A good friend of mine told me about this book “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E. L. James. She said it was right up my alley. I checked the book out right away. Wow! Bondage, sex and all the taboo subjects and it’s a #1 seller?!?!? Just goes to show you that sex does sell, and we all have that naughty side that needs to be unleashed once in a while.

After reading just few chapters I got inspired. This is my light interpretation of the story that captured imaginations of so many around the world. Hope you enjoy!

I don’t know why she is complaining. With Christian I would have coffee anytime of the day… or anything else he wanted.

After doing some more research I found out that there are many books out there similar to 50 Shades of Grey. Some of them I read and can vouch for. Other’s were a news to me. If you read 50 Shades of Grey and craving more here is what Amazon.com recommends:

Carrie’s Story: An Erotic S/M Novel by Molly Weatherfield

Story of O by Pauline Reage

 Nine and a Half Weeks: A Memoir of a Love Affair by Elizabeth McNeill

Gordon: A Novel by Edith Templeton

The Sleeping Beauty Novels: The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty / Beauty’s Release / Beauty’s Punishment by A. N. Roquelaure

The Surrender: An Erotic Memoir by Toni Bentley

Now, I don’t want to say that this kind of experience is for everyone, but just to put it out there… At Oni Studio, there are no judgments or taboos.

We mean what we say: “Making all your photographic fantasies come true!”

If you are left craving more check out their FaceBook page.

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I have been working with Oni Studio for almost 2 years now, and I can’t tell you how many people come in so nervous about their boudoir shoot and leave so happy and confident about themselves. To see that transformation is one of many reasons that I love working with Oni Studio. However, upon meeting so many clients, the most common question I get, besides, “Can you come over and do my makeup every morning?” is “Have you ever done this type of shoot before?”

Up until a few weeks ago, I couldn’t give an opinion based on my own experience, which is totally different than an opinion of one just observing. So after several people telling me I should try it out, my husband leaving for deployment in May and the real root of it… not feeling very confident with myself and how I looked, I gave in. It took me two years to finally strip down to my unmentionables and let Victoria (figuratively) have her way with me.

Yes, I was a little nervous because I’m not a size 2, or a size 12 for that matter, and I’ve got stretch marks galore after pregnancy. Victoria listened to what I liked and didn’t like about myself, and was able to enhance and pull out my inner beauty and what I was wanting to portray in my pictures.They turned out beautiful and my husband couldn’t be happier! So, it’s important for me to say, just be confident in who you are no matter your size or insecurities.You will leave Oni Studios feeling like a whole new person!

Until our next blog entry, keep up with our new projects, ideas and fun photo shoots by becoming a fan on our Facebook page!

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Legends and fairy tales. The appeal to this genre may seem strange to some, but for me this has been a theme I’ve visited many times with my art and photography. For me fairytales hold appeal because they represent a break from the hum-drum many of us experience with our daily lives. When we were young fairytales seemed to be within easy reach and becoming a princess or astronaut seemed as sure as our morning cereal. As we get older the reality sits in and those childhood dreams seem about as possible as pole vaulting to the moon. This is why I always seek to break away from traditional photography and use different techniques and products that will give my clients a piece of fairytale they can have forever. 

I draw inspiration for my fairytale images from many different places. The largest being the work of other great artist such as Natalie Shau in Lithuania, Dorian Cleavenger in Pennsylvania, Lindsay Adler, (with whom I just finished a very awesome class over at creativeLIVE) and many more I’d love to list, but don’t think I’d have the room!

Another reason for fairytale type photography was to set ourselves apart. When we first started Oni Studio we had no idea how many of other photographers there were in the area, and how much competition there was in this industry. Although at that time we were so amateur we couldn’t really call ourselves competition, lol! Once we really got to looking, we found seven other photographers in five mile radius of us. Many of these photographers had been in business for quite a while, were very established and producing very good quality images. It was an intimidating prospect and for a long time we just practiced with our camera trying to see if this was something we really wanted to get heavily invested in. We realized very early in the game that if we wanted to stand out amongst our peers and become successful in the photography industry we would have to produce not only high quality images, but images that would instantly be recognized as our style.  Since I had always been interested in dark fantasy and fairytales I wanted to incorporate it into my photography.  I want people to look at a photograph and right away recognize it and say, “that’s Oni Studio’s work!”.

One of the things I have always been interested in is incorporating fantastic props into our pictures. I didn’t want it to come across as tacky or gimmicky, I wanted the props to add to the image, not be the focus of it, and this is always tricky to pull off. One day while I was browsing Etsy I came across a seller named “Posh Fairytale Couture”, which featured some of the most beautiful photo props I have ever seen. I spent about thirty minutes on her page just in awe of her work. After talking with Rachel, the owner of the company, I discovered she was not only a talented creator, but a very beautiful and nice person, and she was also a military spouse like me!  I cannot recommend Rachel and her company enough. When I was buying the props from her she kept me updated throughout the construction and sent me instragrams of my head dress. Now I know where I’m getting my props from for the next couple of years!

It’s strange, but during the edit the piece began looking familiar to me, and then I realized what I was doing, making it look like “Lily” from the movie “Legend”, (at least subconsciously). I’m sure many of you have never seen this 1986 sleeper film starring Tom Cruise and directed by Ridley Scott, but if you have kids or you like fantasy film it’s a great one to pick up.

The inspiration for this piece were mighty warriors and sci-fi fiction movies. Gold is a very rich decadent color it says power, fame, ambition. I love how the black tones set off the golds! The skull is painted gold as a symbol of strength in humanity, our dominion over animals and respect to them for being a food source. I love to use recycled items in my pieces. It’s a re-birth of what used to be. -Posh Fairytale Couture

The last, (and maybe most exciting!) bit we would like to share with you is the publication of one of my favorite images I did in Essere Magazine! Although the image is one of our older ones it’s still one of my favorites.

Keep up with our new projects, ideas and fun photo shoots by becoming a fan on our Facebook page.

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Today I would like to introduce our new rewards program and Miss K. was gracious enough to be one of our first participants.  She came in for her very first Boudoir photo shoot few weeks back and now would like to share some of her photos with friends and fans. We hope you enjoy the photos and get to know Miss K. a little. For every individual comment posted on this blog Miss K will receive a FREE 5X7 print from her photo shoot and get a chance to receive a beautiful Image Folio. So the more comments the better!

ONI: What was your favorite part about this shoot?

Miss K.: I liked having my hair and make-up done, it felt like big girl dress up and was really fun.

ONI: We love powerful women. What badass babe do you identify most with?

Miss K.: I know a lot of people do not like Sarah Palin but I think she is really driven and has a strong personality.

ONI: What do you have that other girls don’t?

Miss K.: I was pretty lucky to have a lot of my grandma’s influence growing up!

ONI: When are you happiest?

Miss K.: I am pretty happy right now. My career is good and I am engaged to be married to the love of my life!

ONI: What do you like most about yourself?

Miss K.: My teeth. I had adult braces for two years. The payoff was worth it!

ONI: What’s the best or most creative pick-up line you’ve ever heard?

Miss K.: Was your daddy a thief? Because I could swear he stole the stars of the sky and put them in your eyes!

Keep up with our new projects, ideas and fun photo shoots by becoming a fan on our Facebook page.

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As with any skill once you learn the basics you start to build upon them, expand your visions and try new things.  We believe that in business as well as life you have a have variety and always seek to expand and improve in every en devour. =)

After my recent surgery I had a lot of down time to research new photography techniques, and one of the styles I hadn’t tried yet, but thought was very interesting, is bodyscapes. This technique, sometimes referred to as low key lighting, is something I’ve been very enthusiastic about lately and hadn’t explored very much before since I was restricted equipment wise. However, after we splurged a bit at B&H Photo I’ve been delving into this type of photography with a vengeance!

While doing research for this new shooting technique I was contacted by Crystal, who was a prospective client for a wedding shoot (yes I do WEDDINGS!), and during our conversation she mentioned Vantel Pearls, a company she worked for. For those of you who are new readers of our blog, what I do every now and then is highlight a woman owned business, or feature a woman in what would be considered a nontraditional role, to support strong women in our community. So when Crystal and I talked I knew right away how to showcase those beautiful pieces of jewelry. Each pearl is unique and no two strands are exactly the same. Pearls are a timeless classic that should complete every woman’s jewelry box, and Crystal can definitely help you out with that.

I didn’t always appreciate the beauty of a pearl. Not until I started working for a NEX jewelry department and learned more about them and different styles and settings. When Crystal showed me some of the inventory she had on hand and a catalog from the company I was pleasantly surprised. There are so many modern unique pieces to choose from to match any taste and occasion. But don’t take my word for it. Book a home party with Crystal and let her blow your mind!

Hi! My name is Crystal Hetzer. I joined Vantel Pearls in 2007 and the company has given me the opportunity to have a home ran business, still work full time and going to college online full time. I thought about getting into a home business for a while to help with the bills, but I’m not into make-up or expensive clothes, but I do love jewelry. The best thing about pearls is that they are great for every occasion and all the different styles they come in are fantastic!

The one thing I love about doing home parties is that the customer never knows what color, or how big of pearl they are going to get when they pick the oyster. Vantel Pearls has made it easier for customers, in the way that they don’t have to open an oyster if they don’t want and they can order the product with either a white or black pearl. The company focuses on the customer, like other businesses, the hostess gets items at discounts but I feel that Vantel Pearls gives a wide variety of items to choice from to use the discounts on. Also the company is reaching out to customers in different ways. For example, online with demonstrator personal websites, facebook and other media outlets. Every Thursday on facebook they put at least one item up at a deep discount for customers.

Vantel Pearls is committed to the idea of leaving the world a better place, and truly believes that every individual does make a difference. Each time you make a purchase, Vantel Pearls donates a percentage of sales to agencies that provide shelter, counseling and education to families in need.

Vantel Pearls often gets involved with their local schools or other adolescent organizations to talk about bullying and how it relates to a pearl. I believe that this can be directed to not only adolescents but to every person that choses to wear a pearl. “Inside every oyster, there is at least one pearl.  A pearl is formed when an oyster defends against a grain of sand or foreign particle.  The oyster secretes layers and layers of nacre or mother-of-pearl around the irritant.   When we have a challenge, how many of us, as oysters do, find the gift in it-actually turn it into something positive?”

~Crystal Hetzer, Independent Vantel Pearls™ Demonstrator

www.vantelpearls.com/crystalhetzer

360-682-6847

During this photo shoot I tried few different lighting set ups using primarily a strip light. I searched through my trusted “Lighting the Nude: Top Photography Professionals Share Their Secrets” book a number of times for reference and inspiration. I definitely need more practice, but for the first try I am pleased with the result.

What do you think?

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This year is most likely to be our last one to be stationed on Whidbey Island. We had great times here and were fortunate enough to meet a lot of great people and gain loyal customers. This year we would like to give back to this wonderful community that has given us so much.

At least once a month I would like to highlight a new and upcoming woman owned small business. Just to draw some attention and show some girl power! The catch is, this business has to be related to health, beauty, fashion or art. If you have a suggestion or have your owned woman owned business dont hesistate to contact us and tell us why!

This month I am proud to present an independent consultant for VAULT DENIM Jessica VanDine!

My name is Jessica VanDine and I have been an independent consultant for Vault Denim in the Skagit County area since October 2011. Vault Denim was founded in April 2010. This company buys overstock authentic name brand jeans from high end department stores and boutiques then puts them into inventories that contain 100 jeans to distribute to us consultants. We carry sizes 0-26. Every inventory is so unique which in turn makes it that much more exciting to share with all my clients. The commission based pay is amazing! The hostess of each party gets treated pretty generous too with 10% of each jean sold at their party towards a pair of their choice. I’m so happy to be a part of the beginning of a successful business and can not wait to share it with others! 

I was so excited to have Jessica come out to Anacortes for a location photo shoot early in the morning. She brought out her entire inventory of latest styles of jeans and was able to fit all four of the models.  The girls were able to choose jeans that fit their personal styles and compliment their look for the day. Here is what each one had to say about the jeans they modeled.

“The style and fit of the first pair I tried on for the shoot were my favorite. They were comfortable and looked good, which is a hard combination to find for me sometimes.” ~Alicia

“I am always having to adjust my pants. Being tall and skinny its hard to find pants that fit both the length and the waist, but the couple pairs I tried on fit excellent!” ~Kristina

“I loved those jeans! It wasn’t too tight or loose, high quality and length was also perfect.” ~Meggie

“My favorite thing about the jeans was how they retained their shape and kind of stiffness throughout the time I wore them. I can’t stand pants that stretch out and get baggy throughout the day as I wear them.” ~Alicia

“I loved that there was a variety of styles. It seemed like you could find a pair for almost anyone ranging from casual to the club wear! My favorite thing about these jeans was that it actually gave me a butt lol. ” ~Kristina

“When I buy my jeans, I usually look at the back pocket design. Depends on the pocket position makes our hips look different.  So I loved the sparkled pockets!” ~Meggie

If anyone is interested in having a party or becoming a part of this dream come true opportunity please contact Jessica @ 360-201-8657 or email @ jessicavandine(at)vaultdenim.com.

 Walking on the streets of Anacortes, even early in the morning, we had a lot of people stop and look. Some asked questions and offered advice on good locations, others just pull over to see what is going on. But this one was our favorite fan by far! He came out of no where and was ready for his five minutes of fame.  We were sad to leave him in the alley  =(

Special thanks to Adrift Restaurant for allowing us to use their back hallway as a base of operations. All of us met there and stayed afterwards for breakfast and coffee. If you’ve never been to Adrift you are totally missing out!!! Everything, and I mean everything, I tried there was absolutely amazing! Staff is friendly, cooks are creative and their menu will keep you coming back time after time. Visit them next time you are out for dinner!

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*Oni Studio and the owners are not employees of Vault Denim, nor do we represent them in any form.

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Valentine’s Day is approaching fast and most of us are in search of that perfect gift. Something special and unique to give to our lover. Chocolate and roses are so overrated and every store is full of same old thing. It’s like we try to make him feel loved by buying same thing everyone else is going to get. Many of the couples I know don’t even celebrate Valentine’s Day. They see it as a waste of time and money. So, this Valentine’s Day take a chance and give him something that will say “I Love You” in a whole new way.

Go to Victoria’s Secret, or Lover’s Package, or Trashy.com and buy that sexy outfit you always wanted but talked yourself out of. Dig through the box of past Halloween costumes and find that masquerade mask you felt so sexy in. Get the fishnets and the highest heels in the store even though you know you will never wear them again.

Forget rose petals and pink fuzzy hearts.

This Cupid is naughty!!!

Be selfish, this gift is more for you than him! You get to play dress up and get pampered. Have your makeup done while sipping on wine, and get a shot of confidence with supermodel photo shoot.

All our Boudoir Packages are designed to fit any budget while still providing the experience of a lifetime. There is no better feeling than realizing that this hard working mom of two can still stop traffic!  We all need that boost and this is one of the ways to get it.

If you want it all and you want it now Lilith’s Lair Boudoir Photo Shoot is exactly what you need.

A room in a luxury hotel with beautiful decor and amazing views. The two hotels I hand picked for your consideration are The Majestic Inn and Spa in Anacortes and The Palace Hotel in Port Townsend. Both are glamorous in different way. Both provide a wide variety of settings for the most sensuous images. Both have breathtaking views of the town.

This is the ultimate boudoir experience.

 Professional hair and makeup services are included and provided by Ashley with Make Up Your Mind. Four hour photo shoot with unlimited wardrobe changes. Bring all your favorite outfits and sexiest lingerie.

At the end you will receive a one of a kind Press Printed Album of your favorite images designed specially for you. This you can present to your lover and see his face light up. This gift will keep on giving every time he looks through it!

To keep abreast of all updates make sure you become a fan on our Facebook page, we are also on Twitter and Google Plus!

FU4V4V37EGAN

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I love doing what I do. I take pride in making women feel beautiful and sexy and bring out their “private” side. But there is so much more to it.

Photos we create are not just pieces of paper. These works of art are memories. Frozen moments of our existence. Markings of our milestones. They represent our beauty, our love, our passion…

Everything we are in life will be remembered by our good deeds, but our memory will live through a photograph. Many years after we are gone, someone will look at the photo of us and say, “This is my great great great grandmother. She was a strong woman. Wasn’t she beautiful?”

When you think of a photograph in those long terms… don’t you want to leave one worth looking at?

Nowadays there are so many options to satisfy out photographic needs and wants. A 4X6 print does not cut it anymore. We bind our images into press printed books. Blow them up and frame them. Carve them into metal sheets or ceramic tiles. Today, I want to highlight one of the new products we offer here at Oni Studio.

Presenting CollageWall!!!

Supported by a grid of push-in pegs, CollageWall® pictures hang aligned and stay level.  And you can add, remove and rearrange pictures in seconds.

The frameless pictures float 1/4 inch off the wall. With multiple connection points on the back, pictures stay straight.

When you purchase a CollageWall I will personally deliver it to your door step and install it in a place you selected (within 20 miles of the studio). No mess and no fuss! A grid of precision-machined aluminum pegs hold the pictures tight. Finally a photo wall is easy to install, add to and update. And off the wall, the 5-inch-high pictures have a second life using the included stands.

To keep abreast of all updates make sure you become a fan on our Facebook page, we are also on Twitter and Google Plus!

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In the past year Oni Studio has grown so much! We learned a lot and accomplished many of our goals. But it’s because of you, our clients, that the year has been so successful for us!

As we move into 2012 we like to reflect on some of the highlights of the previous year. A large portion of our success comes from our fans on facebook page and we would love to send a special shout out to them! We hope that our photos have made your days better, inspired you, and if you have shot with us, we hope it was an experience to remember.

This year we accomplished a number of things that we are quite proud of. Launching of our website and blog is one of them. Before we got the website and blog most of our client interaction had been done through sites like MySpace and later Facebook. The website and blog, designed by J.R. Customization, and hosted on Smugmug, allowed us a new and uncensored platform to interact with our clients. We have enjoyed it and according to Google analytics you all have too!

It was very difficult to pick out our favorite photos of 2011, but one thing we wanted to do was post photographs we hadn’t have on our blog before, or at least not for awhile. Hope you enjoy!

Winning third place in the “Best of Whidbey” competition was a HUGE honor for us in 2011! Especially since we are a relatively new studio. We definitely want to thank everyone who voted for us and this year we wanna take home the gold!!

My husband, often an under credited and unnoticed part of Oni Studio, sometimes gets from behind the editing desk and assist in the shoots. Thank you honey! I could not do it without you.

Charity, owner of WatchDawgs Grooming and Boarding was instrumental in getting us more new fans than any campaign we ran. She did an amazing amount of work to help gain noteriety for Oni Studio and we wish her the best in 2012!

This is one of the greatest things about living here in Whidbey Island! My husband and I drove here across country from Virginia and first saw Deception Pass early in the morning covered in fog. We were driving separate vehicles and communicated via walkie talkie. When we saw Deception Pass we started yelling to each other, “do you see this?! what the hell?!” Needless to say it made an impression!

One of the advantages of working for the government is the travel. This was taken by my husband at the hotel in Crete, Greece.  You can see more photos he took in Crete here.

One of the greatest things about working as a photographer is getting to bring to life all the crazy ideas that pop into my head. I would like to thank all the wonderful models that agree to be used and abused by me in the name of art! Special thanks go out to Briellen K., Sharon O., Meggie, Sandra O., Lola, Crystal B., Heidi M., Jenn B., Veronica F., and Kortney S.

In 2012 I plan on doing many special projects. If you have a great idea and a complete, detailed write up on it, get in touch with me!

We love this lake, in fact its hard not to run off the road as we drive by. We never knew the name of it and always called it Mirror Lake. When we finally got our tripod we raced out and got these shots. We are far from being nature photographers, but it was a fun shoot! For those that live in Whidbey Island, is this called Cranberry Lake?

That’s all for now dear constant reader! For the first three weeks of January I will be unable to do any shoots due to an operation. For 2012 we will have a slight price increase but to offset this I want to implement a referral program that will save you money and I plan on doing a few projects in hopes of being published in Bella Morte magazine. To keep abreast of all updates make sure you become a fan on our Facebook page, we are also on Twitter and Google Plus! We hope you and yours have a great New Year and wish you the best in 2012!

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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!