Tying up WPPI and have two Ginger shoots today. I will be back to business as usual tomorrow afternoon. I will be answering all emails and getting back to order fulfillments then. Hope you all are having a fabulous week!
Busy, Busy, Busy with WPPI
Still busy with WPPI activities. So far I attended the Business Institute on Friday and Saturday and loved it. Although, I decided that I chose the wrong class to attend. Since I come from a marketing background, I pretty much knew most everything they were talking about already. But, it was still inspiring and sometimes it takes someone else putting something a different way to turn the lightbulb on. I definitely don’t regret going.
Because we were sitting in the same seat all day, it didn’t really give me the opportunity to network much but I lucked out by having super cool photographers sitting next to me. One was David Esquire from the OC. He is the creator of the ‘I’m not a McTographer’ t-shirt, which I plan on purchasing soon. I also met Michael Corsentino, a lifestyle photographer from Sonoma County, California. Hoping to catch his demo of the new Kubota Dashboard 3.0, but already made plans with Yasmin Tajik of local Shalimar Studios to take part in Becker’s Head Shots.
Another cool part of networking at WPPI is getting to use an application for the iPhone called BUMP. It’s like exchanging digital business cards. You just bump someone else who has the app and it trades your contact info. You can even exchange image files! So fun!
And, if you are a Boudoir Photographer, you are invited to a get-together on Tuesday night that I put together. Please leave a comment or email me at info@hauteshots and I will give you the details.
Anyway, if you are at WPPI and recognize me (that’s me in the pic below), please say hi! I’m really looking forward to meeting you all!
WPPI
Super excited that WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) Convention and Trade Show is finally here again! This year i will be attending the Business Institute (tonight & all day tomorrow), walking around the trade show meeting with vendors and attending the [B] Party which is supposed to be “thee hottest tickets in town each year”, although I really want to go to the Airhorn & Lasers Party Sunday, but I decided to limit myself to just one big party this year. I’m especially looking forward to meeting so many other photographers whose work I admire or with whom I have networked with online! Should be a great opportunity to learn a few new tricks and I’m sure will be lots & lots of fun! I’m going to be plenty busy with this for the next week or so!
Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!
Stay tuned…
So excited about announcing the winner of my Valentine’s Day contest! There are a couple of surprises thrown in too. But we all have to wait until Valentine’s Day to hear who the winner is….boohoo!
Getting ready for a shoot later today and will be back in the office tomorrow afternoon. If you are interested in setting up a photo shoot of your own, please email me from the form that is on my contact page.
Have a happy day everyone and I will be back soon to resume processing images, creating galleries and working on orders! See you soon!
xoxo
Stacie
Shooting Beauty - Interview for Design Democracy
In my previous life as a Graphic Designer, I was hired by what ended up being the best boss I ever had…Arnold Dela Cruz, an extremely talented Designer and Creative Director. Through him I was able to find my voice as a designer, which I’m sure helped me grow as a photographer too. He knew the power of inspiration for us creatives and he always kept things fresh and regularly encouraged our growth as professionals. Arnold ended up branching off and started one of the coolest sites out there for designers and creatives, called Design Democracy. They are starting a new monthly interview series and kicked it off with an interview of me! I’m incredibly honored!
You can check out the article here. Be sure to look around his site while you’re at it!
New Year’s Resolution - Work Out Regularly
One of my resolutions for the New Year is getting back to the gym regularly. I had been slacking on that big time throughout the holidays and have found myself trying desperately to find motivation to go again. While finding motivation to actually go can be pretty difficult, I have found that once I am there music is the driving force in keeping me there!
What are some of your favorite tunes to work out too? I am sharing some of the songs that make me want to take those extra steps on the cardio machines in an iMix (see below). I find that I am drawn to alt-rock sorts of songs with high energy that are a bit on the quirky side. But I also want to start adding more pop and hip-hop! These are just a couple in my regular rotation. Enjoy!
Image Thievery
It was brought to my attention recently that one of my images was being used to market boudoir photography services by a ’so-called’ photographer in Edmonton (Kaitlyne Tyner - The Boudoir Ladies). She went to the trouble of removing my watermark on the image below to promote bridal boudoir services to unsuspecting women. This is absolutely not acceptable. It sickens me to think that a person would try to fool the general public like this especially when women are trusting them with photography of such an intimate nature. Very, very shady, indeed. So, when looking into hiring a photographer for your boudoir pictures, please research them before booking your appointment ladies. Look for consistency with the style of photography they are featuring in their galleries and ads. This girls images (which were all apparently stolen) had different ‘looks’ to them and I could tell they were not from the same photographer. So frustrating.
Thank you to the professional photographer who alerted me to this.
Season’s Greetings!
Hope you all are enjoying the hustle and bustle of the holiday season so far! This past weekend was the most festive one for me so far. Aside from celebrating by birthday on Friday, we attended Joe’s company holiday party. Had a blast! I am tied to the computer day and night this time of year so it was nice to take a break and get all dressed up for the occasion.
What all have you been doing to celebrate the season? Have you finished all of your holiday shopping yet?
XOXO
P.S. I will be showing previews of some of the shoots I have done lately AFTER Christmas. I don’t want to ruin any surprises my clients are giving this year! And, I am concentrating on getting orders processed and created in time for the holiday.
{{ Photo taken by Jonathan Owens at Joe’s Company Holiday Party }}
A Fabulous Birthday!
Thank you to everyone involved with helping to make this years birthday the best one ever! It was on Friday and it was jam-packed with activities! I got to have light lunch at Dos Camino’s in the Palazzo with my good friend Jennifer from High School and her husband Ken. Ken was treating Jenn to a trip to Vegas for her birthday! Afterwards we went shopping in Sephora. I had wanted to try the Make Up For Ever’s HD Foundation but after the makeup girl tried two applications on me and couldn’t get the color right, I decided to wait and go to the Sephora in Town Square soon. Not sure why they always want to darken my skin and make it more yellow. I just want a foundation to match my skintone, no matter how fair it might be…I can add color with bronzer or blush. Speaking of blush, I found the most amazing shade….Soul by LORAC.
Then I had another light lunch with my Mom and Austin. My Mom made the most amazing recipe for meatloaf…it had spinach in it and was so yummy. They gave me lots of little goodies….the cutest dresses (one of which I wore later that night), bath salts, etc.
And, finally, came home and got ready and Joe surprised me with pre-dinner drinks at Fleur de Lys (Mandalay Bay). Really elegant atmosphere and the yummiest Blood Orange Margaritas! Joe and I had just mentioned how quiet the place was, how everyone seemed to whisper there, when I look up and see our friend Wendell walking in carrying the most enormous red bags and to top it off, he was wearing huge red bows! So cute!. Inside the bag were two pinatas with all kinds of fun party favors! The best part though was the vintage 1999 bottle of Dom Perignon that he gave me. Totally saving that for a special occassion! We proceeded to have a really nice dinner at China Grill and then went dancing at the Foundation Room for a bit.
Joe gave me the nicest gifts this year…jewelry from Tiffany’s and a Gift Card to Bebe’s (I got the 3 top items you see below-handbag, shoes and top)! And my friend Lauren, who knows about my affinity for interior designer Jonathon Adler, bought me a pair of his Bird Salt & Pepper shakers…tooo freakin’ cute! I am such a happy girl and so fortunate to have such great people in my life to help me celebrate getting older!
Checking In
Just wanted to let you all know that I will be away from the office for a bit. While it is incredibly difficult to pry me away from my computer these days, due to my heavy holiday work-load, I still have shoots to do! I have a pretty exciting burlesque themed shoot today…can’t wait!
And, tomorrow is my birthday! So, I have some running around to do. Places to be, people to see and things to do! Woohoo! I will be working periodically throughout the weekend though.
Please feel free to email me at info@hauteshots.net and I will get back to you just as soon as possible.
XOXO
Just a little update
I have been so busy lately…photo shoots, Thanksgiving, boudoir marathon and lots & lots & lots of orders…that I haven’t had a chance to update the blog properly. Sorry about that! I am working my hardest at getting caught up on everything so I can start sharing more gorgeous shots from recent shoots again, so keep an eye out for hot imagery coming soon.
One thing I wanted to mention is that now is a great time to start considering doing a boudoir shoot for Valentine’s Day. Book your session in December to ensure you get your products in time for the big day! Email me at info@hauteshots.net for more info or to schedule your session.
Out of the Office
I will be doing on-location Ginger shoots and won’t be at my desk today or tomorrow morning. If you need me at all, feel free to email me at info@hauteshots.net and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
XOXO
Little Glimpse of my Weekend
I had the best time this past Sunday. My team (Hera Beauty - Kat, makeup - Whitney, hair - Rachel, hair) and I, with the help of Kat’s husband Nate, worked on a couple of fun projects. I am never happier than when I am working on creative projects, especially with other creative people. I had such a blast with everyone and am hugely grateful for all of their help!
Hopefully I can reveal it all soon! For now though, here are a couple of candid shots of us girls.
Busy, Busy, Busy
Just a note to let you all know that I will be away from the office for the few days. I have lots of boudoir shoots…so fun! Seriously, I have the BEST job with the most amazing clients! I am so lucky I get to work with so many wonderful women!
If you need to contact me in the meantime, please send me an email to info@hauteshots.net and I will get back to you on Tuesday.
Have a fabulous weekend!
XOXO
Want to do a Boudoir Shoot but Nerves are Standing in Your Way?
I completely understand being nervous about doing pictures in lingerie. I had my boyfriend Joe take some of me awhile back so I could get an idea of what you all are experiencing from the other side of the camera. Granted, it was my boyfriend taking the shots (and not a perfect stranger) which meant there was a level of comfort in knowing him so well. But, I was still a nervous wreck! Would I hate the way I looked in the pictures he produced? Would my least favorite features be highly noticable? So many things running through my mind about it.
Well, I went ahead and set up the lighting and adjusted the settings of the camera for Joe and he began shooting pictures. I adore Joe and think he did a great job photographing me considering he isn’t a professional photographer, but he didn’t give me much direction and he was concentrating so hard on getting the shots that he wasn’t talking to me at all throughout the whole process. I had no idea if I looked like a dork with my poses or if I was doing anything right or not. It was pretty frustrating to say the least. I learned so much as a photographer from this experience though. It taught me how incredibly important it is to not only make sure you are feeling at ease but also to guide you through the entire session, coaching you into poses and expressions that work for each of you individually…and…to have more fun with the shoots and not take myself so seriously!
And, I also learned that I didn’t look as bad as I had imagined I would! Major confidence booster…we could all use one of those, right?
And now for the big reveal….
Playing Dress Up
I went out with a big group of friends last Friday and one of the super cool girls there happened to bring along a couple of wigs in honor of Halloween the next night. So, I got to play dress up as a red head (that’s me in the pic above on the right)! Thanks to David for capturing us girls primping in the mirror!
Did you dress up for Halloween this year? I would love to hear what you went as! Even better, send me a link to pics!
Haute Shots Image Featured on Inked Magazine Website
Congratulations to Miss M for getting picked as Inked Girl of the Day today on Inked Magazine’s website! You are a shining star and totally deserve the recognition!!! XOXO
Back from Vacation
What an amazing vacation in Aruba we had. I am back though…refreshed and renewed, excited to start shooting again. Thank you to everyone who contacted me with inquiries while I was away. I am especially appreciative for your patience in waiting for me to get back to you. I had limited access to phone and email while away.
Here are a few shots from my vacation.
The beach we spent most of our time on. Turquoise water and white sand beaches..beautiful!
The view from our room. We were able to watch people on the lazy river from our balcony.
Iguanas were EVERWHERE! We even spotted one in the top of a tall tree on our last morning there.
I’ll post more images and details from the trip soon. Just wanted to let you all know that I am back now!
Leaving for Aruba!
We are heading for Aruba today! I may be unable to tend to emails or phone calls while away, so please expect to hear back from me on or around August 3rd.
Can’t wait to share my experiences with all of you from the trip, which is my first real (big) vacation since Milan, Italy in 1999…yes, I was badly in need of a get-away.
Looking forward to lots of fun photo sessions in August. If you are contemplating a shot that month, please start thinking of reserving your appointment so that I can be sure to get you in.
Artwork for the Home or Office
Have you all discovered Etsy yet? So many awesome handmade items over there. I was browsing it recently and came across this cool letterpress poster that would look adorable hanging over my own little collection of vintage cameras! Perfect gift for a photographer or anyone that needs a reminder to put a smile on their face.
Haute Shots has a new Facebook Fan Page!
Become a fan here. I thought a Fan Page on Facebook was an great way to start discussions and get to know what you all would like to see from me and my business as well as keeping you better informed. And I get to learn a little about all of YOU that way too! Hope to see you there!
Setting Myself Apart from the Pack
When I started this blog I had a decision to make - do I want to keep it strictly boudoir photos like every other photographer was doing or do I want to offer insights into my personal life as well as styling ideas? I decided to offer a little bit of everything. The reason for this was that I wanted to show a glimpse of who I am on my blog. I think the relationship between photographer and client is so important so I wanted you to be able to get to know me a little better before choosing me to do your intimate photos. I also wanted to be able to give you enough tips to have a successful shoot, whether you come to me or ultimately decide on another photographer. It is my love for Boudoir that made me do it. 
So, dear readers, do you enjoy my blog entries that offer advice, style ideas or a look into my personal life? It was a hard decision to make since other photographers were sticking strictly to just their boudoir shoots, but that meant they weren’t updating regularly. Although I am starting to notice other boudoir photographers are starting to offer more advice etc too all of a sudden. I personally, liked setting myself apart from the pack and hope that you do too, so I can continue to post things that I think are of value to those considering a boudoir shoot.
You also may have noticed that I decided to go against the grain when it came time to design my website. I didn’t go with the standard photography template that you see others using. Again, a tough decision, but I think it was a good one. What do you think?
Do Dreams Really Come True?
I feel so fortunate. While building a new business is hard work and can be slow-going at times, I feel rewarded on a daily basis at having found my calling. Not only do I get to work with the most unbelievable clients, beautiful women who inspire me on a creative and personal level, but I also work with a team of amazing beauty professionals who are a pleasure to be around. But something I didn’t expect was recognition from other photographers in my field!
Today I got the sweetest note from another photographer I admire and respect, Holly McCaig.
“Hey Stacie! I follow you on Twitter and must say, I LOVE what you are doing! I have shot some boudoir in the past, but am now focusing my efforts on weddings/engagements and am going to include boudoir with it. I have a few models coming Sunday to do a shoot to build up the portfolio at a beautiful suite in downtown St. Louis. Anyway, I just wanted to personally tell you how inspiring you are! Keep it up!!!
Thank you to everyone who has encouraged me to keep going! This is the career path I have chosen and love with all my heart and it helps so much to hear kind words like that.
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