When you're confident... | Austin Boudoir Studio

Sometimes, I have a hard time figuring out what to say. 

I know, I know, it's hard to believe. Especially if you've ever been in a room with me. 

But blogging is not always easy. I always have tons of images to share, but often hold onto them until something profound comes to mind to say with them. Sadly, my brain is not often inundated with profoundness ;) 

So I'm going to let someone else say it for me. It's a quote that I wrote down (and cannot for the life of me find a source for, just know it wasn't me who thought up such eloquent words) that resonated with me like crazy. And it also is a fabulous representation of the confident images in this blog post.

YES. This. Insecurity is the death of your true self. Be strong, be real, be honest, be confident. And if you can't do that on your own, I can help you. ;)

Thank you so much to Michelle Chevelle for rocking out this Urban Undercover content shoot-turned-photographer play time. 

Michelle Chevelle for Urban Undercover

Michelle Chevelle for Urban Undercover

Skipping Naked | Austin Boudoir Studio

The ultimate compliment from my clients about their experience is that, within a few minutes of shooting with me, they FORGOT they weren't wearing much/anything. FORGOT. Can you imagine?

If you're anything like me, you are VERY aware when you are scantily clad and there are eyeballs on you. 

Being a boudoir photographer involves far more than the technical side of photography. WAY more. In fact, I would say that technical savvy is my least valuable trait. Being able to make a woman feel beautiful and comfortable enough in her own skin that she can not only survive an hour of being photographed in the buff, but ENJOY it ANNNND look amazing doing it!? Yeah. I'd say that's my super power. 

I've had boudoir experiences myself with really brilliant photographic artists. There is no denying their work is absolutely incredible and the finished product is museum-worthy. But I struggled through the entire shoot. Felt like someone else. Felt objectified. Felt dirty. And not the good way. Felt LESS confident in myself walking out than when I went in to the shoot. 

I guess you could say my bad experiences with other photographers really helped fine tune my methods, demonstrating what NOT to do. 

So when clients like Miss S say "I had such a great time, I was skipping naked through the studio at the end!", I know I've done what I've set out to do. 

It is not your job to make yourself feel comfortable for your shoot. It's mine. And I'm good at that. Like...really good at that. 

It's a smattering of psychology courses, some of the best customer service training in the country, and, of course, being a self-conscious woman myself. My photography skills are on the back burner of what makes my clients so happy. But sometimes that's what gets people in the door in the first place ;) 

I've known Miss S for a couple of years now. She's a fiery little ball of energy and sunshine, and I was so excited when she made the decision to get her gorgeous booty into my studio to celebrate herself. 

So take a cue from Miss S, here, and challenge yourself to come in to Kara Marie Boudoir for yourself....so you can find yourself skipping through my studio naked without a care. It's quite liberating. I dare you. ;) 

On feeling SEXY | Austin Boudoir Studio

I say it often:  at Kara Marie Boudoir studio, it's about more than sexy pictures. 

The photos are most definitely a perk. But, you see, it's about how the photos, the whole experience, makes you FEEL.  

When you FEEL sexy...damn. There's just no feeling like the confidence boost you get when you know you look damn good. And for many of us, that feeling doesn't present itself very often. Certainly not as often as it used to. 

There's often confusion about the purpose of boudoir photography. I think that's because there are so many different interpretations of it. Some boudoir photographers present their work to the public as the ultimate gift for your spouse.  Some boudoir photographers present their work to the public as "naughty photos". 

Boudoir photography is something very different for me and for my clients. It's not about doing something "naughty" and it's usually not about doing something for anyone else. It's about getting that feeling back. It's about FEELING SEXY AND STRONG. It's about knowing that she's still "in there somewhere". It's about confidence. And it's about loving yourself...or at least learning to.

Can you do all that with your clothes on? Yes. Obviously you can. So why strip down? 

Let me ask you...isn't that when you feel the most vulnerable? Isn't that when you feel the most uncertain of yourself? For most women, it is. I know that feeling of "OH GOD. OH MY GOD. WHAT is THAT!?" as I spot a new bulge or dimple on my naked body in the mirror.  I know how devastating it is to see that photo that someone tagged you in on Facebook...the one you didn't even realize they were taking and you look like........ ***UN-TAG! UN-TAG!!! RED ALERT!***

It's a lot harder for us to love our stripped-down selves. But I know that if I can show you how incredible you are, how beautiful you are, how SEXY you are, WITHOUT your clothes...that you can rock some new found self-esteem whether you're wearing anything or not. 

SEXY is not something that you should only feel for your partner. SEXY is something you should feel for yourself. It's infinitely powerful. There's no telling what you can do with that kind of confidence on your side.

Please read on for words from Kendall on her third (or fourth?!) boudoir experience with me. 

"I can't even begin to explain how I feel when I leave a shoot with Kara...Every time I see my images, it brings tears to my eyes. I can't believe it's me."

“ I’ve never felt sexier. I never felt more womanly. ”

"I am harder on myself than anyone else. It's hard to see yourself through someone else's eyes. Seeing myself through Kara's lens has helped me to be a little less hard on myself. Allow myself more time to enjoy life...and not obsess about the small things. "

"Kara you are truly so talented and you give a gift to women that truly has no price tag. I can't ever thank you enough for sharing that with me!"

I get the emails every.single.day.  Emails from women who have been following along for years, wishing they could be like the women that I post on my blog/website/social media. The assure me that they are nowhere near as sexy or confident or photogenic as my usual clients. I assure them, without even seeing them, that they are. 

These aren't models. They are women just like you. They've got crazy lives and children and baggage and emotions and insecurities.

They don't come in to me and throw their clothes off and say "OK! I'm ready to be naked! I know I'm hot, so let's DO THIS!!!".  They come in nervous and sweating through their makeup application.  They come in with outfits they "can't believe" they're going to wear in daylight. They come in doubting their beauty. They come in thinking that they are going to be the first woman I'm not able to get a single good photo of. 

I prove them wrong. Every time. 

Let me show you.

Better with Age | Austin Boudoir Studio

Almost 5 years ago, Miss "S" and I had a boudoir shoot in a dark hotel room after the sun had set. Therefore I had zero sunlight (and I'm a natural light photographer....so you see the issue...), and I didn't really have a firm grasp on how to make that challenging situation work for me with lighting and/or available artificial light.

I worked through it anyhow. 

We had an AMAZING shoot complete with mega-makeup, elaborate hair, an Etta James playlist, and a fur coat. It was a ton of fun, and the photos looked great. To me. At the time. 

THEN...

From my shoot with Miss S almost 5 years ago. She was obviously a total babe. But the lighting makes me cringe, the post-processing makes me cover my eyes and peek through my fingers like I'm watching a horror movie. The composition is weird, but I remember thinking at the time how cool it was to get the damn lamp reflection in the window. And my posing direction could use some help. Even the watermark and business name screamed "amateur."

Flash forward several years.

When Miss S's husband bought a gift certificate for another boudoir shoot, I was feeling a little nostalgic and I took a peek at our old set. I covered my eyes at my cliche posing and horrendous lighting. Miss S, of course, looked BADASS. And I gave the shoot and the client everything I had. Still, I can't help but be slightly embarrassed by my skill level at the time. 

Yet, 4 years ago I was even MORE embarrassed by my work 4 years prior to THAT. 

But guess what? 

NOW...

Obviously, still a total babe....and I would argue (not that any would fight me) that she's EVEN BETTER WITH AGE, 2 children and almost 5 years later! SIZZLE SIZZLE. Seriously. Such a babe! Photography-wise, I've found my lighting jam. My compositions are still "weird" but in a more intentional and artistic way. My posing is more about the "non-pose pose"...and I don't generally like to toot my own horn, but HELLLL---OOOOO custom black-and-white processing!

If I wasn't a tiny bit ashamed by my lack of skill in the past, that would mean that I wasn't advancing. I wasn't evolving. I wasn't learning. So...as embarrassing as it may be to see some of my stuff from years ago surface, it's also a valley-girl-slap-in-the-face reminder of just how far I've come. 

And if this isn't a concrete enough example of why documenting yourself over the years is so important, then I don't know what is! I'm THRILLED TO BITS that Miss S had a good enough experience the first time around to come back for more! And I know she is too :) 

In the weeks leading up to her shoot, I heard a bit about her "mom bod" and things that she felt just weren't the same. I assured her that we would do juuuuuust fine. And we did. 

“Amazing!! I felt so comfortable and I am in love with the end results!! I’m also feeling pretty happy with this ‘mom bod’!

Love you Kara Marie! What you do for self esteem is amazing!!”

— Miss S

Thank you, Miss S, dahhling, for another incredible shoot! Thank you for trusting me to show you that having a "mom bod" is a good thing....and I certainly hope to see you again in 5 years or less!!! 

She kicked cancer's ass | Cocktails + Curiosity Event Recap

Last week, I had the honor of being a part of the Cocktails + Curiosity event hosted by the Piazza Center for Plastic Surgery and benefitting the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Texas. Held for the third year in a row, this swanky-pants cocktail party at the Terrace Club in Dripping Springs really blew me away. 

Last month, I had the pleasure of working with Lora...a breast cancer ass-kicker-survivor who was introduced to me by the Piazza Center. We wanted to create wall-art that really captured her journey through photos.  If you missed the first blog on this, check it out HERE.

When creating the art for the event, it quickly became clear that one single image just wasn't going to cut it.

How could one image represent the roller coaster of emotion that someone experiences when fighting cancer?  I ultimately decided on the three images you see below.

The first, representing a newfound wisdom and confidence. The second, clearly representing the sadness and remembrance of all that occurred, and the final representing her joy and spitfire attitude that I'm guessing she's had all her life, but was fueled when she kicked cancer's ass.  

And a few more from her shoot:

We were too wrapped up in the event to take "real" photos, but here's a few iPhone snapshots! (BAD, photographers, BAD!!!)

Thank you SO much to the Piazza Center for including me in this event, to the Breast Cancer Resource Center of TX for all you do to help those affected by breast cancer, and mostly to Lora for trusting me with this photo experience and for being another inspiring badass to enter my life through my work.  

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!

Everything was Inspiring | Austin Studio Boudoir

Miss R's shoot happened to fall on an "off-day" for me. I was frantic and frazzled. For the first time ever, my makeup artist and I had a massive miscommunication which resulted in her hopping on a plane at the moment that I had her scheduled to do Miss R's face.  Well....shit. 

Panic ensued as I frantically began to call my other makeup artists to see who may have last second availability... a Saturday afternoon at that!  By some miracle, my other brilliant artist happened to be finishing up with wedding makeup for an entire bridal party (SEVEN FACES.) and was cool enough to STILL swing by and help a sista out. Miss R was just sitting there, smiling. 

I apologized profusely for the mixup and suggested that we start with some anonymous shots that didn't require her face to be at any level of "done-upped-ness" while we waited for Lauren to arrive.  Miss R assured me that she wouldn't have even known there was a mix-up if I hadn't told her, and just kept smiling.

And I totally got lost in the shoot. Her positive attitude was absolutely infectious and we just had the best time. Lauren came to the rescue with some seriously badass makeup skills at the ideal moment, and the shoot came and went with smooth perfection. 

Makeup artistry by Lauren of Lola Beauty

“then, she began to breathe, and live, and every moment took her to a place where goodbyes were hard to come by. she was in love, but not in love with someone or something, she was in love with her life. and for the first time, in a long time, everything was inspiring.”

— r.m. drake

I love being around life-breathers.  She was one of 'em. 

Thank you Miss R for being so kind, so positive, and so much damn fun! 

And thank you to Lauren of Lola Beauty for coming to my rescue and giving Miss R the most ooh-la-la eye makeup eva!

The Day Before Chemo | Austin Boudoir Studio

This post just leaves me speechless, so I'm glad it's not verbal. Like many other women with the same diagnosis, Miss W reached out to me wanting to document her body before so many changes took place due to her recent breast cancer diagnosis. While I have been close to many people affected by cancer, I cannot even begin to wrap my head around going through it myself. Yet the women that I have had the pleasure of working with in any stage of their breast cancer journey have been nothing short of awe-inspiring and courageous as hell. 

We scheduled her shoot the day before her first chemo treatment, and hours before having 23 inches of hair cut off to ease the transition. I can't even imagine the emotional state that she was in. Just can't imagine. Yet we conquered the shoot, and created an absolutely breathtaking account of this woman as she was THAT day.  

I will let her carry on from here, where my words would fail:

"This experience meant so much to me! At just 30 years old, I had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and really wanted to capture my body in its natural state so I could always remember it. Driving over to the studio the morning of the shoot was a little bittersweet because I knew it was the last time I would have the opportunity to capture my body as it was then. That afternoon I was scheduled to chop off all my hair and the following day I would be starting chemo with a mastectomy to follow."

“ But as soon as I arrived any sadness I felt immediately disappeared because Kara and her team made me feel so welcome and excited.”

Hair and makeup by Kendall of Mayhem.

"The studio space was beautiful and seeing all Kara's previous work posted on the walls made me really glad I was getting to do this with her. While I was getting my hair and make-up done and feeling super glamorous, Kara selected her favorites from the outfits I brought which took so much pressure off me and ensured everything would photograph really well. Once we started shooting, Kara demonstrated every pose like a rockstar and guided me to do it right too. I am not someone who knows how to make sexy faces, but Kara pulled them out of me somehow! By the end of our shoot, I couldn't believe it had already been an hour and I wanted to keep going because I was having so much fun! I left feeling like a model and was certain that she had created some beautiful images. "

"Over the next two weeks, I counted down the days until the photo reveal! I was so excited and it gave me something to look forward to in the midst of feeling crummy from chemo. Once the day finally arrived, I was in stunned silence throughout the entire slideshow. I couldn't believe how beautiful the images were. Every pose she had put me in was incredibly flattering and hid any areas I felt self-conscious about."

“ I am so thrilled to have had this experience before undergoing all these huge body changes and I know I will cherish these pictures for a lifetime. And I also can’t wait to do it all over again in a year to celebrate my journey and get comfortable with my new body!””

— Miss W

More than CUTE | Austin Boudoir Photographer

Miss "H" said she was used to being the "cute" one. She's petite and lean. She didn't think she had curves.  You can tell me after looking through this set of images if she looks CUTE or if she looks like a smokin' hot grown woman. 

We bonded over amber oil and artsy images. Miss H was incredible to work with. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and, although married, she was doing this for herself. 

I'm so in love with the photos that we created together. 

Miss "H" said:

"That was ridiculously fun! I felt completely comfortable the whole time, and actually left feeling more confident than when I came in! And I *may* have tried to recreate at least one photo at home because I was so anxious to see it"

"I have curves that I never knew existed! I'm petite, so I've always been the 'cute' one, but the shoot really made me feel like a super model."

“My husband’s comment- ‘choosing just one of these [photos] is like choosing a favorite bag of a million dollars!’”

Cuteness be gone! Miss "H" 100% WOMAN!!! xoxo

Artistic Nudes: The ultimate in badassery | Austin Boudoir Studio

There's this little genre of boudoir photography that I happen to adore...kind of a "sub-niche" if you will. It's not everyone's bag, and it doesn't need to be the entire duration of your photo shoot experience, but most women that I talk to are drawn to this type of imagery.

A R T I S T I C  N U D E S , y'all. artistic nudes. 

So many times my clients will have images like this saved on their required "homework" mood boards but then when I say out loud on the day of their session "Ok, so you want to do some artistic nudes, then?" they're eyes swell to a terrified state and they emphatically shake their head no. NUDE?!  

Yes. Nude. Those pictures that you saved that you said you loved? Those women are nude, silly. And to be honest, my style of artistic nudes are often more modest than the rest of my typical boudoir images. They cover just enough and reveal just enough to make the image ultra powerful.

There's tons of ways to shoot nude boudoir photos...so obviously you want to make sure that you and your photographer (hopefully that's ME since you're on this blog right now) are on the same page about what you want these images to look like. 

The  Kara Marie nude boudoir style is definitely on the artistic and classy side as you can see in these self portraits of yours truly. I play up highlights and shadows with the help of strategic lighting, REALLY strategic angles and posing, and with my secret weapon for incredible skin for these images. More simply put: We hide your naughty bits one way or another, even if they feel exposed during the session. 

Throughout the shoot we make sure that nothing is "hanging out" that you don't want to be hanging out. And we do NOT shoot nude crotch at our studio...no way, no how. So you can rest assured that your lady bits will stay covered and you will walk away from your photo reveal will some really incredible wall-worthy artistic nudes

This type of imagery is amazing for ANY woman of any shape or size. The light and shadows are incredibly flattering (believe me. This is the ONLY way I will EVER agree to be photographed completely nude. Everrrrr.), and the finished product is insanely striking.

So there, I did my duty as a boudoir photographer and showed you that shooting a few nudes at your boudoir shoot really doesn't have to be terrifying. At least not with me!!!! It's my job to make you comfortable. It's my job to make you forget your body insecurities. It's my job to make you look your ABSOLUTE BEST. And I'm ....like....REALLY good at my job. ;)

Don't be afraid to incorporate artistic nudes into your Kara Marie Boudoir experience! You'll be happy you did.  xoxo