“When I was around 18, I looked in the mirror and said, ‘You’re either going to love yourself or hate yourself.’ And I decided to love myself. That changed a lot of things.”
-Queen Latifah
Amen.
Ladies, let’s keep trying to choose love. That said, Valentine’s Day can feel like a real smack in the face, so if you find yourself feeling sad, I suggest you just buy yourself the flowers and eat chocolate until it’s over.
xx
Stormy
You guys….we’re nearly there! Just a few more days and then CHRISTMAS.
In the spirit of the season, here’s a few of my favourites from very festive boudoir photography session with Kat and her adorable pup.
I mean….come on. How can you not love these two?
No boys allowed at the studio, but we’ll make an exception for boy puppies.
These little clip-in reindeer antlers are genius. I’m wearing them right now actually.
An attempt at a Christmas light/bokeh background. I used a technique meant for photographing bottles of perfume, and I didn’t realise how much additional background space I’d need to photograph a human, so we ended up with just a few feet of space to use.
Still, it did *technically* work.
A few simple backlit frames.
That haaairrrrrr.
Kat always has the most incredible wardrobe.
If you’re not feeling the see-through bra, pasties are a great way to get a bit more coverage. There are lots of lovely options now, so if you’ve been put off by the tassle and the distinctly burlesque feel it’s worth a second look;)
I think this is my favourite image of the day. Maybe. Ralf is pretty cute…
Kat is incredibly fit at the moment because A) she’s amazing, and B) she’s doing lots of arial work and other circusy things. You can see a hint of her abs in this frame, even though we’ve flooded her with soft light.
My favourite chunky knit jumper makes another appearance.
It’s so cozy. If you like this look, you can borrow it for your shoot too.
My favourite little pup Ralf and his mummy.
Christmas kisses.
*swoon* Ralf likes eating socks off your feet. He’s not a fan of stairs, and he has exactly two speeds: mental or sleeping.
Nothing but bow;)
I’m so glad we did these – implied nudes get a bit of a bad reputation, but they can be really lovely if done well.
Kat did her own makeup for this shoot, and it’s a great example of an eye that works really well for boudoir shoots of all styles – it’s a bit smoky, but nothing too fake or heavy that will distract from a lovely face.
A bit more sultry for these.
We thought about lighting an actual fire, but it seemed too risky with a hyperactive pup in tow.
Finally, a fun idea I’ve been playing around with. Photoshop snow people, it’s amazing.
Kat, what can I say? It was so lovely to work with you again:)
Happy Holidays everyone. Thank you for a wonderful year, and I’ll see you on the other side!
xx
Stormy
On the blog today, a few of my favourite frames from my recent shoot with Sophie:)
We wanted to go for an Old Hollywood feel, and Gemma did a fantastic job creating Sophie’s hair and makeup look to suit.
Oh hello! How gorgeous does Sophie look here?! I generally prefer images with a strong red lip in colour, but here’s a side by side so you can make up your own mind.
Props to Gemma for hand holding a light to help me get this shot:)
Mysterious is as mysterious does…
I wanted to try a slightly desaturated look for this set too, and I quite like how it turned out.
I think this look lends itself to vintage styling. If only I had an old war plane…
Sophie is wearing a simple high street lingerie set here, and nude suede heels, so it’s an easy one to copy if you’re a fan.
Next up, exactly the same set with different lighting.
I’m not actually sure which setup I like better. I like both for different reasons.
We switched to an understated lip and smokey eye for our second look.
A simple updo here, and a nice little pop of light to show off those cheekbones.
One obligatory image on the bed…
…and we finished up with this adorable, casual jumper look (also super easy to pull off for your own shoot).
Thanks for a great shoot girls!
xx
Stormy
Montana B&W from Rebel and Romance on Vimeo.
A quick preview of what I’ve been up to the last two weeks…
I have four new shoots to share (plus all the older ones I still haven’t blogged…eek!).
There’s this “Old Hollywood Glam” concept with Sophie and Gemma on makeup and hair. I used some lights, we did some desaturated skin, and it all turned out great.
Then, back to basics with Sara. Also on this shoot; fake freckles, blue alien lips and a faux bob courtesy of makeup artist Sadaf and hairstylist Tia. Yeah, I’ve got your attention now don’t I? Just you wait.
Sara the English Rose in a topknot, with Tia and Sadaf on hair and makeup.
I’m so happy about the way this second image has turned out. It wasn’t easy or pretty, but we pulled it off. As soon as I can reliably recreate this look (without the sea of awkwardly placed softboxes, hand held lights, and net curtains diffusers), the studio entranceway will be officially open for business:) It feels like I’ve been waiting seven years to shoot this chandelier the way it deserves, and it’s the perfect romantic, glamorous feeling backdrop I always hoped it would be.
Finally, the fashion headshot with Montana, Sadaf, and Tia. I used lights again here – two of them! Studio lighting is definetly a learning curve – everything is so finicky. Still, making progress so I can’t complain:)
Check back next week for more!
xx
Stormy
Meet Bianca. She’s one dynamic woman. In fact, she’s currently on a massive global journey competing and training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and Bikini Fitness Bodybuilding. Because she can. She’ll be blogging about the journey so click the link attached to her name if you’d like to see what she’s up to.
Bianca needed a few images to help her say to women and girls, “You can choose what you think and say about your own body.” We also wanted to create images that show being strong doesn’t take away from being feminine or beautiful, and that it’s possible to feel comfortable in your own skin. If I’m honest, Bianca and I hit it off straight away and what was meant to be a quick hour-long shoot turned into a whole afternoon. I’m so proud to be contributing (in my own small way) to be helping her spread this message.
These images were destined for Bianca’s new website and also as part of her work with the This Girl Can Campaign. I was so excited when she mentioned this, because I fell in love with This Girl Can’s latest commercial the first time I saw it.
Simple, clean images showing off a strong and beautiful body.
I think this one is my favourite.
I also did some simple graphic design work which I’ll maybe share later, we added some personal motivational messages to these images and they turned out really nice.
It was lucky we arranged this shoot when we did, because about a week after this images was created Bianca took a hit to the face and earned herself a massive black eye. It looked brutal, but she’s okay now:)
Love this laughing one so much.
Bianca was ever so kind to let me play around with some other ideas too. I’ve been wanting to try out a little fitness photography, and this was the perfect opportunity.
I’m a committed fan of natural light, so (no surprise) I found working in this tightly controlled setup a little tricky.
Given that it was my first try, and that I didn’t have the right equipment for this sort of shoot in the first place, I’m pretty happy with how these turned out though.
It’s definetly something I’d like to work on more. There’s a lot to learn in any new genre – apparently in this one, seeing veins and tension in the muscles is quite important. We nailed the viens early on but then couldn’t figure out how to get back to it haha! I definetly need a third light and a few new modifiers to improve from here.
But still, technical stuff aside….looooook at those abs!
If you’re a fan of this outfit (a blatant rip off of MICHI) you can find it at New Look.
xx
Stormy
I have a special treat for you today…
A sneak peek at my newest project (drumroll)…boudoir video!
Shooting boudoir sessions on video is an idea I’ve been flirting with for ages, and I’m so excited to have finally made the first one. It’s definetly a learning curve and comes with software/hardware/equipment challenges, but both Montana and I were thrilled with the results of our first go. It looks way better in HD, so please feel free to watch this on my Vimeo instead (link at the bottom).
I wanted to wait and drop 15 videos on you all at once, Beyonce style. However, because I am not actually Beyonce and do not have anything near Beyonce’s production crew, I think it will take too long. I’ll share as I go instead.
My inspiration for boudoir on video comes from lingerie commercials, music videos, and fashion films. I love the traditional still boudoir photo shoot, but there’s a special kind of magic and authenticity that happens with motion. I just keep thinking – if you could star in a gorgeous video that left you feeling amazing and looking like you stepped off the Victoria’s Secret silver screen….how amazing would that be?
I’m going to find out.
xx
Stormy
Montana and I got together a few weeks ago to catch up and test out some new ideas (stay tuned for sneaks). We were pressed for time, but we managed to squeeze in 10 minutes at the end for this feminine, summer-inspired lingerie look.
It’s a simple concept, but it’s full of beautiful curves and gorgeous light. Enjoy!
I really have to hand it to Miss M., she nailed this look in no time at all.
This was actually our second time shooting together. If you’re interested, you can see our first boudoir session here.
We were copying inspired by a Victoria’s Secret ad, and I think we got pretty close to the mark actually. Movement helps so much, I don’t think you can pull off poses like this if you try to do them static.
Dreamy.
I’m quite partial to the colour versions of images from this shoot, but a good film grain black and white certainly has it’s place too.
If you’d like to do something like this for your own boudoir shoot, it’s honestly not as hard as it looks. Bring along a playlist of songs that make you want to dance, and we’ll rock these out in no time.
Other things you’ll need: a summer coloured lingerie look (suggestion at the end of this post), and a great tan.
A few final frames with these gorgeous bars of sunlight. Images like these are tricky, as I usually get about two minutes before a cloud floats across the sun and ruins everything.
Still, it’s worth the effort. You only need everything in place for a split second:)
How great is M’s makeup by the way? I’m going to make her teach me, because she did it herself!
M – you were amazing. Next stop for us: Thailand;)
To wrap things up, I have a killer lingerie recommendation for you. Montana wore the “Lauren” set from Boux Avenue (pictured and linked below). It’s cheap, the coral colour is perfect for summer, and it looks great on camera. They have a special offer going on now where you get a free pair of matching knickers when purchasing the bra, so you can pick up the entire look for £25. STEAL.
Today, another post that was eaten by my web server move. Olivia is so inspiring, so I’m reposting for anyone who missed it or would like a second look:)
Here’s gorgeous Olivia (@curvycampbell) being so very brave in her first nude shoot. This was actually the prequel look to Olivia’s pin up set, although it’s got a totally different feel. It’s great to be able to create such variety in a single shoot, and I love how soft and romantic these turned out.
Sheer curtains are my best friend. This image on the right kills me still.
I love these images because of what they represent. If you’ve ever felt not good enough, not beautiful enough, if you’ve ever looked in the mirror and felt disgusted at what you saw staring back at you, these images are for you.
Olivia does not have a perfect body. She is not thin, she is not rich, she does not have a Pinterest-worthy life all the time. She is a single mother, she is mixed race, she battles with her mind and not feeling good enough, and she has been told no a million times. I think she’s absolutely brilliant, but the point is that she is you in so many ways. So this is the lesson: there is no reason that Olivia can learn to love her body, but you cannot.
Attempt the work. Decide to change your mind. Refuse to hate on yourself.
Do it every single day.
Pretty pink blooms and vintage pearls for the win.
We tried a sort of cheeky, Ellen Von Unwerth vibe with these, but I think it still needs a little refining.
Maybe a bit too provocative? I don’t know lol! Everyone else seemed to like them so I’ve left them in, but I plead the 5th if you’re offended!
Shooting these was a huge mistake, because I’ve been wanting to go to Morocco ever since.
One day soon. With a riad and a camel, obviously. Let me know if you’d like to come?
xx
Stormy
This week on the blog…Becky!
Photographing Becky was a piece of cake. She was up for anything, more excited than nervous, and just generally a lot of fun to work with.
Loving our new bedroom set in the studio. I feel like I’m really starting to get the hang of how best to photograph it. It’s perfect for a romantic, classy look.
This mirror is currently mid-distressing though, so this particular shot might not work so well in the future!
How serene does she look here?
This is a lingerie look I absolutely love. It’s great for a soft, romantic feel and translates really well as a bridal set too. To pull it off, you’ll need a white, cream, or ivory lingerie set and nude or beige heels. For jewellery, pearls are classic, but any traditional feeling pieces will work just as well.
Those abs! Excuse me while I go do 7000 sit ups.
Relaxed and lovely. Maybe up to something sneaky too.
If you’re a bit nervous, we can do lots of anonymous images like this to start with. They look fab and will give you a few minutes to settle in before you have to brave a look at the camera;)
Such a good face on this one!
We wanted to do some summery, happy feeling topless images, and I think we got pretty close to the mark with these ones.
A look like this couldn’t be easier…
…just a fun coloured knickers and bare feet (and great hair). Victoria’s Secret is the perfect place to start if you’re looking for knickers like this, they’ve got lots of different cut and colour options.
A slightly Parisian feel with these doors.
I love this pink and black combo too.
So much classier than hot pink and black lace, which always seems to look a little trashy regardless of how expensive it actually was!
Next up, this vampy getup and Louboutins. A dark eye and a dark lip is more than I’d recommend for most people, but Becky has such stunning features that I knew she could pull it off.
If you’re only going to do stockings or hold ups for one look, I’d recommend it’s the darkest one. You can never go wrong with the full getup.
Kudos to Gemma for another lovely makeup look.
Aahhhhh yes. Love everything about this.
Images like this are the whole reason you want to make sure you don’t have chipped neon green nail polish on:)
Slowly but surely we’re finishing the studio hallway, and I’ve started venturing into it during shoots.
It still needs some work, but I see huge potential here. Stay tuned.
Riiiighht. Can we talk about how incredible Becky looks here? I mean…come on!
This red lingerie set looks fantastic but cost under £30 all in….
Proof you can get something unique and new without breaking the bank! I’d tell you where it came from but you’d just be disappointed as it was on clearance and is no more. I know, because I tried to buy a set for the studio straight after Becky left 🙁
A few final images by the temple doors.
Becky, you blew me away! Such a pleasure working with you, can’t wait for next time:)
xx
Stormy
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