Seattle Lingerie Fine Art Nude Bridal Maternity Glamour PinUp Photographer

03.09.15

Hiding your session: Getting a little extra Cash Back at check-out

9bcb4ec08a573e7edba2a6b6607d099a2(pp w480 h319) Hiding your session: Getting a little extra Cash Back at check out

When women come into the studio who are successfully keeping their boudoir session a secret from their significant other, I always like to ask how they have been able to do it. Everyone has different answers, tips, and tricks, for keeping the perfect secret but every now and again someone tells me something that is so smart, I have to share! That is exactly what happened when I heard about how a recent client was able to hide the financial aspect of her session. Like most married couples, this client and her husband shared bank accounts, credit cards, etc. and she was racking her brain on how to spend the money on her session while still keeping it a secret from her husband. After weeks of racking her brain she finally figured it out! She could take advantage of her husbands ignorance in the grocery shopping department. Since she did all of the grocery shopping for the family, her husband wasn’t aware of exactly how much she would typically spend in a shopping trip which greatly aided her in squirreling away some money. Every time she went to the grocery store, she would get $50-100 cash back and tuck it away. That way, when her husband looked at the accounts, it simply looked as though she was doing a great job of keeping the refrigerator stocked. A brilliant idea from a brilliant woman! *clapping*

03.06.15

Evoked the sensuality of pregnancy

Ms. M was in her third trimester of pregnancy and spent her sleepless nights researching Seattle area maternity photographers when she came across the Belle Boudoir website. She was instantly captivated by the “artistic style of Cheryl’s photographs” and immediately booked her session. She felt that Cheryl’s images “evoked the sensuality of pregnancy that I felt very connected to” and knew that the end result would be something she could cherish for a lifetime.

Ms. M met her husband, fell in love, and six years ago the couple happily married. A few short months after their wedding, Ms. M was diagnosed with a rare form of stage 3 stomach cancer and spent the next year in chemotherapy. Her husband was a cancer surviver and helped her through the trials and tribulations that she had to walk through while dealing with this major life changing experience. It was a tough battle but Ms. M came out on top and has now been cancer free for more than 5 years!

Because both her and her husband are cancer survivors, Ms. M didn’t know if they would be able to have children – something they had always talked about. But, after 5 years of being cancer free, her oncologist gave her the “OK” and Ms. M and her husband were thrilled to find out they got pregnant almost immediately!

At age 35 and 8 months pregnant, Ms. M has never felt sexier! Her photoshoot with BelleBoudoir “marks the end of a large emotional and physical battle ending in abundant self love, love for my amazing husband, and a love I can’t wait to experience with our child.” This session is a gift for herself, her husband, and the little girl that is about to be in their lives. It captures an incredible moment in time – one of rejoicing and loving deeper than ever before.

When Ms. M viewed her photos with Cheryl following her session, she was in awe. There wasn’t a single photo that she didn’t love. She left the studio knowing that they were able to capture this incredible moment in her life the way that she had hoped for. Ms. M said that she can’t wait to come back for a boudoir session in the future and we can’t wait to have her back!

02.27.15

My spirit felt beautiful and happy

Ms. L attended a local pin-up workshop where she soaked up tips and tricks on retro inspired hair and makeup, was able to get dolled up as though she lived in the 40’s and participate in a mini photo session following the class. This experience helped her to ditch her body-shaming tendencies and learn to appreciate and embrace herself. She fell so in love with the experience and the photos that she wanted to do more. A little research sent her to the Belle Boudoir website (www.boudoirphotographyseattle.com) where she immediately fell in love with Cheryl’s work. Not too long after her initial search, Ms. L found herself walking through the doors of our studio to create one of the best gifts she could think of for herself.

The best part of the day, according to Ms. L, was seeing her photos for the first time. She was at a loss for words – they were beautiful images of herself “taken to the next level.” That is exactly what we want to provide for everyone.

When I asked Ms. L what the most memorable part of her session was, she replied by saying “the most memorable part of my session was working with both Nikoma and Cheryl – their skill and passion shine. From the minute I met both, I felt at ease and comfortable with them. My hours in the studio passed quickly in their company.”

Leaving the studio, Ms. L felt “incredibly beautiful – with the hair and makeup still in tact; however it was deeper than that – my spirit felt beautiful and happy.” 🙂

Ms. L’s story is what drives Belle Boudoir to constantly reach for the stars and touch as many women as we can. We want to make everyone’s spirit feel beautiful and happy! And guess what? Ms L is coming for a second shoot this summer!!

02.20.15

You are left speechless

Ms. M met her now husband in high school and they experienced many firsts together. Their first real relationship. Their first kiss. And now, seven years after marriage, they are expecting their first child together. Ms. M is seven months pregnant and will be welcoming their little girl into the family in early March. Ms. M knew that pregnancy was going to have it’s fair share of ups and downs but one thing she didn’t anticipate was the body image issues she began to have. That is when her husband stepped in and insisted that she have a maternity shoot with us at Belle Boudoir.

Ms. M grew up very athletic and has managed to maintain her passion for being physically active in her adulthood. She was a gymnast. And, as you can imagine, has always had a strong and firm figure. But along with growing a life, most of us grow a little bit too and it was a hard adjustment for Ms. M. She wanted to wait a few months after the baby was born to book her shoot so that she could “get her body back,” but her husband insisted the time was NOW. Not in 6 months. He wanted her see how beautiful she is right now during one of the most miraculous times in her life. He wanted her to have the opportunity to see the beauty in herself that he sees in her everyday. *swoon*

Ms. M walked into the studio not knowing exactly what to expect. After getting settled, Ms. M started with hair and makeup. She squealed when she saw herself for the first time after her styling session and said that she looked better than she had ever imagined she would and that she would walk away happy if her session ended there. She “felt like a movie star.” But, lucky for Ms. M, hair and makeup are only the beginning of a session with Belle Boudoir.

After hair and makeup, Ms. M had two hours and six outfit changes with Cheryl, owner and photographer for Belle Boudoir. Cheryl always strives to make each client feel comfortable and Ms. M experienced exactly that. She said, “”Seeing the hair and make up complete for the first time was breath taking. It made me feel like a movie star. I felt so comfortable the entire session. Even though the posing was a bit uncomfortable at times (you try laying on the ground and arching your back with 5 pounds of baby kicking your ribs!), I never once felt uneasy.”

Leaving the studio, Ms. M walked away with much more than she came in with. When we asked what she got out of her session with us, she responded by saying: “I really felt changed. It was surreal seeing the pictures and realizing that it really was me, not someone else. All my worries about being a “huge” pregnant lady had completely vanished. I felt sexy for the first time in months, more beautiful than I had ever felt, and possibly for the first time in my life 100% confident in my body . Talk about life changing. That may seem dramatic or exaggerated, but trust me. When you see your picture on the screen with the make up and the hair and the sexy lingerie and you are left speechless by how amazing it looks…wow…no words.”

We couldn’t be more thrilled to have helped another incredible woman be able to recognize just how beautiful she is to the rest of the world. We hope the feelings Ms. M left with, will stay with her for a lifetime. Her images, will forever be a reminder of her strength, courage, and beauty.

02.18.15

Studio Before & After

If you haven’t already seen them, make sure you check out our amazing boudoir Before and After images.

Did you know our studio went through a huge transformation?

Today I thought it would be fun to share some before and after images of our studio from way back when we signed the lease (almost 4 years ago) compared to the studio now. It’s amazing what a little vision and a lot of love (aka work) can do.