Boudoir, Beauty dishes and Alienbees

Yes dear reader I am still trying to figure out this damn beauty dish from Paul C. Buff. Actually I think it’s not too different than the Alienbees soft box. But for me it’s been a bit frustrating to shoot with. However it might be more to do with the fact I’ve been shooting in direct overhead sunlight than anything else. I should know better than to try and shoot in the crappiest light possible. Anyway, enough nerd photo talk, on with the boudoir shoot!

Neena was the first openly gay model I’ve shot with. At least to my knowledge. When I found out I kinda played with the idea of somehow integrating her status into this entry. However the more I tossed it around the more I thought I’d just come off as exploitative.

Kinda like….”hey I love gay people, come be a fan of Oni Studio!” Gag! On a personal note though I was kinda curious how other photographers took her status, and if she had ever had a problem with anyone.

I hinted around at it by asking, “hey do you have any model mayhem horror stories?” Boy did I get a pretty good response out of that!

Neena said she had been contacted by a photographer on Model Mayhem and they had set up a boudoir shoot. She had taken her girlfriend Nyla (New York and L.A!) to the shoot with her as an escort. They said when they arrived at the photographers home that it was filthy.

Not only that, but that his female relatives were present and that they were staring at them. Now check this shit out…They guy had old rusted KITCHEN knives hung up on the walls like they were works of art. Um..you did say this is a boudoir shoot right??

Now for the last part…the guy wanted her to come out back to some type of underground structure! I asked Neena what the structure looked like, but she said her and her girlfriend told the photographer they were uncomfortable and left.

It was a funny story, but in a way it really pisses me off. Guys like this are the reason it’s so hard to shoot with models from model mayhem. Almost every model I contact for a boudoir shoot has a horror story from model mayhem. It seems it’s filled with creeps who try to use their camera to get laid.

Guys, if you have to use your camera to get laid your doing it wrong.

If you haven’t figured it out already, you can get the ladies in five easy steps: Get a job, join a gym, take a shower, (yes everyday) and keep your damn house clean.  Wait..was that four or five? Ah who cares, it doesnt matter. Just don’t be a douche bag!

Anyway, i’ll get off my soapbox. If you have any Model Mayhem horror stories i’d love to hear them!

That’s all for this week! Become a fan on the Oni Studio boudoir facebook page. Follow Oni Studio on Pinterest and Model Mayhem!

Boudoir, Beelzebub and Baphomet

One of my most favorite things about boudoir photography is getting to meet interesting people. Sometimes though a person comes along, that has a bit of something extra. No, I’m not talking about a chick with a dick, but good old fashioned evil. She may even be a member of the Temple of Set, but she claims to not be.

Saaaay what?? Yeah you heard me right, the model, Ivonne is straight up evil. Of course I didn’t know this at first. I thought she’d show up, and we would have a sexy, yet normal boudoir shoot. But first let’s go back in time. We met on a Sunday, and after being fashionably late she shows up riding this dented up, mean looking motorcycle.

The woman looked like she just walked off the set to the Road Warrior! Black leather jacket, mean helmet, she also kicked a baby and an old man who were standing by her bike. In other words she was just precious! She walks up to me, and I swear the first thing she says to me is, “hail Satan lets shoot” and then she punched some dude straight in the dick.

Of course all of the above may or may not be true, it just depends on your point of view. What did happen though is that after Ivonne came up and emptied her bag she asked me a question. Well first she pulled out a sweatshirt, and said, “I dont know if you’d want to shoot this but…” I looked over and saw a huge Bapomet on the shirt. Of course i’m gonna shoot that!

The other cool thing is that Ivonne had some personality. She ate my food, drank my beer and watched my horror movies. All the while laughing like a maniac and making cryptic comments that she had family members who might just make me disappear if they were so inclined. This girl was so gonna be my bestie!

Ivonne hasn’t been modeling long, but as you can see she takes to boudoir quite naturally.

Can you believe she said that her butt was her least favorite feature?!

Check out that purple lingerie! For some reason I have become obsessed with the color.

That’s all for this week! Become a fan on the Oni Studio boudoir facebook page. Follow Oni Studio on Pinterest and Model Mayhem!

Boudoir, beaches and Bikinis

A week or two ago I got to try out something pretty cool. Ever heard of Paul C. Buff or Alienbees? If you are a photographer, especially a boudoir photographer and just starting out, you might want to check out their website.

I’m not new to Alienbees, I’ve shot with their products for the last six or seven years. I started off with the Alienbee B400, and at least to my knowledge, it’s still running today. I’ve since graduated to the Alienbee B800 head and the Einstein E640 unit. I highly recommend both of them, but I lean more towards the Einstein mainly because it has universal voltage. Since I travel a lot this is very convenient. If you’re wondering, the girl in the classic B&W photo below is Leeyah, you can see her model mayhem here.

Anyway, enough hocking of alien bees shit, it’s not like their paying me or anything. This shoot was scheduled and organized by a British lady…named Brit. Funny huh? She runs a group on the Meet up website called Pro-AM photography and Models. If you’re a photographer in the San Diego area and love to photograph fashion, boudoir or glamour then I highly suggest you sign up! You can see Britts site here and here. Oh, and the sexy faerie below is Mary, come take a look at her site!

 

One of the great things about this group is that they are very active. In the last two weeks there has been beach shoots, models on horses, glamour at Balboa Park, and a host of other activities. If you have the time you’ll get your money’s worth. Also pictured below, Michael from MRB Photography.

Besides the models that regularly come to the shoots, it’s a great way to network with your fellow glamour and boudoir photographers. On that shoot alone I met five or so other photographers who were more than helpful and friendly.

Ok, last thing about Alienbees and I’ll shut my yapper. All the images you see on this boudoir blog entry were lit with a white Paul C Buff beauty dish. The beauty dish was powered by the Vagabond mini lithium. I highly suggest picking up both! Seriously, it’s like going from a musket to a kick ass lesbian laser pistol!

I’ll leave you with a few more sexy images, hope you enjoy! Oh, and people, leave a like or comment at the bottom and let me know what ya think. Thanks!

The blonde bombshell above is Katya, come take a look at her model mayhem!

That’s all for this week! Become a fan on the Oni Studio boudoir facebook page. Follow Oni Studio on Pinterest and Model Mayhem!

Boudoir, Boobs and Body Paint

You all remember Caro right? She’s the one who came over the other day and made for a great boudoir blog entry.

Caro calls me up and asked if I’m down for a lesbian orgy a photo shoot. I say, “well hells yes!” and she invites me down to her San Ysidro home for what I think will be an interesting time. She tells me she has one of her many hot girlfriends over, and that she’s gonna get her naked, and then paint her. I tell her that the Oni Studio boudoir blog will be covering the event. When I arrive on Saturday morning I see the most mild mannered unassuming ladies on the planet, and i’m told she’s going to be the model. This was the girl:

Caro didn’t waste much time, after making sure I was sufficiently fed with Mexican friend beans, she set to work,  take a look at the transformation from innocent librarian to sexy Satanica.

Caro did this body paint and make up job in record time. She’s a student over at the Art Institute of San Diego, and from what I can see they train their students pretty good. While Caro was busy I was able to flirt talk with the model.

Susan was her name, and she had been painted a few times before, but usually got to wear more clothes. She said being half naked around strangers didn’t make her nervous, but that it was just a new experience. It was pretty amazing to see her transform not only physically, but mentally once all the make up was done, take a look at the contrast!

Ladies and gentleman if you are a photographer in the San Diego area you seriously need to hook up with Caro. Her make up and body paint skills are impressive, and she even makes custom outfits! If you’re on model mayhem you can see her page here, or become a fan on her facebook page here. I’ll leave you all with a few more impressive shots of Susan the model showing Caro’s work. Oh, I almost forgot, Caro can also model, if you haven’t seen it yet, come take a look at her strutting her stuff.

That’s all for this week! Become a fan on the Oni Studio boudoir facebook page. Follow Oni Studio on Pinterest and Model Mayhem!