Well holy crap.
I'm not sure if this image should sell hair product, sheepskin rugs, or amazing lingerie...but I'm envisioning it on a giant billboard that would be sure to cause some accidents by distracted drivers! I had a great shoot today with the lovely Miss "S" and had the chance to break in our new studio rug. BAM!
3 months ago I created my 3 year vision board. It's something I do on the regular for my business to decide where I want to be, and make it happen. I knew that with the growth of business, and the increasing difficulty of separating my home and work life with my office being in the loft of my house, I needed to make some changes. On that board was finding the perfect commercial natural light studio and office space.
Today, I picked up the key to the NEW and first official studio space for Click Chick Boudoir! Eee!
This space happens to be in one of the coolest buildings in Austin, Starlight Lofts on South 1st...78704 BABY!
Recent clients have already had the pleasure of shooting in one of these units- as I was renting one hourly from another studio. And now I have one to call my very own!
Stained concrete floors, so much natural light I have to wear my sunglasses inside, amazing location, and a super cool bunch of neighbors.
I'll be working very hard to get this baby ready for my August clients! To be completely honest, though...it needs nothing! I would be ecstatic to shoot in the completely bare studio! But, of course, I am going to deck it out in true Click Chick style!
I am so excited for what this new adventure brings and so proud of my sexy little company for doing it's thang!
YAY!!
Who wants to be one of the firsts to shoot in our new studio?!! Hit me up, dahhling!
Xo
She put on a sweater and told me about her "mom flaws". I saw no such flaws. This woman was truly STUNNING. Her eyes were piercing, her gaze was intense, her smile was infectious, and her curves were absolute perfection! Miss "W" blew me away at her boudoir shoot! And she did it for all the right reasons...
“No one wanted or asked me to get these photos, no one encouraged me to do this. The only person I did this for was me. I didn’t need a specific audience to do something that made me feel worthy or beautiful. I didn’t need an occasion other than I was celebrating me. It’s hard to look into the mirror and remember that you are a gorgeous, deserving and spectacular woman when someone isn’t there to tell you. ”
"I never thought as a woman going on 30 with two children I could feel so beautiful let alone sexy. Let me tell you, when I saw the photos my jaw dropped! "Is that really ME?! Whoa! Sexy mama! " Kara was very understanding of how I felt about my body, what poses to put me in, even in the uncomfortable poses she managed to make me laugh, and of coursed they all turned out gorgeous. The photo shoot was so smooth, and easy. I am so very grateful I have these photos. These are MY memories, reminders, and empowering proof- no fear. With these photos I am not just a mother; I am a strong, sexy, daring, boundless woman. Thank you Kara!"
I applaud Miss "W" and all other mothers who step in front of my camera for embracing their womanhood in such a fearless way. Bravo, mamma! BRAVO!
Are you ready to embrace womanhood with your very own boudoir experience? Let's chat, dahhling!
Who's having a lazy Sunday morning in bed?? I'm not. But I wish I was! With a cup of coffee, some sort of pastry (with extra gluten and dairy), and a book. That would be awesome..... maybe someday soon... until then...as Britney Spears would say...I gotta work, B**ch.
Just a quick tease into one of this week's boudoir shoots. Oh man. I can't even express to you how amazing all of them are! Eek! This woman told me that her legs were her favorite feature...so we kind of worked it ;)
It was right around the time that this image was taken that my client said "HOW DO YOU PICK WHO GOES ON YOUR BLOG!?!" I said, I blog every one of my clients who asks me to! Her response: "Can you please put me on your BLOG!?!?!!!" So you can bet this beauty will be getting quite a feature after she has her photo viewing! Ooh la la!
P.S. Do you see that shiny new logo in the lower left hand corner of that image!? When I re-launched as exclusively boudoir, I wanted to throw my new website up as fast as humanly possible. I found a cute text and a' posting I a-went. My darling friend Callie who is a stellar graphic designer said in the kindest of ways... "I noticed your typeface...." It was eating away at her, I could tell. I couldn't think of ANYONE better to create the official watermark for Click Chick Boudoir. BAM!
My journey into specialization started years ago. Only it didn't start with me actually specializing as it should have. It started with me thinking in the back of my mind (way back there with high school algebra and "how to be a domestic wife") "I really should be JUST a boudoir photographer. That's it."
Then of course, at "OTHER" voice in my head said things like:
"But lots of people pay you to photograph those other things!"
"But about 40% of your income is based on everything but boudoir!"
"But you would lose so much of your existing target market!"
"But so many people have negative feelings towards boudoir!"
"But the numbers! Do the numbers! It doesn't make sense!"
"But it's so hard to promote yourself as a boudoir photographer. I mean...not everyone wants their photos online...and, after all, that IS how you accumulated so many of your existing clients...because they saw your photos."
"But Facebook hates boobs."
"But your expenses will go up tremendously. You'll need a studio. And furniture for the studio. And insurance for the studio. And electricity for the studio. And, and, and..."
"But, but, BUTTTTTTTTT....."
I, of course, heard all of those specialized photographers talking about how fantastic it was, how it's the ONLY way to go. I read those books about specializing. I read ALL the books.
It wasn't until a few years later that I told that "OTHER" voice to STFU. I did it. I made the switch. I decided to specialize. And you know what?! The CRAZIEST THING HAPPENED. All of the things I had read in those books, all of the AWESOME results that those other specialized photographers bragged about CAME TRUE.
+ I am booking MORE of my ideal client. Clients who VALUE my time and my work.
+ I am WORKING LESS. Yep. Working less. It's funny how when you do what you're good at and really work on that ONE THING--it comes pretty naturally to me. Not to minimize the amount of work that I put into my "job", but when it comes easy to you, and when you're only doing what you love, it really doesn't feel like work. AND it takes you less time than when you do something you AREN'T naturally fabulous at and then have to work EXTRA EXTRA HARD to compensate for your lacking skill in that department.
+ I am making more. Uh huh. When I took an in-depth look into the number of hours I was pouring into other types of shoots (weddings, especially!) vs. what I was charging for those services...I was profiting an embarrassing amount per hour. If you look at the figure alone, you think "Wow, yeah, that's awesome. She really does well for herself!"....if you look at how many hours invested each month.....OUCH. It's not just that those hours were spent working hard. The kicker is that those were hours that WERE NOT spent on really important things like time with my family that I will never get back, like trying new things, like stopping to smell the roses.
+ I am able to be selective. If someone comes to me and asks me to photograph their family, I can easily say "I'm so sorry, I specialize in boudoir now." It's the truth. It doesn't mean I don't like that person. I know there are AMAZING family photographers out there that will do so much better than me and will be a better fit for that person. While it may sound like I'm being snobby...it's QUITE THE OPPOSITE. I've accepted the fact that I am NOT AWESOME at every type of photography. Just not. I've squashed my artist's ego. I find that the clients who I turn down but happily refer to another photographer are GRATEFUL for my honesty and end up most likely being far happier with their final images with that other photographer than the would have with mine (even though they might not realize that!). Then they come to me down the road for boudoir. Because that's what I do. And I do the hell out of it.
+ Doors are opening and they're opening WIDE. It is still absolutely BAFFLING to me how many opportunities have come my way since specializing less than 6 months ago. I can't talk about all of them just yet, but I assure you, these things would have never happened if I was still trying to juggle weddings, families, fashion, etc etc etc. It is so exciting. I'm still just stunned. And I know that it's only going to get better from here.
My final takeaway from all of this: I should have done this a LONG freaking time ago.
So you're not a photographer? So what. This blog post is still for you. What are ways you can change your life by being more selective about what you do? This doesn't even have to be about work, but life in general. What if , when you were playing with your children......wait for it........ you were JUST playing with your children?! That's it. 100% of your attention on your kids. Can you imagine how your relationship would grow? Improved behavior? Improved quality of family life?
Think about that.
ALSO- I strongly, STRONGLY recommend that anyone struggling with this topic pick up the book: "The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results" which obviously covers this very topic.
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!!
40 years and 5 children under her belt, and she's still kicking ass and taking names. Miss "R", here, is absolutely awesome. I've photographed her a few times in the past and her enthusiasm about the experience is a reminder to me that I am doing EXACTLY what I'm supposed to be doing. For women like her. She rocks. Read on for her story.
"I have worked with Kara over the past three years and every time she announces she is coming to Erie I try to book some time with her. This last time I had a boudoir shoot, the 2nd one in 3 years, only this time I felt differently about myself. I am 40 years old, 30 lbs. heavier then last time and with 5 kids, the oldest being 20....a lot more haggard.
I hide from having my picture taken, the person I saw in photographs just didn't fit the image I had in my head. The idea that I wasn't that young flat bellied perky breasted tight butted hottie that the media spreads across the masses as the ideal woman left me feeling less then desirable, no matter how much my guy said I was the prettiest woman in the room. Kara wouldn't hear of it, between her and Lindsey, my make up artist, (Kara only works with the best) I not only looked like the hottie I saw in the media but I felt like it too. I just couldn't believe the those images were me!"
“I now see the same thing my boyfriend does when he says I am beautiful, sexy...HOT even. What I walked away from with this shoot was more then just some pretty images... I got my groove back, I got to see that woman that the media portrays as ideal, only she’s beautiful and desirable. She’s on the 30 lbs.-heavier-side-of-40, and she’s me. Thank you Kara....”
I also must share an email that she sent me after her experience....it's so sweet, touching, and the last line just HAD to be published for all to see!!! LOVE HER!
"I'm so glad I met you. Truly... its not just about your photos, which we all agree... you are talented, its about you too... You have this awesome Leo personality that just shines. You put all our insecurities out of our heads.. literally out of the room, and you instantly become our life long friend, our greatest support and confidante. What our men can't do... no matter how hard they love us, no matter how hard they try, you can do in a matter of 10 minutes. The self esteem you provide is undoubtedly priceless. That my dear, whether you believe it or not, is an extraordinary gift. You can share it so freely. You are more to me then just my boudoir photographer... You are my life long friend. You are like my favoritest bra... close to my heart."
I hope everybody has an absolutely fabulous 4th of July! Be safe and have a blast! And watch out for that combo of drinking and playing with explosives, too! ;)
(P.S. The vintage American Flag used in the photo above did NOT touch the ground during the making of this photo. Not even once. ;) )
I get asked loads of questions on the daily about how to market a boudoir business, social media, blogging, etc. I don't foresee myself ever jumping on the "TEACHER" train, because, well, I just love shooting way too much! Creating this guide was my solution to being able to help photographers who contact me for help, all while continuing to live my passion through shooting boudoir full-time. It's the best of both worlds!! ;)
I launched the original "EXPLOIT YOURSELF" guide last year and got some really amazing feedback from it. I really beefed it up with LOADS more content and am really excited to be rolling it out today! Read more about it and purchase yours for $30 for a limited time!
