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!

Infertility struggles, body disconnect, and a happy ending | Austin Boudoir Studio

While there are endless reasons for a boudoir session, I find the common ground amongst my clients is often that they have become disconnected with their love for themselves and/or their bodies for one reason or another. Whether that be weight gain, an illness, the loss of a family member, a tumultuous relationship, or even just struggling with the concept of aging. 

It's important to remember that a boudoir experience with Kara Marie Boudoir is NOT just about sexy photos. It's about reconnecting with yourself, embracing your womanhood, and getting reacquainted with your femininity.  Regardless of WHY we've become disconnected with those things, this experience will help. It will. You'll appreciate yourself and your body a little more, you'll come to realize that you ARE stunning, sexy, and badass just the way you are.  You'll reconnect with the woman inside...the woman aside from the day-to-day routines and motherhood and career and relationship. 

BOUDOIR IS ABOUT YOU. It's not about your partner or spouse. Your ex who made you feel unworthy. Your health issues. Your extra 20, 30, 40 pounds. It's about who you are INSIDE and it's about helping you to love who you are outside, too. 

THIS story just has me all kinds of weepy. Miss T came to me after struggling with infertility and growing to dislike her body. It's a heartbreaking story that I, unfortunately, hear all too often. Read her words below....as well as the happy ending :) 

"I decided that this was a session that I needed because for the past couple of years, my husband and I have struggled with fertility. Through many rounds of medications, surgeries and so many other tests, I just didn't feel much like myself anymore. I also grew to hate my body."

"At the beginning of this year, I started running to feel better and stronger. The early morning was the perfect quiet time to hit the pavement and work through my feelings, or not, and just push my body to things I had previously told myself I couldn't do."

"My perspective began to change and I slowly started to love a body that I still didn't fully recognize. This photo shoot pushed me over the edge and I finally saw my body as strong and able again."

"My overall morale has improved greatly since the beginning of this year. Not only am I happy in my skin and with myself, I now can accept when my husband says the same thing to me."

"Before, I struggled so much with guilt that we couldn't have a baby and he has always told me that my body was beautiful but I just couldn't believe it. I know that Gods timing is perfect, but I have to believe the shoot was part of His plan. The same week my beautiful book of photos was delivered, we found out that we are pregnant!"

WAHOOOOOOO! Pregnant!!!!!!! Yassss! I certainly don't want to falsely advertise that a boudoir experience will knock you up...but I can't tell you how many clients of mine report that they are expecting really shortly after their session!  This thrills me to bits. 

Congratulations to Mrs and Mr T on their news!

The Best Birthday Present for Yourself | Austin Boudoir Studio

Gone are the days that you need an excuse to have a boudoir experience. When I first dipped my toe into the pool that was boudoir photography, nearly every client was doing the shoot as a wedding present to their new spouse. 

Over the last several years, I've loved watching the mindset shift in my clientele who is now doing it for their DAMN selves! Yeah!

Miss Y here is one of them! I met her at an event several months back and I was thrilled when she booked herself a session for her 35th birthday. 

She said: "Every time I've stalked the website or Instagram I was 100% sure you only posted pictures women who looked like models...when I got my pictures back I couldn't believe it!!! I looked like those women...like a model!"

^^^^^ THIS. ^^^^^ So so many of my clients say this to me when they first reach out. They are concerned that they aren't as pretty or as fit or as confident as the women on my website. They are convinced that I could not possibly get as good of an outcome from them. I prove them wrong each and every time, and I kind of gloat a little bit about it, too ;) 

"I had been feeling very self-conscious and simply not good about myself for a while, this experience changed my whole opinion!!! Taking theses pictures for my 35th birthday was the best possible present I could have given myself! "

" My whole outlook had changed! Actually it had changed the moment you started taking my picture! Thank you for making me feel so amazing!!!"

“ I’ve walked with my head higher since I stepped out of the studio after the shoot...I’ve NEVER felt better!!!”

— Miss Y

A VERRRRRRRRYYY Happy Birthday to Miss Y!!! She looks like a model, doesn't she? Yeah, I know. ;) 

Who else would like me to prove them wrong? Let's chat.

Giving insecurities the finger | Austin Boudoir Photographer

I preach a LOT about self-esteem and self-love. I KNOW EXACTLY what it feels like to be a woman who has insecurities about their body/face/life choices/education/social class/what I ate for lunch. It is so easy for us to look at other women and see their perfect figure, gorgeous hair, perky boobs, etc and compliment them (even wish, with every ounce of our souls, that we had that too!). But we have a really difficult time paying ourselves the same compliments.  I spend my life making sure that women see all the amazing things about themselves, yet I have the hardest time doing the same for myself. This is especially difficult when, as women, we put down other women FOR their insecurities.  

Being a 120 pound, relatively fit woman myself (who hasn't worn a 2 piece swimsuit, like, EVER), I know in advance that I'm really not "allowed" to verbalize my tummy insecurities, because to other women, I'm "crazy" for feeling that way because I'm so "tiny". 

Women of all shapes and all sizes have their insecurities. It is so important for us, as women, to be understanding of other women's insecurities and not write them off as crazy just because you don't see it. Instead, let's lift each other up and spend so much time complimenting each other, that we elevate the mentality of ALL women to the point where their insecurities fade away. After all, how many times have you complained about your body only for your friends to tell you that YOU'RE crazy?! Stop competing. Start encouraging. 

I got off on a little tangent here, but it's because Miss "T"  did an absolutely eloquent job at pointing out that insecurities do not discriminate. Read on. 

“Shy. Insecure with my body. Modest. Anxious. Professional. Mother.

My story is not unlike the story I’ve heard repeatedly by my female clients. Women in general have a difficult time with their bodies, no matter what shape it is. It is a struggle that does not discriminate. Women of all ages deal day to day with the feeling of inadequacy.

I have struggled my entire life with body image issues. I am extremely shy about my body. In fact, there have been only a few years of my life where I can remember having the courage to wear a bathing suit in front of other people…and I was still utterly uncomfortable. It is lonely, constant, painful, and internal. When I’ve ever voiced my fears and discomfort I’ve only been met with the response of “you’re crazy”. ”

— Miss "T"

“Each day of my life I coach and encourage women to believe in themselves, be healthy, and accept and embrace who they are physically. I truly believe and preach that all women’s bodies are beautiful. So why do I not believe this about myself? Why is each day a fight with myself in the mirror…a fight to feel beautiful?

Kara had been encouraging me to do a shoot for years. My anxiety always held me back. I’ve always felt confident in her abilities as a photographer (she has been shooting my family for years). I now know that Kara is much more than that. Kara’s gift is the gift to show a woman her beauty from the eyes of another. Where my eyes see only flaws and imperfection, Kara’s lens reveals reality…a reality I had never seen before.”

“My shoot was incredible! As nervous as I was leading up to the day (including my 15 minutes in the parking lot telling myself I could do it), all anxiety melted away the minute I saw Kara’s smiling face. I’ve never felt more comfortable with my body. I didn’t once worry about how I looked. I trusted her. I left feeling invigorated!

The moment my images were revealed I was awestruck. I couldn’t believe it! The images were stunning…as was the subject…ME?

A feeling of pride has replaced the pain.

Beautiful. Confident. Sexy. Empowered. Proud. Woman.”

— Miss "T"

THAT is what it is about. 

Do I see Miss T's flaws? No. No I don't. I see an absolutely STUNNING, intelligent, talented, hardworking, birth-giving, perfectly curvaceous, KNOCK-OUT.  Do I think she's CRAZY for having insecurities?! Absolutely not. I get it. 

The number one first comment I get from my clients when they start viewing their images is... "IS THAT REALLY ME!?!". The number two and three comments are always expletives. In a good way. 

There's something about seeing yourself in amazing boudoir photos that really puts into perspective what you *ACTUALLY* look like to others. You're seeing yourself in a completely different way, and it's such a breath of fresh air compared to the nit-picking we generally do to ourselves when looking in a mirror. WHICH is why I get my boudoir photos done so frequently. ;) 

THANK you, Miss "T" for your utterly inspiring words and for pointing out the obvious that isn't always so obvious to us "crazy" ladies. OH, and whatever your butt workout is....I need that in my life, like yesterday. ;)

GIVE YOUR INSECURITIES THE FINGER! LET'S SHOOT! START THE CONVERSATION BELOW...

New Mom, New Outlook | Austin Boudoir Studio

I was thrilled to get my camera on this beautiful woman. I originally met her when I taught a beginner's photography class to the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization....and Miss "G", here was a big sister. She contacted me shortly after for a private lesson, and has since booked me to shoot several milestone shoots for her little family. When I switched my focus to exclusively boudoir, she mentioned a couple of times that she wanted to do one... "but"... and then the usual excuses flowed out. 

We talked about it a few times...I didn't want to pressure her, but I knew that she needed this. I know that new mom feeling all too well. It's almost guaranteed that you feel like a shell of your former self. 

Then finally...she bit the bullet. 

“I was absolutely freaking out. I thought for sure I would be the one client who wouldn’t look sexy in her pictures. Plus, walking around in lingerie is a frightening idea, especially when you’re not oh-so-happy with your body.

Kara you are a rock star. I felt super comfortable and I knew that I wasn’t being judged. You had one goal, to show me how amazing I really am. And damn did you show me. Actually it was more like a hit to the face, I was so shocked at the end result. I couldn’t believe I was looking at myself!! Even my husband said “wow, you’re like a model!”

Like I said during the reveal, this was the validation I needed for myself. For a year and a half, I put myself last. I’ve never been super girly, wasn’t into make up or doing my hair. Hell, I could be ready in 5 mins. But times when I probably should’ve cared more about my appearance, I didn’t. And over time I got into some really negative self talk. The baby weight hadn’t gone away, I take full responsibility but I wasn’t happy with myself. My self esteem was at an all time low.

I did this to show myself that I still have it and gosh dammit I am pretty. And now I can say, holy hell I’m hotttttt!

Now, post-shoot, I do my makeup *almost* everyday and have gotten pretty good at styling my hair. I feel good. I look good. And I’m in a good place.

Thank you so much,Kara. Thank you for doing what you do and being fantastic amazing at it.”

— Miss G

Hair and makeup by Kendall Koehler of Mayhem Beauty

This gorgeous woman needed this shoot. She didn't do it for anyone but herself...though I'm sure it's benefited everyone around her with the extra pep in her step! I'm SO SO SO SOOO proud of her and over-the-moon that she went out on a limb and trusted me with this boudoir experience. 

CAN YOU RELATE TO MISS G'S MOM-ESTEEM? I CAN HELP. LET'S CHAT.