Lauren got in touch shortly after I announced my NYC trip. She’s back and forth between America and the UK these days, so it just made sense for us to plan her shoot in the Big Apple. After a few Skype calls and some mood boarding, we came up with a styling direction: retro/vintage with a little NYC edge. I had a feeling it was going to suit her, but she took to it like a fish to water. The hair, the makeup, everything just worked.
Lovely Lauren is dream to work with too. She’s kind and elegant, but also brave and was up for anything in the name of an incredible image, including climbing to the roof in lingerie.
This chair reminded me of “That 70’s Show,” and worked perfectly for a retro vibe.
Lauren is wearing a vintage French blouse which has been passed down from the women in her family for generations (what a way to commemorate them). Also, how divine in her hair in this image on the left? Katherine, our hairstylist, did an amazing job.
A ruby red lingerie set always adds a pop of colour. Here we’ve paired it with a simple black cardigan, which is a great way to make things feel more casual. If you’re not so keen on your midsection, this is also a great way to strategically hide bits without being obvious about it.
Legs for days + great ink = winner.
There’s a soft spot in my heart for fiery redheads and for women who own their curves.
A perfect vintage cat eye, courtesy of the ever talented Gemma. No surprise the Lauren is frequently compared to Kate Winslet with this gorgeous face.
I remember exactly when I clicked the shutter for this image, because about two seconds later I told Lauren I though she ought to be painted on the side of a plane.
Lauren, Rita Hayworth called. She says you’d better back off her look.
It’s lonely at the top, but not for L.
In fact, it’s so glamorous that it calls for some fake smoking and an over the shoulder glance that makes her too cool for absolutely everyone.
I haven’t photographed anyone in front of graffiti for years, but when in Rome…
A few moody black and whites to finish.
Lauren, you did SO GOOD. It was so exciting to photograph you, and I’m already looking forward to whatever we come up with next time. Thank you thank you thank you.
More media love for plus size / curvy Rebel & Romance bombshells today:)
Jolie, a German based website, contacted me a few weeks ago to ask if they could use a few images in a lingerie article they were working on. I of course said yes, and I’m pleased to see they’ve selected a few of Lorraine and Jada’s images to illustrate the feature.
I did attempt to use Google translate on the little text blurb beside each photograph, but what came out left something to be desired. It all seemed positive though, just a bit mangled – like the instructions that come with electronics assembled in China.
Screen shots below, or feel free to check out the original feature using these links:
Lorraine is wearing a great bra and brief set here, with matching lace panels. The panels act to distract the flow of your eye (similar to the colour blocking trend), so they can be very flattering on curvy bodies.
Look, I know it goes against everything you know about lingerie, but shapewear really can be sexy when it’s worn for a boudoir photo shoot. Jada is rocking a nude bodysuit here – it’s one of those sucky-in ones designed to hold everything in place. I asked her to bring it for her shoot, and I know that she thought I’d lost my mind, but I just kept saying, “Trust me, trust me!” And see? It looks really glam, but is also understated and shows off her body rather than what she’s wearing. Something like this is also a great option for women who would struggle to find a lacy, lingerie style bodysuit in an appropriate size, because these come in quite a lot of larger cup sizes.
Overall, two great wardrobe ideas, especially if you’ve got a curvy body type.
Check out these beautiful, curvy women going absolutely VIRAL on Buzzfeed!
Big ups to Buzzfeed staffer Peggy Wang, who obviously had the average woman in mind when she selected her favourite images for this article, “33 Impossibly Sexy Boudoir Photo Poses.” I’m always honoured to photograph regular, everyday women, and it’s great to see a more realistic body shape getting some much deserved media love.
1.7 million views and climbing says you’re into the media supporting plus size / curvy / fuller figured women too. Thank you for your continued support. I hope images like these inspire you to give your own boudoir photo shoot a try!
Fine Art Nude Photography: Olivia’s Plus Size Boudoir Photo Shoot in London
I’m so excited to share these with you girls.
Below is my most recent shoot with the fantastically curvy and evocative Olivia, and makeup artist/genius Debbie Purkiss. The three of us have been dying to shoot together again, since our first plus size boudoir photo shoot turned out so well. If you missed that first shoot, you really ought to go have a look at it. It’s one of my all time favourites, a magical combination of beauty, power, gorgeous location, and everything clicking into place at precisely the right moment. How “annoyingly arty” do I sound right now? Just go look and I’ll shut up about it.
Anyhow, the three of us are busy and have a million things going on, so we’ve been struggling to plan a second shoot. Then one random Tuesday Olivia text (texted? is there an official past tense for the verb text yet?) about a potential publication opportunity with a fast approaching deadline. It was just the push we needed, and we managed to get a shoot date, location, and theme set up by the following week.
These images may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I love the way the way they turned out. I’ve been wanting to challenge myself with fine art nude photography for a while. I’m pretty picky – I don’t like nudity just for nudity’s sake. It’s got to be tasteful and intentional without being too in-your-face, which can be a tricky balance to strike. Because Olivia is a plus size model, that raised the stakes even more.
It’s not my wish to offend anyone in the industry or to be in anyway negative about what real bodies look like, but I just don’t see a lot of photography of plus size women that I consider flattering. It seems increasingly popular to photograph curvy women eating giant bowls of pasta (what, exactly, are these people trying to say? That eating carbs is all a plus size woman is good for? or that having hips means you’re an unhealthy glutton? or are they attempting to make us believe this was an original idea that hasn’t already been done a million times?).
I’m also not a fan of images of plus size women, or any women frankly, that emphasise their RAW! REAL! CELLULITE! What is that about? Does anyone actually want to be photographed that way? I don’t find it flattering, I find it blatantly objectifying.
I’m in two minds about these images being featured in the latest issue of VolUp2 Magazine. I love the images we created, and I’m proud that we’re waving the banner high for women of all sizes to see themselves as beautiful and worthy. I love that we managed to combine fine art nude photography and a plus size boudoir photo shoot into one collection of images, and that we were all thrilled with the results. That said, it’s obvious that the magazine and I have very different ideas of how a woman’s beauty is best portrayed and celebrated. We’re just not a good match, VolUp2 and I. Oh well, live and learn I guess.
Anyway, enough talk. Here’s Olivia…nekkid.
A classic fine art nude photography pose.
There are loads more from this shoot. I’m hoping we can get a few of those published too, so we’ll be keeping them under wraps for a while.
Hopefully, more coming soon:) Thanks to Olivia and Debbie for being amazing, as usual.
xx
Stormy
Are you considering your own Fine Art Nude Photography or Plus Size Boudoir Photo Shoot?
If so, I’d love to chat with you about a plus size boudoir photo shoot with me works. There is no need to step all the way into fine art nude photography if you’re not comfortable with the idea, lingerie or clothed shoots are beautiful too. Please feel free to drop me a line at stormy@rebelandromance.com for my latest session info, or give me a ring and we can go through all the details and talk about how you would like to be portrayed during your fine art nude photography session or plus size boudoir photo shoot.
Hot off the Press: Rebel & Romance London Boudoir Photography Featured in VolUp2 Magazine
Just a quick post today to say that I’ve had a few images from my most recent shoot with plus size model Olivia and makeup artist Debbie published in the latest issue of VolUp2 Magazine.
VolUp2 Magazine describes themselves as:
” A bilingual English/French online quarterly magazine showcasing diverse beauty, with an emphasis on curvy women, and exploring the generosity of Mind, Body and Spirit. Brought to you by supermodel Velvet d’Amour.”
Print copies are available here. I’ll be doing a full post with images from this shoot on the blog next week, so tune in then if you’d like to see what we got up to.
Plus Size Portrait Photography: A & Alex at the park
A few weeks ago I had the chance to catch up with plus size model A again (in case you missed it, you can check out our first shoot together here: Miss A’s London Boudoir Photography Session). Myself and another photographer wanted to take a morning to test out a few new lighting techniques together, and A and her lovely friend Alex were happy to get in front of the camera for us. It was a gorgeous, hot day, so we opted for a London park as a shoot location. Unfortunately we couldn’t really pull off any boudoir looks since the park was full of tourists and families, but I thought I’d share these portrait photography images with you anyway.
A, backlit with a small flash:)
These were also lit with artificial lighting. It’s a cool way to get lots of drama and that moody feel even if the weather isn’t cooperating.
Angry A rocking the denim for this portrait photography session.
One last shot of Miss A.
Alex was also good enough to join us, and I loved photographing her. It was her very first time having a portrait photography session, but she did great.
Even got down and dirty in the flowers:) Thanks girls! Also wanted to give a little shout out to Dinendra for his collaboration on this shoot too.
xx
Stormy
Have you been thinking about booking in your own Boudoir or Portrait Photography Session?
I’d love to chat with you about how it all works! A boudoir or portrait photography session is a great way to surprise a partner, but it’s an even better way to treat yourself. No experience necessary, all ages, shapes, sizes, etc. welcome. Please feel free to drop me an email for all the details on scheduling and preparing for your own boudoir or portrait photography session.
Hot off the Press: Rebel & Romance Boudoir Photography featured in Philosophie Boudoir Magazine
It’s an honour to be featured in the latest issue of Philosophie Boudoir Magazine, an internationally distributed publication that curates and presents beautiful boudoir imagery. Part magazine, part fine art/coffee table book, this publication is put out by the Association of International Boudoir Photographers and is available for purchase here.
I love Philosophie’s mission statement, which is “to portray women in the most beautiful light, both literally and metaphorically.” They chose two of my favourite images of Jada and Olivia to print, check out the tear sheets below:)
I’m also excited to let you in on a little secret…I’ve done a second shoot with the fabulous Olivia. I can’t say much about it now, except that the shoot was genius and involved a little bit of pin up, a little bit of Morocco, and a lot of fine art nudity. Selected images are slated for publication in August, but I’ll keep you posted as I’m given release dates. It’s all very hush-hush and secretive with printed publications, but you can see a teensy sneak peek by following me at: stormy_rebelandromance
Hot off the Press: Rebel & Romance Bridal Boudoir Photography Featured in Pretty Pear Bride
I’m thrilled that Rebel & Romance Boudoir Photography has recently been featured in the Summer Issue of Pretty Pear Bride. Images I created with Jada, A, and Olivia were selected as a muli-page feature showcasing bridal boudoir photography for curvy women.
Editor Shafonne, the brains behind Pretty Pear Bride explains that, “Pretty Pear Bride was started as a site where plus size brides can find bridal inspiration that THEY long for. So many people planning their weddings struggle with finding inspiration that includes images that look like them. Everyone wants to see people that look like them, doing what they are trying to do because it allows them to envision that they can be just as glamorous and gorgeous as they imagined. So the mission was clear: merge a love for blogging and wedding planning with creating a place for plus size brides to see themselves in wedding inspiration.”
The Summer Issue of Pretty Pear Bride is available for purchase here, or you can stop by their website for a regular dose of curvy bridal inspiration.
xx
Stormy
Ready to start planning your very own Bridal Boudoir Photography Session or Plus Size Boudoir Photography Shoot with me?
I’d love to chat with you about all the details of how a London Boudoir Photography session with me works, including what to expect, how to prepare, and what sort of fabulousness we can create for you. I do this job because I love it, and we always have a great time). Please feel free to get in touch, you can reach me (Stormy) at 07799 390468, or just drop me an email here. Plus size boudoir photography clients and curvy girls are more than welcome:)
London Boudoir Photography: Montana’s Boudoir Photo Shoot
This week on the blog: Montana.
Some of you might know that I grew up in Idaho and lived in the state of Montana for a few years when I was a kid, so I sort of though Miss Montana and I would have loads to talk about. You know, harrowing stories about getting snowed in and camping in the summer and lying under the stars and stuff. Alas, Miss Montana has never been to Montana, and doesn’t really seem like the camping type. Oh well, she sure photographs pretty:)
Montana is a plus size model, currently signed with Hughes Model Management. We scheduled her first London Boudoir Photography session a for a few weeks ago, and she came prepared with a fabulous fur coat and the some gorgeous spiky Louboutins.
I love layering lingerie with outerwear. It’s unexpected, and adds so much interest to the outfit and resulting images. This vintage mink fur coat is a great example of how to pull off a look like this with style. This is also a great way to de-emphasise areas that might be a bit heavier than you’d like, as a loosely draped coat skims over lots of trouble areas and completely hides arms.
Montana has such a unique face shape, and that sort of big beautiful hair normally reserved for barbies and beach bums.
A crown of flowerss. Love this. If you’re feeling crafty, you could DIY this with a glue gun, headband, and some fake blooms. If not, this one is from H&M and was just a few Pounds!
This is probably my favourite image from our entire London Boudoir Photography shoot together. You know me though, I’m a sucker for a fierce stare down and beautiful backlight.
Just a few more…
I’ve been playing with a dark and grainy, Holga-inspired black and white look lately, as shown in this image on the left. It’s so fun, and really addictive. I still love a clean cut black and white though, like this image on the right.
A beautiful example of how to do a simple white shirt. This one is sheer and buttons up at the front. Again, it’s a great way to do a simple, sensual London Boudoir Photography look without actually showing that much skin.
One last image in the window. With the flowers. And the shoes. And the Holga effect.
This is a softer, bridal-y sort of finish, with a gorgeous fabric that lives in my shoot bag. The ottoman was weird, fluorescent shade of fuchsia that really wasn’t complimenting Montana’s skin tone, so we just covered the thing up!
Beautiful, clean black and white images, and legs for days.
Don’t you think Miss M looks a bit like Alicia Silverstone in this image? Rollin’ with the homies…
And that’s it! I’ll post a few extras on Facebook, so be sure to join us there.
xx
Stormy
Ready to start planning your very own London Boudoir Photography Session or Plus Size Boudoir Photography Shoot with me?
I’d love to chat with you about all the details of how a London Boudoir Photography session with me works, including what to expect, how to prepare, and what sort of fabulousness we can create for you. Please feel free to get in touch, you can reach me (Stormy) at 07799 390468, or just drop me an email here. Plus size London Boudoir Photography clients and curvy girls are more than welcome:)
