So I’m sitting here in our GORGEOUS “Diva flat” here in Paris, France… the soft morning light is peeking through the window at my right, and as I glance down, I see these cute little yellow flowers in the pot on the windowsill. I LOVE this city! Down below the window, there’s a cute cobblestone courtyard with lush green trees (where we will just HAVE to shoot later this week with one of our models!) Marissa is currently walking to our front door to let in a few of our models, and as I’m eating my delicious chocolate croissant, I figured I’d write a quick little blog post to update all of you. Today is our day of SHOOTING – which is always just so much fun. A day full of high-energy, with lots of activity, as our workshop attendees have a chance to work with 3 beautiful models here in our awesome Parisian apartment! We’ve been prepping for this workshop for about 9 months, and the day of shooting is always just so much fun! M & I love this day, and we LOVE figuring out all of the styling for our models! We’ve been planning their outfits for a while, and this little video just shows a short 30-second clip of all of us from last week, when we were packing and getting all of the outfits figured out:
This week has been a wild ride, with a lot of unexpected turns along the way. If you’ve been following the blog or the news, you’ll know that there’s been an UNPRECEDENTED shut-down of air traffic coming to Europe… which has resulted in a bit of a nightmare for us here, logistically. Our wonderful assistant Ashley is stuck in San Diego… our gorgeous models are all stuck in California… along with ALL of our workshop attendees from the US! 🙁 So so sad! We went from 14 workshop attendees down to just 5 who were able to make it out here for this week. It’s a definite bummer, and we’re SO VERY SORRY for all of you photographers who were supposed to come but just couldn’t make it. I know that you all are extremely disappointed, and we want you to know that we’re going to miss you! With that said, we’re very happy to be here, and we’re thankful that the handful of five photogs were able to get here! And so… the show must go on. 🙂 We’ve been able to find 3 models here in Paris, and as of right now, the workshop will be starting in about 15 minutes! It’s going to be an amazing week, and we’re looking forward to a small, intimate workshop of 5 fab attendees. We’ll be posting more videos and updates soon, so be sure to check back! xoxo, Kimberlee
It’s morning here, Kimberlee is on skype with her beau (Eric we are supposed to be on a run!) and I am sitting here in the morning light posting the video that we were going to post last night before our eyes started drooping. Yesterday was our first Versailles day, yes we are going back multiple times, it’s just that great. As you’ll see in the video we get a little excited about this place called the best palace in all of Europe. I wish you could all just feel the cold air whipping past your face, the dirt crunching under your shoes as you walk through the gardens trying to comprehend that what you are looking at is not a painting. What I would give to have this place all to ourselves for just one day. Maybe part photo shoot, part freaking out running around playtime. Oh and would pulling up in a horse drawn carriage be too much to ask?
“Hey girls! All I can say is that I am where I am today because of your workshop last April. I have opened the only boudoir studio in Houston. It is girlie and fun and based on so much that I have learned from being at your workshop. I am averaging between 5-10 clients a month. I have a makeup artist working with me full time and as a set assistant as well. … We attended our first bridal show in January and booked 10 sessions just from that. It has taken on a life of its own. Despite all of those very fun things the best thing about this job are the women whose lives and marriages I have gotten to be a part of! We have laughed and cried with our clients! It is the MOST rewarding job ever and not one I could have ever dreamed up. You gave me the vision of what this could be! I will forever be grateful for the time and effort and willingness to share your love of boudoir through your workshop.
Like I said, I would never be here without the vision of what my business could become. People(other photographers) think I am crazy for only doing boudoir but it is what I love and my clients love the fact that boudoir is all I do. Thank you again for all of your mentoring!
Thank you again for all you do for women and for photography!
Jennifer Horton
Beloved Boudoir Photography
www.belovedboudoir.com
Was just going through photos from Paris 2009… last year’s trip was SOOOO amazing, and we had an amazing TEAM! Here’s Team Diva from Paris ’09…
We loved Paris ’09, and we just can’t WAIT for next month when we head back to this fabulous city for the next Paris boudoir workshop! We’ve got a great team coming with us this year… although we’re going to miss a few key components of the ’09 team (we’ll miss you SOOO much, Crystal and broadie Brian; it honestly just won’t be the same trip without you!!!)…
A few of the same peeps are joining me and Marissa again this year… Weston (M’s hubby, whose official title is ‘supreme czar of all things technical’), and Joslyn (model). AND, we’ve got a few new additions to the Paris 2010 team… Ashley (fab assistant), Sarah (model), Aly (model), AND… the Diva moms! That’s right, Marissa and Kimberlee’s wonderful mothers are coming to Paris this year to help with all of the food arrangements during the workshop! We’re so excited for them to experience Paris. It’s going to be a great year! Be sure to check back in with the blog during the month of April to get updates on our divalicious Paris travel adventures! (Also, are you following the Divas on Twitter yet?)
The countdown is ON! We’ll be heading over there SOOOOO soon!!!!! Who’s ready to go?! Photographers: don’t forget that we have a forum specifically for all of you who are attending our boudoir photography workshops, and there’s a section on there for you to chat, meet each other, ask questions, and share info & ideas with each other. Need to know how to sign up for the forum? Get in touch with Ashley & she’ll send you all the deets! [email protected] … And yes, this forum is also open to ALL past workshop attendees!
WOW! We definitely had WAYYYY more votes than we ever imaged for this contest! Remember, the winner of our Paris Workshop contest is going to receive $400 off their boudoir workshop fee! Thank you to all those who voted on our blog and there were a couple of you that were so close. And the winner is….LAURA!!
The second week of The Boudoir Divas workshop is going to be April 29th-May 1st. If you have any additional questions or would like to sign up, you can email Ashley at [email protected] or check out our SHOP.
You have been asking, so here it is! Our final workshop of 2010 will be: OCTOBER 5-7 at our Studio in San Diego!! Need to build a bad-ass portfolio? Want to start a boudoir photography business or take your current one to the next level? Or do you just want to hang out with some cool Divas and make new friends!? Then the Divas’ Boudoir Workshop is for you!
Lunch will be provided both days, as well as dinner with the Divas the final evening (optional). Travel and accommodations are on your own. Once you register, we can send you a list of recommended hotels close by.
More details can be found on our Boudoir Shop.
Check out the video below for more info:
PS: There are still spots available for the PARIS workshop in April and the SD Workshop in June!
Did you miss our “BOUDOIR IS THE NEW BLACK” speaking presentation at Imaging USA in Jan? (We heard that it was so packed, 1600 people, standing room only, and people got turned away at the door)… SOOOO… here’s the good news: we’ve got an encore presentation, a little shortened version, coming up TODAY!!!!!!! (It’s a webinar with PPA). We’d love it if you signed up! Thanks!
CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE DETAILS!!!
Boudoir is the new black
March 22, 4pm ET
with the Boudoir Divas: Marissa Boucher and Kimberlee West
$39 for PPA Members
Click here to register
Ready for an insider’s look into the boudoir photography business? The Boudoir Divas will give you an overview, sharing their own secrets. They will tell you how they replaced their Saturday wedding income with a Friday Pin-Up Party™ that has become all the rage. And most importantly, they will share why they believe they were so successful from the start.
And here’s our OUTLINE for what we’ll be going over today!
AND… click here to read the blog post PPA wrote up about us and our business! Thanks so much, PPA, for inviting us to share!!!
Also… a big thank you to Bay Photo – for donating a free 10×10 thin wrap to one lucky winner (given away at the end of our program!)
… AND, a big thank you to Showit – for the promo code they’ve given us to share with you all, to get a sweet deal on a brand-new, bad-ass, custom website!…
…AND, a big thank you to My Emma – for the awesome deal they’re giving you when you use their awesome email marketing program! (Promo code: ‘Divalicious’) 🙂
Happy Monday, everyone! xoxo, Kimberlee & Marissa
If you’re interested in joining us in Paris (and seeing the REAL Eiffel Tower)… CLICK HERE fore more info! We’d love to have you join us! 🙂
Our PARIS Workshop is just around the corner, and to give our attendees a little friendly competition, we are offering $400 off the TOTAL workshop cost! The contest: to send three photos, one showing your “inner DIVA”, one representing LOVE, and one that best portrays your love for PARIS. All the entries are below, and we need YOU to pick a winner! Please vote by leaving your favorite entry number in a comment below. We will be picking a winner March 30th, so plenty of time for voting 🙂
P.S. There are still a couple spots left for the second workshop (April 29-May1). Check out more details here
