Being an expecting mother is not what it used to be. Women no longer have to hide behind a tent size maternity dress and avoid any pictures. Ever since Demi  Moore appeared very pregnant and totally nude on the cover of Vanity Fair, pregnant women everywhere pulled out their cutest outfits and stepped into the world with new attitude. Expecting mom can be fun and sexy, and she most definitely glows.

Maternity pictures changed a lot as well. There are so many styles and comfort levels, but today I wanted to present to you Mrs. K.

When I first talked to Mrs. K she right away told me that she did not want traditional maternity pictures. Something more fun and original was up her alley, and I agreed. Why stop at belly hugging romantic shots? Let’s go all the way and have some fun! We agreed on pin up style in addition to few classic poses.

K’s little boy, Jameson, is due this month. He will be the best Christmas present ever! Mrs. K was kind enough to write a few words about her experience:

“I had been wanting to do a pin up shoot for quite some time, and what better time to do it while I’m pregnant! I don’t think I’ve ever had so much confidence, and I probably wouldn’t have had the guts to do it otherwise. It was such a fun way to capture my last week of pregnancy! I wanted something fun, and not your typical maternity pictures, and Victoria came up with some amazing themes with the most beautiful and flirty images and made me feel so comfortable. I would absolutely do it again after my pregnancy with no regrets!” ~Mrs. K

I’ve shot a number of pregnancy shoots before, so it was nothing new, but I still wanted to see what was out there and draw some inspiration from other photographers. Doing the research for this shoot I realized just how many crazy creative ideas there are! Maternity photo shoots can be as simple as a set in the park, a sexy boudoir session, a romantic couples shoot or, in our case, a fun pin up style.

Check out some of the sites I found that I absolutely loved, and maybe get some ideas for your own boudoir experience.

Erika Lewis is a photographer from Boise Idaho, she has owned studios in Hawaii and Seattle. Her shots are dreamy and full of light. Easy sexy simplicity.

Alycia Alvarez Is a photographer from Texas, although she doesnt specialize in boudoir her boudoir maternity session linked here is smokin!! Her photos even made the cover of PPA magazine, what an accomplishment!!

If you enjoyed this entry and want to make your own appointment with me you can do so here, and for even more fun make sure to become a fan of our facebook page here!

 

 

Boudoir photos are intimate images of a woman that are revealing and sexual. This kind of photo shoot is exciting and liberating. It can increase self-esteem, rekindle romance and all around be a life-changing experience.

But being a woman myself, I can understand how that excitement can quickly turn into apprehension. Thinking about being so vulnerable and exposed can be scary and I often hear women say:

If only I was thinner… taller… prettier… Had bigger this and smaller that…

There are so many excuses, but it all gets down to making that first step. Once she makes that step, she never regrets doing it.

Proper lighting, flattering poses and professional makeup can transform an every-day girl into a princess she really is.

 

So what can you expect once your decision has been made?

5 Easy Steps to a Sexier You

#1 Book a Session

Fill out the contact form on our website or call me directly at 757-582-2334 to book your shoot. We’ll set up a phone, Skype, or an in-studio consultation to go over your ideas and wardrobe choices. Also, I will send you information about your shoot, what to expect and how to prepare.

#2 Day of the Shoot

It’s like visiting a good friend! Arrive at my home studio and get situated in the dressing room. We’ll go over your outfits one more time and talk about the process. Finger food and refreshments are served to keep your mood and energy level up. If our makeup artist is here to work on your hair and makeup, she will pamper you and help you get ready. After that you are ready to step onto the set!

#3 During the Shoot

All lights are on you! We’ll move from set to set and try different posing and lighting to highlight your sexy side. I will guide you through this process, so you don’t have to have any modeling experience, but at the end you will definitely feel like a super model!

#4 Viewing Session

After your photo shoot we’ll sit down and go over your images together. At this time you can select your favorite images to be edited. We’ll talk about your print order, specialty items, and answer any questions you might have.

#5 Order Pick-Up

Once your order has arrived from our printing lab I will give you a call and set up a time for you to come by. After reviewing your order you can take it home and show it off with a new sexy confidence!

There are no secret about Boudoir Session and if you have any questions all you have to do is ask. So this Holiday season do something special for yourself. Make a memory to cherish for a lifetime, and if the man in your life happen to get a present that is for his eyes only…. I am sure he will not complain.

One of the most popular gift ideas for the Holidays is the Wall Calendar. This calendar includes thirteen of your favorite images, one for the cover and twelve for each of the months. There are several styles of the calendars to choose from and it can start on whichever month you wish. These publisher-quality calendars are printed on high-quality card stock and are easy to customize to make it uniquely you. This gift keeps on giving throughout the year!

Take advantage of 15% off Holiday Calendars offer from now until December 20^th. Book our appointment today!

 

Victoria and I have always enjoyed Halloween. In fact, its most likely our favorite time of year. It’s the only time everyone can dress up and unleash their inner monster and this is what Oni Studio is all about: Bringing out the hidden personality!  When we met Johanna and company we knew we had met our match. Every year Johanna, along with an army of volunteers, operates the Frightville Haunted House to help raise funds for the Oak Harbor Boys and Girls Club. We had met Johanna a while back as she had been a fan of our work and was kind enough to invite us out to shoot the event. During the pre-shoot reconnaissance we knew this wasn’t some run of the mill haunted house where people were just going through the motions. This group means business! With countless hours dedicated to designing and building the sets, special effects make up and nightly shows, their dedication to raise money for such a fine cause is admirable and we wish them the best of luck with their event.

If you would like to help out with the Oak Harbor Boys and Girls club or make a donation please call the administration office at: 360-240-9273 or you can visit the website here.

The first time we saw pictures of the Frightville House they were taken by another local Whidbey Island photographer, John Pendleton. His pictures had a very creepy and gritty feel to them, and were just as phenomenal as his other work. Since I put John in the same class and category as Joe Mcnally in the area of lighting, the prospect of going out and shooting the same thing he had was intimidating! Victoria and I talked it over (as we do most of our shoots) in order to attempt to flesh out every creative detail. In this process we will discuss lighting, draw out diagrams, examine potential pitfalls, discuss marketing possibilities and research the internet to see how the project has been shot previously. She wanted to utilize a more even type of lighting with softboxes and grid modifiers, but I was vehemently against it. I thought it would make the pictures look “too real”. Victoria stressed that all other photographers would try to light it in a spooky type way, and that her style of lighting would serve to distinguish our work from others. Since I didn’t have any ideas of my own I went along with the plan.

After a long discussion we packed up most of our studio equipment and set off to the Frightville House with the intention of using our grids and softboxes. Although we walked through the rooms before, when we actually got there with all the equipment, we realized the spaces were too small for setting up our studio lights. In addition to that we had forgotten our hot shoe speed light! We were trying to figure out a lighting set up when Victoria dropped another bomb on me by saying, “No pressure, but they are not open today. The crew came down here on their own time and spent hours in make up just to have this photo shoot done.”

O—M—G!!!

Sometimes when the pressure gets really applied to me I have an epiphany, and thankfully I had one then too. Why not just use the light that’s already here? The keepers of the house have done a lot of research and experimentation into sculpting the light in the creepiest manner possible. With the creative use of our light reflector, high ISO, tripod and Photoshop we would be able to bring that raw fear to our viewers!

It took a bit of adjusting with the camera, but we started getting some good shots until we got to the shot posted below with the corpse bride in front of the moon. Obviously the moon back lights her, and no matter how hard we tried to bounce that light back into her face with the reflector, we were not getting enough detail in the face. I was racking my brain to a solution when I saw another volunteer using a flashlight to find something they had dropped, and then the ghostly voice of Obi Kenobi whispered in my ear, “Use the flashlight Luke!” I would have never had attempted this in front of my instructors at DINFOS, but I took the flashlight and shined it directly onto my reflector to diffuse it. Victoria took the picture and I waited in nervous anticipation for the little happy jump she does when the picture is good.

“Click”….happy jump! Yes!

So the irony is that the thousands we have spent on lighting equipment was defeated by a $20 dollar flashlight, and an old $10 ebay special reflector. Kinda neat!

All the shots we have here were taken with the use of only a reflector or a combination reflector/flashlight.  We hope you get as much pleasure viewing them as we did shooting them! 

…This is our 11th year and the Haunted House is one of our main fundraisers for the Club. All proceeds from the house benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Oak Harbor. Everyone who works in the house is a volunteer and construction begins in April to have the house ready by October. (We do like to joke with our “masterminds” that they start planning on October 31st right after the house closes for the season). It takes between 25 and 30 volunteers a night to man the house, again all volunteers. We are very proud that Frightville was rated #5 out of all the haunts in Washington State. …thanks again for the great pics! It was a lot of fun to watch you do your magic!

Peg Fenstermaker

Director, Boys and Girls Club of Oak Harbor

Keep in mind constant reader that we were only able to shoot a small portion of the haunted house. There are many more rooms, and many more monsters! We at Oni Studio hope you have an awesome and safe Halloween! Tune in next week for another exciting and sexy edition, and remember if you would like to book your own shoot with us its as simple as filling out the contact portion on our website here!

 

 

I just finished a very interesting shoot with my new client Courtney. She traveled all the way from Bremerton early this morning and was prepared for location and studio shoots with a variety of looks and outfits.

Ashley from Make Up Your Mind was on location to work her magic with hair and make-up. We decided to go with a softer, more natural look for the beach shots and later spiced it up for studio sultry look. It is so much fun to play with make-up and I always learn something new just by watching Ashley work.

Ashley wrote in her blog about this experience as well:

“Yesterday morning I had yet another great opportunity to work with Oni Studio and one of their clients for an on location photo shoot. This was the first time I have ever gone on location with Victoria and I really loved every second of it! Not only did the make up turn out the way I wanted it to, but I got to meet two awesome ladies from Bremerton, WA who drove an hour and took a ferry to get to us. Talk about love and dedication!

We had a wide variety of clothing to work with, which made for lots of wardrobe changes. To make it easier for myself and for the client, I chose to do something more natural and neutral for the first part of the shoot. We were at the beach and the wardrobe was more of a country style, so the natural look was perfect. I stuck to taupe and a little gold and bronze shimmer on the lids with a very fine  brown eyeliner only at the lash line. The cheeks were mostly bronzer with a pop of pink on the apples, and a muted pink lip. Perfect country look!

Our client finished off the shoot in studio with a smoking hot red and black corset, so we vamped her up a bit. I added a smoky grey to the outer corners and in the crease of the eyes and a black cat-eye liner and a bright red lip to match her outfit. Gorgeous! I can’t wait to see some of the finished products!

I can’t forget to mention Courtney’s friend Jessica, who was chasing her with a hot pink bathrobe around the beach, pouring water on the umbrella to make it look like rain and organizing outfits like a personal stylist. She was the perfect wing man to have for a photo shoot!

It was a pleasure to meet these two ladies, and I hope that Courtney is happy with her photos!”

-Ashley (Make up Your Mind)