HOLY MOLY. What an absolutely incredible year. I am so incredibly grateful for all 327 women who graced my camera in 2018. Putting together this video gave me such joy…reminiscing about the new faces I met and the ones who came back for more. You all inspire me every day and are an essential part to this being the actual best job ever. Thank you SO much.
Music by Gerson Lopes.
EVOLUTION OF A BRAND
After my 10 years in business, 6 years with the boudoir studio, and upon acquiring my second studio space last year (Kara Marie Portraits), my shoot style continued along it’s path of evolution toward impactful and minimalist. My boudoir work blurred the lines into fashion portrait photography, and my portraits blurred the lines into boudoir….
I was beginning to notice that my sources of inspiration were becoming visually apparent in my work. 70’s fashion film photography. Music. The aesthetic of the rock and roll lifestyle…the “cool girl” look. OH MY GOD. Do I have…a….style?! This is huge! A pivotal point in any artist’s art is when they actually FIND their style.
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When I realized this, the ideas were swirling, my creativity was reignited, I checked myself. I spent time in the desert alone really analyzing what it was I wanted with my brand, my career, myself. I dedicated an ENTIRE BestSelf journal to studying my own work for crying out loud. It’s amazing how easy it is to not really know anything about yourself when you don't actively invest time in getting to make your own acquaintance.
It was apparent in that reflection that continuing to operate two separate website, brands, blogs, and Instagram handles made less and less sense. It occurred to me (and was validated to me by others in the industry I respect), that shedding the WORD Boudoir was the right move for this particular brand. It was the right move for me personally.
Destroy the idea that you have to be constantly working or grinding in order to be successful. embrace the concept that rest, recovery, and reflection are essential parts of the progress towards a successful and ultimately happy life.
I’m a no-fuss kind-of woman. I wear an all black capsule wardrobe. My makeup “kit” fits in the palm of my hand. I like things clean, minimalist, distraction free, black-and white. Through the years I’ve learned that my photography and my business style should follow the same mantra of minimalism.
If my personal style and my photography style are authentic and minimalist….why wouldn’t my brand be?
HENCE, the umbrella company that I’ve been operating under, Kara Marie Studios, is now the forward-facing name. My name is Kara Marie, I own multiple studios, and I am the modern woman’s photographer. With or without clothes. (But probably mostly without ;) )
When the next step makes you uncomfortable, you know it’s necessary for your growth. I’m in the midst of it now. And that makes me REAL excited…because every time I feel that discomfort, it thwarts me to the next level of fulfillment and that is a beautiful thing. It’s been a while.
BLURRING THE LINES
It’s so hard to define a style of photography with a cookie cutter…especially the longer a photographer has been in the art. I chose boudoir because of the concept of RAW NATURAL BEAUTY. What is more natural than nudity? BOUDOIR is one of those words that has as many interpretations as there are photographers who shoot it. Because of that, the word itself is confusing and often (mis)defining what it is that *I* do.
Beyond that, when examining my shoot style (and as recently pointed out to me by a photography mentor who oozes with authentic, often hard-to-hear but oh-so-needed-advice), I shoot like a fashion photographer, ironically…given the lack of clothing featured in my images. The word BOUDOIR just didn’t seem to fit for my style. The word itself became a pigeon-hole for me.
I’m not changing what I’m shooting, or how I’m shooting it. Just learning. Improving. Evolving. And un-pigeon-hole-ing. Ya dig?
I’m a photographer to the modern woman.
THE MODERN WOMAN
The modern woman wants to see her authentic self. She wants exist in exquisite photographs and have imagery to properly represent her legacy for the rest of time. She wants see her confidence and doesn’t feel that has to mean a full makeover transformation and elaborate wardrobe.
She wants to look cool…like, album cover cool.
She doesn’t compete with other women. She knows she is destined for great things and likely already doing them. She’s a lover AND a fighter.
The modern woman wants to be photographed by me for HERSELF. She may have a partner….but the experience isn’t for them. Though ultimately, it will certainly have a ripple effect.
Whether she’s seeking this experience because she wants to find herself herself or because she already knows exactly who she is and that she is someone worth celebrating….the modern woman is the exact type of woman who seeks me out and invests in herself through my work.
THANK YOU to each and every one of you for your continued support, for growing with me, for allowing me to photograph you, for trusting me with such a personal experience. This work is for me, yes…..it HAS to be for it to be any good. But this work is also for you. All of you. Because it isn’t just about cool photos, it’s about the person who is represented in them. It’s about their story. YOUR story.
I cannot wait to have you in front of my lens.