perused their website and wasn’t really sure what to expect, but the studio space exceeded my expectations! It was like a dream! I felt like a Barbie! haha. I couldn’t wait to see how they were going to use all of the different areas. The best part was, of course, the lobby where “Sex and the City” was playing and also I really liked the girl who did my make-up and hair. I think that she was able to create a whole “look” for me. The make-up and hair really helped me to get into character for my shoot. I think that it is really important to have someone who can do that for the clients because that is part of the whole “experience”, being able to truly be transformed in a way that a woman could never achieve on her own.
BD: How did you feel when you first saw your photos?
A: I couldn’t even believe that it was me in those pictures! They took the most flattering pictures! I told them that I really love my legs, so there was a group of photos that made my legs the focal point. I felt so comfortable that there wasn’t even a chance to me to get in the way of what they were doing and try to pose myself. I completely trusted that they would pose me in a flattering way and make me look great! And, the pictures were truly a reflection of that! I love the Divas!
BD: Did the Divas do anything in particular that you liked or helped you during your shoot?
A: The thing that I loved most about the Divas is that they are constantly communicating with the model. I was never out of the “loop”, wondering what was going on. They were so affirming and were giving me so much guidance and encouragement throughout the whole process. I also felt like I really got the chance to know them before we even got started taking pictures. They made me feel comfortable and it was so funny because at the beginning of the shoot I was a little shy about essentially standing around in my underwear, but by the end I was running around, sitting, standing, lying down, basically not even realizing that I wasn’t wearing clothes! In their studio it is more normal to be “nearly nude” and less normal to be fully clothed! From the moment I walked up the stairs and was greeted by the client concierge to the moment I was back in my car in the parking lot, I felt like I was going to have (and had) a great time!
BD: Off the top of your head, is there anything you recommend to photographers who are interested in pursuing boudoir photography?
A: You HAVE to have people skills! You can’t be shy and you have to be able to make your clients feel at ease. Because, let’s face it, unfortunately the majority of women feel most UN-comfortable when they are not clothed. Therefore, it is definitely the duty of the photographer to create an environment in which the client feels beautiful and where being almost naked is totally normal! I also think that it is SO important to create a relationship with your clients BEFORE they even take their clothes off! This will create a sense of trust and confidence. Also, location location location! Super important! Obviously Kimberlee and Marisa have had a lot experience, success, and time in which to create their studio, but in order for people to take you seriously, you NEED to have a cute, creative studio. It doesn’t need to be huge and fancy, but first impressions are crucial and your clients will appreciate all efforts you make to ensure their comfort. Also, you obviously have to be able to carry on a conversation and be able to tell if a client is a “talker”, because I know that I liked joking around, laughing, and having fun with my photographer–this made the experience all the more fun and also I felt like I was just hanging out with friends. What could potentially have been a kind of awkward moment was instead something that I look forward to doing again! I am looking forward to meeting all of you!
Hey workshop ladies! We wanted to let you know that we’ve opened up THREE appointment times for a boudoir shoot on the day after our workshop in November. One of our attendees has already snagged one of the shoot times, so if you’re interested in booking a shoot, you’ll want to get in touch with us ASAP to reserve one of the other spots that are still open. We really recommend that all boudoir photographers do something like this… it’s SUCH as great way to see what your clients feel like when they’re in a boudoir shoot with you. We have 2 different packages for you to choose from on the 13th; either the “Luxe” or the “Full” Package, and one of our studio staff photographers will be taking good care of you and giving you the full Boudoir Divas’ Supermodel Experience! Questions? Call! 858.485.0443
*****EDIT TO ADD: we only have ONE shoot left now! Call the office for more details: 858.485.0443
I can’t tell you just how much we loooove these Pin-Up Partiesâ„¢! We have been doing them for about three years now and I really feel like we just barely perfected them. So much detail goes into executing these bad boys, but I just adore that we get to come together as a team, with all of us working hard and tag teaming shooting, processing and viewing all in one day.
What is a Pin-Up Partyâ„¢ you might ask? Well, a Pin-Up Partyâ„¢ is the perfect bachelorette party or birthday party. It allows girlfriends to get together and totally pamper themselves for a day with a unique experience. We take turns photographing each girl in a “mini” boudoir session, then process their photos and give them each viewing on the same day! Not only are sales stellar because the girls are pushing each other to get more photos, but as a studio we can accomplish up to ten shoots in one day, making the same profit that Marissa used to on a wedding on Saturday, except that the parties are still during the week and Marissa now enjoys weekends off. Yay!
At our boudoir workshops we will be giving the full scoop on how we make a Pin-Up Partyâ„¢ run smoothly while keeping profits high. We love to see other boudoir photographers also doing parties in the future! Email us at [email protected] if you are considering joining us for a workshop. We would love to have you! We still have a few spots available for $1100 so act fast!
A couple months ago we sent out a newsletter that included a clip of the Laura pose from our Posebook video, and now we wanted to share that with all of our blog readers as well. If you aren’t on the newsletter list click here to sign up! We send out about 2 emails per month (at the most), and always try to include a helpful boudoir photography tip in the boudoir newsletter. The Posebook Video is a gift for purchasing The Posebook off of the www.boudoirshop.com. The PB Video shows us demo-ing all 28 poses that you’ll find inside the book with an adorable client. The Posebook video is emailed to you about 2 biz days after you purchase the Posebook. (It takes a few days for us to email the links to you because of the high volume of orders we receive… Unfortunately the video files were too large to make them available for you in an instant download on the shop). But once you purchase the Poseebok, you do get to instantly download the posing “quick-guide” – then the hardcopy of the book will follow in the mail 5-9 days after your purchase. THE PASSWORD FOR THE VIDEO BELOW IS: “freebie”
What is the boudoir Posebook? Watch here to find out….
Can you believe WPPI time is almost here already? I certainly can’t. Last year the week of WPPI, and the days before and after, were some of the most fun and exciting days of our lives. We had a full workshop. a demo shoot with KISS, a party to celebrate the launch of our POSEBOOK, and then on top of it all, we also had our booth at the convention! Kimberlee and I love doing workshop and talking with other photographers and this year we want to be sure that we are bringing you exactly what you want. Below you will see a poll between the two workshops that we are considering. One will be the same program that we do here at our studio, and the second is a one day ‘petite’ version of our typical boudoir workshop. In the mini workshop we will still go over lighting and posing, and you will have some time to shoot and build your portfolio as well, but as informative and helpful as it will be, it won’t be the in-depth, secret-spilling, overload of info that is included in the regular workshop. We know that price and just your overall goals for WPPI will influence your decision, so please vote to let us know which appeals the most to you. Thanks everyone!!! Oh, and if you have other ideas regarding the WPPI week, feel free to leave a comment below as well. And, yes, we will be having a booth again at WPPI,
so even if you aren’t considering a workshop, we’ll see you there!
We sell an album with pretty much every boudoir photo shoot that we do so we were stoked when Jolie Wraps made this box inspired by our marketing, yay! They are 10×010 in size, perfect for our KISS Wedding Books.
Thanks again Jolie Wraps! And we loved that you named it the “PARIS BOX.” You guys know us well.
Hey guys – Just wanted to let you know that we’re working w/ our shopping cart system right now, trying to figure out how to make the Posebook videos downloadable! We had to split the video into 2 parts – so each part is about 10 minutes. We’re going to have 2 different links for you to download each of the parts… so right now we’re just waiting for our shopping cart support team to get back to us, making sure that the files WILL be able to be downloaded (right now the shopping cart isn’t allowing us to download them because the files are too big). We’re so excited to get this Posebook Video in your hands – finally!
The Posebook Video is going to be absolutely FREE for anyone who has purchased the POSEBOOK! We just love the Posebook – and we already think it is THE ultimate posing guide for boudoir! But we’re always looking for ways to improve – to push our products to the next level – and to create awesome resources that will be helpful to you! We’ve heard so many great testimonials from all of you about how much you love the Posebook, and we are truly SO happy that you are finding it helpful! In boudoir photography, posing your client is one of the most difficult aspects to creating your images. The lighting is one thing – but if you don’t have a good pose (and expression!), your image just isn’t as impactful as it could be. If you have an arsenal of good boudoir poses under your belt, your shoot will go so much smoother! We love our quick reference guide – it’s the perfect thing to have out during your photo shoot, to glance at it and create a plan of action for your next pose. (Rather than having to come up with the next pose on the fly, while working with your lighting, and also while trying to talk w/ your client, making sure she feels comfortable!) It’s a lot to think about, so if you have your Quick Reference guide open, it’s the perfect way to quickly & easily move on to the next pose. ALSO – the video is going to be downloadable for your iphone!!! We are so excited about this feature – it’ll be great for you to download & watch it for a quick little posing ‘refresher’ right before your boudoir shoot! Just one quick ‘disclaimer’ about the Posebook video: We realize that it’s not super-high-quality audio, as we didn’t want to professionally produce it (since it’s a freebie, we just wanted to keep it minimal & just get the basics across to you). The intent of the video is really just to demonstrate how we put a client into the poses. It’s not instructional, persay (we don’t talk a lot on the video), so it’s really more of a demo – and a visual for you. It’s great to see our best boudoir poses in the Posebook, but it’s SO much better to actually see VISUALLY how it’s done! We hope that the new free Posing video will be helpful to all of you who have the Posebook!
*IF YOU DON’T ALREADY HAVE THE POSEBOOK – CLICK HERE TO ORDER IT TODAY!!!
