Seattle Boudoir Previews – the lovely Ms B

Celebrating your love for another is a great reason to come to our Boudoir studio for a session! That’s exactly what Ms. B did. She was getting ready to celebrate her 5 year anniversary with her amazing husband. Not only were they getting ready to rejoice about their marriage, they recently had a baby and Ms. B. was ready to show off what she calls her “Mom Body”, which we must say is rocking!

Ms. B. brought several different outfits and accessories, which were all amazing. From her Black Swan inspired tutu, WSU shirt, boxing glove, and her most notable little tank top profoundly stating “I Love My Hubby!” Ms. B. had a great range of photographs to choose from! With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, why not do what Ms. B. did last year and come in for a session so that you can give the person you love some amazing photographs of yourself as a Valentine’s Day gift?

Seattle Boudoir previews – Ms Snow Angel

Meet the lovely Snow Angel

Normally we don’t post the full names of our clients, but Snow Angel said that the world most know who she truly is. She decided to stop by our studio today during the midst of the great Seattle Snowstorm of 2012. We usually reserve shoots on our lovely rooftop deck to the summertime, but Snow Angel was very insistent upon doing a shoot outside and we were more than willing to accommodate her wishes.

We were all big fans of her eclectic style. She decided to wear all of her clothing choices at once! From her lovely red teddy, black garter belt,  animal printed hat, pearl necklace, sunglasses (you have to be careful of the sun in the winter as well she pointed out), and her amazing shoes… we couldn’t imagine seeing her any other way. The most striking aspect of Snow Angel was her fantastic bright pink lips!

We’re glad she decided to stop by our boudoir studio today. She said she’d try to stick around for a few days. I can tell you that when she finally decides to depart we’ll miss her just as much as we miss all of our other clients.

Seattle Boudoir previews – the lovely Ms V

With an arsenal of clothing options and a positive self-image, Ms. V made her time with us in the studio memorable. We first met Ms. V at an event at Zovo, the amazing lingerie store in University Village.  Ms. V. even helped Kimi pick out some new duds while they were at the event at Zovo.

Ms. V then came into our studio in Seattle a few days before her photography session to check us out for a studio tour… something we encourage our clients to do! After spending an hour with us we all fell in love with each other. She came back in later that same week with luggage cases full of clothing options!  From amazing corsets, cheeky thigh high boots, a sarong, even a plain white sheet, we were able to create some amazing photographs for Ms. V. By the time her session was over we didn’t want her to leave!

A few weeks later Mr. and Ms. V. came back into our Seattle studio to view the photographs, but we made Mr. V. believe it was Ms. V’s first time in the studio and she was only here for a studio tour! After showing him around the studio and telling them both about different sessions, he soon found out what was going on when he saw our “informational video”, which was actually Ms. V.’s photographs!

Needless to say, Mr. V. enjoyed his anniversary surprise! Here’s to Ms. V!

Enough of this, boss needs me back to work.  See you soon, Amy

Seattle Boudoir previews – the lovely Ms P

Ms. P came into our boudoir studio with her two of her best friends, Ms. L and her lovely pup “Woof”!

Ms. L tagged along to be Ms. P’s cheerleader but “Woof” had no problem strutting her puppy stuff for a few poses with mom! Although our staff was enthralled by “Woof” we were absolutely mesmerized by Ms. P! Her dramatic look combined with her corset and her man’s button up shirt lead for some stunning photographs! While you are checking out all the hotness that is Ms. P we’re sure you’ll notice her amazing eyes! It’s hard to stop staring into them once they’ve locked onto you.

We can’t wait to see Ms. P again in 2012!

**All names have been masked to protect the privacy of humans and pups alike!

What a great way to start this week’s blog posts : )

Boudoir Products: Our classic album

Over the last year we have worked hard to find a range of photography products for our clients to display their photographs.   Its fair to say at the start of 2011 I wasn’t super happy with the breadth and depth of our offerings, to me they were too limiting in both variety and budget.  So at the start of last year we spent a lot of time researching different products and getting samples in the studio to experiment with.  As we start 2012, our forth year as a boudoir studio I feel really good about our product range.  Not that we are done looking for new products, even this week we just added a new product that we are excited about (more to come later) and there are a few areas that we need to find solutions for.  But we have come a long way in our ability to offer a range of products at different sizes, styles and price points.

One of the top categories of products that our clients are looking for are albums.   Because everyone’s taste and style is so different it quickly become apparent that we needed a range of albums styles that appeal to different clients.    So we ended up with three styles, our Classic Album, our Contemporary Album, and then we have our Chic Album.  A few examples above.  All albums are available in both landscape and portrait orientations. Once you have narrowed down your favorites photographs, one of our design consultants will work with you to layout the photographs in a dynamic fashion so that your photographs will really shine.

Here we have some examples of our timeless Classic Album with its silky black cover.  As an artisan studio, we assemble our archival quality products carefully by hand  and each photograph in our Classic Album is carefully printed and mounted in-house by our skilled framer, Kimi.  Our Classic Album is offered in a variety of sizes and dimensions ranging between 8×8 and 11×14. With photographs mounted directly onto pages, these entirely handmade albums are durable and substantial – a true work of art.  In addition to the black cover there are a number of other covers available for those of you that would like a little bit of color in your bedroom.   Our classic albums start out with eight photographs, but clients can add both extra photographs as well as extra pages.

Here are some sample shots of some of our classic albums, aren’t they pretty!

We will be adding more blog posts over the coming months on our different display options, but don’t forget we offer studio tours so if you want to come check out the complete range you can.

Cheers, Phil

Seattle Boudoir Previews – introducing the lovely Ms B

HMs. B. came to our studio in Seattle a few months ago with several different outfits that showed a sweet elegance.  She also had enough jewelry that we could have covered her in that alone and we got to work with her on some very sexy photos on her with those as well!

Originally concerned with looking too ‘hard’ in some of her typical photographs, Ms. B. quickly found out that you can be fit and feminine at the same time!  From corset to whimsical classic dress, Ms. B. shows that she too is a sexy lady.    Here are some initial previews of her session with us.

Ok, time to get back to work : )

Seattle Boudoir Previews – the beautiful Ms R

We have clients come into our photography studio in Seattle for many reasons, but often our favorite is those ladies who come in to celebrate their own personal beauty.  Although Ms R has a partner, she came to us to celebrate a personal milestone that she had been working towards and definitely achieved… a weight loss of over 100 pounds! She was super excited to show off her new bod and we were more than happy to capture the moment for her.

One thing we loved about her session was the variety of outfits and looks she had, everything from a very ‘sexy’ Formula 1 shirt, a beautiful teddy, just a pillow and finally an apron in our studio kitchen.

You rock Ms. R!

Thanks honey, we can’t wait to see you soon.

Seattle Boudoir Previews – introducing the beautiful Ms T

Ms. T came to us to celebrate her birthday. She claimed to be a tomboy but as she soon found out, she’s a total knock out!  Ms. T told us that the confidence she gained from her session has allowed her to start one of her dreams…. competing in fitness competitions! We wish her great luck in her competitions and hope she knows we’ll be rooting for her from the sidelines, tissue in hand in case the tears of joy roll once again.

We look forward to seeing her back in the studio within the coming year!

There is still time for last minute holiday gifts!

Hello ladies and gentlemen!

Are you in the Seattle area and looking for that last minute gift that is sure to wow? Do you want to give a gift that makes someone feel wonderful and look fantastic? How about a something that not only gives that lucky person a great experience, but also memories for years to come? Why not think of us here at Seattle Boudoir Photography!

We are still able to fulfill your gift giving search with gift certificates for one of our lovely sessions, the Tasty Teaser or the Pamper Me Pretty… your choice! You can also choose to give the gift of the session, or if you’re feeling extra giving, you can include a print credit too! This is the perfect give for ladies and gents alike!

So if you’re looking for the perfect gift to give to the man or woman in your life, call the studio today (206-428-6187) or fill out your details online and we’ll gladly set up a gift certificate for that special someone/ friend/ family member/ deserving person today!

Happy holidays everyone ; )

Calling our Groupon clients

Back in December we had a Groupon Promotion and fortunately for us and quite a few eager clients, we sold out just before noon.  Hooray!

Although the Groupon offer is good for one year, we’d like to remind those of you who purchased it not to wait until November to book because we may not be able to get you into a session.   We know this can be a little scary, or there can be a million and one excuses to procrastinate booking your session.  Maybe your wedding is coming up or you feel you need to lose a couple more pounds. We understand.  But just remember we know you’re beautiful right now, so there’s no better time than the present to enjoy a good old ego boost. You may be gifting to your fiancé’ or husband or lover but remember the experience is all yours.

For those nervous ladies give us a call and we’ll can schedule a pre-shoot consultation and this will be helpful to you to overcome any fears as you meet the team and get the chance to answer all and any questions.   One of the common questions we get is how far in advance should you schedule your session before your prints are ready?  Although the time varies a little depending on what you ended up ordering, but a general rule you should book your session no later than 6 weeks prior to the date that you would like to present any gift.   Our schedule varies from week to week, but typically we photograph our clients on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  The other days are left for client preview meetings, studio tours and all the production work that goes into producing your amazing photographs.   We typically book out anywhere between 2-4 weeks ahead so also factor that into scheduling your session, our most popular days are Saturdays and those can be booked two months out especially with wedding season and the holidays.   That said we do have cancellations of course and if you desired date isn’t available we can add you to our waiting list just in case someone moves their session.  

We look forward to seeing you very soon!   Lots of love from the entire team.

An amazing way to end 2010

Apart from the loss of Mr. Jester (our large 32 pound cat that was one of the great personalities of the studio)  2010 has been an amazing year.  We have had proposals in the studio, bachelorette parties, new pregnancies, heaps of brides, women and men celebrating weight loss, a huge increase in couples sessions, an amazing client in her wheel chair, heaps of crazy prop’s and so much more. With well over 200 clients it’s been an amazing experience that we are totally grateful for with so much tears and laughter from us and our clients.  

As the studio settles down after the holiday rush there is a buzz about our last client session of 2010, scheduled for Thursday.  Last week Erin received a call from a young lady wanting to book a session for her Grandma.  This won’t be the first Grandma, but even so this is pretty special for a very specific reason.    So the grand daughter, lets call her Ms. J is arranging this as a total surprise session for Grandma E.  They are scheduling a fresh hair tint for her, bringing along quite a few of the family to support her.   So what is the reason for the photography session you might ask, well it’s Grandma E’s birthday and she is going to be a super young 100 years old! 

We have always said that our boudoir sessions are independent of size, shape, age and this totally proves it!  

Check out this fine lady from Texas

This fine little philly is originally from Texas. Ms. L came to Seattle Boudoir as a client doing this “just for her own ego”. Inside she felt great about herself and wanted a little tangible reminder of how hot she is/was, for when she’s older. She rolled in with two friends and a suitcase. Yes, I said suitcase. No one has ever arrived with so many matching lingerie sets as Ms. L, and for good reason, we had lots to accomplish that day and she was certainly up for the task.

As you’ll see below, she got the reminder that she wanted and needed. And hopefully her gal pals will be back for their own personalized Seattle Boudoir Photography shoots.

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).

Offbeat Bride | Why you should consider boudoir photos. Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love my body

Ms N, as the sassy ladies at Offbeat Bride refer to her, totally kicked ass. She first came to us via the good ole’ telephone, saying “I think this would be a really cool gift for my fiancé, but I’m kinda’ plus size (giggle, giggle) and pretty nervous”. So I said “how plus size”? Because truth be told I didn’t care but I wanted her to realize maybe she was being a little over critical. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that she was nervous, so we invited her for a studio tour to let go of some of that nervousness.

We talked wardrobe and theme and got her into a better head space about something that not only was she doing for her husband to be but more importantly for her. She didn’t of course realize how much this would do for her until, drum roll please, the day of her shoot.  And BAM!  There she was, insecurities, anxiousness, and concerns, out the window.

She had the best time experiencing the reason why we, Seattle Boudoir Photography, are here.  Because every one of us should feel a little more self love and appreciation for who we are and; how BEAUTIFUL we really are. That’s the point. No matter what it means for you, there really isn’t any reason why you shouldn’t have a boudoir photography session with us.  Chances are it’ll be a little different than you think and be even more meaningful than you can imagine.  

Ms N decided to write about her experiences on OffBeat Bride to give other women the encouragement to do their own boudoir shoot.   Her article is pasted below with a full link at the end.   Thanks a lot Ms N, you made our day, love Nicole. 

__________________________________________________________

 

OMG OBT Guestpost by Ms. N on June 29, 2010 28
Tags: boudoir photography, photography, plus size

OBT member Ms. N wrote a wedding planning update in which she shared her experiences during her boudior photography shoot. Ariel and I loved its message so much that we thought we’d share it with you. -Megan

Let me preface this with two things…

• First, I have never been the type to want to be immortalized in my unmentionables (i.e., I never thought I would want to get photographed in my undies before). It wasn’t something that I had been dying to do all my life.
• Second, I am a plus-size girl who is not altogether comfortable with her body and who consistently has some self-love issues.

That being said, let me tell you why you (yes, YOU) should consider boudoir photography…

The sexy Ms. N rockin’ the boudoir shoot, shared with her permission

This past Saturday I had a boudoir shoot with Seattle Boudoir Photography [a previous obb sponsor] and it was honestly the most liberating experience of my life. I was nervous and apprehensive going into it. I’ve never been completely comfortable with my body, and even less so now that I am in my 30s and have stretch marks and scars and even some lovely VEINS that mark who I am and where I’ve been throughout the past 32 years. I kept having the thought in my head that these people who would see me half-naked would be completely grossed out and would be disappointed that they could not make me look decent in any photos.

Boy, was I wrong.

I got to spend 2 hours with amazing people who, very honestly and sincerely, thought that I looked beautiful, and did everything they could to make sure that I knew it. And not only KNEW it, but FELT it, too. Nobody ever once looked at me and said, “Oh, I sure wish you were thinner,” or “Wow, those stretch marks really take away from this photo.” What I heard instead was, “Oh, you have killer boobs!” and “You look so hot in that pose, for real!” I could NOT believe my ears. And really, that was all it took for me to suddenly realize this:

I’m freakin’ HOT!

It doesn’t matter about size or scars or weight or anything. What matters is how you FEEL. And I have never been more amazed at how comfortable I could be with myself.

So. If you can swing it, you should totally consider boudoir photography because:

1. You get to be comfortable in your own body, even if you were already.
2. Lots of people complimenting you and telling you how hot you look!
3. Did I mention the wonders it does for your self-esteem?
4. It’s an excuse to buy really cute lingerie.
5. Again — what better way to encourage self-love?

To read more and checkout Offbeat Bride, just click here.  | Why you should consider boudoir photos. Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love my body#comments

Seattle Boudoir Team Photography Session

Guest Post by Autumn Adams.

As a photographer of weddings, maternity, senior portraits and whatever else comes my way, you have the pleasure of meeting a lot of people whose personalities cover a wide range.  As a friend of Jennifer Mobley (do-er of hair extraordinare for Seattle Boudoir Photography) for about 5 years now, I knew I was walking into an energy and fun filled experience when I went to photograph Seattle’s fabulous Boudoir Photography team, but man oh man…I got way more! 

You can’t help but automatically love everyone that makes up this team, and believe me, they love you right back.  The environment alone is very inspiring with huge windows, loads of natural light, exposed brick walls and then the lovely ladies and epic photographer, Phil Holden, seal the deal with their smiles, energy, sense of humor, artistic abilities and their professionalism.  They love what they do and it shows. 

I can’t wait to go back, whether it be for another project, or perhaps….to be the project. Here are just a few of the team photographs taken that day. 

Click on this video if you want to see some of the funny video outtakes from the session plus a few more photographs.