50something is looking pretty fantastic on Charlotte for her boudoir photoshoot in London. Prepare yourselves for about a hundred images of this woman, because she’s real life #goals. Mother, wife, career woman, funny, has a cool job, is independent but still committed to her family, confident but humble, has great taste in shoes, etc. I’m a little bit in love with her. She was flying into London with her family for the weekend and contacted me on a bit of a whim. We managed to pull everything together in just a few days, AND keep everything a secret. Which is great, because C did this for herself and wasn’t sure she wanted to tell anyone. I think in the end her lucky husband did get a look, but this really wasn’t about him, which I love. #doitforyourself
We started with an old school glamour feel, which is a nice way to ease into a boudoir shoot.
If all else fails, throw in the expensive things – silk, pearls, lace, gold, fur, the family jewels…
…and then pretend to gaze at the poolboy. Or lunch. Whichever you fancy more I guess?
Staaaahhhpp it.
I mean COME ON. If I look this good at 50, you’re going to have to widen the doorways so I can swan in with my big head and overinflated ego.
Next up. Sexytime.
These boots are a real winner. Big heels trick the eye into thinking your legs are much longer than they really are, so if you’d like to look a bit taller and leaner, I’d recommend a pair of stilettos for your shoot. You don’t even have to be able to walk in them, just lounge around on a bed 😉
Grainy black and whites all day long. We’re moody like that.
How nice is this Agent Provocateur corset? Also, what a total lingerie snob I am.
These boots are legit my favourite shoes of the year.
Effortless. You know what isn’t cool? Retouching or “airbrushing” skin to death. I think you should look like you – sure, the best version of you, with great hair and makeup, and beautiful lighting, but still YOU.
Overdone skin retouching is an insult to women everywhere. Of course some people will always love that blurry, where-are-the-edges-of-your-nose, pore-free look, but I think it’s ridiculous. I would go so far to say it’s a photoshop sin one should be ashamed of.
Your freckles should show, your hard earned smile lines are a part of you now. Don’t make me erase them.
Real beauty is radiant, just the way it is.
A few fun ones.
I’m learning French. This is: un corset
Oh you know I was always going to make her do this. That yoga is paying off big time.
More great shoes. Charlotte wins the shoe prize this year.
Such a pretty looking pose. So uncomfortable though, it’s really not an easy one.
You know I’m not a big prop person, but this I don’t mind. If you’re going to be brave, you might as well throw in something daring.
Details.
Oh Charlotte, what to even say about you?! It was an honour and a pleasure and you did GREAT. I think these images are going to inspire lots of women like you, and your daughter too. Hope to see you again soon, maybe closer to home next time;)
Here are some of my favourite images from albino, ginger beauty Lauren from New Orleans. If these look familiar, it’s because they are. It turns out I have about 12 blog posts from shoots in 2016 that just….didn’t post?! Haha ahhhh fuuuunnnnnn. Really smart of you to just realise this Stormy, really smart. Anyway, it’s too much work not to share just because they are a little old, so here’s the first one:
I arrived in New Orleans feeling a bit crap. This is normal – I love new places, but I don’t really enjoy the process of getting there. The lack of sleep, the heavy bags, flying coach for 12 hours, cankles, airport food, being bomb swabbed with my suspicious looking photography equipment at every security check, the jet lag – it’s exhausting. I was blaming a crazy schedule and too much talking, but it turns out I had case of bronchitis. My mom saved me with her “I’m a nurse so it’s okay for me to take the antibiotic samples home from the office” drug stash. Thanks mom.
All that to tell you this – never say no to New Orleans. It’s the most vibrant, amazing city. Full of great food, actual culture, beautiful buildings, and the nicest people. It’s crazy like Vegas, but not so dirty and soulless like Vegas. If you have the chance, it’s definitely worth a trip, even if you lose your voice and have to propel yourself along with willpower and caffeine.
One of my clients attended a wedding in NOLA the year before, and she tipped me off to the most amazing location. It was a fortune to hire this place but I don’t even care because omghaveyouseenit. I photographed a few great clients here and also one model. I’m trying to be very conscious about the “models” I work with these days because I have limited time, and I also know that it’s not that inspiring to see teenagers with perfect bodies posing in lingerie. But I saw Lauren’s profile and just couldn’t resist her unique look.
So I’ll start off this series of posts with Lauren’s session, which has since been published in online magazine The Quarterly in New Orleans. This was Lauren’s first lingerie shoot, and she did great despite being outside of her comfort zone. My roomie for the trip, the incomparable Michelle Carpenter, and I stopped by Urban Outfitters to pick up a few things, and then she came along to assist and shoot some behind the scenes footage, for which I’m obviously in her debt. You can see this in the “Behind the Scenes” section on my website. Michelle you are my photo homegirl forever.
*Fun fact: due to some (still not understood) technical issues, this post took 1 hour and 54 minutes to upload. So I hope you like it lol!*
I taught a 1-1 boudoir photography workshop in Austin, Texas recently, and lovely M was kind enough to be our posing guinea pig for a few hours. She was a literal godsend too, because we had a lot of issues. Mainly with the combination of a broken AC, 90+ degree weather, and a location that functioned exactly like a greenhouse. But, we soldiered on and got through it. Lucky we were shooting lingerie and not winter coats I guess!
Below are a few favourites from our time together:
Setting: the most incredible apartment in Verona, Italy. Original details from centuries ago adorn, a stunning balcony overlooks the plaza below. The light is heavenly.
Enter scene right: Ms. D, beautiful 30something, self-styled to perfection. Boudoir photography session ensues as the afternoon sinks into golden hour. Much merriment and laughter. If the men on the vespas below could see us now, they would fling all their roses onto the balcony.
Mid-scene wardrobe change: Ms. D dons purple, the colour of royalty, via the most divine Agent Provocateur number from my personal collection. No one has ever worn it better.
As the sun sets, the shoot wraps. Another bucket list shoot compete. Fresh pasta and vino to follow.
End scene.
But, soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. (Romeo, Act 2 Scene 1)
I cannot imagine tiring of Italy. I think it might be the most romantic place on earth. The food is great, the colours are perfection, and the quality of the sunlight seems entirely different to anywhere else. Then again, maybe part of the rose coloured glasses is the fact that I eat only carbs while I’m there.
This shoot was a destination trip I planned a while back, and although most of what I photographed must be kept private, Ms. D is happy to have me share her triple fire emoji results here.
We chose Verona partly because there are easy, cheap flights from Gatwick, partly because of the location I found and fell in love with, and partly because it’s where Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” was based. I’m not going to lie, it took us a minute to remember that Romeo & Juliet is a fictional story. There’s a tourist attraction called “Juliet’s Balcony” which is confusing given there was never actually any real Juliet’s balcony. It was swarming in tourists and looks exactly how you’d think it would, except smaller. Well, I suppose it does…it was undergoing renovation work when we were there so was covered in hoarding.There was a life size picture on the hoarding covering the actual balcony, which was never an actual place Juliet stood, because it’s a fictional story. It was anticlimactic to say the least.
The shoots were not though! I’ve got a bucket list of ideas in my head, and something like this was definitely on it. It doesn’t hurt that Ms. D is extremely easy on the eye, and so much fun to work with and be around.
Anyway, enough of me going on about it, here’s the goods:
Internet, meet Shailaun. We got together in Austin, TX recently for a boudoir shoot, and I’m really proud of the results.
Now, is Shailaun a beautiful alien and therefore unfair for the rest of us mere mortals to compare ourselves to? Yes. I think so. BUT, this shoot is great inspiration and further proof of lots of things I’ve been saying all along. Namely;
1) you do not need to have any experience to do this – this was S’s first lingerie shoot and the first time she’s ever worn something this intentionally “sexy”
2) you do not need hair of any particular type or amount to look really incredible.
3) it’s always worth getting up early for the best light, even if you’re really not a morning person
4) you do not need expensive lingerie for something like this. We used only things S already had, and one affordable set I picked up from Victoria’s Secret the night before that happened to fit her.
5) if you are a photographer, you must must make time to shoot things and people you genuinely feel inspired by
6) boudoir photo shoots are very good for your self-confidence, regardless of what you look like
Here’s a sneak peek of some of the destination boudoir sessions I’ve photographed recently. These took place in sunny Los Angeles, California and Austin, Texas. We were lucky to have excellent weather the whole trip, and I ate my bodyweight in tortilla chips. Thanks to these mega babes (and those not show for privacy reasons) for making it such a fun trip. If you want to see a bit more behind the scenes feel free to check out my Instagram story highlights. My Insta is @stormy_rebelandromance
Well he doesn’t have everything if he doesn’t have a half naked book of you, right? 😉 Mrs. A made her husband’s birthday one to remember. Here’s the teensiest peek at what her boudoir photo shoot looked like.
A says:
Hi Stormy,
My husband absolutely loved it and was completely blown away by it!!! Thank you so much for everything, the book looked beautiful! Funnily enough, my favourite picture was also his favourite!
Gorgeous Nicole on the blog today. She was looking for a quick portfolio update, so we did a bit of everything this shoot – boudoir photography, fitness, commercial and lifestyle looks, etc.
If you’re looking to get into modeling, a shoot like this can help set you off on a strong footing. I know agents all think they know exactly what they are looking for, but I’ve heard time and time again about how people apply with polaroids, get rejected, and then get signed on when they go back again with a portfolio. Sometimes you just need to show people what you can do.
Hairstyling my me, DIY makeup, all shot at the new studio.
Love this pink bodysuit – the perfect option for a feminine, girly look.
Stunner.
I mean, you’re meant to use about four lights and a proper backdrop for fitness photography, but we got some pretty solid results with net curtains and a window. Less is more? It’s certainly faster. I would like to do a bit more with the complicated setups though, so if you’re reading this and in training for a fitness competition or in great shape otherwise, I’d be keen to practice with you:)
That winning commercial smile 🙂 🙂 🙂
One last one to round it out. If you’re after variety and open to commercial bookings, I’d also suggest a simple business look, adding a pair of glasses, and maybe even a quick faux bridal look. You never know who might see it. Avoid logos and clothing with writing, unless you’re going for a specific look like a Calvin Klein inspired boudoir photoshoot.
Thanks Nicole, it was so lovely to work with you again!
If you’d be interested in discussing a shoot like this for yourself, or a more traditional boudoir photography experience, drop me an email.
I could tell you how we got this double image effect, but then I’d have to kill you.
Kidding, it’s just a mirror.
Simple floral and natural light.
These doors are life. I knew I was going to love shooting them. There was a lot of discussion about whether or not to paint them to match the walls, but I’m really glad we didn’t.
Intergalactic eyes courtesy of Elizabeth Joseph-Love. Also, how nice is this lingerie? Such a great colour on her skin tone.
ON FIYYYAHH
Loving this little corner too. Darker skin reflects light differently than lighter skin, and I love making the most of it with richly saturated, underexposed looks like this.
ahem. booty goals.
I think this set was from Victoria’s Secret. If anyone want to know email me and I can confirm with Celine.
We’ll finish with this tricky upside down bum pose we’ve been doing. It’s a little tough on the abs, but worth it.
