The Girl Next Door Turns Vixen| Dallas Boudoir Photography

I haven't shot in a studio in quite some time.  While I love the idea of having a constant place to go, shoot, and call my boudoir home.  I have to admit that I do love shooting on location because my photos, work, and brain power will never go stale because each image for each client will look drastically different.

However, if I were to ever pick a client's place that I could shoot in every single day of my boudoir career I would be Ms. N's.  She had an atrium, nice concrete floors, powerful soft light, and this incredible blue studded and tufted jewel couch that was to LIVE for.  You know what else I loved about her place?  It was luxurious but minimalistic.  I know, what a juxtaposition!  (I'm going to be honest, I just wanted to use that word).  

As I say in just about every other blog post, you have to match your style to your settings.  This is how you get those drool-worthy Pinterest boudoir photos that every woman yearns for.  

Since the settings were very minimalistic we decided to have the outfits, hair, makeup, and posing standout and play the power forward position in the photos.   

Dominque Dai is one of my favorite hairstylist in Dallas.  She is one of the most versatile and professional hair care specialists in the city.  For Ms. N photos I wanted to go simple, girl next door glam.  We went for a very loose french braid look with a curl end.  This worked perfectly with her ombre colored hair.  

Jazzy is my right-hand man.  He went in for the kill for the beautifully executed softly dark makeup look.  I know, what the hell is a dark soft?!  Well, the lips were a dark glistening pink and the contour was dark, but not heavy.  Jazzy loves to go for editorial drama in his looks.   Let's not forget about that highlight though! 

Ms. N gave us free range and we were able to have her as our fun little canvas!  

The Girl Next Door

In look one we decided to go with a gray oversized sweater.  Sweaters are my thing.  We shot Kryssi on a black sweater the other day and now we are shooting Ms. N in this sexy gray number.  She had always wanted to wear this piece but could never find anything to match with it.  Therefore she was excited to wear it for our session.  

In most sessions, the more simple a look is the more powerful the image becomes.  Therefore, all we really needed was her couch as the statement piece.  Can you believe she found this tufted jeweled couch on the side of the road driving on Harry Hines in Dallas?!

The Vixen

Ms. N is a juggernaut of beauty!  Besides her gorgeous place, another thing Ms. N had going was the fact that she had racks on racks on racks of lingerie!  In fact, shortly after our session she reached out to me and gave me ALL her lingerie because she was moving across seas and could not take the items with her.  So I have soooooooooo much new lingerie that I haven't even shown off yet.  Judging by these pieces you know they are good!  LOL!

For her second look we decided to show off her assets while not needing to bare them all.  You can tell that Ms. N has a body and attitude that could take down foreign leaders.  So we styled her in a bodysuit that had a really sexy ribbon tied front.  We did this because, while we know her frame is sexy, it still leads a lot to the imagination.  The toasted peach color of her Victoria's Secret bodysuit was perfect for our boudoir setting as we shot these in her atrium.  Dominique just undid the french braid which caused the beautiful shape and volume of her hair.  Jazzy just darken the look a tad to give her more of a vampy vixen vibe.  (How did you like the use of all those V words?)

I had SUCH a blast shooting Ms. N.  She is such a damn doll!  I couldn't have asked for a better client, with a badass lingerie wardrobe, in the most perfect home for boudoir!

Let me know in the comment section below which boudoir look you like the best?  Personally, I really like them both!

If you are in the Dallas area and would like to book a boudoir session please check out our pricing and hit us up on the contact page. Or even just fill the form out below!

How to Style a Badass Boudoir Session | Dallas Boudoir

I feel like every time I shoot a session it's my favorite and having  Ms. M in front of the lens was no exception. 

Ms. M's session kicked ass for a number of reasons. Her hair and makeup were perfect for the location. She listened with the intent to follow, and she trusted my directions to get the perfect poses and looks for each frame. However, the most important thing was that her looks weren't your typical boudoir lingerie pulls. This was a beautifully styled session .

Today we are going to break down each look and why it worked, where the pieces were purchased, and how it was styled.

BOUDOIR SHOULDN'T BREAK THE BANK

Now don't me wrong, I LOVE to shop for lingerie.  It's so much fun! However, after window shopping on Agent Provocateur's website pieces add up pretty quickly and the average woman probably isn't trying to spend $1600 on lingerie.  

All the items you will see today were purchased from Target,  Forever 21, or came from the client's own collection. I think the most expensive piece was about $20.

Remember,  it's never the price of clothing, it's how you style it.

LOOK 1: Bodysuits for Boudoir

White Bodysuit: $3 Forever 21, 
Cut-off shorts, Heels: Clients previously purchased pieces

Let me be perfectly honest.  I love bodysuits.  They are so fucking sexy.  They are sensual because there's an understated allure about them.  I believe it's because they hide so much but let the right body parts show off.  Bodysuits hug the body and this allows you to appreciate the feminine form.

This bodysuit was purchased brand new from Forever 21 for ONLY $3!  Yes, a Forever 21 was actually closing down for a remodel and they were having a fire sale.  This bodysuit found a new home.  It's very important to make sure you look out for sales to help save you money.  Even without the sale, this body retails for no more than $11.

LOOK 2:  Lace Bralette & High Waisted Black Panties

Lace Bra Top: $16, Forever 21
High Waisted Bottoms: $20, Target

Right after bodysuits my favorite element on lingerie is lace.  Lace is just a classic element that brings a sense of tradition to photos... even in this beautiful blue.  The bra top makes it bit more modern with the straight lines that highlight the breast.  

The bottoms are actually my favorite piece.  I feel like high waisted bottoms don't get enough love.  When not on the body they have a tendency to look like granny panties, but once you put them on they flatten the tummy area to make you look long and lean.  This is perfect for most body types.  It's especially useful when you have a little muffin top going.

Look 3: Lace  Faux Silk Top & High Waisted Floral Bikini Bottoms

Top: $15, Forever 21
Swimsuit Bottoms: $15, Forever 21

I love a good loose top.  Yes, I know boudoir is all about the tight and sexy, but sometimes we just gotta let the girls live!  this is probably my favorite top of all times.  Well, not really but lets got with it for this post.  The top is fun, loose, and allows Ms. M to move around freely.  When you feel free in person you look free in your photos.  

Since we were shooting outside floral was a perfect choice.  The color couldn't have been better since we were shooting in late evening during the summer.

LOOK 4: Nude Bikini Top and Nude Mesh Bikini Bottoms

Tank Top: $15, Forever 21
High Waisted Bikini Bottoms: $15, Forever 21

Another secret I have for beautifully styled boudoir sessions is using swimsuits or bikinis instead of traditional lingerie.  

I KNOW! Who would have thought?!

I find that swimsuits are equally as sexy and lingerie and no one will know the difference anyway.  Furthermore, swimsuits tend to be a bit more fun, edgy, and sexy since they are designed for people to actually see in addition to being functional.  Another advantage of using swimwear instead of traditional lingerie for boudoir session is that the pieces come in more colors.  Having more colors provide more versatility when it comes to styling for a location.

WOW!  I know that was A LOT!  However, I how Ms. M gave you some ah-mazing ideas on how you can plan your own boudoir session.  Just keep in mind that your boudoir session is a reflection of you and your style.  As long as you stay authentic to your aesthetic you will look great.  If you have any questions about styling please contact me.  

In the comment section below please let me know which look was your favorite and why.

CONTACT US!

If would like to book a boudoir session with us please fill out the form below or go to our contact page and give us a call.  We typically return calls and emails within 24 hours!

LA Chronicles: An Awesome Boudoir Session at LACMA

The LA County Museum of Art (LACMA) has been on my travel bucket list for years. I have always seen Wendy and WongFu Productions here and I knew I just wanted to go and shoot here.  Never in a million years did I think I was going to do boudoir here.  

What an incredible session it was!

We shot an incredible dancer named Shala here.  In fact, you may recognize her because she starred in a Superbowl commercial this year (Superbowl 50) alongside Arnold Schwanagger for Mobile Strike.  Check out the video here.

Shala isn't a fighter, she's actually a badass dancer based out of the UK.  It was by coincidence we were both in LA at the same time.  It was an honor to get to shoot this awesome artist.

Tips for Shooting a Night Boudoir Session at LACMA

1.) Be Confident

Boudoir can be super intimidating if you allow it to be.  It doesn't make it any easier when you are shooting your session outside when there are tons of people around.  Therefore you need to silence all your insecurities, listen to your photographer, and just own the moment.  In a matter of time everyone else will disappear around you.

2.) Wear Light Colors

There is a lot of light out there and wearing light clothes will really pop against the darkness.  

3.) Be Polite

It doesn't matter what time of day it is... there will be a lot of people at LACMA.  We shot this session around 1AM on Sunday morning and , while it doesn't look like it, there were a TON of people around.  Therefore we had to ask people to move.  People typically respond well to you if you are polite.  Plus, after everyone saw Shala dance they were super inclined to move to see her move.

To learn more about how awesome LACMA is please check them out here!

Have you guys ever considered an outside session?  If so, where would you shoot? 

CONTACT US!

The Art of Allowing Yourself to Live | Dallas Boudoir

For a long time, I was missing something in my photos.  Yes, many of them were technically correct, the editing was perfect, and I was getting the posing down for my clients... but there was just SOMETHING missing in them.  The draw-in factor if you will.  After meeting Denise Birdsong of Modern Love Photography two years ago I knew exactly what it was.  

I was missing the emotional factor.

Art makes you feel something.  

It wasn't until recently that I really felt like my photos moved people.

Anyone can take a decent looking photo.  I mean, how many beautiful sunset photos have we all seen?  It's not just a sunset that draws you in, it's the power of a beautiful sunset after a hard day that draws you in.  It's the fact that no matter what you create in this world God's art will always be best. It's the emotion that the image evokes that stays with you.  When emotion evokes something from the viewer that's when you know you have an epic photo.

The most memorable pieces of art communicate feelings.

The main difference with Wonderland Boudoir compared to many boudoir studios is the fact that we aim to produce evocative photos.  We want you to give yourself permission to own you.  When shooting, we go on a journey of feeling sexy, confident, loving yourself, and much more.  This is what separates us from everyone else.
  
When a session is booked with Wonderland Boudoir we want our clients' photos to feel like a piece of art.  When they see themselves we want them to feel beautiful, sexy, and confident.  We want them to know they are actually the woman they always dreamt they could be.  
At Wonderland Boudoir we are offering you the time and space to be unapologetically yourself.  We provide an opportunity to cast away all the restrictions society has placed up.  We want you to go there with yourself.  We want you to own YOUR beauty.  

You may not look like Chanel Iman, Karlie Kloss, or Kendell Jenner... but guess what?  You weren't meant to either.  You guys don't have the same journey.  Therefore stop comparing yourselves to them. 

Own this journey.  Own your path.  Create magic.  Create art with us at Wonderland Boudoir.  Give yourself full permission to give us all your emotion.  Give us your anger, happiness, sweetness, and coyness.  Share all that with us to make sure you get the most out of your photos.

Don't know how to do that?  Don't worry. That is were come in.  I will help coach you through it so you can get the art that you have always dreamt off.  Give yourself permission to live.  

This is your opportunity to create a memorable piece of art. Take advantage of it.

Fergie's M.I.L.F $ Tells Women to Celebrate our Sexiness during Mommyhood

1I don’t give a fuck what anyone says.  Fergie’s M.I.L.F $ video was outstanding.  I am loving the fact that she is promoting the healthy ideology of women having their own careers while still owning that sexuality that has made them, them.  You can be a leader, a businesswoman and a mom, all while still being hot as fuck doing it.  Don’t let the world or society tell you what your limits are as a woman especially if you are a mother. 

The thing I don’t like is “feminist” knocking Fergie saying this video doesn't represent feminism.  Feminism is defined as the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.  

We as women need to stop wasting our time judging each other and join forces.  The highlight of M.I.L.F $ is that the cameos are all iconic women who are not ashamed their sexuality (Kim Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen, Ciara, Alessandra Ambrosio, Gemma Ward, Tara Lynn, Devon Aoki, Angela Lindvall, Isabeli Fontana, Amber Valletta, and Natasha Poly).  All these women have made a career for themselves by loving and owning who they are as women.  While the world told them to cover up while yelling, “you’re a mom now!” they went about their business and climbed to the top.  These women have succeeded in owning that femininity and showing other women they could have it all too.

The narrative we women face every day is HOW we need to ACT as ladies.  Women shouldn’t have to “act” any certain way.  This is why I love boudoir photography.  Boudoir allows women to just let go and be who they have always wanted to be, themselves.

One of the other narratives that society tells is that we can’t be sexy and a mother.  Why?  Who the fuck determined that sexiness stopped after you became a mom?  Sexy does not mean slutty.  How is a mother a slut for owning her sexuality and femininity?  Where did this bullshit idea come from?

So, I decided to look up the word slut.  Per Google, slut means a WOMAN who has many casual partners.  Why is slut only used towards women?  Why can’t a woman have many sexual partners?  Why are men celebrated for their promiscuity and women are put down?  Also, what is the male version of slut?

Why do we as a society confuse sexiness with sluttiness?

I mean real talk… Why are Kim Kardashian and Amber Rose called sluts?  We have to be all be honest here... Kim wasn’t sleeping with every dude in the world.  She just made a sex tape where she was having sex with one person who we ALL know she was in a committed relationship with.  Same with Amber Rose.  She was in a long-term relationship with Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa, but because these women decide to show off their curvaceous bodies and own their femininity they are now… sluts?  Even though it’s been proven they haven’t earned that title?

To own, love, and rock the fuck out of your mommyhood and womanhood is something ALL women have the right to do.   We as a society don’t have the right to tell a woman to do with her body or how she should act or look after she gives birth. 

Own your femininity.
Own you sexuality.
Stop letting the world validate who you are as a person.

At the end of the day you have to live with yourself.  Don’t allow yourself to be mentally imprisoned based on another person's opinion of femininity, sexuality, and womanhood.

Thanks Fergie

How to Be Confident, Dallas Boudoir

Thank you guys for joining me on this new interview series!  Each week I will highlight a different and amazing mover and shaker in the world.  For this Inaugural post it brings me great pleasure to introduce to you Celina Natalia.  Celina is an incredible business woman, model, and animal rights activist.  Today Celina will talk to you about how to become confident and three steps that you can do to help build your confidence.

Being Focused Yields Confidence

Celina is one of the most confident and focused people that I know.  Being focus helps build confidence.  She stays focused by remembering that in anything that she does she has to do justice to the whole project, not just for herself.  In modeling she’s representing the makeup up artist, the hairstylist, and the photographer.  She has to give it her all in order for the photographer to be able to have useful pictures.  She understands that a shoot is a team effort and she plays a pivotal role.  

Confident People can Handle Constructive Criticism

Pro Tip: One needs to learn how to take constructive criticism well.  You don’t have to allow criticism to be a blow to your ego.  Many people want to help so you have to be open minded and willing to listen in order to help the team and yourself.  Being able to handle constructive criticism shows confidence.  When you don’t become overly emotional about feedback it tells people you’re not scared of what others have to say.  It shows that you listen and you are willing to learn.

Why Confidence is Important

Celina believes that if you’re not confident you won’t feel good.  You have to feel good about yourself and your ability to do anything.  Part of that is building your own sense of personal trust. You have to trust yourself to do a good job.  She adds, “You must have a willingness to try.  People really value that.” No one wants be around people who don’t put in the effort.  

3 Things You can do to Build Confidence

1.) Workout

Part of feeling good about yourself and gaining confidence is being healthy and having an active lifestyle.  If you’re body isn’t healthy you’re not going to go out and do things.  After a workout you feel accomplished and it’s a positive way to start your day.  You must have a great mental and physical balance in order be productive.  Why not start your day out with a run or perhaps 30 minutes of hardcore yoga?  Organic Authority agrees with Celina.  They believe that working out changes the way you face challenges.

Challenge:

Start a 30 day two mile walk or run challenge first thing in the morning.  Completing a morning workout helps promote a positive can do attitude that can set the tone for the rest of the day. 

2.) Do What You Love to Do

Celina believes that happiness brings confidence.  Do you love photography?  Shoot everyday!  Do you want to be a model?  Link up with beginning photographers and make sure you do it EVERY weekend.  The more you do an act that brings you happiness through accomplishments the more willing you are to try new things within the realm to grow who you as a person.  

Challenge:

 Find something that you really enjoy doing and do it at least once a week.  Make sure that you schedule time around the activity to make sure you can fully enjoy it and have enough time  to complete it. Set yourself up for a win.

3.) Face Your Fears

Challenges help you grow as a person.  Complacency is the number one killer of the human spirit.  You need to do what you have the ability to do.  The main reason people don’t do this is because they feel like they are going to be judged.  Listen, no one is judging you.  In the event someone is really reflect on what that person is doing in their life… and then ask yourself, “do I really care?”  No one became great doing the same thing as the next person.  Innovation and challenge is what keeps us all going.  Stop being concerned about being judged and just do it.  

Challenge:

That crazy idea of business plan that you have?  In the next 7 days put it in action.  Don’t know how?  Check out my homie Regina from ByRegina who gives you detailed steps on how to create an actionable creative plan.

Don't Half Ass!

In your Mecca to help build confidence you can’t half ass anything. You have to put genuine effort in everything that you do.  Come at it with full force.

Take into consideration that no one was born with the ability of knowing how to do something perfectly.  “You realize you will be a lot more confident when you actually put in the effort.”

Wasn’t Celina awesome?!   I really hope you guys enjoyed the video and this post.  This is why she’s one of my favorite people ever to be around.  She has a great can-do attitude, she’s willing to try new things, and she’s very open minded.  All these things helps to bring and build confidence.  

DFW Rescue Me, Dinner for Justice

As Celina stated in the video on September 11, 2015 DFW Rescue Me is having a dinner benefit to help bring donations to help abandoned and abused animals.  This event will be held at the Highland Hotel in Arlington, Texas.  The cost is $75 per plate and the event begins at 7PM.  To see more information on this annual event please check out their Facebook page for more details!

Connect with Celina

Please Tweet, Soundcloud, Instagram, or leave a message on Celina’s new Faceboook page and let her know how much you enjoyed her interview with Wonderland Boudoir!

To see more photos of Celina or just to keep up with us follow us on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter! We also have a new Soundcloud page up so you can listen to all our interviews each week in podcast form!

In the comments below please let me know somethings you took away from the interview with Celina.  

Entering in a comments allows you a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Victoria’s Secret! Contest ends September 26th, 2015 at 11:59AM.

Why You Should Not Be Insecure During Your Boudoir Session

Lets be honest.  We are all have something to be insecure about.  Some are insecure of their lack of knowledge for a certain subject.  Some feel insecure about about coming in last in a race.  Many of us are insecure about certain body types.  

The media has done a number on us in this day in time.  We are either too fat, too skinny, too tall, too short, or too muscular.  I mean have you hear people fitness shaming now?  YES!  People have a nerve to say Ronda Rousey and Serena Williams are TOO fit.  

Ummm… last time  checked both these women have careers that are based SOLELY around their athleticism.  They literally get paid to make sure they are athletically fit enough to win their matches.  Their job is to be winners.  These two ladies are the epitome of health and fitness.  Saying that Ronda and Serena are too fit is like say Steve Jobs and Michael Dell or too smart.  Or even saying that Drake makes too many hit songs (did you like #BacktoBack?).  That sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?  You are basically criticizing them for being too good at their job.  I do have an article about how to stop being a HATER if you are one of these people who are making a deal because of their bodies.

Today I’m going to explain to why you need to Eff Your Insecurities and just do a boudoir session!  I would have cussed, but I’m trying to be a changed woman…. lets see how long this last.    

Just Accept the Fact that No One is Judging You

I’m going to be honest, during your boudoir session no one is judging.  No one notices all the the flaws you see.  The only thing that your photographer and your glam squad see are what they are going to do to enhance every feature on the body and to make sure they get the optimal photos for your session.  

 

Your Boudoir Photographer is Not Judging You

Your photographer’s only goal is to make sure you look amazing.  Typically before your scheduled boudoir session most photographers speak about the body parts that you want to hide and enhance.  To be honest, even if you say that you dislike a certain part of your body the photographer should be knowledgeable enough to enhance that part of your body through posing so you can see the beauty that everyone around you notices everyday.  

To be honest if anyone should be the most insecure during a shoot it is the photographer.  I know first hand as a boudoir photographer because I get insecurities before EVERY shoot.  I get scared or concerned because I want to make sure that I always get what my client wants.  The photographer is so worried about pleasing you they have no need, want, or desire to spending time judging you.  

A photographer notices a unique sense of beauty, especially boudoir photographers.  In order to be a great photographer you must first think like an artist.  I personally grew up around around of all types of medium.  My favorite was paint.  I grew up in love with Georgia O'Keeffe, Norman Rockwell, Diego Rivera, and Keith Haring.  

Starting in grade school a recurring motif was art teachers  telling me over and over again that I have a natural ability to paint and understand the concept of art.  Some of the art teachers would look at my style and ask  me who taught me to paint.  No one did.  They said that I hold my brush like a professional painter.  I was 7 at the time.  

Even in high school I love creating items in clay.  I love getting down and dirty and creating a blank canvas into something beautiful.  This is what I think about photography.  My ladies that come in are a blank canvas and it’s my job to create beautiful art from each woman’s  unique likeness.

Your Hair & Makeup Team for Boudoir is Not Judging You

The Hair and makeup teams is not judging you.  The hair and makeup artist that Wonderland Boudoir teams up with are fantastic team and hand picked.  I not only review the their work and how it compliments my style, but I also take notice on how they treat my clients.  I personally have zero tolerance for anyone who makes my clients feel uncomfortable and insecure.  I may be docile and introverted at times, I will speak up when I need too.  

The hair and makeup team are licensed professionals that know how to listen to your wants and needs to help figure out to how work them to fit your personal look. When you see them staring they aren’t judging they are trying to determine what will realistically work for you or what modifications they can make to enhance your beauty.  They will often talk to you about your daily regimen.  If you are feeling insecure about your hair, skin, or makeup skills my team is more than happy to show you some tricks of the trade and products that you can use in your day to day life.  

Hair and makeup is only there to help.  They are mostly scared of you judging their work because they want to make sure they are capturing the look just how you envisioned it while at the same time creating the look based off my shooting style.    We have a great article on why you need to hire a professional makeup artist for your boudoir and wedding day.  

The Honest Truth about Boudoir Photography

If nothing else puts you at ease think about your boudoir session this way… boudoir photographers have the same insecurities as you.  We are still normal people with normal problems.  We just so happen to have the luxury of taking hundreds of photos each year of women of all shapes, sizes, and cultural backgrounds.  Each woman looks significantly different than the next.  Each one carries a sense of beauty in them that sometimes that don’t notice until the final photos come back.  

Just Face the Facts

You are beautiful.  Don’t allow your insecurities to determine what you do in this life.  Own them.  Make them sexy, and flaunt it shamelessly.

In the comments below name something that you USED to be insecure about and what you did you get over it.  

Today I’m giving away a $50 gift card to Victoria’s Secret.  The winner will be determined  on 08/29/2015 at 11:59AM.