The Beautiful Other Side
Podcast Interview

Meet Marissa! She is the owner of the The Boudoir Divas, and the amazing mind behind the Boudoir International site! 

Four Reasons To Join Marissa’s World!

Meet Marissa! She is the owner of the The Boudoir Divas, and the amazing mind behind the Boudoir International site! 

1. To learn from Marissa, other photographers, and get the support you need to succeed!  When you sign up, you will to receive access immediate access to our revamped, revised, and better-than-ever Posebook, access to our exclusive Facebook page, where Marissa will hold an “Ask Marissa anything” once a month, and you  will also receive a behind the scenes video ONCE A MONTH with educational mastering topics such as: How to Run a Boudoir Marathon, Editing with Marissa, BTS of a By The Sea shoot, How to Set up Destination Shoots, and MANY MORE EXCITING TOPICS! 

4. Increased Credibility & Optimized SEO — With The Boudoir Divas website receiving so much traffic, we recognize that individuals aren’t always able to travel to San Diego and so we drive that traffic to find a photographer in their own state through Boudoir International.  When you carry the Boudoir International badge on your website, you gain even more credibility as a photographer.  When that badge links back to Boudoir International, and your referral page on Boudoir International  is linking back to you, SEO becomes even more optimized!  We love a good win-win-win!

#MarissaTalksMonday

Want to see more posts from our awesome Boudoir International photographers? Check them out here!

Dallas Maternity Boudoir

Shea of Shea Mayberry Photography in Dallas, Texas

shows the magic of maternity boudoir

This maternity boudoir session features Jessica, a wonderful newborn photographer located in Dallas.  While Jessica was pregnant, she came to Shea to document her surrogate pregnancy. Every pregnancy is amazing, but this pregnancy was special because she was carrying twins. Isn’t that just beautiful!

Now, Jessica is married, and she and her wife have just had THEIR OWN twin babies!! Shea and Jessica wanted to document and celebrate this time while she was growing these two sweet babies. Her beautiful, serene photoshoot was made even more exquisite with her lingerie by Agent Provocateur.

Shea, thank you so much sharing this intimate maternity session!!

Want to see more posts from our awesome Boudoir International photographers? Check them out here!

“I fell in love with myself, and I can’t wait to do it again”

Shawn of The Magnolia House Studio in Virginia Beach, Virginia shares a a magical outdoor boudoir session!   

Shawn put this session together with a friend. It’s a real session but, Shawn styled it. Her wildflowers (that her husband planted for her in her yard outside the studio) were in full bloom. Shawn used the model/client, Fran as inspiration. She’s very natural and bohemian. She has a calming affect over you. I knew I wanted to portray that in her session.

It was photographed outside of Shawn’s studio in Virginia Beach, VA.  Shawn had borrowed a VW van from a friend, pulled out the awesome homemade tutu from another friend and then they used items that Fran already owned, with a few items from a client closet. Fran’s fringed vest is handmade by her from an old pair of pants!

Shawn, thank you for sharing this magical boudoir session!

Want to see more posts from our awesome Boudoir International photographers? Check them out here!

The best motivation for a boudoir shoot? Self Love.

Laura of Laura D Weatherly Photography in San Diego, California shares a beach boudoir that is all about Self Love!    

Amber reached out to Laura for a beach boudoir shoot, because she had been feeling a lot of self love.

Amber said, “Maybe it is because I am now in a healthy relationship, or maybe it’s the fact that I just turned 30. I am not sure. I am not the smallest size I have ever been, but I feel proud of my body and my strength.  I even feel proud of my little tummy and the little something extra around my thighs.  I wanted to document my happiness with myself.”

Laura,  thank you for sharing this and reminding us that self-love is enough of an occasion for a boudoir shoot!

Want to see more posts from our awesome Boudoir International photographers? Check them out here!

How to Prepare for Your Boudoir Shoot!

Cristina Nicole of Kaemere Photography & Design in Sedona, Arizona gives us the best way to prepare for your boudoir photoshoot! 

Boudoir shoots are probably one of the most fun experiences you’ll ever have!  You’re going to walk away feeling so beautiful and confident!  But there can also be nerves leading up to the photoshoot – and if you’re wondering how to prepare, Cristina Nicole has all the details for you!

Three to Five Days Before Your Shoot…

● If you wax, do so 3-5 days before your shoot to avoid any bumpiness or redness on your skin.
This includes shaping or trimming your eyebrows.

● If you’re planning to visit the salon for a haircut or color, then give yourself a few days lead time to
make sure you are happy with it.

● Schedule a salon manicure and pedicure for a flawless finish in your photographs.

● Double your water intake to flush out any toxins and to create luminous skin.

● Lower your salt intake and avoid alcohol if you’re worried about retaining water. Add extra fruits
and veggies to your diet for the next couple days.

● Now is the time to get a Facial or do a DIY Deep Face Mask.

● Try to stay out of the sun – while a base tan will be nice in photos, red, blotchy skin will not be!

● Try on your outfits and lingerie to make sure they fit properly; remove all tags and labels. Steam
or iron your ensembles and hang them properly so they keep their shape as you travel to the
shoot location.

● PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE – DO NOT SPRAY TAN, OR USE TANNING LOTIONS/SPRAYS. The ONLY exception to this rule is if your tan lines do not match your lingerie or if you are looking for implied nude/nude portraits. Then do everything you can to achieve one even skin tone.

The Day Before Your Shoot…

● Bathe, shave and moisturize.

● Double-check everything is properly packed and ready for the shoot: heels, jewelry, accessories,
any props you might want.

● Allow yourself plenty of time to get to the photoshoot location without stressing. Check weather
and traffic reports to ensure you have allotted enough time for unexpected delays.

● Enjoy a relaxed, quiet evening.

● Plan for a good night’s sleep – eight hours is ideal.

The Day of Your Shoot…

● Use clear deodorant!

● Wear loose-fitting clothing to your session to avoid red marks on your skin. Most women forgo bra
and panties up until they are ready to be photographed.

● Eat something light but filling before you leave the house. Smoothies are a great idea.

● Most importantly: Take a deep breath and RELAX. It’s completely normal to be a wee bit nervous
before your shoot, but trust your photographer and enjoy yourself.

Cristina,  thank you so much for taking the time to share this!  Prepping for a boudoir shoot is so important and good knowlegde to have!

Want to see more posts from our awesome Boudoir International photographers? Check them out here!

Why We Boudoir!

Amy Panucci of The Babe Festival in Hartford, CT (but also serving Rhode Island!) reminds us of Why We Boudoir! 

As a boudoir photographer, I hear so many women say:

“I would love to do that, but I could NEVER!”.

And it kinda crushes my soul a lil bit, because I have to ask…

WHY?

Where are we getting this information from that what you are is not beautiful enough or deserving enough to be photographed?  I believe without realizing it we have given the power to social media to tell us how we should look and how we should feel about ourselves.  Before it was instagram, it was magazines, and so on.  There has always been people in our lives that we think define what beauty is.  And as a culture, we continue to pass down to our daughters and the next beautiful generation of women that they are not to be photographed unless they fit this very selective description of what beauty is in that moment.

Stop and think about how powerful that is- that by believing this notion of not being good enough to step in front of a camera and have our photographs taken we are literally giving the power or our own self esteem to other people!! Strangers that we will never meet and who will never know us!

There is a buzz phrase going around right now which I really love:

Present over Perfect.

I love this for it’s telling us just to show up in life, be there, be all there and care less about attaining perfection before you show up for your own life and the people who love you.  Cuz guess what, life goes by so freaking fast!  This translates to our photos as well.  How present are we in our own photographs?  What will we leave as our legacy?  To be totally honest, as a photographer I’m kind of sick of seeing “perfect” everywhere I look.  I get frustrated seeing accounts that post only the same looking “perfect” bride.  It is contributing to notion that this is how we should look to be confident enough to post photos of ourselves.  And what of the brides that don’t fit this mold, does their love not deserve to be shared by the photographer they hired?  Does their joy not deserve to be shouted from the rooftops?!  *Spoiler alert* a lot of times what we see flooding our social media are Styled Shoots- not actual brides, not actual couples, definitely not in love!

And any woman who steps in front of my camera.  What if every woman who ever thought to themselves “I couldn’t do a boudoir shoot because I have 20 pounds to lose!” thought instead “I can’t wait to accept the compliments that will come from posting a gorgeous image of myself, for people to see me rocking my REAL style and not my everyday work/yoga/mom attire!  What if they had something to look back on in 30 years and think, “I feel silly for every worrying about my weight, look how beautiful I was!” or for their daughter to find and show her friends and say “I told you my mom was a model!”.  This thought always makes me think of Cher in Clueless when she calls her mom “such a Betty” but see, her mom had a huge portrait done of herself… same thing!

This hit me on a personal level recently.  I got the opportunity to finally photograph my beautiful sister.  She was nervous going into it, but I reassured her over and over again that it was going to be amazing.  So A) she went shopping for sexy outfits- which she had never done.  This began the “oh this is kinda fun!” mentality.  B) had her hair and makeup done, which also is rare, but totally put her in the “I’m doing something to pamper myself and it feels amazing” mode. C) TOTALLY ROCKED HER SESSION!  I mean girl looked GOOOOOOD!!!  I HAD to show her the back of the camera and her reaction???

“Oh my god, that’s ME?!?!”

YAASSSS- that reaction was worth everything.  And then I posted the photos and they received 476 likes and 40 (totally positive) comments!  Imagine how going from feeling like you’re not good enough, to FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN interactions reaffirming just how gorgeous you are!!

Check out the original blog post on Amy’s website here.

Amy,  we love this blog post so much.  As boudoir photographers ourselves, we so often hear “once I get in shape” or “I just need to lose a few more pounds!” and it’s so important to us that our clients know that boudoir is about embracing themselves AS THEY ARE, and celebrating every curve and dimple on their body!  There will never be a perfect time to do a boudoir shoot – just go for it, and remember, you will walk away feeling fabulous and your friends and family will LOVE the pictures!!! 

Check them out here!

When you come across a boudoir session
that is fun, refreshing, & classy, it is something to be treasured!
We are so excited to share this gem from Irene Abdou Photography !

Irene Abdou Photography, is a Clarksburg, Maryland Boudoir photographer.  Her client compared boudoir portfolios of many different photographers, and yet she called Irene because she wanted boudoir photography that “is grown-up, ultra-feminine, and edgy … boudoir photos that you wouldn’t find in a mall somewhere.”  Irene held the session at her photography studio in Clarksburg, MD and since she and her husband both love photography, they used her camera as a prop!  Her client also loved sea green living room with cranberry accents in Irene’s studio.

Boudoir Photography is specifically meant to empower women.  When a woman utilizes boudoir to explore their new identity, it’s even more special!  Thank you so much for sharing your client’s story, Irene!

Are you interested in seeing other Real Boudoir posts?  Check them out here!