I have this shoot that I did this week...and, as a rule, I do my full boudoir features on MONDAYS (best web traffic day, y'all....gotta play the game!), but I definitely needed to blog a teaser. <3
You will NOT want to miss this blog post bright and early Monday morning! Set an alarm, y'all! Or better yet, subscribe to my blog so you get an email!
SO much more to come!
My first MAJOR adventure in my #trynewthingsproject was to learn how to shoot a gun. {Pretty please withhold your political rants.} I've always been pretty terrified of guns. That fear, of course, can be attributed to lack of education. I had never held a gun up until a couple of months ago when I had a boudoir shoot with one of my wedding industry friends...who showed up to her session packin'! Haha. She showed me that the gun wasn't loaded and there was nothing to be afraid of as I backed myself up against a wall and asked her to hide it.
Flash forward past one too many horror stories of women being in the position of NEEDING to defend themselves and being unable to, and my self improvement project involving trying new things...and BANG (pun intended), you have "LEARN TO SHOOT A GUN" crossed off the list almost as soon as it was put on there.
I turned to my industry friend...the same one who introduced me to a gun at her boudoir shoot...and her husband for help. They took me under their wings and we set out to Lockhart to visit the Lonestar Gun Range. Over the course of a couple hours I learned about gun safety, how to shoot a 9mm, and that I am a total badass. I, of course, chose the "BAD GUY" target. And for my very first time shooting ever, I was very impressed to have successfully aimed, fired, and "killed" him.
And here I am APOLOGIZING to the bad man for shooting him.... bwahaha
Overall, it was a really awesome experience. I'm SO glad that I learned and am anxious to go back again for round two. A HUGE thank you to Cheryl and Shea Bailey of Wedding Industry Rescue for teaching me how to be a "REAL Texan"!
If you're curious about the project and maybe want to start challenging yourself to live life to the fullest, watch the video about my #trynewthings project!
When I get MULTIPLE emails and texts from a client in the weeks leading up to her boudoir shoot oozing with excitement about their upcoming session, I KNOW it's going to be an amazing shoot! Miss "B"'s enthusiasm was so apparent during her session. She TOTALLY brought it (along with my favorite chocolates. YESSS). She was completely in the moment. Her expressions were perfection. And she was such a laid back, goofy, free-spirit! I got SO MANY amazing images of her....it was nearly impossible to select some for the blog. Alas, I gave it a shot! Here are some of my favorites!!
(Note before scrolling further...there is some tasteful nudity in this set of images!!!)
Gorgeous, right!? I told Miss "B" that it's TOTALLY unfair that she's been blessed with such a rocking body when the rest of us (eh hem) have to PAY for such (eh hem) assets. ;)
Makeup by the fabulous Lauren Davis of Hint of Shimmer.
Last week I caught myself saying "I've ALWAYS wanted to try that!!!" one too many times. I then, realized, that there was ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE to have not done these things before! Everything is attainable. Everything is within reach. I've been slacking on LIVING. Life isn't getting any longer and I'm not getting any younger/less busy. The time is now. It's time to live!
Drum rollllll please.....
It's the official launch of the #trynewthingsproject ! I apologize in advance for the quality and cheese-factor of this video. We tried.
What I didn't mention in the video (err...actually I DID, but that part had to be edited out due to excessive rambling and "ummm"s.), is that I will be giving away a SUPER amazing prize (we're talking like $1000 value here, people!!!) at the END OF THE YEAR to the best post from one of YOU! Document your #trynewthingsproject journey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vine! At the end of the year I will select the best post for this ballin' prize package!
I can't wait to see all of these posts, and I REALLY can't wait to start chipping away at my extensive list of "I've always wanted to try that"s!
My list goes on and on and on and on....but here's just a few of my items that I'm working on RIGHT AWAY!:
1. Salsa Lessons with da husband
2. Zip-lining
3. Stand-up Paddleboarding
4. Trapeze Class (yep)
5. Self Defense Classes
You may have read what Miss "Z" had to say about her boudoir session on my review page...but you should most definitely see the images from her session.
Boudoir is about more than just sexy images. It’s about self-confidence, it’s about feeling empowered and on top of the world, it’s about accepting yourself EXACTLY as you are and realizing–hey…I’m HOT!
When I first heard from this amazing woman, she said she was particularly nervous as she’s a self-proclaimed “curvy girl” and “not your typical 20-year-old-model-thin-girl”. Upon meeting her, I saw nothing but a beautiful bod, killer eyes, and some AMAZING curves. Like….amazing jealousy-envoking curves. We had SO much fun during her session and got some absolutely incredible images!
I adore this first set that she took in a comfy over-sized sweater that her boyfriend got for her…
One of the top 3 reasons why I don’t shoot boudoir in a studio is that I LOVE the variety of location and light I get by providing my clients with in-home sessions. In Miss “Z”‘s guest bedroom, there was a soft orange glow that looked incredible in the final product…
“My advice to anyone who wants to do a shoot with you but would like to lose 10 or 20 pounds first…don’t wait, JUST DO IT!”
What an incredible woman! She totally rocked this shoot and owned her curves! Read more of what she had to say to me after she saw her images!:
“My advice to anyone who wants to do a shoot with you but would like to lose 10 or 20 pounds first…don't wait, JUST DO IT! If you lose weight, you can do another one! Or you might just end up loving your body the way it is! Kara: you really are a genius with posing, lighting, retouching, and just making your subject feel totally comfortable. If I could change something about how much of my body I showed, I would wear LESS, not MORE…”
YEAH! Now THAT’s what I like to hear!!!
Mega-thanks again to the talented Lauren Davis of Hint of Shimmer for providing Miss “Z”‘s glam makeup!
Holy M.I.A., Batman! I'm not being held hostage, I'm not deathly ill, and I'm still alive, if you can believe it. I've just been insane with busyness. IN.FREAKING.SANE. Mostly crazy PERSONAL busyness, but paired with the usual business busyness. Over the last 2 weeks we've celebrated my son's 1st birthday, entertained my mom and her husband who came to visit, went to the rodeo, dropped and shattered a brand new bottle of OPI nailpolish on my kitchen floor, snuck off to Vegas to celebrate our wedding anniversary (and take full advantage of having family in town to watch the kids!) where we acted like kids again, ate entirely too much, slept entirely too little, went to a night club (THAT made me feel old and lame), saw an old client, went through an entire bottle of eye drops, got the best anniversary present ever (see: DIOR!), and did pretty decent on gambling winnings, mixed with regular life- shot 4 boudoir sessions, 2 consults, 2 engagement sessions, 1 event for my favorite venue, and still managed to put makeup on and wear something other than a robe most days. Here's a little peek at all the action!
I'm actually super impressed with myself for being fully "present" in the moment while on our little getaway...I mean, I was definitely a little tipsy ;) But I did NOT have my phone out snapping instagrams the whole time. In fact, when I got home, I was a little shocked at my lack of photographic evidence. Ohhh well.
So I'm back to work now! Spending the day tackling some album designs and editing a few sessions! That means photos soon, y'all!
xoxo
March is my favorite month! It's the month of my wedding anniversary, my youngest son's birthday, my favorite holiday (St. Patty's!! Holla!), AND my busiest month for boudoir parties! There is something that is SO insanely fun about getting together with a bunch of girlfriends, getting all dolled up, drinking some champagne, and being a total rockstar for a few hours while you have some amazing photos taken of yourself! Boudoir parties have become SO HUGE over the last couple of years. It's a fantastic opportunity to take the plunge into a boudoir shoot if you've always been too nervous because now you've got all of your friends right there with you with THEIR butts hanging out, too ;) To commemorate the awesomeness that is MARCH, I'm offering a booking special!
This is a fabulous idea for bachelorette parties, bridal showers, birthday bashes, mom's night out (in), or "just because" because clearly, you deserve it!
1. You gather your friends...typically the most successful parties have about 5 girls but you can have as many as 7 or as few as 3. We work together to schedule a date for your booty bash.
2. My makeup artist and I come to you on the day of your party complete with a sexy swag bag full of goodies for you and your friends to use during your shoot.
3. Each girl gets a professional makeup application and a private mini photo shoot!
4. Receive an extra sexy rate for booking as a party! {Be sure to use the above coupon, too, for extra savings!!!}
So the booking special above is valid as long as you book before the end of this month...your party simply needs to be scheduled by October 30th so you have plenty of time to coordinate your best girls' schedules!
Remember the vintage pin-up-esque awesomeness that was last week's blog post?? If you don't, you MUST go check it out.
I promised you a part II, didn't I?? Here it is!!! YAY!
BAM!!!
Thank you again to all the collaborators!
LINGERIE STYLIST-- Jennifer of UNDERWEAR Austin
HAIR STYLIST-- Nina of Urban Betty
MAKEUP ARTIST-- Lauren of Hint of Shimmer
LOCATION-- Roadhouse Relics
MODEL-- Elizabeth M
PHOTOGRAPHER-- duh.
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.
This weekend, another one of my beautiful "repeats"-- I love these people--, Harlee shot with me in the deep, dark, mysterious woods (just kidding, we were in a small patch of tangly trees next to a parking lot) for a dark beauty concept shoot this weekend.
I was super honored to be Harlee's very first professional photo shoot last year and it was awesome that I was able to work with her again. Kendall of Mayhem Beauty gave Harlee exactly the vampy-looking makeup that I was going for here. We started out around dusk shooting some dark beauty portraiture. And then it got all dark and stuff.... ;)
She kind of looks like a glamorous super villian, right!? Pretty pretty pretty girl!
It was so fun trying something a little different from my usual bright and cheery imagery and going a little moodier. Harlee rocked the dark beauty role!!! Go girl!
MODEL: Harlee Rae
MAKEUP AND HAIR: Kendall of Mayhem Beauty
PHOTOGRAPHER: Duh.
For more information on Austin beauty and boudoir photography, visit the Click Chick Boudoir website.