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!

Insecurities be gone | Miss G | Austin Boudoir Studio

Insecurities are pesky little bitches, aren't they?! One of the best compliments I can get from my clients is that all of those little nagging bitchy insecurities that they have every single time they look in the mirror.......they don't see them when they look at their photos. They see themselves the way their partner does, the way I do! They see a strong, amazing, gorgeous woman!

Check out Miss G thang (I just made that up on the fly. I know, I know...it's a gift.) and read about her experience!

"I wanted a boudoir shoot before my wedding, but I just didn't get around to it. What I came to realized is that the fates had something better in store for me because not long after I got married, I found Kara Marie Boudoir and began stalking her blog and social media, dreaming of the day I would get to have my own shoot, not just a boudoir, but A KMB shoot."

" I would see outfits and imagine what they would look like in Kara's photos - not super creeper like, just seeing her talent and knowing she would make everything AH-mazing."

"As my husband and I started to talk about having kids, I knew I wanted to get the opportunity to have a "pre-mom" body experience and so I ask (begged, pleaded) and we went all in with the full package - hair/makeup/shoot/book."

"It was really the best way to go - I felt like a million bucks after Kendall got done with my hair and make up and Kara was so wonderful to work with as we laughed and posed and had a ball."

" I felt like a Victoria Secret model! I KNEW the shoot went well and couldn't wait for the reveal. When reveal day came I had over 100 photos to have to choose from - and I was worried about even getting the 10 to fill the book! Choosing which ones to get was the hardest part because they were all so good."

“ I’m pretty self conscious and critical of myself (what girl isn’t) but I didn’t even see the flaws - and that was the most amazing part of the whole experience, I saw myself for how my husband sees me, and damn if I’m not a serious hottie!”

" Everyone is always critical of this or that on their body. Everyone always thinks, I need to be a certain weight/shape/size/personality/whatever to do something like a boudior shoot and let me just say - no, you don't, you just need to be YOU and make the call to Kara"

"The whole experience makes you feel like a million bucks, which makes the cost a pretty good ROI if you need to justify it. Getting your make up and hair done, getting to listen to music, and letting your inner goddess/diva out is an exhilarating experience. Almost addicting, which is why I understand people going back for multiple shoots with her."

  It isn't about being vain either, it is truly letting you be a little selfish and saying, 

“Why yes, I am a bad ass, sexy woman. What are you going to do about it!?”

Hell yes. This rave made my heart sing! We all want to feel this way. And I assure you, an amazing boudoir experience with me will do the trick. Come see for yourself!!

READY TO FEEL LIKE A BADASS SEXY WOMAN!? LET'S CHAT, DAHHLING!

It's not about the photos...though, that's a perk! | Austin Boudoir Studio

Miss "K" had a plethora of one-liners that made me smile. First, when she arrived at her shoot and told me she had her nails painted for the first time in forever and actually felt like a GIRL. Then when she showed up for her photo reveal and said "I brought 3 different credit cards!". Then again when I read through her review.

You may notice that I almost always include a little bit of a story from my clients in their blog posts. Do you know WHY I do that!?!?! Because you all need to know that EVERY WOMAN that I photograph faces the nerves, the insecurities, the "devil on their shoulder" about whether or not they could POSSIBLY look sexy.  And also, I desperately want each and every woman that is considering this process with ME to realize that this is so much more than the photos. THIS is an EXPERIENCE. 

If she were never to even see a photo from the shoot, she had already experienced a self-esteem boost, she already experienced being pampered, she experienced being encouraged, she experienced being the star of the show. 

"I never take time for myself... As a full time working mother of two kids, manager of a women's cycling team, competitive athlete, wife, I am constantly sacrificing and putting others' needs first. When I stumbled across Kara's Instagram one night, I was instantly intrigued. The images were breathtaking. These women not only looked gorgeous, but FIERCE. "

Miss K's hair and makeup by Lorena of Lola Beauty, Austin TX. 

"After a few months of thinking, "Man I wish I could do that!" I decided why the hell not!?! I booked the appointment, put my deposit down and then totally freaked out. I'm pretty athletic, more comfortable make up free with a tank top and ball cap. I really wondered how it would be, totally exposing myself to someone else, and how it would feel to have the critical camera eye pointed at my bare ass. I almost postponed my appointment because I have *gasp* SHORT HAIR and wondered if I'd be able to look sexy, instead of my usual 'sporty'. "

"I prepped for the shoot by getting my first mani/pedi in (LITERALLY) years and packing my Xanax! I shouldn't have worried one bit. Seriously, the moment Kara came down and greeted me warmly with a hug I was instantly put at ease. "

"While getting my hair and makeup done, the atmosphere was relaxed and completely comfortable. My make up and hair was unbelievable. I looked in the mirror and felt transformed, but still ME. Just a badass version of me. Kara was the penultimate professional and is incredibly talented at putting nervous half naked women completely at ease. At the end of the shoot I felt so incredibly empowered."

“ I didn’t even need to look at a picture, I FELT amazing. ”

— Miss K

"The photo reveal completely blew my mind. I just sat there, kind of in shock. "This was me???" Kara is incredibly talented and was able to make me look like the women I had admired on her Instagram. I looked FIERCE. Kara never pressured, only guided me in my selections. This was by far, one of the best experiences of my life. From the very first time I reached out to Kara until the photo reveal, every single step in the process has been positive. It's not just having pretty pictures taken of yourself. It's something I feel every single woman should do for herself at least once in their life. And like I've told my friends, don't get a Groupon photo shoot. You are worth the very best. I can't wait to do this again."

“I can’t remember the last time I really felt beautiful. Even without seeing a single image, I walked out of that photo shoot feeling incredibly empowered. And when I saw the photos, my mouth dropped. I had no idea I could be sexy. No clue. And there it was, in living color, me looking like a vixen. And it wasn’t contrived, or filtered. My tan lines (sorry!!!) and scars were still there. This was ME. And I looked amazing.”

It was so awesome to HEAR the very thing that I preach constantly from a client herself....that it wasn't about the photos. Before she even saw one, it was worth it to her. But, of course, the photos are the icing. The sweetest, most indulgent (yet obviously fat-free, sugar-free, calorie-free, gluten-free and dairy-free) icing you could ever fathom ;) So it's totally fair to do it for BOTH the experience AND the photos. 

Are you finally ready for your own boudoir experience? I promise to put you at ease. Even in your underwear. It's what I do. Let's chat, dahhling!

More than just pictures : It's the Sparkle | Austin Boudoir Studio

Before you even see a single photo, it's the EXPERIENCE that you need and deserve as a woman. We juggle. We are professional jugglers. Whether you are a stay-at-home-mom, a work-from home-mom, a work-out-of-the-home-mom, or just a working woman....I can guarantee that you are juggling tons of shit. 

It's also a safe bet that often times, of all the things you juggle, taking care to make sure that YOU are taken care of isn't one of those priorities. There just simply isn't that much time, I get it. 

As many articles as we read about making ourselves a priority so that the loved ones in our lives reap the benefits, it's downright HARD to find an hour a day to work out, it's hard to schedule a monthly girl's night with a bunch of busy women, it's hard to take 5 minutes out of your morning to meditate, it's hard to not feel guilty booking a 3 hour boudoir photo shoot experience when you know you've got others to take care of. 

But I can promise you, it's worth it. ALL OF THOSE THINGS: worth it.  Do I struggle with doing them, too? HELL.YES. But when I do, my family notices. *I* notice. I'm more productive. I'm happier. I've got a pep in my step. 
 

So did Miss "M" who is an insanely busy new mom who unexpectedly got the opportunity for a quick photo shoot one day last week. When she went to work in the morning, she had no idea that she would be grabbing her husband's hoodie out of the backseat of her car for a 20 minute dark and moody shoot with me. 

Like so many other women that come into my studio, she was tired. DAMN TIRED. She was doing SO much on a daily basis, it made even MY head spin. That made her words about her experience all-the-sweeter. 

“I can’t thank you enough for yesterday. It was just the pep I needed. Last night, while cooking dinner, my husband said I had a sparkle in my eye. I told him it was the wine...it’s still a secret!

I can’t wait to work with you again!”

— Miss M

SO....YOU.  Yes, YOUUUU there with the overflowing to-do list and the yoga pants that will not be seeing a yoga studio today because you're just too damn busy.....EMAIL ME at hello@karamarieboudoir.com . Let's chat. If you can give me at least 2 hours of your life, I promise that I can change the way you see yourself. 

Do it for 80-year-old-you | Austin Boudoir Studio

She wanted a set of pretty images to give to her husband-to-be on their wedding day in December. She ended up with the most stunning collection of the most stunning images to present to him...but more importantly...to look back on herself for the rest of time. 

I think *that* is one of the most overlooked outcomes of having a boudoir photo shoot done: The importance of having these KILLER images of YOU to look back on when you're 70, 80, 90 years old. To be able to look back and say "DAMN. THAT IS ME!". Even better, which is what I've been working on myself, is to have photos of yourself at different periods of time over the years.

You can watch yourself age, get wiser, get stronger, and get MORE confident through boudoir photos. 

Miss S brought poise, elegance, confidence, and beauty with her to her shoot last month. I have no doubt that her super gorgeous album is going to get a TON of view time for the rest of time. 

Miss "S" Said:

"First of all I can't thank you enough for this experience. You were amazing throughout the entire process, from emails to the actual shoot, plus your positivity is contagious! "

“As all the reviews say, you do make the entire experience so comfortable and easy, everything about the process exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds.”

— Miss S

"You truly are an artist and you captured exactly what I had imagined in my wildest dreams. Thank you for being so amazing at what you do, I can't wait to do another shoot with you!"

So I urge you, YES. Do it for your spouse. YES. Do it for yourself. And HELLLLLL YESSSSS do it for 80-year-old you!  If you don't, you'll wish you had. If you do, you'll high five yourself while you're sitting on your porch swing crocheting a scarf, people-watching and flipping through your album (and probably snagging anyone who passes your house to come look at what a badass you are). How's THAT for a mental picture!? ;)

xo

The Kara Marie Boudoir Experience | Austin Boudoir Studio

I was long overdue for an official promo video and had been casually chatting back and forth about it with long time "Insta friends" Eugene + Heather Brown who are filmmakers in Nashville. When they said they were going to be in Texas in June, I knew I had to make something happen to get them to Austin and help me show the world exactly what it is that I do at my little Austin Boudoir studio. 

I came to them with all kinds of really typical promo video ideas but let them know that I trusted their creative vision completely. I knew it was important for everyone to see that my message is all about embracing womanhood through beautiful and powerful imagery, not about meaningless scantily clad snapshots. 

They enthusiastically pitched me their ideas (which I loved), and I suggested possibly throwing in a bit of the photo reveal process, which, to me, is just as important (if not more so) as the photo shoot itself. The final result is going to be hard to beat when it's time for a new video. I couldn't be more thrilled. 

Check it out!

A freaking gigantic thank you to my lovely client Krystal for allowing us to film her photo reveal (and for pushing it back a few days to accommodate our filming schedule)! Your enthusiasm and your awesomeness was the icing on the cake that was this mini film. 

Thank you to the absolutely STUNNING and SWEET Miss Lola who absolutely rocked the behind-the-scenes photo shoot filming and brought such awesome energy to the set. 

Thank you to my awesome hair and makeup artist, Kendall of Mayhem Beauty who is always behind the scenes yet her work is SO important to the finished product. 

Thank you to my family for being such good sports when the cameras invaded our house before dawn. 

Thank you to my studio manager, Kinsey, for keeping the crew all fed, happy, and helping to ensure things ran seamlessly. 

And obviously, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you Eugene + Heather for creating this work of promo video art for me and helping to share the message. I couldn't have dreamt up a better film (truly. Not possible.).

We've grown up | Kara Marie Boudoir | Austin Boudoir Photographer

Over 8 years ago, I was sitting at my desk at my last "real" job. I had just learned how to use my first "real" camera and take "real" photos (or so I thought). I was shamelessly daydreaming while on the clock about my photography business that I decided I wanted to start approximately 3 days prior. You know...because I had to really take my time to make sure that was what I wanted to do. 

I brainstormed and scribbled down about 50 different potential business names on company post-its. The last thing that my pen scribbled that day was "Click Chick". YES. That was it! I ran the name past my husband, who approved, and then marched down to the County Clerk's office to file my DBA the very next day. Shortly after I left that "real" job and never looked back. 

You see, I do just about everything impulsively. 

I created my new website, a Facebook page, ordered business cards, and filled my calendar with photo shoots. I didn't wait until I was ready to be in business, I was just....open for business. 

The "Click Chick" name matched my brand at that time. Fun, quirky, and dare I say...amateur. 

Over the years I've grown to feel more and more conflicted about carrying that name for my business. It started to drift further and further away from the image that I felt my brand otherwise emitted.  It felt immature, insecure, and novice. I thought about changing it countless times, but was concerned that it was too far into the game to do so. 

Then I finally realized, given my *hopeful* business lifespan, 8 years is just a blip on the radar. This was one of the first decisions that I WASN'T impulsive about. But now, we're ready.

This brand has grown SO tremendously since it was born and I am so completely proud of it. We are ready to grow up and have a "big girl" name. 

Going forward, we will now be "Kara Marie Boudoir". Phew!!! You have NO idea how freaked out I've been about this change, mostly just thinking about all of the paperwork, every account I'd have to change, all the website pages I'd have to update, not to mention all of the branded marketing materials.  ALAS, it's done!

Thank you all SO much for your support along the way, for reading my blogs, for booking your shoots with me and for sending me your referrals. It is because of ALL OF YOU that this brand and business has grown into all it is.   

Please stay tuned for the reveal of the most awesome promo video I could ever possibly dream up! 

LOVE YOU ALL!