Boudoir Photography: A Beautiful Girl & A Cool Stencil

I recently had the pleasure to photograph the lovely Gracie. Smart, well spoken, dreamy eyes, gorgeous skin- the works on this beautiful girl. (Click on the photo to see more images from our time together.) The diaphanous yellow lingerie and Gracie’s flaxen hair really set off one of my new studio boudoir sets, this cool stencilled wall. Dark purple satin curtains, a light lilac wall and a deep heliotrope for the design- very seductive! If you’re a crafty type, and you enjoy decorating your interiors, the right stencil is magical. The wrong stencil is woefully icky. I actually picked up this gem on sale from the local craft store! Tip: Try it someplace small, like the bathroom, before embarking on a really large wall. While relatively simple it can be incredibly time consuming!

Fabulously Flirtatious: False Eyelashes

When I was very, very young, I slept in the room where my Nana would “put her face on” before she went to work to teach cosmetology. She would slip in before sunrise, work her magic and emerge, the glamorous, larger than life (4’9″, btw), colorful work of art I knew and loved. I rarely woke up during these transformations but when I did I would secretly watch her in the mirror, carefully and purposefully applying her false eyelashes. Now, this woman wouldn’t go to the grocery store without her eyelashes on- they were serious business. Seriously glamorous…

Detail- Framing the Eyes with False Eyelashes

As an adult I have found the fabulousness in falsies, and my obsession with them has led to a small but exciting collection from many makers. From the novelty costume lashes to the incredible couture creations, the variety is endless and they are so much fun to play with! As an artist they are my top suggestion to ladies having a boudoir photography session. The way the incredible fringe frames the eyes and makes them pop is just fantastic- there is a definite difference in photos. False eyelashes not only makes you look incredible, they also inspire coquettish behavior. Really! Try them and see…

Detail, Embellished Eyelashes in Boudoir Image

I was quite curious about the history of false eyelashes, and across the internet I kept coming up with the same information. Here is the excerpt from Useless Facts: “False eyelashes were invented by the American film director D.W. Griffith while he was making his 1916 epic, “Intolerance”. Griffith wanted actress Seena Owen to have lashes that brushed her cheeks, to make her eyes shine larger than life. A wigmaker wove human hair through fine gauze, which was then gummed to Owen’s eyelids. “Intolerance” was critically acclaimed but flopped financially, leaving Griffith with huge debts that he might have been able to settle easily – had he only thought to patent the eyelashes.”

Fear of application is the number one reason I have heard from my ladies as to why they don’t use them. Fear not!! I have included links here to two excellent tutorials for false eyelash application. Both are from exceptional makeup artists, and give information on applying, caring for and yes- reusing your false eyelashes. Get ready to flirt mercilessly!

Makeup Artist Tricia Sawyer demonstrates eyelash application.
Great tips here from a movie set pro.

Petrilude’s False Eyelash 101
This guy is so awesome, I subscribed to his YouTube channel and frequent
his very fun blog.

There a gazillion places on the internet and in person to buy great eyelashes. Here are a few you might enjoy checking out as well:

Ricky’s NYC
De-Beauty of San Francisco
Sephora

Take pleasure in this glamorous accessory, and let me know what your favorites are and where you get them!

Boudoir Photography, Film Noir & Sexy Dangerous Ladies

Modern Boudoir Photography, Film Noir Style

According to Wikipedia, “Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations.” Dark, dramatic, and tense, these film communicated powerfully with the use of shadows and specifically placed highlights. My love of film noir, vintage fashions, old hollywood style lighting, sexy photographs and chicks kicking ass of course led me to try combining these into a film noir style boudoir setting. I watched a lot of noir films- taking notes on the lighting particulars, the set furnishings, and the styling of the actresses. The period these films are from is the late 1940s early 1950s, and the clothes, the hats- just incredible. The results have been great so far! My clients have really gotten into character, and each lady brings their own unique twist to the scene… There have been a few modern touches as well (such as awesome, high, shiny black boots!) I continue to research the films and gather period props to use for these scenes, as they are definitely some of my favorites to do. The people who did the lighting and camera work for the films we know as film noir were amazing geniuses, and every little bit I can glean from these guys improves my art. A serious and thankful tip of the fedora to the masters…

You can see more of this session, as well as a few others, here.

And if you want to spend some quality time with cinema, check this out.

This is a *great* blog for film noir imagery and inspiration!

And if you’re looking for some 1940s fashion insight, go here.

Happy Birthday, Elvis

I can’t think of a better way to break in this blog than to wish a happy 75th to one of my first “boyfriends”, Elvis Presley.  As a little girl I would crowd around the tv set with the three previous generations of women in my family to watch reruns of films like “Frankie and Johnny” and “Kid Creole”.  As the older ladies would make appreciative comments about his dancing and singing, I would daydream about riding on the back of a motorcycle with the King, off to some fabulous beach concert. At the time I wasn’t old enough to take the fantasy any further, but I knew that Elvis (and Tom Jones) fit the dreamboat bill. His music gave me something to bond with my various family members over. As I grew up, we had less in common, but we always, always had Elvis. The first LPs I ever had were given to me by my Nana and Grandma (grandmother and great-grandmother, respectively) and they were both Elvis- “Separate Ways” and “Raised on Rock / For ‘Ol Times Sake”. I was seven and would play them daily upstairs in my room, performing with a hairbrush and carefully choreographed dance moves. I would leave the door slightly ajar so that the sounds of the chicken frying could be heard in the spaces between tracks, and bow repeatedly to the wild “applause”.  So many years later I can see the influence of Elvis in my life- he brought the sexy, and the rebellious, and the idea that anything really was possible. He also has given me a lovely link to my dear grandmas and my long ago Southern steeped past. I can’t hear “Hound Dog” without seeing my Nana rip it up dancing in the living room, and “Teddy Bear” brings Grandma, snapping her fingers while pulling a long drag on her cigarette from her spot on the couch. My wedding paid it’s own homage to Elvis- our first dance was to “Fools Rush In”.  Whenever we hear it, my husband and I look at each other and we’re right back there. That’s why he’s the King. Thank you Elvis- I miss you.

A few Elvis related links for your enjoyment:

Elvis Sightings at the Official Elvis WebSite

A Page from the NYTimes recalling Mary Jenkins Langston, Elvis’ cook at Graceland

Graceland Virtual Tours at Elvis.com

Elvis Discography