Introducing Esteem Boudoir

This is an area of photography I've been wanting to do for years. While we worked out of our home it just wasn't feasible. Since we built the studio, however, it has become a very promising aspiration of mine. And this week I managed to get the nerve to have a go with two willing and very helpful and beautiful women.

Actually I think it took a bit of nerve from us all as neither of these women are models, nor had they done this sort of thing before.

I couldn't be happier with the results. In some ways it was much easier than I had anticipated and in others it was much more difficult. Dealing with semi-nudity wasn't uncomfortable at all but thinking up poses and understanding how to position the lights took a little more work.

Its certainly not as simple as 'just look at someone elses photo and duplicate it'. Not to mention that I want to be original. Originality isn't easy when the number of photographers in this world is growing at an exponential rate. And when you spend hours studying other people's work it can be hard to get their images out of your head in order to create your own.

In addition to achieving images that I am very proud to call my own, this exercise appears to have gone a long way to boosting the confidence of my clients as well . This too was an ambition of mine. It is not just about the photography but also about a boost in self-esteem. When you get to see yourself through someone else's eyes and realise that you are beautiful, that has to go a long way to making a difference to a person's self belief and confidence.

So take a chance, do something different for yourself. Be a model for a day and see what we can do for you. It might just give you the boost you've been after. This experience could prove to be an empowering one that may even change your life. In the process, give yourself something to cherish for the rest of your life.

All in all this was an incredibly enjoyable experience and I am very much looking forward to my next chance to do this again, which is already booked in for early May, but this time it is with a man. I can't wait to see what I can come up with during that session.

If this is something you've always wanted to do please get in touch with us and we can schedule an appointment for a free consultation to discuss your wishes and get to know each other a little before making any decisions.

Comments

Unknown said…

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of these beautiful pictures. Christina's boudoir sessions are perfect if you've been feeling a bit low and want to be made to feel fantastic. I felt so at ease and the end results are fab. Thanks Christina, Dale

27 April 2010 at 21:22

London in Spring, Whats Not to Love?

Well I know there is still a lot not to love but I'm choosing to see the great things about London at the moment. I am having a ball this year visiting London as often as I can. Which is unusual for me since I usually prefer the comfort of my own home, in rural old Leicestershire. Staying home and avoiding people has always been the easy option. But this year, possibly due to the wonderful weather we keep having, has me longing for venturing out. Again, just like my last trip, I headed out with my good friend Panikos Hajistilly . Living in North London he finds it easy to meet up for our shoots. This time though I had more of an idea of the sights I wanted to use as the backdrops for my portraits. With it being spring I was in search of colour, preferably flowers. Admittedly. I didn't quite get what I was looking for. The white fronted terraced houses with pink magnolia trees we did not find unfortunately. But I did make it to Peggy Porchen's which was a must see on m...

Family Photos with Flair - Vanity Fair Style Family Portraits

This style of portrait continues to be the eye catching success I had always hoped it would be. Once again I created a beautiful family portrait that I am really proud of and I know this family loves too. Over the years I have developed this style through influences such as Vanity Fair and the many photographers I follow, though I hope that there is something in here that is entirely my own. Having my work easily identified as my own was a goal of mine from the start. Getting to the point where people will want not just a portrait but a Christina Lauder portrait is where I've always wanted to be and I'm hoping I'm on way. These portraits were created for the family of two professional photographers who wanted some portraits of their own. Family portraits isn't really something one can do of oneself, at least not easily. So they needed the services of another and I was honoured to be chosen for the job. They chose me not just for my style but also for my ab...

Never Work With Children or Animals

Or so the saying goes. But I have to say that working with dogs has been so lovely. They have been almost entirely a dream to work with. I say almost entirely because we have had a few moments where a dog has needed to settle. And one moment where the dog had settled but one of my cats decided to have a look through the glass door which, as you can imagine, rather quickly unsettled the dog. Still, that didn't stop us from creating incredible work. In fact it was during that shoot with the cat instance when I created two of my favourite pieces, shown below. (It was while sitting on the couch here when he noticed the cat peering through the curtain) I don't know if I've just been lucky or all dogs are just easy to work with. I photographed a french bull dog puppy and I thought that would be tough as he hadn't had time to be properly trained yet. But he did everything we wanted in no time at all. And this included the props we used here (below), which to me...

Wedding Workshop in Nottingham

On Wednesday of this week I made the trek up to Nottingham (which wasn't actually much of a trek compared to most of the other delegates who travelled from as far as Glasgow, Portsmouth and South Wales) for a workshop held at Crash Taylor's home. Crash, a very talented photographer, specialising in weddings is someone I can highly recommend to anyone. Apart from spending the morning getting to know the other photographers we then spent the afternoon photographing a hired model, in her own wedding dress, as we wandered through Nottingham Castle. It provided me a chance to see how other photographers handled their weddings as well as a chance to experiment with equipment I haven't had a chance to play around with. Like in this image to the right. Here I used my flash, mounted on a tripod off to the side. This allowed me to achieve studio quality lighting out of the studio, a technique I will be using in my environmental portraiture. I can't seem to make up my mind on whi...

Teen Portraits - Prom Season is Just Around the Corner

If your child is heading to prom in the next couple of months I'd say there is probably no better time than now to have portraits created of your growing teen. With the purchase of a new (and probably expensive) outfit wouldn't it be nice to capture this milestone with a portrait created by a professional. Across the pond this is a hugely popular time to create portraits, and although I am not American (I'm Canadian) I wholeheartedly agree that this is a special moment to record. My prom was a key memory in my teen years and in fact I myself had professional portraits created also. I think I'll go dig them up if I can, though admittedly I think my mother has them back in Canada. I wonder if I can get her to scan one for me. My daughter is currently making plans for college and in the running is one that will move her away from home, as many others are probably experiencing for themselves, particularly those who are 18. This makes it all the more important to ...

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog