She was another one who was a little self-conscious and unsure that her images would be flattering and worth doing. I think the images speak for themselves!  She’s gorgeous!

Of course, young, thin, and beautiful women want boudoir photos, and it’s a great idea to have them done when you’re young and thin, because at least one of those is only a temporary condition!

Boudoir photos have become a somewhat common gift for a bride to present to her groom as a wedding present, but many of my boudoir clients are women with some life experience under their belts, even a grandma who gave the images to her husband for their 38th wedding anniversary!

Some of my favorite clients are the ones who think they just don’t look good, or are too heavy/old/something.  One 40 year old mother of four had her session after her divorce; she wanted to feel beautiful again.  The best reason to have Boudoir photos is for you.  If you have someone special to share them with, that’s nice, but most women find that the experience and seeing the final product is very empowering and a huge boost in confidence.

A couple weeks ago, I went to the Orange County studio of my friend and fabulous photographer Tammy Warnock with a group of photographer friends.

What do photographers do when we get together?  We photograph each other!  All the images in this post are from the day.  A Boudoir party is probably the best way to get these images- having girlfriends around for support and inspiration makes the process so much more fun and relaxed.

These are some of my favorites.  She had to be gently coaxed into the idea of having her photos taken, but she and I are both really pleased with the outcome.  I’m sure her husband is, too!

The age range represented her is 20′s to 50′s, and the size ranges quite a bit, too.  Everyone loved their images.   Also, everyone here has signed a release allowing me to use these images on-line to promote my business.  Rest assured, I will respect your wishes just as I do of all my clients when it comes to sharing images on-line.

These are all the same image, just processed a different way.  I love the rain drops on the petals.

Same image in black and white and color.  I think I like the color better, but I do like the black and white.

I love the way the light and shadows work on the columns in the park.  Even on a cloudy day, there are beautiful shadows.  The one in the middle is in color, I added a little saturation, but it’s not that different from the sepia (on the left) and the black and white (on the right).

On the left, realistic color.  On the right, spot coloring.  I never, ever do spot coloring.  About 99.9% of the time, I think spot coloring is distracting and doesn’t add anything to the image.  Here, it brings out the name of the restaurant in a way that I don’t think distracts from the image.

There are two different images here.  The one in the upper left  is with the standard 50 mm lens and a bit of glow was added, the other image was created with a Lensbaby- a creative and fun lens that I recently picked up.  I’m showing three slightly different versions.Epiphyllums are succulent plants that only bloom for a short time each year, but when they do, boy are they spectacular! Both are shot with the Lensbaby. Natural color on the left, enhanced on the right.

This is one image processed two different ways, also shot with the Lensbaby.  I like the moodiness both versions convey.

Don’t let a little bit of weather keep you indoors!  Overcast skies make for beautiful colors, and the rain drops give a very different feel than the images would have on a bright sunny day.

I am still booking 2011 weddings- call me to chat about yours!

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We put together a collage of all the pets for the wall.

They are quite a bunch, aren’t they?

Studio portraits of your family and pets can easily be created in your own home with my portable studio set up.

We started the day with two Beagles and three tortoises that all belong to the same family.

Here are the Beagles.

And, believe it or not,  here they are with the tortoises.

The next bunch was three Scottish Terriers.

Of course Mom and Dad wanted a portrait of the three of them together.

A  smiling Chihuahua.

A Pomeranian.

Best friends. I’m partial to labs, being the owner of a beautiful black one.

Kids and dogs- does it get any better?

A Shiba Inu.  A beautiful, quiet dog.

I just love photographing all the pets and meeting all their people!  As they were leaving, the people with the beagles and tortoises said they were on their way to see a beagle puppy… I got a call a few days later to do a session for my Helen Woodward Animal Center Project.  The next post will have those portraits!