It Figures

Photographer Credit  :  Akelis Studios Photography
Model Credit  :  Black Lizzie

Tonight will be a lesson in working with a fabulous curvy figure for bridal and classic boudoir!

I am not a size four.  Actually, since becoming pregnant with my son, I have gained weight and topped out at an uncomfortable size 16 shortly before giving birth.  I am back down to a slightly more tolerable weight and becoming comfortable with the permanent changes around my stomach and hips.  This leads me to some insecurities in my clothing choice and understanding when talking with boudoir clients about heir own bodies.

Tonight I want to discuss how boudoir can be even more wonderful when you have truly womanly curves to play with as you pose.  Hips should have a sway and legs ending in heels do much to make that happen.  But if you are a tall woman looking for the classic "poses on the bed" style of boudoir, there are great ways to primp and pose.  Remember to inform your photographer of what areas you are uncomfortable showing and work with them to plan how to show the parts you adore.

Most of all, make sure you choose bold colors.  Lingerie colors are a fantastic way to complement a figure or hide something you want to avoid.  Blues and purples dial up the most amazing view because they draw focus and accentuate the eyes of the subject in their own way.

And finally, I suggest that the most beautiful thing you can wear is your confidence.  I rarely take implied nude or true nudes when shooting. The fact that not all clients are confident being so exposed is something that makes very good sense.  Respecting their wishes means finding a ton of fun poses and ways to express seduction and beauty without ever having to remove a single stitch of silk or lace.  But for those brave enough to bare it all... remember that coy and confident women each have a charm all their own.

Beyond what you wear, how you pose can be the best line of defense against having nothing you like out of a boudoir session.  Each photographer will have their own unique shooting and editing style, but some will even have a few tricks up their sleeve when it comes to posing for your shape. My model for this set of examples has a wonderful pear-shape and uses it to her advantage.

One hint I do have for everyone nervous about people seeing "too much" is to remember that when a photographer lines up, you have the right to ask if everything is covered properly.  It seems basic, but taking just a moment to ask can make sure you like the look and reduce their work in post production.  This goes for busty women worried about a little too much hanging out when they tilt forward AND for the girls worried about anything unsightly peeking out from under a skirt.

If your photographer "shoots from above" they can complement wider pear and hourglass shapes with the right tilt.  This leads to the eye naturally flowing from the face to the cleavage, but can also put fun angles to use.  I refer here to the image above with our model in the sapphire selection; take a good look at how her legs and hands are placed.  If you bring the palm placement closer to the knee and shrug the shoulders up and forward, this pinches the chest to add cleavage.  If you bring the camera down and to one side, this becomes a great pose to complement an apple shape by focusing on eyes and lips over a coy shoulder shrug.  As it is currently posed, there is something inviting yet almost masculine about it, giving a fierce tone and showing off the bold choice of wrist accent.

Suggestion number two is one I keep as a pose for every client because of how it relaxes the face and neck.  I am talking here about the pose to the left, with legs up straight against a wall or crossed and knees bent on the bed, hanging the hair and top of head off of the bed or pose platform.  We naturally focus here on eyes, but by standing upright the photographer can play up curvy hips and stems.  I have this pose in several forms, but chose to change it here to show off shoes which match the eyes and add a touch of the "something blue" for our wedding theme.  Remember to narrow your profile by bringing arms in and bending elbows and wrists slightly.  Keep lips in a soft pout and give the camera eye contact to keep your viewer interested.

Finally, I refer here to the image at the very top.  Face it, a perfect way to make any album lovely is to keep it simple.  I could zoom in here and crop down to a headshot without the beauty of the model being lost.  She is not nude here, but the lack of lingerie is implied (hence the term)by the positioning of a prop.  This pose can also be done without the implied nude element if shapely details of clothing design are used.
 

Just A Little Longer...

Health issues have kept me out for a while.  I promise a blog and new goodies soon.  Until then , please enjoy this:

Bedroom Eyes

Dyed my hair the other night.  I do this often, but this was my farewell to the color I have been using since shortly before getting pregnant in 2010.  I wanted to make sure I used up the last of the somewhat expensive dye products I had been using to keep from feeling guilty.  I normally use natural Red Henna mixed with lemon juice and grape-seed oil to produce a light red-blond, but have come to a point where I want to change that system.

This is one more step in the long process of changing my look and going back to the fun edge I had while in college and my early photography career in New York.  I enjoyed that time because I could let my clothing, hair and make-up choices really express my personality.  Having a corporate job often feels like I have to be less myself because everything must be "a natural look".  Somehow, nails polished with blue or purple will never be enough "self expression" in my wardrobe.

I'm an eye make-up addict.  I love the bright fire shades, something with oranges or reds can photograph beautifully even when the lighting is not stellar because of how the shades blend well over most skin tones. 

I bring all this up because the look of the photographer can be just as vital as the look of their images when presenting "the whole package" to potential clients.  This weekend I am going from working and photographing an event at the retail job, right to a boudoir sitting with a brand new client.  The party at my retail job is our Halloween celebration and I am going to be in a costume for that day.  The bring issue I have been facing is figuring out what to do about hair and make-up for this costume so that it will not be a problem when I then switch to being a professional at my sitting that evening. 

Boudoir make-up:  not my favorite image from this set, but good for today's purposes.

This goes into my next point, don't think you have to use a tone of make-up to achieve a great "bedroom" look for boudoir images.  There are some shades and colors that will allow you to use much less to achieve a wonderful look because of how they naturally work with the camera.  The idea is to draw attention either to eyes OR lips, and very dark colors on each with a pale face between is going to look even more vampy or clownish if lighting is off even a smidgen. 

Brown Mascara & Gold Eye Shadows.

Browns:

Please, PLEASE!  Remember that while it may dominate the shelves... black is not the only color of mascara and eye liner known to the cosmetics world.  Chocolate browns are wonderful on redheads and blonds because they are not nearly as harsh.  I suggest them for green eyed clients and really anyone who does not wear make-up in their day to day look because they blend well with softer shades.  

Golds:

If you have bronzed skin this can really work well to show off that glow without going very Jersey Shore.  You want to work with a golden brown around the brows and a honey tone gloss for the lips.  They make a dewy, natural look without being completely nude faced. 

Golds can also be amazing if you go for a mixture with other colors.  The addition of a gold shimmer over a deep blue, red, brown or even an olive green will enhance the iris perfectly.  Just a dash of shimmer at the corner of the eye is a fantastic way to add a touch of drama to an otherwise simple look.  A brush of very mild bronze or gold across the nose and cheeks can also enhance freckles on a lovely speckled complexion. 

Rose Pinks:

Rose & Chocolate Tones.

 If you are a pink addict or even just the kind of girl that wears make-up all the time then these are the kind of colors you should plan to use for your boudoir images.  Make sure you go for it all over too, a soft blush on the cheeks and from brow to lash should be enough if you do a deeper rose color for the lips.  Keep in mind that the brighter the lip, the softer your face pallet. 

Rose shades work on tones from the fairest to deeper honey shades; they are not great for ebony skinned ladies though. If you fall into this much darker world, I suggest a similar pattern of application with terracotta and brick reds.  Think of orange shades that have a brown tint to them, you want to go with a slightly muted tone that can bring up the fire and beauty in your face rather than a bold shimmer.

Slacker Moments... I Have Them Too!

I am a slacker right now.  I actually wrote this on Friday night and forgot to hit the button to post it.  I could re-write, but I will be leaving it because I admit when there is something I did wrong.

Close-up taken by my husband after I
returned from work the other day.

I should be on the phone letting tech support have a piece of my mind over the delays with posting the gallery from my most recent wedding, but I know that it will do absolutely nothing more than make me feel guilty for giving some already over worked peon even more of a headache for doing his/her job.  Instead, I have been doing laundry and enjoying some mindless reposting on facebook that sparked a number of discussion on woman's rights and the ability to use that repressed anger to it's maximum benefit at some times.

Now I am going to spend some time looking up ideas for a shoot with a model that I had to reschedule due to time demands from my day job.  I suppose demands is not the word to use, they were kind enough to offer extra work hours knowing I have said I am willing to take any shifts that others cannot fill, but it did mean I called my model to set for a new date.

I have an awesome model for this shoot, rare in that she is willing to do nude and implied nude work without worry that it will become part of my portfolio and might be eventually viewed by others.  Models often choose not to do nudes of any kind because they could be seen by future employers after being leaked, or just do not feel comfortable letting themself be photographed sans clothing.  I do no generally share anything I do with nude or implied nude shoots because it is not what I focus on in my portfolio. 

Akelis Studios Infant Portraits

I also want to continue my work with families and children.  Parents have the right to need to feel that their children are safe; something I completely understand as a mother with a baby that has a modeling portfolio of his own.  Child pornography is something I view as a plague on the world of creative works involving young models.  I usually limit my infant models to being diapered for the sake of my backdrops.  On occasion I will work with a cute baby bottom from an diaperless little monster, though that requires strict posing and editing for appropriate exposure.

This image is a moment where I could have skipped the diaper, but I also know that this little man will get up and run around in the nude.  For those paying attention, this is indeed my little boy.  He is one of my favorite test subjects when I have an idea for lighting or colors because he never has to force a smile.  Our home is filled with framed photos, baby albums, holiday photo momentous, and so many digital images that I could never imagine having them all in film format.

My son being a very cute model.

Playing with Perspective.

New Hampshire's White Mountains.

Just playing with perspective and lines.  I felt this was not my best, but cannot get those wooden beams and lines out of my head.  Honestly, I like perspective images like this because they force the eye to adjust over and over to understand what it is they are witnessing.  It drives my husband crazy that i will take these over and over to feed my collection with more and more distortions and revisions.

Clarence Fahnestock State Park, Putnam County, New York.

Chuang-yen Monastery, Kent Lakes, New York

Chuang-yen Monastery, Kent Lakes, New York

Portland Headlight, Fort Williams Park & Lighthouse, Portland Maine

10 .14 . 2012 Sneak Peek

Beautiful drive through the clouds and leaves.

You might remember my mentioning the wedding I had last weekend.  Well, it has been a long week of editing, but I wanted to share a little of the beauty.  

The drive out was fantastic.  I often forget how this place can look in peak leaf season.  Living in these colors makes us a little blind to it I think.  I stopped a few times to test the lens and catch some of that lovely red and gold coloration on the maples and birches as the road twists and loops through the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  The sky was a tad cloudy and I drove through smatterings of rain and layers of mist to reach the peaceful lodge on Bear Mountain. 

Bedroom Eyes

I intended to post after work and the toddler's bedtime last night.  Instead I ended up watching horror movies through my eyelids (snoring too) on the couch with the toddler and my husband decided to let me sleep.  I suppose I needed it if I was out so much that he couldn't wake me up to drag me to bed when it was his bedtime. 

Alright, back to work now.  Time to discuss the photos I posted on my pause the other day as well as more thoughts on boudoir and the use of depth in shooting some poses.  We will start with one of my favorites, shown here in monochrome though the color is equally impressive.  I am going for pose so color would be distracting since the lingerie is a startlingly bright shade of unashamed PINK that we picked first for the distraction and ended up giving us great teaching shots.   Thanks so much to the lovely Brooklyn who was my model for this test shoot and did a great job.

This pose is all about eye contact and getting the right light on the hair and face.  What you want to think about in this shot style is how to capture the model's pose without distortion from too much fore-shortening.  This means showing enough of the whole body to keep everything in proper perspective, making sure it does not seem like they are just a floating head/torso.  The second major focus needs to be on getting the right amount of light, which I must say took testing, shooting, moving stands for lights, re-shooting, moving again, re-shooting, and so one... all with a very patient model hold pose through the whole process.  The final lighting was finished in post-production and only required some work to fix a smudge on the backdrop and a bit of editing to the skin.

The rest of the session was focused on legs and getting some great "shape" with lights.  I worked mostly on shooting "Parts" of the model rather than her whole figure so I could get the best grasp of how to turn or move into the right spot to accentuate a fantastic figure.  I expressed before that my love for shoes is a special one, and this let me play on that passion for shoes while shooting.

This shot was inspired with a clearly topless one I saw online and wanted to work from for future boudoir shooting.  I was thinking about trying to get the focus on the legs rather than the bust-line, and wanted to bring the focus through the "motion" of the leg lift.  I think it worked well over all.  The hint of a topless figure from the hanging bra is there to help with the story telling, though the model was actually still wearing the lingerie top.

In this last shot I was going for shadows and a vintage feeling by working on a darker coloration.  My goal here was to keep the face in semi-shadow so we could see that contrast.  I adore the expression here too... something like a request but not a blatant "follow me to the bed" either.  I'm still not completely sold on this shot's success, but I got some solid moments out of it and a chance to work with a lovely up-and-coming model that has a great sense of humor when her photographer is a total klutz.

Space Reserved For New Ideas!

Long blog with beautiful new images coming soon.  So much time taken up with editing the website, building albums, and detailing displays for upcoming events has taken over the time normally dedicated to blogging.  Expect new things Thursday night at the latest.