On the blog today: a few of my favourites from Genie Bellini Lingerie’s campaign shoot
Cool right? If anyone needs a Christmas idea for me, a custom Rebel & Romance neon sign is now at the top of my list.
We did this shoot at a (packed) private member’s club in London. It gave us a killer, colourful backdrop, but random middle aged men kept trying to get into our room mid-shoot. We put up signs telling people to keep out, but it did no good. Eventually we just took turns standing guard and shouting lol!
I was like, “Should we try to move this statue maybe?” and model Jenny was like “Yeah okay!” Then Genie, our much more sophisticated designer and the only actual member of said swanky private member’s club said “Ohhh, I think it’s really expensive….”
I have googled it. It is *very* expensive and called Yoko XXXI by artist Dan Brown. Thank goodness Genie was around.
Knickers can be a little tricky to shoot at the best of times. Photographing sample sized, embroidered satin knickers on a topless model without looking hootchie? Next level tricky. Still, I think we pulled it off:)
I used my newish, go-to location lighting kit for this shoot. Getting pretty comfortable with it now, which is such a relief.
Don’t you think Jenny looks a bit like an AP ad here?
It was great to stretch some creative muscle on this shoot. There were lots of challenges we needed to work through in terms of location, lighting, and even posing. I also don’t do a ton of this saturated, colour shifted look, but maybe that will change in future.
It’s different – more stylised, more of a statement.
Thanks girls, such a lovely day and a great effort all around! I’ll link to Genie’s new website when it’s ready:)
My longtime girl crush Olivia and I have been shooting again;) This time for her exciting new plus size collection with Manners Wear. It you’re not familiar with the brand, it’s a great little range of unapologetic basics that are ethically sourced, totally wearable, and high quality (read: material that is soft and thick, not the thin, mass produced stuff you can see though).
Olivia’s range is available for pre-order starting TODAY, the 1st of July, with pieces available in sizes L to 5XL. For more info, head over to the website or follow on Instagram at: @mannersbycurvycampbell. Each piece and colour has been chosen with care, and named after Olivia’s most important female friends and family members.
Shoot credits: Photography and retouching by yours truly @stormy_rebelandromance, makeup by @vanezalondono, wall mural by @hixxy, wardrobe/styling by @mannersbycurvycampbell @mannerswear @sallymanners @curvycampbell
Fiyyahhhhhhh
Jordan Crop Leggings £52, and Xenia Crop Top £21
It’s always a bit tricky shooting outdoor locations in London, and this shoot was no exception. What a treat to have full sun, but OMG it was hot.
Like…baking. Vaneza working a miracle keeping any makeup whatsoever on Olivia’s face. Jordan Crop Leggings £52, and Louise Reversible Wrap Top £32
Louka Leggings £55, and Xenia Crop Top £21
S U N G O D D E S S in the Siobhan Midi Skirt – £42
It’s by London based artist and visual designer Josephine Hicks and her brother, collectively the Hicks & Hicks duo. See more of their work at www.josephinehicks.com
Anjelica Jumpsuit – £69
*inserts fire emoji twelve times*
Finishing off with this fab palm print which will be available a bit later on.
Wedding season is upon us, and it’s been lovely working with so many of this year’s brides. If you’re engaged, let me personally invite you to consider a bridal boudoir session.
Obviously, bridal boudoir photography makes an incredible, daring, thoughtful groom’s gift. A gorgeous album full of images like these is sure to be a present your significant other never forgets (and it’s so much better than personalised cufflinks), but it’s a great idea for you too. Wedding planning is no joke after all. What starts out as a magical, fun project full of romance and fairytales can often devolve into a stressful, full-time job. It’s important to take time out so the pressure doesn’t get to you. Even if you’ve hired the most brilliant planner and everything is going swimmingly, it’s still a major life event that comes with stress and uncertainty. You deserve a break! Odds are you’ve been hitting the gym hard too, so there’s never a better time to document what your dedication to the treadmill has earned you;)
Here are a few of my favourite images of Miriam, from my recent shoot with Essex based hair and makeup agency TeamGlam.
For bridal boudoir, either white or cream lingerie works best. Pair your wedding shoes, nude heels, or play up the “something blue” inspired by Carrie Bradshaw.
It’s also a great time to experiment with styling, because you can be a little braver than you might want to be on your actual wedding day. Something like this boho lace hairpiece is the perfect example – looks fab here, but might not be quite right for walking down the aisle.
I like white stocking for bridal lingerie looks. If you’re not a fan, a nude set also works well, or you can go without. Avoid black though, it looks weird.
Loooove this look.
Le veil! You all know I have a special place in my heart for a good ebay veil. This gorgeous number was lent to us by one of the TeamGlam girls, and it’s from her own wedding many years ago.
When it comes to boudoir photography, veils fall in line with heels: the bigger the better.
Here’s a great example – these images were captured about five minutes apart using the same wardrobe, same lovely bride, same location, and very similar lighting. If you’re feeling fun and flirty, we’ll do that. If you’d rather appear more demure and romantic, no problem:)
I retouched out one of the veil’s crystals in this one, because it looked like Miriam had a really big nose piercing lol!
A pulled back shot of the scene. Lovely lovely. Stay tuned for more from this shoot:)
Are you in need of some inspiration for your next London boudoir photo shoot?
Some of my best ideas have been sparked by the major fashion houses, in particular their fragrance commercials. They are often glamorous, beautiful, and a little mysterious, which is the perfect mix for a boudoir session.
There’s nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from the brands who have the resources to do things exactly how they ought to be done. Y’know, how you’d do it if the sky was the limit and Chanel wrote you a blank check. Here are a few of my favourites, enjoy!
Dear soon-to-be brides, bridesmaids, grooms, the recently engaged, and all other manner of people connected to weddings in the next year or so,
I’d be delighted to see you at my booth at The Wedding Fair at ExCel London the 20th and 21st of this month. If you weren’t planning on going but would like to, please get in touch – I have a handful of free tickets:) Just email me via the contact button above and I’ll pop them in the post for you.
We’ll have lots of product samples, great gift ideas for grooms/bridesmaids/maids of honour, and all the information you’ll need to decide if Rebel & Romance Boudoir Photography is your sort of thing. I’d love to answer any questions you might have and/or talk your ear off about how this all works. A few previous clients and my makeup artists are coming along too, so you can chat with them and get the inside scoop.
Also…
We’re doing a MASSIVE PRIZE DRAW, and one of you is going to win the boudoir lottery…to the tune of £2500 worth of Rebel & Romance experience and products. There are some very good runner up prizes too.
Seriously, bride or not you should come hang out with us and put your name in the hat. The fair has a massive champagne bar and a fashion show, plus odds are someone will be handing out cupcake samples. I’m told we’re next to a very popular cake maker, so I’ve got high hopes;)
So….I went to the Midnight Circus at Jackson’s Lane last Friday night, and now I want to run away to the circus and become one of these crazy bendy people.
They were amaaaaaazing!
It’s a fantastically intimate, sexy show full of incredible feats of strength, great arrangements, and plenty of sparkly costuming. It was such a treat to see Katrina doing her thing (you might remember here from this circus inspired boudoir shoot), and it was lovely to catch up with her again and also meet some of the other performers after the show. Everyone I spoke to was so welcoming and kind, and they train incredibly hard to stay in top form . They would love your support and certainly deserve it:)
If you haven’t seen this show yet, you should get on it ASAP. Tickets for the final week are available here:
Below, a few photos I snapped while watching. I’m so gutted I didn’t bring a proper camera!!
Midnight Circus!
My friend Lucy and I have already agreed we’re taking some sort of circus class together next year. It has to be next year, because there are a lot of sit ups and yoga to be done between now and then:/
Y’know, just hanging upside down on some ropes and hula hooping. At work.
The first act with Katrina and Matt was my favourite. They made everything look so effortless and graceful.
Moody rings:)
Apparently, this thing is called “the bowl.”
It looks brutal. Beautiful, but brutal.
Mother Katrina leading her fire wielding maidservants around the stage.
The show finishes in a funny fire breathing chicken dance sort of thing, complete with angle grinders that shoot sprays of sparks.
I’m over winter already. This could prove to be problematic since I’ve been told that winter is, in fact, still on it’s way. Are these people serious? If so, we really need to get someone on that. Winter ought to begin at the end of November, give us lots pretty snow on Christmas, and then finish it’s business by the new year. While we’re fixing things, let’s throw in some more sun too.
Anyway…I tell you that to tell you this: I stumbled across a beautiful editorial today. I’m researching ideas for a new project I’m about to start work on, and this little gem popped up on my screen. Titled “Called to the Barre,” there’s something intrinsically hopeful about a spring colour palette, and this one has a certain lightness that reminds you spring will come, eventually, even if winter (apparently) hasn’t even started yet.
A brief that references ballerinas and lots of tulle could so easily become trite and naive, but it’s been brilliantly interpreted here. Published in the December 2013 issue of “How To Spend It,” this set of images was styled by Damian Foxe and photographed by Andrew Yee. Hairstyles created by Shlomi Mor and makeup by Robert Greene bring out the very best in the models cast; Alexa Yudina, Ana Buljevic, Anastasia Ivanova, Anne-Sofie List, Ilva Hetmann, Maria Borges, Regina Krilow, Stephanie Hall, Vasilisa Pavolva, and Veranika Antsipava.
I’ve included all the wardrobe information for each look, because I always think it’s interesting to see which elements have been pulled from designers and which are just everyday items. Each time I read that an item is the “stylist’s own” or “vintage” I am reminded of the time when my most fashionable childhood friend patiently explained to a thirteen year old me that, “Magazines only put that if it’s actually really cheap or they don’t know where it came from. It looks better.”
She was the first one of us to wear pointy toed shoes and know how to correctly pronounce Yves Saint Laurent, so I’ve never doubted her on this.
I think it’s the layering of textures that really makes these images sing. That corset is amazing too. I love how it’s not even done up but still manages to look great. I might steal that idea actually.
Left: Wolford cotton-mix body, £99. Louis Vuitton hammered-silk and lace dress, £2, 410. Bloch nylon tulle and spandex tutu, £44.95. Vintage corset, stylist’s own. Right: Jenny Packham beaded stretch crepe blouse, £1, 680. Oscar de la Renta silk organza gown with feather and crystal embroidery, £7,175. Repetto cotton ballet shoes, £19.
This image on the left is a perfect example of how you can create a sexy, evocative feel without revealing too much. One key lingerie piece (the pink bustier) gets the point across regardless of how much else you choose to show or not show.
Killer gams? Let’s show them off with a flowy dress and a wind machine. The fancy plie is optional. Also, I’ve been on a lot of photo shoots. I can pretty much bet that “stylist’s own” headband on the right is a bit of extra material they found somewhere on set or at the bottom of a fabric bag. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s perfect. That’s just how the creative process works sometimes – you have to leave room for inspiration and spontaneity or everything gets boring.
Left: Wolford ribbed cotton and nylon tights (worn over arms), £30. Nina Ricci silk dress, £2,240. Repetto cotton canvas and leather ballet shoes, £19. Right: Ralph & Russo Haute Couture French Chantilly lace gown with rose gold embellishment, price on request. Repetto tulle tutu, £90, and cotton canvas and leather ballet shoes (just seen), £24. Headband, stylist’s own.
Not a single expensive shoe in this editorial. That must be a first.
I love everything about this image. So pretty and soft, but still mysterious and effortlessly cool. I’d highly recommend this model’s manicure if you’re dreaming of a boudoir shoot with a similar feel – it’s neutral and pretty, but goes with everything.
Also, this Lanvin tulle is killing me. I really need to learn to sew – surely it can’t be that hard to create a piece like this for shoots, right? The edges aren’t even finished. If any of you have mad sewing skills and fancy a project, please let me know:) Pictures of your fantastic creation on the house!
P.S. There are lots of exciting things happening with Rebel & Romance Boudoir Photography in 2014. I don’t want to jinx anything, but stay tuned. If you want a sneak peek, follow my on Instagram. I’m @stormy_rebelandromance
Boudoir Photographer: Inspirational Boudoir Photographs by Raphael Mazzucco
Sometimes I think I’m getting pretty good at this photography thing.
Inevitably, that feeling is followed by discovering another boudoir photographer or photographer in a similar genre who is ridiculously good and puts me right back in my place. I used to find looking at the work of these people, the ones at the absolute pinnacle of their industries, soul destroying. It was so deflating to me, primarily because it their abilities seemed light years away from mine (Let’s be honest, they were. I had no idea what I was doing).
As I’m getting better and growing as a boudoir photographer, that feeling has mostly disappeared. Instead, I just feel inspired by these artists. In awe. This world is beautiful. Just look at all these beautiful people making such beautiful things. What must they be like..to breathe life into these ideas?
Recently, I realised a whole bunch of the images burnt into my retinas were created by one man. I wanted to share them with you here, because they are so good and a great source of inspiration and ideas for your own boudoir photo shoot. I’ve already lost several hours looking through Raphael Mazzucco’s portfolio, so in the interest of focus and me not working until midnight tonight, I’ll stick to a single client he’s created work for – Intimissimi.
From the Gardens of Sicily campaign. I love this image, and one day I’ll find an orange grove or an excuse to visit Italy to do my own take on this idea.
A classic faded grandeur feel. I love natural light (or artificial light that looks convincingly natural) as a boudoir photographer, and I tend to be drawn to that look and feel in other artist’s work as well.
Perfect motion. Beautiful location. Great hair.
And then there are these. These images were created for a book called “The Perfect Bra” which Intimissimi developed and launched last year. I stumbled across it at the Intimissimi shop on Oxford Street and fell in love. It’s such a beautiful collection of images, and I’ve been trying to buy said book to have as a reference ever since. Apparently, this was not a book meant for general purchase, because I’ve checked everywhere and no one sells it or seems to know anything about it. As a last resort, I’ve attempted contacting Intimissimi directly. If that fails, I may or may not consider trying to barter with the shop girls. Something like, how much Starbucks do I need to buy you to make you want to gift me that book in the corner?
xx
Stormy
Are you looking for a boudoir photographer?
I’d be honoured to be considered as your boudoir photographer. My name is Stormy, I’m a specialist boudoir photographer based in London, UK and available for travel worldwide. You can reach me at stormy@rebelandromance.com or feel free to have a browse through my boudoir photographer website and portfolio for all the details on how a session with me works.
International Boudoir Photography: a Destination Photography Session in Paris
So, I was recently in Paris for work….if you can call doing a destination photography session with beautiful people (Natasha & Derek) in the most romantic city in the world “work” that is:) Although it was a very quick trip, it was such a great experience and I thought I’d share a few travel pictures with you here, ahead of showing you all the gorgeous proper images of N&D of course.
It was my first trip to Paris. Despite lots of warnings about the attitude of “The French,” I’m happy to report that only one waitress was excessively rude to me. Everyone else was fine, nice even! Seeing as I speak exactly two French words (Bonjour and Boudoir), it was a pleasant surprise. I did spend quite a lot of time in a panic that someone would try to talk to me, but it’s still a city after all, and people mostly keep to themselves. I’ve spoken to a few friends about this since returning, and we’ve all agreed that if you can survive the complete and total unfriendliness that is living in London, Paris is no worse.
One of the first images I took in Paris. This was just outside our hotel. Basically, the whole city looks like this – the WHOLE city. You have to see it to believe it.
The Louvre, the Seine, and that time my husband said his famous last words, “It’s only about a ten minute walk.”
Such a perfect street.
La Tour Eiffel.
I call this “The Belly of the Beast.” The Eiffel Tower is way, way bigger than you expect it to be. Precisely the opposite of Big Ben.
The Lock Bridge….
…so glad I did my nails. Unfortunately, orange doesn’t seem that romantic on second thought. Oh well.
This guy was amazing.
There must be a thousand great locations to plan a destination photography session, but I’m glad this one was in Paris.
This is the Bato Bus. The Bato Bus is my friend, especially after walking the whole day prior to our shoot. This is the time where I almost fell of the back of the boat.
Awww. Big dress. Romance. Paris. Photography. All things I like:)
My husband took these. I think he’s trying to put me out of a job.
Luckily, as long as he keeps getting distracted by pigeons, I think I’ll be okay:)
So that’s it! A little roundup of my first destination photography session in Paris. Stay tuned for finished images of Natasha and Derek, you won’t want to miss them.
I love the idea of doing more destination photography sessions like this, so if it’s something you’re interested in please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Boudoir, anniversary, engagement, birthday, just because – I’m not picky! All excuses are good excuses in my book, and flights in Europe are pretty cheap at the moment – let’s plan something amazing:)
xx
Stormy
Ready to start planning your very own Destination Photography Session with me?
I’d love to chat with you about all the details of how a London Boudoir Photography session with me works, or how we can arrange to hold your session in any major city worldwide. We’ll go over what you can expect, how to prepare, and talk about the beautiful imagery we can create for you. Destination Photography Sessions are so much fun, and they make the perfect surprise gift for a partner, or even better – as a mini holiday and a big confidence boost for yourself. Please feel free to get in touch, you can reach me (Stormy) at 07799 390468, or just drop me an email here. We’ll plan a Destination Photography Session that will thrill you:)
Boudoir Photography: A Paris Destination Photo Shoot
Bonjour!
Just a quick sneak peek on the blog this week…
I’m back from a whirlwind tour of Paris, which was absolutely beautiful, inspiring, and over far too quickly. I managed to absolutely wreck my feet (note to self: buy proper, functional tourist shoes) but I had a lovely time photographing Mrs. N and her Mr. in the city of loooove.
Images and the full story coming soon:)
xx
Stormy
Ready to start planning your very own Paris Boudoir Photography Session?
I’d love to chat with you about all the details of how a Boudoir Photography session with me works, including what to expect, how to prepare, and what sort of beautiful imagery we can create for you.
A weekend getaway in the city of love, complete with a folio of beautiful images – what a way to celebrate! For details on destination boudoir photography sessions, including a custom shoot in Paris, please feel free to get in touch. You can reach me (Stormy) at 07799 390468, or just drop me an email here. Couples and other clients are more than welcome, Paris is a beautiful backdrop for boudoir photography, portrait shoots, and lifestyle sessions as well.
