From Both Sides of the Lens: A Client’s Day as an Assistant Futzer

Guest post by Ms D.   

I am one of Seattle Boudoir’s clients.  When I decided to do a boudoir shoot it was all about me.  I’m a wife and mother to one wonderful four year old boy.  I work full time and I spend most of my free time doing errands.  Sound familiar?  For years after I had my son I tried to forget my body.  It was the last thing I wanted to think about.  You’ve got these new boobs and this little creature pawing at you all the time.  Feeling sexy was last on my list.  But then something clicked a few months back and I decided it was time to acknowledge I had a body again.  Reconnect with myself and let out my wild side.

First up, Nicole handed me a glass of “champers.”  It would be good to mention that photographer Phil Holden is British, so I think that means he is allowed to make up his own words.  Then make-up artist Jane and stylist Nicole stood back and took a good look at me in my rumpled top and too-big jeans. But they see enough ladies in there that they put me at ease and could see past my baby pooch to the sexy lady I wanted to feel like.  My nervousness and uncertainty melted away while I was pampered and made to feel like the star of my own show by Phil, Nicole, Jane, and Kim.

Since then I have been back to visit the other side of the camera as an assistant “futzer” aka someone who makes sure everything is in the right place.  I gained a new appreciation for all the work that goes into the shoots the team does sometimes three or four times a day and also the effect that it has on each individual who comes into the studio.  The clients that day ranged from a spontaneous boudoir photo session on a weekend getaway, to a surprise for a military homecoming, to the ever popular present for a bride to give her soon to be very pleased husband.  One client came in with nothing but the clothes on her back and another came in with tons of choices.  In both situations the team’s inventiveness shined through. 

After the team has a chance to meet you and see what is important to you they stage several scenes for your photos.  That day we had one client squirted down with a water bottle for that “wet t-shirt” look.  We also had a casual sexy scene with a football jersey on a couch.  I can tell you her husband would certainly have stopped watching the game if he saw that!  And one client got to lounge on a reindeer pelt.  These sets are designed on the spot and are individual to each client.

Another client’s advice I heard is a sure thing to pass on to all of you.  Do not work out the day of your shoot.  The team will give you their own brand of work out.  They are constantly there to make sure that every part of you is in line for the perfect shot. It’s not easy looking beautiful.  “Stick out your girls!”  Phil, I want a shirt that says that.
 
As each client left and a new one entered it was awesome to see how the nervous smiles in the beginning turned into knowing grins, the same one I walked out with.  I got the privilege of telling the amazing Seattle Boudoir Photography clients just how fabulous they are.  In each instance I am sure that Phil captured that on film.  And I can tell you from experience (that’s me below).

Tags: Boudoir Photography, Bridal Boudoir, Bridal Gifts, Photography, Seattle, Seattle Boudoir Photography

A nice thank you

We just received a nice little thank you email from one of our clients that came into our photography studio in Seattle on Wednesday.  For the moment lets call her Ms S, we had such a blast with her and she so so much fun.  For the second part of her shoot we ended up using a whole lot of mud and water on one of the sets.  I’m not sure if she will let us post any of her photographs yet and share the theme behind the mud, but we know hubby will be very happy when he receives his gift!   Note below,

I just wanted to write to say thank you for the experience yesterday!  You and your crew were amazing!  Your girls totally helped me feel comfortable and I truly enjoyed working with you all.  I cannot wait to see the photographs on the 20th!

Happy Friday everyone

Seattle Brides – Get toned for your wedding day

Guest Post by Sara Dean.

Hello Seattle Brides!   I love this time of year.  Helping brides prepare for their big day is so exciting.  I have lovely ladies of Seattle come to Sync Fitness every year to get their rears in gear for their wedding day.  Of course every bride has her own body wish list: cut shoulders, 6 pack abs, ripped back, smaller hips, firm buns and toned guns.  We work hard to check off each item on that wish list. Of course, every bride wants to get the best results in the shortest amount of time (because, let’s face it, as a bride-to-be, there are NEVER enough hours on the day!)  So my secret weapon for brides is combining strength and cardio into each and every workout.  This is entirely possible and can be done in a short amount of time.  Give me 30 minutes and I’ll have you huffing and puffing and begging for more!  The key is to keep your heart rate soaring during your workout.  So choose exercises that make you pant!  Here’s a little sample workout that you can do in under 30 minutes: Jumping Jacks Push Ups Walking Lunges Pull Ups (weight assisted or negatives if needed) Plank Body Weight Squats (GET LOW!) Mountain Climbers Full Sit Ups Burpees Tricep Dips Jump Squats ***Perform each exercise for 30 seconds.  Perform 3 rounds of this workout.  Try not to rest between exercises.  Rest for a FULL TWO MINUTES between rounds.  This rest will allow you to PUSH, PUSH, PUSH during each round.  ***

These are the kind of workouts you can find me doing with my bridal clients in my Boot Camps at Gasworks Park.  If you’re interested in checking out Boot Camp, click here for full details.  Please contact Sync Fitness to ask about bridal discounts!  I hope to hear from you. I would love to make you sweat!

Tags: Boudoir Photography, Bridal Boudoir, Bridal Gifts, Seattle Boudoir Photography

It’s time for your personal “Studio Tour”!

You’re entertaining the idea of a boudoir photography session and you’re thinking about doing it at Seattle Boudoir Photography.  You’re also more than a little nervous about being in front of strangers in less than your usual sweats and a tee. Well, at Seattle Boudoir Photography, we as a team understand this. This is why we’d like to invite you to our Belltown photography studio for your own personal and private studio tour.   And we’d like to sweeten the deal by giving you complimentary champagne & strawberries.

We know that if you’re thinking about doing this, than chances are that this is going to be a very meaningful experience for you (and possibly a loved one). A studio tour will give you the chance to meet the team pre-shoot, peruse products and of course, ask as many questions as you think of. From pricing to wardrobe selection and styling to ideas of how to present such a fantastic gift and so on. So come by for your exclusive, “Bubbles and Berries” tour and the only requirement… that you bring a friend. Girlfriend, boyfriend, doesn’t matter. Who wants to have champagne and strawberries alone?  I know you don’t. See you soon!

So pick up the phone or log into your email to connect with Nicole and schedule your studio visit today.  Here’s a quick sneak peak of our fun entry way into the studio. 

We can’t wait to hear from you! Hugs and Kisses! Nicole

Tags: Boudoir Photography, Bridal Boudoir, Bridal Gifts, Glamour Photography, Seattle, Seattle Boudoir Photography

How to choose a boudoir photography studio and photographer

By Merilee – Chapter One

Boudoir photography is making a serious retro comeback these days, and it’s about time!  While antique boudoir invokes visions of svelte Parisians, contemporary boudoir is truly for any and everyone who wants beautiful, artistic, sensual photographs of themselves.  Once you’ve decided you want to do a boudoir photo session your next step is to figure out what kind of experience you’d like your shoot to be.  First, you’ll want to think about what kind of environment you’d feel most comfortable in.  It can be a bit unnerving at first to strip down in front of strangers, so you want to be sure that you have lots of confidence in the professionals around you!  Start by doing research about photographers and studios in your area.  An internet search will likely lead to several possibilities, so check out the websites that interest you and see what information is available.  Pay attention to the style of the sample photos and see if they jive with what you have in mind for yourself.  Also do a bit of reading in the about section, which is where you can usually find out more about who the photographer(s) and assistant(s) are and what they are like.  It can be helpful to take a look at objective resources, such as Yelp.com or Google listings, where you can find consumer postings about the studios/photographers you are interested in. 

 

Top ten reasons to do your own boudoir photography session – with a twist

We wanted to write up a few of the many reasons why you should consider coming into our photography studio in Seattle for your own boudoir shoot.  We started to write this blog post ‘David Letterman-style’ but quickly found ourselves referencing something else, so we present to you ……………..

Carrie Bradshaw’s top 10 reasons to get your derriere to Seattle Boudoir Photography

By Merilee and Nicole

 

10.	Because you are celebrating your divorce
9.	Because you are celebrating your anniversary, and you and your partner want to come in together and avoid accidentally getting each other the same present by doing it on purpose
8.	Because your Steve deserves it
7.	Because you are engaged and want to give your partner something right before the wedding that will leave them with ants in their pants (or something else…!)
6.	Because it’s pretty much the best bachelorette party ever
5.	Because, like Charlotte, your cellulite is probably mostly just your imagination anyway
4.	Because you are pregnant and want to remember exactly how your baby bump looks forever
3.	Because if Samantha Jones gets to have her ass on the wall then you should too
2.	Because you want to document all your wicked awesome tan lines before Seattle’s 9 months of winter weather makes you pasty again.
1.	Just because it’s Tuesday and you’re a sexy beast

 

BTW, because Phil doesn’t own or watch TV he has pretty much no clue what we are talking about here – hee hee    So gals, don’t waste anymore time and come see us, enter your details here and we will be in touch!

Thinking about booking, but not sure – why not come check us out

Some of you may be entertaining the idea of doing a boudoir photography shoot but are a little anxious none -the- less.

I for one can tell you that you have nothing to be worried about. But don’t take my word for it. Come by the studio for a tour if you’d like. It’s as simple as that. There are only a few great boudoir photographers in our neck of the woods and even more not so great ones.  So come on by and check us out before you book your shoot.  You can grill us about we do,  get hands on with our wall art, folios, albums and other great gifts and basically just get a good feel for who we are and what we’re about. We’re pretty awesome if I do say so myself (wink wink).  Email us when the mood strikes and we’ll set up a time, day or evening, for you to peruse our fabulous digs! And when I say fabulous I mean, wall to wall windows, exposed brick, city and water view loft… How bout’ them apples!  Have an awesome weekend ladies and gents.

 

See ya’ on the flip side!

 

Creating those perfect curves for your boudoir photography session in Seattle

Jennifer and I have been planning for our next round of boudoir photography sessions that are scheduled in our studio in Seattle.   We have already booked a number of sessions for our March, April and May dates and we excited to meet our new clients.     

One of the questions that we often get asked for those that have booked sessions in the coming weeks and months is what should they do to get in shape for their session?    The first thing I should say is that no matter what you size or shape you are we always work to highlight the parts of your body that you love best, and not focus on the parts that aren’t your favorite.   We firmly believe the human body is an amazing art-form to capture and we take great pride and care to do that not matter who we are working with.

That all said I know clients often want to take a little bit of time to create the perfect curves define those arms or legs and for those of you that fall into that category we might have perfect solution.   I wanted to introduce Sara Sutherland Dean who is the owner and trainer behind Sync Fitness, one of Seattle’s up and coming personal training services.   Sara has been a personal trainer in Seattle since 2003 and has a unique balanced approach to allow her clients to have a better quality of life and feel good about what they see in the mirror or at the end of our camera!   Like many people I’ve had a love/hate relationship with exercise over the years, but ever since I started seeing Sara I actually started to enjoy it for the first time since I was 16.   I even feel bad when my crazy schedule doesn’t allow me to get to see her, which has never happened before!    For our future clients, or any lady that has a boudoir session scheduled, who wants a little help in feeling comfortable in their own skin to enhance their curves and tone and define those arms, those abs and create a beautiful back I really recommend that you check out Sara’s site and give her a call.   She is seriously one of the best personal trainers in Seattle and a dream to work with.   After all, every client deserves to feel beautiful, breathtaking and a little bit buff for her boudoir photography session and Sara can really help. 

 

Relax with one of Shawna’s wonderful massages

Our boudoir photography sessions are very much focused on pampering and relaxing our clients.  When you arrive you will receive a super warm welcome from the team.  The wonderful Jennifer Mobley starts out working with you to design your look for your session.  Her style and personal approach helps our clients to relax while she works her magic on your hair and makeup.  Then Jennifer and one of our boudoir team will sit down with you and review your outfits for session.  Of course to give you that little bit of extra confidence there will be champagne and wine if you would like a glass.  Then your session will start with our team paying attention to every little detail to position, adjusting you and the props to get that perfect shot to make you look your best.

With the goal of relaxation I’m super excited to announce that we now have a new partnership with one of Seattle’s best Massage and Craniosacral therapists – Shawna Lendzion Harbin.    Shawna has a wonderful space in Seattle’s Bodywork Cooperative and it is really helps you relax while Shawna works on you.   Combining massage and craniosacral is a little bit different than many therapists that I have been to in the past and it’s this dual approach that allows her to focus on helping with any pain and tension, insomnia, anxiety and such.  Or simply put, she can make you feel amazing.  I’m a client of Shawna’s and I can tell you that I often walk into her space with a bunch of tension, a little stressed and an hour or so later I feel like I’m floating on air, all relaxed and feel ready to take on the next challenge.

As a special promotion for clients of ours that have booked one of our boudoir sessions Shawna has agreed to provide a 10% discount on her services.  Our recommendation is that as soon as your appointment is scheduled for your photography session that you book an appointment with her anywhere from a week to a day before to help you relax and get you ready for your session with us.  To read more about Shawna and get in contact please visit her web site here. Thanks Shawna!

NoctiLuca Essential Wellness Massage and Craniosacral Therapy Shawna Lendzion Harbin, LMP

Tips For Your Session

Here are a few helpful tips for how to make your session as successful as possible:

Before your session make sure that you only wear loose fitting clothing with no tight bras or underwear at least two hours before you are due to arrive.  This will help avoid the natural lines and dents that these items cause.  You will need to do this even if you aren’t planning to completely strip down as those lines have a habit of showing up. 

Knowing that Jennifer is going to be doing your makeup, arrive with a clean face so that you two can calibrate together to create the look that you are going for in your own photography session. 

Fill your iPod with music that makes you feel happy, feisty and playful and create yourself one or more playlists.  Once you get here we can plug your iPod into the music system for you.   If your boudoir session is going to end up as a gift for your loved one, feel free to bring along any music that has good memories of them.   

If your boudoir session is going to be a gift for your partner why not consider sneaking something of theirs to the photography session.  Maybe their shirt, potentially a work uniform, their hat or something that means something special to them.  We can then use these prop’s to create some sexy photographs that have a very specific memory. 

Relax and have fun.  We know that you might be a little nervous but we do this all of the time and work especially hard to create a very relaxed environment for you to enjoy yourself.  Feel free to bring along a friend to support you during the session and work with us during the shoot to find the best angles for you.

If you have any questions at all, please ask anyone of us.