Wrapped in Nothing | Miss S Part II | Austin Boudoir Studio

I have really grown to be madly in love with tasteful nude imagery. There is nothing more raw, more natural, and...in my opinion...more rewarding for the client, than to have such timeless photos of yourself and nothing but yourself. 

Generally my clients come in, knowing that nude images are an option, and at the beginning of the session when we're reviewing her wardrobe, she gets shy and flushed and suggests maybe if she's comfortable towards the end she'd maybe sorta kinda like to possibly do some photos without any wardrobe.

It's always so amazing to watch the transformation between the shy girl thinking she could possibly do this with enough champagne, to the badass confident woman halfway through the shoot that says "You know what!? Screw this lingerie!"  Enter the classy nudes.

I know why clients are a little intimidated by the boudoir experience process. The women in my photos look SO confident, so sexy, like they really owned the shit out of their photo shoot. Practically pros, right!?

During your photo session, other than holding pretty uncomfortable poses for several minutes at a time, you'll be thinking "This can't possibly look sexy." and "Oh none of these are going to turn out.". It doesn't FEEL like a sexy experience while you're doing it. FUN...hell yes. But sexy?! Not really.  I'm not speaking in a seductive voice while using sexy verbiage in a dimly lit room with candle light and Marvin Gaye playing (although, I do believe "Let's Get it On" is on one of my playlists...we usually just laugh when it comes on.). 

NOT AT ALL.  The room is bright AF, generally some upbeat music playing, and it's pretty much an hour long chit chat with me about every day life with the occasional "Ok, now arch your back a tiny bit more and give me a good exhale out your mouth.....PERFECT!!! You're doing awesome!!!"

It's generally only 5 minutes into the shoot before women start to realize "hey, this is WAY easier than I thought it was going to be!"

So, trust me, the idea of taking off all of your everything in front of a stranger's camera IS scary to think about. But I assure you, it's business as usual for me and you can't scare me with "all this" (what women usually say while motioning to their bodies in reference to being nude), and, in fact, challenge accepted and you will LOVE your nude images, likely more than your clothed ones. I will pose you to perfection, I will use strategic lighting, I will coach you through every minute of it, and you will be SO GLAD YOU DID THIS!

Round of applause to this badass woman for taking it all off and being oh-so-proud to be documented wrapped in nothing. She actually didn't need any champagne and knew from the beginning she wanted to do nude artistry. And the final product reflected her confidence in that decision!

GET IT, GIRRRRRRLLLLL!!!!!

WHETHER YOU WANT TO TAKE IT ALL OFF OR KEEP IT ALL ON, IF YOU'RE READY TO FEEL AMAZING IN YOUR OWN SKIN, LET'S CHAT!

Well-behaved women | Austin Boudoir Studio

"Well-behaved women seldom make history." -Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Stand up, speak out, fight for everything you believe is right. Make your stance known. Do not let any man OR woman tell you what you should or should not be doing. You do you. Make mistakes and learn from them. Don't let anyone make you feel bad about them. Be compassionate and love with all of your might.

I'm coming out swinging today.

Moody Muse | Austin Boudoir Photographer

This shoot holds a special place in my heart and I'm really excited to finally share it with you! 

Miss A, here is a photographer who lives across the country and she flew in to Austin for a little weekend away with her hubs, and to have her own boudoir experience with me!  She said she liked dark and moody, which was PERFECT because it just so happened to be a gloomy day in Austin (totally rare!).

We channelled that energy into our shoot and had a fabulous time. 

I know that when people come to a boudoir blog, their inclination is to scroll past all the text to get to the pictures. I'm a visual person, I get it.  BUT, each woman's story is SO important. The WHY is SO important. You need to know that these aren't just "I woke up like this" women who have nothing better to do than to look pretty and do photo shoots. These are women who bust their asses at life. They have their own insecurities just like you. They wear many hats and don't take enough time for themselves. 

So please take a moment to read Miss A's powerful words!!

"Buxom Shanghai.
That's my color.

I learned this incredibly helpful tidbit as I sat perched atop a barstool at Kara's photography studio in Austin, Texas just five minutes before baring it all for my very own boudoir photo shoot.

I needed Kara's eyes. I have incredibly jacked up self image and can be so very hard on myself. I don't practice what I preach to my own photography clients nearly enough. Don't be like me. It's silly.

Kara's make up artist, Kendall, had no hesitations while doing my make up and I had already vowed to trust her and Kara completely. So when she chose Buxom Shanghai for my lips... She knew what she was doing.

For Kara, she uses her passion for portraits, her strong intuition and completely on point male-like perspective to allow women to shine like the crazy diamonds they are."

"It might seem like playing dress up. It might look completely vain.
But these women make space for change and growth and acceptance. And it's downright kickass.

People like us might seem out of touch. Like we don't have real jobs because what we do is so incredibly fun. But make no mistake- the purpose is important, the work can be tedious and the results are undeniable. Passionate people always find a way to inspire others. It's why we exist.

For me, doing a boudoir session is a simple visual reminder to put down the self-doubt and stop playing small. The world doesn't benefit from my petty insecurities.

So, for those dreaming of a boudoir photoshoot ... Put down the boxing gloves and quit beating yourself up about the 10 lbs or the stretch marks or the "but I'm not....." fill in the blanks.

Ask yourself this - what's the worst thing that can happen? And what is the best? If a boost of lasting confidence sounds good to you - then book it right now.

Do not get me wrong - my husband is head over heels for these images; he adores them and me and that's wonderful. But as my Kara's blog headline says - "It's not about seducing men - it's about embracing womanhood" and that, my sisters is something worth celebrating."

THANK YOU, Miss A for trusting me with your boudoir experience, for allowing me to share your photos, and more importantly, for allowing me to share your words. 

If you're ready to celebrate yourself, let's chat, darling! 

Boudoir in a Bar | Austin Boudoir Photographer

This shoot was truly one-of-a-kind, as you will see. It's not often (ok, so it's not EVER) that you see a boudoir shoot done in a bar. This client contacted me a few years ago with a pretty solid location idea in mind. The result was so fun! Checkity check it out (I rapped that.)!

Miss S was such a badass trooper strutting around the bar in her undertheres (and even outside for a few!!). It just goes to show you, that, when you step outside of your comfort zone, magic can happen! 

Xo

Your turn! Let's do something fun!!! Email me at hello@clickchickboudoir.com to chat more!!

Miss "J" Boudoir Part 2 | Austin TX Boudoir Photographer

You may remember Miss "J"s really beautiful outdoor boudoir session post last week, and, as promised, here is part II of her shoot.  She is SUCH a classic beauty! Lots of soul in those eyes! Check.her.outtt. 

Thank you, Miss "J" for stepping out of your comfort zone both indoors AND outdoors!  So pretty. So pretty.

You've been thinking about booking a boudoir shoot forever, haven't you? Now's the time, beautiful! Let's chat!

Miss "K" in black and white | Austin TX Boudoir Photographer

So here it is. It's the post that I've had saved as a draft for a month. My own personal boudoir shoot.  The only reason that I was even the slightest bit hesitant to post these images was not because I was worried about who might see them, or because I was worried about my husband having an issue with it (seeing as how he has them up as his laptop, iPad, and iPhone backgrounds for all of his friends and clients to see, which is an honor.), or that my bod was going to be plastered all over the internet forever and ever.  I just didn't want everyone to think that I was a narcissist posting my own images on my own blog.  BUT, I'm over it.  I'm proud of them. And, after all...I DID shoot them myself. Yeah. I did. {disclaimer: not a recommended route to take for your own photos.}

I think sharing each woman's story, if I'm permitted to, is just as important as the photos. Sure, most of my clients, when first approaching me about boudoir, say "I want to do a shoot for my _______{boyfriend, husband, girlfriend, etc} for __________ {their birthday, our anniversary, Valentine's Day, etc}. Then I dig a little deeper and discover the real reason why they want to do a shoot. And it's about them.....not the lucky gift recipient.  That's my story too. I wanted to celebrate myself...which is something that I am not used to doing. I do a lot of preaching about embracing your body. I do a lot of preaching about being beautiful on the inside. It wasn't until after I had my 2nd son, Max, that I was able to really grasp that concept. Without being too long-winded::: Yes, I've always been "thin". I have NOT always taken good care of myself.   Instead of taking any sort of action, I just continued to eat crappy "food" and be insanely inconsistent with my workout regime while blaming all sorts of external factors for my lifestyle choices ("I'm just too BUSY to eat well"). After having Max, I was forced into extreme clean eating (he was allergic to dairy, soy, gluten, and beef...and I was nursing him). Once I started feeling the awesome benefits of healthy eating, I felt really, really awesome. I had energy all of a sudden. Energy that I then used for physical activity which then snowballed the benefits. Pairing this newfound eating lifestyle with my fantastic personal trainer and a little extra effort on my own at the gym or a yoga class, I had discovered that I am finally happy in my own skin. I'm comfortable with myself for the very first time ever.  I'm not perfect. And I'm perfectly happy with that. THIS was a reason for a celebratory photo shoot. Oh...and my husband and I's 14 year anniversary back in December. The gift giving was just a bonus, though.  

Now, the process.  This was a bit different from my usual boudoir shoots. Making sure my composition, exposure, and shooting angle was just right was only half the challenge. Now I also had to worry about posing myself...and looking good while doing it.  I shot my boudoir photos over 3 different days in between motherhood and running my business, with a tripod and the interval timing feature on my camera in my old apartment that had VERY little natural light, a complete lack of decor, and a maintenance man who coincidentally was always working on the landscaping directly outside of my largest window.  Talk about a challenge.  

Don't be too impressed, though....about 98% of the shots looked like this:

But I ended up with about 14 images that I was proud enough of to present to my husband. 

SO--I don't want to hear "That's easy for YOU to say...you're on THAT side of the camera!!!" coming from anyone. I've been on both. And now MY boudoir photos are posted all over the internet for everyone to see. And I'm not ashamed of that one bit.  This body has birthed two beautiful boys.  This butt has been busted in building two businesses. These eyes have been strained to the max while editing thousands and thousands of images. These legs have held me up when I've been completely and utterly exhausted. These hands have held the gear that has made my life possible. I am happy. The happiest ever.  Cue Katy Perry's "ROAR"......

For more information on Austin TX boudoir photography, visit the Click Chick Boudoir website.  For availability or to book, email Chick@ClickChickImages.com 

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"It's the most beautiful body I have ever seen." | Austin Boudoir Photographer

This story. Ahhh. I just LOVE this story. Miss "S" is one of my past boudoir clients. When she contacted me, she shared the most touching story about why she wanted to do this shoot.  You know when you meet someone, and they are so happy that even when they aren't smiling, they're smiling? That was Miss "S".  Her SOUL smiled. She was the kind of person you really wanted to get to know and be around all the time.  I asked Miss "S" if she would like to share a little of her story with my readers and she was thrilled to.  Here is what she had to say....

"I spent the majority of my childhood and adolescence struggling with my weight, self-esteem, and confidence. I was an overweight kid, and as I grew up, I felt a lot of shame surrounding my appearance. As a teenager and young adult, I struggled with an eating disorder. It wasn't until I was almost 24 that I made a conscious decision to no longer be bound by labels or identified solely based on my appearance.

In college I bought a book that showcased women of all ages and body types. Each woman had a story, ranging from surviving cancer to being a professional dancer. Each woman bravely posed either nude or with a sheer cloth around her body, and I found it incredibly powerful. It was then that I knew I wanted to honor my body and my journey through photography.

Kara offered a very unique and empowering opportunity. After getting in touch with her, I knew immediately that I wanted her to be my photographer. I loved every minute of my session. She was very kind and seemed to appreciate the meaningful experience as much as I did. Once the photos were available for viewing, I knew without a doubt I had made the right decision for myself. What surprised me most was that I didn't just see me. I saw my mother in my cheek bones, my father in my smile, my Native American heritage in my skin tone, and my very curvaceous hips that I inherited from my European grandmother. And I became even more appreciative of who I am and how beautiful I am.

I am almost 27 and in just a few months I will be a mother. The body that I once didn't love, and spent years trying to change, is now creating life and giving me the most precious gift ever. It’s the most beautiful body I have ever seen."

I really want to thank this amazing woman for sharing her thoughts with us.  I wish more women had this view of themselves. THIS is why I do what I do.  

Ciao, beautiful!

xoxo,

Kara Marie

For more information on Austin TX boudoir photography, visit the Click Chick Boudoir website.  For availability or to book a session, email Chick@ClickChickImages.com