FLASHBACK: What was I doing a year ago? Just What IS Contemporary Glamour Portrait Photography? (First published February 11, 2015) When you think of “glamour photography,” you may think of one of two things: 1) Erotic—but not pornagraphic—photographs of women (and yes, there is a difference between these and boudoir images), or, 2) the 1990’s version of glamour with the popped-up collars and feather boas. Contemporary glamour portrait photography is neither of those. Contemporary glamour portrait photography is a spin-off of a fashion shoot. It’s the cousin of beauty photography. It’s a chance for the everyday woman—women like you—to wear clothing that fits them well and makes them feel unstoppable. The clothing range from the Little Black Dress, to a kick-ass pair of jeans paired with a great top, to a designer gown, to your wedding dress. The possibilities are endless, and you can shop for great finds at Goodwill, Salvation Army, consignment stores, and don’t forget to ask friends if you can borrow something of theirs to wear. Every woman deserves to—and should—own stunning images of herself. I love how often I’m told by clients they never liked having their photo taken, but THESE photos blow their mind. “Is that me?” they often asks. Why, yes. Yes it is you. I know some of my clients have friends and family tell them they are vain for wanting beautiful photographs taken of themselves. But what is wrong with existing in quality photographs? What is wrong with replacing that “unflattering vision of ourselves” many of us women carry around in our mind with images that show how beautiful you really are? What is wrong with feeling confident and just doing a session for the fun of it? Nothing wrong at all. Exist in your photos. Replace your unflattering image in your mind with the truth. Be confident and have fun. I offer contemporary
She Reached Her Goal Weight
She Reached Her Goal Weight When Jess contacted me she was in the process of eating better, working out with a personal trainer, and was seeing the results of her hard work. She decided to help keep her on course to lose those last 10 pounds, a boudoir session would be motivation! We scheduled her session several months out so she’d have time to reach her goal, which she did! I’m sure you’ll agree all of her hard work paid off, and to celebrate, Jess got her “beautiful” tattoo as a reward of reaching her goal weight. A big thank you to Ashley Becker of Makeup by Ashley for hair and makeup. Look like fun? Contact me today to discuss how you want to be photographed. Until next time, Shannon
Would You Like a Cup of Tea? Learn How to Tea Dye Clothing.
Would You Like a Cup of Tea? Learn How to Tea Dye Clothing. The other day I was a-wondering around a local thrift store looking for goodies to add to the studio wardrobe when this beautiful wedding dress caught my eye. I fell in love with the lace detail on the top and sleeves, but I wasn’t in love with the dress being pure white. Not to worry! I knew I could tea-stain the dress and turn the gown into a lovely vintage-inspired looking dress. Tea staining? Yup! Tea staining takes pure-white clothing and gives the item a beautiful color, and this post will explain how it’s done. The supplies needed are very minimal—tea (I suggest black tea), a large plastic or glass container, and a tea kettle to boil water. Depending on how large the article of clothing is that you are staining, you may need to add two kettle’s worth of water to the container so the item is submerged. If you’re using a plastic container, put cool water in the bottom first so you aren’t pouring boiling water directly onto the plastic. There is no formula on how many tea bags to use—rule of thumb: the more you use the darker the water. For this dress I used 12 black tea bags and let the bags seep for about five minutes after I added the boiling water. Once done, I tossed the tea bags. CAUTION: Boiling water is hot. Then you just work the fabric into the tea water, and it doesn’t take long for the fabric to stain—you can see in the shot below the unstained portion is on the left and the stained portion is on the right—took less than three minutes! The next step is important: rinse the item well or you run the
Ladies’ Night Winner: Angie
Ladies’ Night Winner: Angie In August 2015 I was a vendor at Lehman Infiniti of Mechanicsburg’s Ladies’ Night supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), and I was able to offer a door prize of a complimentary contemporary glamour portrait session—including professional hair/makeup and dress rental. One of the guests that evening was Angie, who, for shits and giggles, decided to put her door prize ticket into the basket for the session, and as luck would have it, her name was pulled. Angie decided she’d like to wait until after the holidays to shoot her session, so after months of planning and anticipation her session date was here—and she showed up 20 pounds lighter than she was when she put her name in the basket! Besides the initial consult where I discuss how the client wants to be photographed, I do an in-person wardrobe consult where the client comes three weeks before the session date and brings everything she has at that point to discuss the fit of each outfit. Angie purchased the beautiful long-line bra (below, right) from Underneath It All, a lingerie boutique located in Camp Hill, PA, and owned by Kim Over. The bra was pure white, and with Angie’s permission I tea-dyed the bra to give it a lovely vintage color (I have a tutorial coming on tea-dying next week.) Angie had a great-fitting black & white lace dress she wow’ed her fiancé a few weeks prior to her session, and she requested that be the dress we start out in—she said she felt confident in the dress (who wouldn’t looking as great as she does?!) and I agreed with her that she’d be able to relax a bit more into the session starting out with a dress she loved wearing. Next we moved onto the dress I rented for her session—a
Looking Back: Boudoir Photography Stole My Heart
Looking Back: Boudoir Photography Stole My Heart It’s still true two years later—I love shooting boudoir and contemporary glamour portrait photography. From a post in 2014… I won’t lie. Boudoir & contemporary glamour portratit photography stole my heart. In January 2014 I decided my heart was in boudoir photography. From the first session I did, I fell in love with everything boudoir has to offer and I took the jump to re-haul the photography business to only specialize in boudoir and contemporary glamour portrait photography. Several friends have asked me why would I decide to specialize in only one genre of photography? Afterall, they pointed out, I’m limiting the audience who will want to hire me. True, I told them, but this art form speaks to my heart. I love the softness of the images. I love using lighting to enhance a woman’s curves and use shadows to hide what she wants to hide. I love capturing the softness of the side of a breast and the roundness of a tush. I love taking a shy woman and walking her through the entire process to bring out a side she didn’t know she had, or perhaps like other mothers as myself, hadn’t seen in a very long time. I love empowering the women I shoot sessions for. I find it amazing how each woman I’ve already worked with, have booked for future sessions, or have casually talked to about doing a session, is different in looks, beliefs, and reason behind wanting a session, yet almost all share a common theme of insecurity. Some women describe themselves shy. Some say they need to lose weight. Some feel they don’t take pictures well. To this I reply: We all have insecurities, but don’t let that keep you from living life. Almost every woman feels they need to