I was just dreaming about our next Paris workshop and was thinking about this fabulous quote so I wanted to share…
If you are even just considering the Paris Workshop 2013 (day dreaming of launching somewhat soon) I am sorry to say that you will hear Audrey’s lovable voice ring in your ear with these words over and over from now on. Actually, you know what, I am not sorry. Cuz the words are true. Paris is ALWAYS a good idea! 😉 Email us at [email protected] so you be among the first to find out when we do launch the workshop. Looking at late April for the 2013 workshop dates.
Hey everyone. We have a concern and we wanted to clear something up.
Ok, so we are not writing this to stir up anything or bring more attention to this than it’s already been given… we are simply hoping to make sure you all know that the recent negative reviews on a Paris boudoir workshop were not related to our Paris workshop! The other day we opened up a newsletter that read: “Paris and a Drunken Model: A few [members] paid $4,500 each to attend an exciting workshop in Paris with a Boudoir Rockstar. What our members say they got, was a shoot with a drunken model who couldn’t hold focus” — YIKES! We are so bummed that photographers did not have a good experience with this particular workshop. Selfishly, our concern is that because OUR Paris Boudoir Workshop is so well-known, and we (biasly) think it is more well-known than this other workshop 😉 , we got worried when we read that newsletter. We are about to launch our 2013 Paris Boudoir Workshop, and our fear is that people would see that newsletter, but not log in and read the full post – and maybe they would just assume that it was talking about OUR workshop, because it’s a well-known boudoir workshop. So that’s our dilemma. And that’s why we want to be a little blatantly selfish and post here on our blog to clarify that that was not talking about us! We put so much into our Paris Workshop and over the years we have received positive feedback and we wanted to make sure all that hard work, fun and awesome memories weren’t tainted. 😉
In light of the recent forum/newsletter posts we mentioned, we thought it might be the right time to share this email we got a few months back from an unnamed photographer who said this:
“Hi Kimberlee, I wanted to write to thank you again for the fantastic workshop you hosted in Paris in 2010 (the year of the Volcano 🙂 Having just returned from another photographer’s Paris boudoir / fine art nude workshop last night, I can honestly say the workshop and learning environment you and Marissa create is top drawer. The workshop I just attended was so bad I can’t even put it into words and I’m just so thankful to have had your experience to think back on to lift my spirits. I hope you and Marissa know how positively you impacted my boudoir photography and I wanted to thank you again for your spirit. xoxo”
Now, this is not to say that we are perfect, or that we put on a ‘perfect’ Paris workshop. We admit that we have received some negative feedback from 2 attendees in the past. And we take that feedback VERY seriously, due to the fact that we are truly passionate about teaching other photographers our style of boudoir. We are passionate about seeing you walk away from our workshop with more knowledge and skills to take your boudoir business to the next level. When 16 photographers travel from around the world to stay in the amazing city of Paris, and invest money in the experience, and take time away from their families to be a part of the workshop… we see this as a big responsibility, and we don’t take it lightly. Any negative feedback we receive only makes us work harder to fix any issues, and improve – to make the experience more beneficial. We have now led 5 boudoir photography workshops in Paris, France, and in 2013 we are going to lead our 6th. We would love to have you join us. I already have about 20 photographers on the ‘pre-Paris’ list – these are the people who are wanting to receive more information about the workshop as soon as we launch it. They’re going to have ‘first dibs’ on signing up for the workshop, before we notify everyone else. If you want more info or if you’d like to be added to our list, just shoot us an email: [email protected]
And if you didn’t have a chance to read our overview of the 2011 Paris workshop (along with tons of pictures), go check out that Paris blog post now!
Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you all know that we have ONE spot left in our 2nd session of the Paris workshop (April 15-16)… AND… ONE spot also JUST opened up for the 1st session (April 12-13). If you have been dreaming of seeing the Eiffel tower sparkling at night, walking along the Seine, seeing the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, visiting Marie Antoinette’s country home at Versailles, or just sitting at a sidewalk cafe for a croissant & cafe… then why not take the leap & join us next month in PARIS, FRANCE!? We absolutely LOVE our Paris workshop, and we can’t wait to be there again. Visit the Boudoir Workshop website for more details.
If you’ve been thinking about joining us in Paris, you have GOT to watch this video. This is a recap of the 2010 workshop, & it will give you a pretty good picture of what the Paris workshop is all about!
Due to the high demand for this workshop, we have TWO workshop sessions in Paris in 2012.
This will be the FOURTH Boudoir Divas’ Paris workshop – we have been doing this since 2009, and it is the most AMAZING experience… a two-day event where you will learn all about the Divas’ ‘secrets of success’ in this industry… you will have an opportunity to shoot some amazing images for your portfolio… and you will connect with other photographers who are also passionate about boudoir photography. Plus, it’s Paris! The absolute perfect place to learn about boudoir.
DAY ONE:
The morning will begin with an optional add-on ‘Basics’ course. This is a 2-hour course that will cover the basics of exposure, how to meter quickly, how to shoot in manual mode, and how to work with our hot lights to get a perfect exposure throughout your entire boudoir shoot. A petite dejeuner (the typical French “small breakfast” – a pastry and coffee) will be served at the Basics course. (Optional add-on price is $75)
The workshop will officially begin at 10am (for those who did not join us for the Basics Course). After an introduction by the Divas, the morning will focus on our shooting style, simple lighting recipes to make your client look beautiful, and our top posing tips to flatter all body types. We will be showing our favorite poses, and then we will do a short demo photo shoot with and hands on practice using our equipment and of our favorite sets! You will be able to shoot our models to build your boudoir portfolio. Some one on one shooting with models as well as small group shoot settings.
DAY TWO:
We are starting the day with an EARLY MORNING PHOTO SHOOT WITH THE EIFFEL TOWER! This will be a fun Diva-led photo shoot with one of our models from the previous day – only she will be styled in a more editorial/fashion outfit. The Divas will be leading the shoot, and attendees will be able to shoot around each other. This is just an opportunity to see the Divas in action, and snag a couple killer images with the eiffel tower in the background!
After the morning shoot, we will then head back to the Divas’ flat, for a FULL day of learning (get ready… it is a LONG day that will be jam-packed!) We will be covering marketing, pricing/packages, post-processing, and MUCH MORE – absolutely EVERYTHING you would ever want to know about how the Boudoir Divas run their high-volume, successful boudoir business! You’ll also get 1-on-1 time (ten minutes) with either Marissa or Kimberlee – this will help you identify the next steps you need to implement with your business when you go back home.
A few days ago, I was taking a little coffee break on a sunny afternoon, and I decided to enjoy some delightful chocolate biscuits with my coffee. And these biscuits got me thinking and dreaming about Paris… which launched me into a half hour of perusing our photos from our Paris trip last year… which made me start a blog post. All because of these little beauties. 🙂
Ahhhh…. Rue Picot…. you hold a very special place in my heart. Within walking distance to the Arc de Triomphe… with my favorite cafe around the corner… and the most beautiful Parisian flat. Rue Picot, you are a big part of the reason why I consider Paris to be my second home.
And we just LOVED having our mommas with us for the first week in Paris! They were the chefs extraordinaires during the workshop week 1, and they spoiled us rotten. Marissa & I also just loved having them be a part of our “Boudoir Diva lives” (which is actually quite different from our “normal lives!” It was amazing to be with them as they saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time, and it was just such a special time for us daughters to be with our moms in Paris. Thanks again, momma Carol & momma Cecilia, for all of your help. We love you!
And then there was the WORKSHOP! Day of shooting is always SO much fun – especially cramming into those little rooms in the flat. Thankfully last year we got a huge flat with lots more space. PS, take a look at that beautiful light coming through the windows! So gorgeous.
And here’s yours truly (Kimberlee), showing one of the #1 rules for boudoir posing: DEMONSTRATE. It’s so important to show your clients what you want them to do (don’t just try to tell them – SHOW them!)
And now here we have the outdoor shooting day… with our fabulous models struttin’ their stuff down the street on the way to the Arc de Triomphe! And take a look at that fun black & white striped dress. Made my Marissa’s mom! So amazing. I think we need to have her make another one soon… Cecelia, you up for that?!
What really ‘makes’ our workshops is… the PHOTOGRAPHERS! We LOVE meeting new photogs from around the world, and we love sharing some things we’ve learned along the way with our business, and we also love learning from our new friends. We all have experiences to share with each other, and it’s honestly a privilege to hang out w/ such wonderful people for a few days as we all talk about something we LOVE – boudoir photography!
“Excuse me, people who are entering this hundreds-of-years-old-church building on your way to Sunday mass… don’t mind us crazy group of photogs shooting a crazy model on the stairs out here….”
Cobblestones = L.O.V.E. I want to go back!!!
J’adore Paris.
And now for my favorite. This one ALWAYS makes me smile. We were walking back to our flat at the end of the shoot, Marissa had donned the top hat somewhere along the way, and on the side of a restaurant, someone had taken a piece of pink chalk to the wall and written this lovely note. It was the perfect setting for some priceless portraits of my bitner. Such a good reminder to us all… Don’t take yourself too seriously! 🙂
With dreams of Paris and hopes for the next time we will be in Paris (probably next year!)… xoxo, Kimberlee
That’s right, you guys – it’s FINALLY time for us to start posting some videos from Paris! 🙂 Here’s one that shows our outdoor fashion shoot with our fab model LoArna… we absolutely LOVED shooting on the streets of Paris, and our workshop attendees also got some stellar images for their portfolios! We LOVE Paris! 🙂
COMING SOON: Lots and lots and LOTS of video footage from our TWO boudoir workshops in Paris, France! The Boudoir Divas’ Paris workshop is THE world-famous workshop for photographers who want to step up their game and learn about boudoir photography, lighting, posing, post-processing, marketing, pricing, and MORE! This was our 2nd annual workshop in Paris, and our 3rd annual workshop will be held there again next year! Believe it or not, we ALREADY have quite a few people on the waiting list saying they’d like to join us in Paris in 2011… so we’re hoping to announce our 2011 dates soon! In the meantime, here’s a quick preview of what’s to come (a short little glimpse of our fab models)
Here they are! Photos from the second annual Paris boudoir workshop (yes we are just uploading pics from the first workshop even though we just finished week two workshop this morning). Paris has made us tres lazy. Shooting in the streets is always my absolute fave part of the entire workshop. And the dress we made worked out great, just don’t look at it too close please. Our models Lo-Arna and Rachelle really photographed well and since Lo-Arna is a ballerina, she had some pretty graceful poses to rock. She posed from her fingers to her toes. I am sure we will post more when we return to good ol’ SD. Oh and the color may be off, no color calibrated monitor here, had to leave that at home so I am sure I will be adjusting these bad boys on that screen later.
Our wonderful first weel attendees! To the 9 that are missing, we are so sorry you couldn’t make it but look forward to seeing you in San Diego hopefully. (Left to right, Nikki, some pretty & tall girl, ME, Lucie, Anna, Corneli and Vivian)
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
Never in a million years would’ve thought that a freaking volcano would possibly affect our Paris workshop. Seriously, what the heck?! Our fab assistant & Diva ‘go-to girl’ Ashley is stranded at home in San Diego, when she was supposed to arrive this morning in Paris – yikes! We’re hoping she’ll be able to get out on a flight today or tomorrow… crossing our fingers that they’ll start flying out here soon! 🙂
Workshop attendees: the workshop is still ON and we’ll proceed as planned. I know a lot of you are already over here in Europe, but for those of you waiting for a flight coming from the States – if you find that you’re having any problems w/ getting over here please email Ashley to let her know.
And for all of our blog readers out there, if you’re curious about our Paris plans & adventures… it’s Friday morning for us right now, and we’re heading out the door to grab an espresso and crepe Here’s where we’re going today!!!
Hey everyone!!! Bonjour from beautiful PARIS! It’s morning here for us… Just wanted to let you know that we’ve arrived safely in our favorite city! Our first day was marked with sadness, as M shared from our blog post yesterday; but amidst the sadness we are trying to enjoy this wonderful day. We’re here with our moms, and today we’ll be exploring the city with a bus tour, picnic lunch, and then a river cruise tonight. So exciting! Here’s a little video to show a glimpse of the past 24 hours of traveling and arriving to our flat in Paris! xoxo, Kimberlee
