Radiant Bridal Boudoir | Austin Boudoir Studio

The tone that a woman's photo shoot takes is inevitably set by their energy when they walk in the studio. I pay close attention to their personality, to their style, and the purpose for their session. THEN, my creative juices flow in that direction for the duration of the day. 

When Miss "H" walked in, timidly showed me her outfits, and giggled a little when talking about her fiancé whom she was about to marry in less than 2 weeks, I knew that this was going to be an airy, radiant, maybe even ethereal at times boudoir experience. 

Check out her experience and her gorgeous photos!!!!!

"First, the response time to my questions and fitting me in with such short notice was awesome and so appreciated. Along with rush on everything to have it by the wedding day was so great." 

"While I was very nervous for the session, I was welcomed and felt much more relaxed by everyone from getting my makeup done (which I've only had done once before the week before) to the actual session with Kara! Explaining and showing me the exact positions before and even reminding me to breathe was so very helpful."

“The results for my images and video far exceeded my expectations. The photos do not feel overly photoshopped and my makeup and images look like ME which I wanted. I didn’t want to look like someone else. That was a huge relief to me. I loved them!”

— Miss H

We breezed through these photos and she even added on a VIDEO which was amazing (and for his eyes only!).  If y'all didn't know, we offer boudoir videos which are super incredible! We take little snippets of video throughout your shoot and merge them together with music and a few photos, and BAM-- a supa sexy keepsake! If you ARE doing your shoot for a partner, that's a really awesome option!

But I digress.

Thank you SO MUCH Miss "H"...and CONGRATULATIONSSSS on your new marriage which just freaking happened last weekend!!! I was DYING holding on to these photos until then! ;) 

READY FOR YOUR BOUDOIR EXPERIENCE? LET'S CHAT!

The bombshell in hiding | Austin Boudoir Studio

I hear it all the time...some variation of: "Is that ME!? Hot damn! I didn't know THAT girl was hiding in THIS girl all along!"  

My personal boudoir philosophy involves rocking your beauty right NOW. Yep, we do hair and makeup and even "zzshush" photos a tiny bit, but I pride myself on bringing out the inner bombshell without completely changing someone's authentic appearance. After all, where would be the pride in that if you LOVED the photos but they weren't truly of yourself...rather a model caked with makeup and photoshopped to death? At my studio, you'll STILL look like you. On your best day ;) 

This woman, here, may have been a wee bit nervous for her session. She may or may not have had a cocktail fit for an old Irish man in her coffee cup. But she DEFINITELY rocked it, showed her confident self, trusted me, and got some absolutely FABULOUS images to be forever proud of.

"I originally booked this session as a gift to my husband for our one year wedding anniversary, as it turned out, and I've learned it often does… this was such a gift to ME! I loved my experience all the way from booking my session to hair and make up to the shoot to the reveal…"

“Every single moment was empowering and authentic. Every moment was ME, I just didn’t know THAT me was in there!”

— Miss C

She was gorgeous and funny as hell. I love a girl with a solid sense of humor and a great smile. Thank you, Miss "C" for sharing your story and your photos! 

Self Portrait Project | Austin Boudoir Studio

Currently on year 4 of my boudoir self-portrait project, I can finally say with confidence that I have bettered myself as a photographer through this project. It started out as a means to an end...an effort to getting my husband an anniversary present at the last minute when I procrastinated just like I tell my clients not to do. 

It quickly became a challenge to do it more regularly AND to outdo myself every time. Sure, there were flops. Thousands of images that were instantly deleted. Dozens of times that images turned out way differently than I imagined...in a good way.....and dozens of times that images turned out way differently than I imagined in a "EEEEEWWW, OH MY GOD. NO!" kind of way.

Self-Portrait set up. Just a tripod, interval timer, and a badass location.

Looking back on all of them over the years leaves me with the reassurance that I am, in fact, evolving as a photographer, as a more confident woman, and as a self portrait artist. I do believe in practicing what you preach, no matter what your passion or profession. 

Recently, a "colleague" of mine (I guess that's what I call other photographers, right?!), wrote an article on FStoppers featuring an old article of mine on the Business of Boudoir about what I think it's so important for boudoir photographers to practice what they preach. Sorry for that run-on sentence. 

I wanted to reiterate a few of those points, as I know that a lot of boudoir photographers are reading this blog. But I also want to demonstrate to my clients and potential clients reading along that I HAVE in fact put myself in your shoes so many times I can't count them. I know how it feels to see an AWFUL photo of yourself, and I know the kind of power an AMAZING photo of yourself holds. 

If you are a boudoir photographer-- more so than ANY other type of photographer because THIS is SO very emotional and personal to our clients-- you absolutely should know what it's like to be in their shoes.  They come to you nervous to the point of shaking, they trust you to empower them and not make them feel even more insecure. They trust that you are an expert. To be an expert....TRULY an expert...you need to never stop learning. Self portraiture is an amazing way to work on getting there.

It was through self portraiture that my style evolved into what it is at the moment. I learned that I was very drawn to less posed, more "imperfect" type of images. Darker. Grittier. More emotion. Black and white and white and black. Had I only been shooting clients, I may have never discovered that as I loved to keep it bright and clean and cheery and safe.  If you are struggling with evolving your style, you may discover that self portraits help you hone in on what yours is.

And just like I go on and on about feeling AMAZING about yourself through boudoir photos to my clients...HEY. That applies to me too. I need a lift, a boost, a "hey girl, you've still got it!" every now and then. Especially now that I am holding back on actually photoshopping my own self portraits...it's a really amazing demonstration of how seeing the REAL you look great in a photo can be a massive confidence boost. 

As a professional boudoir photographer, why WOULDN'T I do this!? 

According to some other boudoir photographers, here's why they feel that self portraits aren't for them:

"I'm a hairy dude. Not a pretty woman."   Um. SO.FREAKING.WHAT?! Men deserve to feel awesome, too. Male boudoir photographers ALSO should know what it's like to be in front of the camera. It would be an outstanding learning exercise. 

"I'm overweight." Um. So.FREAKING.WHAT!? I can guarantee that you are telling your clients to embrace themselves with boudoir photos as they are RIGHT NOW. How can you say that and not put yourself in the same position, regardless of your current physical appearance? Let it be a confidence boost for you the way it would be for your clients. And yes, you WILL get all those "IMMEDIATE DELETE" images, but it will make you appreciate your craft and yourself as an artist all-the-more. And the more often you contribute to your project, the less "IMMEDIATE DELETE" images you will get.

"I don't have a pretty studio." And neither did I when I first started this project. And the majority of my favorite self portraits were not taken at my pretty studio anyhow, although that tends to be slightly more convenient because it's kid free. Learn to use what you've got, whatever that is. Another learning exercise. Put yourself in challenging lighting positions. Put yourself in tiny spaces. Work with zero wardrobe. Work with no professional makeup. Push yourself...that's the only way to get better.

"I tried once, and I'm scarred for life."  All the more reason to try again.  I applaud you more for doing it a second time than a first. 

"Because it's narcissistic." Nah. It's field research. I personally feel that sharing (some of) them demonstrates to my clients and potential clients that boudoir photography is nothing to be ashamed of. That you should be proud of your images. HOWEVER, you obviously do not NEED to share them publicly if you truly don't feel comfortable with it. But that should not deter you from taking them at all! I certainly save a LOT of the images for just my husband and I, as do many of my clients. This isn't about drawing attention to yourself. It's about making a statement that BOUDOIR is for EVERYBODY and that you TRULY believe in the power of it. 

If you have never done a boudoir shoot before, whether you are a photographer or not, I encourage you to go out of your comfort zone a little bit. I'm willing to bet that you won't regret it. 

WANTING TO SHOOT? LET'S START THAT CONVERSATION NOW....

Doing what you're meant to do | Austin Boudoir Studio

I am to the point in my life that I am doing EXACTLY what I want to be doing. I wouldn't change a thing about my current state in my career. What thrills me even more than that is when my clients can sense that through their boudoir experience with me.

When I got the following e-mail from Miss "N", I sorta kinda burst into tears... 

"You are one of the lucky people in life doing EXACTLY what they were destined to do!!  I definitely want to come back again- it was an empowering experience and you really make women feel beautiful and look their best!"

Because it's one thing to preach this over and over, but to hear it coming from a client, I know that I'm where I'm supposed to be.

Thank you, Miss "N" for your kind words and your super amazing shoot! You rocked it....and you BETTER come back again. #boudoirislikepotatochips

"After inquiring with a few different boudoir photographers in town, I could not get past how stunning Kara's images were. I knew this whole experience would be worth the investment, and I am not at all disappointed with the outcome! The images are beautiful, the shoot was a blast, and I can't wait to see the finished album. Thank you!!!" ~Miss N

HEY YOU! YES...YES....YOU!!! I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT FOR A WHILE...HOW ABOUT WE START THE CONVERSATION? GO AHEAD...I WON'T BITE...

Doodles, Brainstorms, and Travels | Austin Boudoir Studio

As a child, teenager, and grown adult, when I get off the phone with someone, I find my limbs COVERED in pen doodles. I can't write a card to someone without decorating the envelope. When I was in school, I would get scolded for "not paying attention", i.e.: doodling during class.  

Finally, in my freshman year of college, I had a professor that encouraged people in class to do whatever they needed to help them learn more efficiently. Whether that be listening to music with one earphone in, closing their eyes, or in my case- doodling. Interestingly enough, students didn't abuse this. They respected him for understanding that everyone learns differently. And everyone in the class had high marks.

I'm not an awesome pen-to-paper artist, but it soothes me, helps me concentrate, and generally helps me come up with all of my ideas worth taking action on.  When I have a lot to think about, I doodle. (Also, if you find yourself doing the same, I encourage you to check out the art of Zentangle. You're welcome.)

Lately, I've been putting a ton of thought into the reasons that I am doing what I'm doing. I'm photographing women in the boudoir capacity because I thoroughly enjoy impacting these women, giving them confidence and increased self-esteem, as well as self-discovery. Also I'm good at it. And I love it. And it fulfills me. And it's fun. And not a day goes by that I question what I'm doing with my life.  I know what my mission is and I know that I'm ON IT. 

I'm working for myself because of the flexibility to be me. The flexibility to be with my children when I want to be. The flexibility to take a freaking month off if I want to. The flexibility to travel whenever.  But wait........I've been falling flat.  It's funny how it's SO natural to fall into routines, isn't it? I have a very set studio schedule. And while every day is completely different because I'm working with a complete stranger of-a-woman-turned friend, my schedule is pretty regular.

For the last several years I've been making an effort to travel more. But the effort hasn't been the kind of effort that I typically put forth when I want to do something. Because it's a challenge. It's not easy to plan trips around school schedules and soccer seasons. It's not easy to secure childcare (if necessary) on a whim. It's not easy to take a chunk of savings and spend it on a trip. BUT I NEED TO DO IT.  

In 2015, I've traveled quite a bit. It's been awesome. I do tend to find myself going to all of the same places, though. And there are SO many places on my list to visit. And yolo. I get requests so often for destination boudoir shoots. Women in all different cities wanting me to come to them. Sometimes I'm able to pull this off, and sometimes it's just too complicated. 

When I have shot in other cities, it has been an absolute BLAST, a raging success, and a learning experience. 

So for 2016, I shall travel more. The ultimate goal is 2 different countries and 3 U.S. cities that are new to me. 

I shall succeed in this venture. 

THAT SAID, if you live....well...WHEREVER...and want me to come to YOU to photograph you and other women in your city, hit me up! I'd love to add some cool places to the list. Help me brainstorm and plan. xoxoxo

WHERE SHOULD I GO IN 2016 FOR DESTINATION BOUDOIR SHOOTS!?! HIT ME UP IN THE COMMENTS! Tell me WHERE I should go, and WHY. And tell me all about the food scene there...because I tend to base my travels around food. ;)

The Boudoir Photo Reveal | Austin Boudoir Studio

The Kara Marie Boudoir experience is just that, an experience. Because these boudoir photos are so incredibly important (let's face it, they are!), we want to make sure that you are getting the most out of the occasion.  This means viewing your photos in a unique way. 

I wanted to give you a little look into my photo reveal process. This is how my clients see their images for the first time...barring any long distance circumstances. 

The photo reveal. 

When we are getting you all packed up after your photo shoot, we will get you scheduled for your photo reveal session. This is anywhere from 1-3 weeks from your photo session date (depending on the time of year) and generally takes about an hour. THIS WAY, there is no GUESSING when you will get to see them all. You won't be wondering how long it will take before I show you. It takes a little anxious edge off, I promise. 

On the day of your reveal appointment, you come in to the studio, have some chocolates and champagne (duh! No photo shootin' going on TODAY. Indulge.), and watch as I reveal 15 or so of my favorite favorite favorite images from your boudoir shoot in a pretty little slideshow. You will love them and ooh and ahh over them. You will likely say "Wait. Is that ME!? That's ME!" about a dozen times. 

But wait! There's MORE! (Said in my best infomercial voice.) Then I take you one-by-one through each retouched image...generally about 60 of them. I show them all to you and we do some more oohing and ahhing. 

A sample screen of a full collection (from yesterday's blog post! If you haven't, go check it out!)

At this point we've already discussed what you foresee your finished product to be, whether that is a fine art album to keep on your coffee table, a little black book to keep in your nightstand, gorgeous acrylic wall art, or even digital files.  Nonetheless, I show you all of the options so you know what kind of awesomeness we can create for you with your images. 

We then go BACK through each image, one by one, and you give me a simple "YES" or "NO". There will be FAR more YES's than NO's, I assure you. The "NO" images will be removed from the "pile", and the "yes" images will be saved to a more pleasantly plump pile.  Together, we can eliminate any images that are too similar to make sure that you've got a diverse album. I will give you recommendations on images that would make for exquisite wall art. 

You make your final selections with my help, and then we get RIGHT to work with designing your finished product. 

And that is how it's done. 

The photo reveal is such an incredible experience for Kara Marie Boudoir clients and we often find that women are more nervous about this appointment than their actual shoot, and ALWAYS over-the-moon happy with their images. 

You can see a little of our photo reveal process in action in our promo video, too! 

And if you're coming in from out of town for your boudoir experience, like many women do, we can still offer up the photo reveal experience via online screen-sharing! Ohhh the power of technology! Here's a quick pic that my studio manager captured during our last long-distance photo reveal! I love the beaming look on my client's face as she watched her boudoir video!!

READY FOR YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE? THOUGHT SO. LET'S CHAT!

Desert Boudoir at Sunset | Austin Boudoir Photographer

It is absurdly important for me to always do photo shoot projects for myself on the side. The moment the passion to create outside what I'm being paid to create goes away, I'm in big trouble as an artist.

What's ironic is, I used to live in Erie, PA. A smaller city with not a whole lot of location options. When people wanted to do their photos on the beach I would silently cringe...only because that's where I shot ALL the time (that, and it was a relatively polluted beach so editing out trash, dead fish, and condom wrappers got quite cumbersome). It got boring. And now that I'm not around the beach environment much anymore, I find myself thinking about that type of shoot environment quite often. 

I've had my eye on this location WAAYYY out in Texas (I mean, REAL Texas, y'all. On my drive there I saw practically no cars, hundreds of deer, cows, and vultures, about 30 DQs, countless tumbleweeds, those oil drilling thingamajiggers everywhere, and the "EMPORIUM OF SPURS".) since I moved to Austin nearly 5 years ago.  

When my super gorgeous model friend Olivia Jordan hired me to the be the photographer for Mood Board Productions' boudoir modeling weekend in Midland, we knew that a team Jordan/Trombetta shoot in the sandhills HAD to happen at some point. 

I arrived at the hotel around 6pm, it was another 40 minute drive to the sandhills, and I had to collect Olivia in all her glory to head out that way. By the time we arrived, parked (apparently illegally. Who knew that was possible in the middle of nowhere!?), and hiked our way up the sandhills, not only was I completely out of breath, but we also only had TWENTY MINUTES of light left. WHAT!?  

Luckily, #1- I'm a super fast-paced shooter. I don't linger at all from pose to pose. I get.it.done. #2- Olivia is a professional model. She is. No hiding that fact. So she knows her way around a photo shoot. #3- We've worked together enough times that we had our FLOW down and totally knew how to jive with each other to maximize efficiency. #4- I work so much better under a strict timeline. #5- THE LIGHT WAS SO FREAKING GLORIOUS.

So we cranked it out! I knew that I had to have at least one awesome self-portrait to add to my project...I mean, I DID drive all that way. More on that in another post. So I got my "selfie" and commanded Olivia to strip down (I get bossy when I'm in a hurry) and we went to "work". 

It was SO incredible watching the shoot unfold (insanely quickly), watching the light change colors as the sun set, watching the shadows cast harshly on the windblown sand texture almost as if it knew exactly what I had been envisioning for years. It was glorious. 

I don't think I have ever been so conflicted about keeping photos in color vs. doing black and white conversions....I tried to find a happy balance, but I truly love them all, in both color AND black and white. 

As always, it was an absolute pleasure having a "play" shoot with this lovely. And I solemnly swear that I will always remember to shoot just for me every now and then. 

“We are all broken, that’s how the light gets in.”

— Ernest Hemingway

"I FELT BEAUTIFUL POSING IN MY NOTHINGNESS." MISS N | AUSTIN BOUDOIR

If you roll your eyes every time you hear me say how much I love my clients, you may just want to stop following me altogether. Because, seriously...these women are incredible. I am so grateful to have the pleasure to meet so many incredible women every day. Miss "N" here is no exception. 

Her energy was bounding, her enthusiasm refreshing, and her aura was glowing. She absolutely rocked. I adore her images (anyone see any resemblance to Kelly Kapowski!?!) and I'm so excited to share them with y'all. 

Here's what Miss "N" had to say about her experience:

"Kara has been one of my favorite photographers for a few years now. I've had friends that have done shoots with her and I've admired her work from afar thinking one day I'd like to do that. 'One day' finally came and I took the plunge. I was a little nervous going into it but the moment I walked in the door I felt so comfortable. Kara has a way of making you feel confident in your own skin."

“There wasn’t one moment during my shoot where I thought ‘I wonder if my thighs look big? Can you see my cellulite/stretch marks? Do I look fat? Are my boobs big enough? Do I look skinny?’ I felt beautiful posing in my nothingness.”

— Miss N

"I think that's how we as women should feel standing in our own skin. Nothing needs to be added to make us beautiful. From the core of creation women have been a gift and since the fall of man, we have been layering on busyness, fear and perfection to cover our shame and imperfections.

There's beauty in our imperfections and strength in our vulnerability. Be brave and embrace who you are."

Those are words of a wise woman, and images of a goddess. 

Thank you SO incredibly much, Miss "N" for having this experience with me, and for sharing your profound words and stunning images with us!!!! 

IF YOU ARE READY FOR A MASSIVE PICK-ME-UP, LET'S CHAT ABOUT A BOUDOIR SHOOT!

Just DO it | Miss J | Austin Boudoir Studio

When my clients reach out to me for the first time, it's generally with SO much enthusiasm. More often than not, they say that they've been wanting to book a shoot with me for a very long time and then finally put on their big girl panties and emailed...and they are "so so soo sooooooo excited!". That makes me happy. 

I want women to come into this experience with more excitement than nervousness. A little bit of nervous is to be expected, I get it. Taking your clothes off in front of anybody is probably uncomfortable enough, but to do it in front of...a...CAMERA!?  Again...I REALLY, REALLY get it! 

For the women who are out there THINKING about a boudoir shoot but too afraid to pull the trigger because they "want to lose 10 more pounds" or whatever the reason may be...I want you to know that there is truly no time like the present. Remove "someday" from your vocabulary. You will NOT regret doing a shoot, but you WILL regret NOT doing a shoot. 

Miss "J" here was talking about booking me for quite a long while. She's a photographer who followed me avidly on Instagram and was a frequent "liker", and used words like "someday". When she finally sent THE email, I was elated for her. That's a big first step, but once you take it, your nerves will be calmed and I will baby step you through EVERYTHING.  You will do great. Just like Miss "J" did. ;)

"Kara and her team welcomed me with open arms. I felt so relaxed, except for some of the poses she had me in! Ha! ;) But really, I recommend all women do this! Just shut up and DO IT. We all need some "me" time now and then."

“I wasn’t in the best shape physically that I would’ve liked to have been, but then after seeing my photos... HELL TO THE YEAH!! :) I looked awesome (hair flip). Yay! I cannot wait to show the hubster!!”

— Miss J

"Kara, thank you so much for doing what you do and making me feel so comfortable. Kendall, her make-up artist, was also great and felt like an old friend!"

"You are all so talented and lucky to be able to do this, make women feel beautiful! The whole process was easy breezy. I will definitely book with Kara again! (Fist pump) :) "

Thank you so much to Miss "J" for getting out of her zone a bit for me. TOTALLY.WORTH.IT. 

REMOVE "SOMEDAY" FROM YOUR VOCABULARY. LET'S GET THE CONVERSATION STARTED. YOU WON'T REGRET DOING A SHOOT. YOU'LL REGRET NOT DOING IT. PINKY SWEAR.

Brigitte Pentecost | Austin Boss Chicks Portrait Project

When it comes to amazing female-run Austin businesses, Brigitte Pentecost runs one of my favorites! STILL&SEA is a delightful Austin swimwear boutique located practically around the corner from my studio.  Seriously y'all....CUTEST SUITS EVERRRR!  She, of course, carries other awesome beachy items like cover-ups and flash tattoos so you should most definitely stop in and check out everything. 

I am excited to bring you Brigitte's portraits as part of my Austin Boss Chicks Portrait Project. She's a natural beauty and it was an absolute pleasure to have her in front of my lens. 

Meet Brigitte:

Q:Your name:

A:Brigitte Pentecost

Q:What do you do? What’s your business?

A: I own STILL&SEA, a women’s swimwear boutique located on South Lamar.


Q: Why is being in charge of your own success so important to you? 

A: Being in control of the direction my life takes, and the autonomy that presents, is one of the most incredible and empowering feelings I’ve felt…like ever. It’s really important to be aware of the fact that you’ve got the ability to bring into fruition and physically manifest the potential within you. I don’t necessarily look at my business and the community I’ve built and say, “Hey, I did this. I made this!” every day, but when I hear other people point it out to me, it does inspire some serious awe for what I’ve been able to create—and that appreciation of the significance you’ve established for both yourself and for others is one of the most valuable feelings you can experience. 

Q: Have you ever experienced gender discrimination? How has that affected you?

A: When I first started the business, I took advantage of a lot of free small business development resources. I will *always* remember this one meeting I sat down to with two, older male advisers. Mind you, I can’t say with 100% certainty that the residual feeling from this meeting was due entirely to gender discrimination, but I think because the nature of the product that I work with was so foreign to these guys, added to the fact that I was a 26 when this happened, contributed to the general disposition of these men to doubt and lightly patronize me. I exited that meeting feeling completely defeated, bewildered, and almost mad at myself for starting something that seemed so much bigger than me. It was one of the first experiences I had where I doubted what I was doing (that’s actually going to happen a lot when you run your own business, and my fellow boss chicks can attest to that), but I think it was a really integral and necessary, one because it forced me to self-motivate. You have to learn to keep moving, to cast that doubt aside, and to rely on, and trust in, your own aptitude—and that goes for everyone, not just business owners.

Q: What advice would you give to those women looking to take charge of their own success? 

A: Believe in yourself. Allow yourself and your brand to stay true to who you are. Make friends in your industry (they’re seriously invaluable). Approach everything with a kind heart and poise. 

Q: Where do you want to be in 5 years?

A: I would love to have a start-up consulting business for other women beginning their own pursuits. Teaching and helping others to forge their own paths is something I’m extremely passionate about, and I don’t think there should really be “secrets” when it comes to success.

Business Info:

STILL&SEA 2110 South Lamar Blvd, Austin TX 78704

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/stillandsea

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stillandsea

Website: http://www.stillandsea.com

Phone: 512-326-1443