DWF » PRO Boudoir & Portrait

Don’t Miss Sandy Puc at DWF Convention 2012

Mark Lutz — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:24:29 +0000

Imagine a system where clients are empowered to spend more! Having spent 15 years refining her pricelist, Sandy Puc’ realized she had very little room for change with a maximum 10% to 20% increase each year. The only way to make a positive change in income was to make a drastic change in pricing. Enter the Credit System.

This unique program increased sales dramatically with clients spending far more and excited to do so. Learn how this innovative pricing structure drastically changed Sandy’s income and how you can put it to work for you too.

Website: www.sandypuc.com

Bio: Sandy’s passion for connecting with people and her remarkable ability to capture her subjects’ personality make her one of the world’s premier portrait photographers. She holds the prestigious titles of Print Master and Explorer of Light from Canon USA and has served on the Board of Directors for the Professional Photographers of America.

She isn’t as concerned with those titles, though, as much as she is proud of her ability to transform a single moment in her studio into an invaluable, time-transcending work of art. Sandy first established herself and her studio with heart-touching children’s portraits and remains one of the world’s most-respected children’s portrait photographers to this day.

Charity and education play significant roles in Sandy’s life as well, as Sandy’s Littleton, Colorado-based studio, Sandy Puc’ Portrait Design, is consistently involved with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Locks of Love, Operation Smile, The Children’s Hospital, The Food Bank of the Rockies and The Denver Dumb Friends League. Sandy is also the co-founder of Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, a non-profit organization that provides portraiture services to families whose babies will never leave the hospital.

Sandy is also a passionate photography educator. In 2008 she began Sandy Puc’ Tours, where professional photographers from around the world gain first-hand insight about the industry’s latest and greatest tips and techniques. Sandy is also the founder of SandyPucUniveristy.com and Ukandu.com, online resources for photographers looking to supercharge their studio through effective and innovative marketing templates and campaigns.

Hurry… There are less than two weeks left to register for DWF Convention 2012

Celebrity Boudoir Shoot

Trent Ernst — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:19:49 +0000

Our very own Critsey Rowe got another chance to shoot a celebrity boudoir shoot, this time down in Mexico, and got permission to share the images. You’ll find a bunch more on this Pro Photography Boudoir thread. Warning: there are a few shots there that are a bit risque-er.

This is Critsey’s second shoot with Barbie. You can order the Coutoure Boudoir Book, featuring images from the first shoot. No word yet on whether there will be a second book, though Critsey does hint that she might combine the two shoots together and release one big book.

Not a DWF Pro member? That’s ok trials are FREE to qualified working professional photographers.

Uber Creative Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign

Mark Lutz — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:08:36 +0000

Are you obsessed with the right things?

Full props to the DDB agency in Singapore for creating what really amounts to an attention getting campaign for breast cancer awareness. As they state it, their challenge was…

About 1,100 women in Singapore are found to have breast cancer each year.
80 per cent of women are aware of breast cancer screening but only 41 per cent actually go for it.

It seems that women are more preoccupied with other perplexing things in daily life: bad hair, an ample behind, or even a troublesome acne breakout.

Getting people to see the significance of breast cancer screening can mean the difference between life and death.

Let’s Talk Worst Case Scenario

Mark Lutz — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:46:30 +0000

What happens when you give DWF PRO Jason Groupp “The Absolute worst case scenario possible”? I can’t wait to see more…

Belle Boudoir Brings the Sexy

Trent Ernst — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:10:00 +0000

Belle Boudoir Studio Experience from Cheryl Jones on Vimeo.

DWF Member Cheryl Jones over at Bella Boudoir, has managed to find that perfect blend of innocent and sexy in a fusion video she posted on her website on Friday.

Fusion boudoir has never really hit the right balance, in my opinion, either straying to far to the conservative side or way too blatant and in your face. Or, too much video and not enough photography or vice versa…

This on the other hand? This I like, at turns sexy, serious, fun and flirty.

BTW did you know that the DWF has both a Fusion forum and an Boudoir forum? It’s true. Want to check them out? Grab a Free Trial.

Irina Davis Takes Boudoir for a Spin

Mark Lutz — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:29:40 +0000

This lovely fall Friday morning finds me in love with a new photographer. It’s official I’m Irina Davis’s newest and biggest fan. I hope you enjoy her pinup style as much as I did.

She’s done a great job at capturing what I would call sexual innocence. Something that definitely adds to the feel of her work. What do you guys think?

Victoria – iPhone Boudoir

Doug McNamee — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:30:14 +0000

Here are some highlights from a recent session. These are for a book I’m putting together; all nudes shot and processed with the iPhone.

Two apps were used in this session: TiltShift Generator to desaturate, set contrast and create blur and Cool FX to add color tone, vignette, diffusion and grain. Capture is done with phone’s native camera app.

I’m still shooting with a two- year-old 3G, which has no exposure control. Having a super limited dynamic range, images lit with flat, even lighting work best. Trying to get something moody is a real challenge – highlights on skin blow out very easily. To overcome this, I’ll keep a bright object (window, etc.) in the frame to keep the exposure down. I can then crop out that bright object in post.

Images 2,3 and 6 are all tungsten lighting (Lowel). The rest are daylight, with a tiny bit off fill from the Lowels.

I’ve had several images selected for the Eye’em show in Berlin and also for their upcoming book. You can see a lot great iPhone work on their site eyeem.com

iPhotographr is my new blog just for posting iPhone images.

Thanks for looking! – Doug

Discuss Doug’s images in the Professional Boudoir Forum on the DWF now. (login required trials are FREE)

altFesque Pin Up

Mark Lutz — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:25:53 +0000

Like usual DWF Expert John Michael Cooper and his wife Dalisa Cooper (don’t miss our exclusive interview with Dalisa) do whatever they are doing very well. Known for standing out in a crowd, with work like this serial killer engagement session, John’s pin up work actually has a very retro Hollywood feel to it.

These are just a few of the images that John is sharing. DWFers can see more photos from this session and discuss the photos in our PRO Boudoir Photography Forum. For those wondering, the model’s name is Ricci and she was orginally a Bride that John and Dalisa first shot way back in 2008. More on their blog…

Fantasy and Fairies

Travis Hill — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:04:23 +0000

I came across a recent fairy post in the forum s. Until then I thought my wife was the only photographer shooting fairies. Apparently it’s a growing trend which we, or even better I, wasn’t aware of. My wife always tells me that it’s a growing genre and more and more people are contacting her wanting “fairy themed portrait sessions.” The photos are really cool, different, and what girl doesn’t like fairies?

Don’t think these photos are gonna be ready to go right out of the camera. You’re gonna need some photoshop skills to tweak the images and get that “fairy look.” The following photos are taken by my wife Angie Hill please check out her blog for more fairy and fantasy photography. Ann uses a combination of Lightroom and Photoshop to create each image.

Looking to Playboy for Boudoir Inspiration

Mark Lutz — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:19:13 +0000

One could argue that it all depends on how your boss defines “Safe-for-work” but none the less Playboy’s newest site is pretty much boudoir and pin up at heart. (think Playboy minus nipples and vajayjays) I’m thinking it’s a pretty sweet stop over before you head out the door to your next boudoir shoot. Take for instance this session with Playmate Kimberly Phillips…

It’s an excellent posing inspiration guide in and of itself. Want to know more about The Smoking Jacket? Hear it from Hef himself.

Bonus Points: There are articles worth reading too.

Brilliant Body Paint Session

Mark Lutz — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:10:52 +0000

According to the Tropical Imaging blog Brilliant…

Are you ready for something different?!? I always am and when I was asked to shoot a couple of body painting sessions I grabbed the challenge with a smile… I was a little nervous, I admit it, but I had a blast working with an amazing lady, her husband and an excellent artist. To celebrate her 50th birthday the couple hiredPashur, a talented body painter that create works of art involving the beauty of the human form.

See more of the session here and discuss it on the DWF Pro Boudoir forum with your fellow PROS.

REVIEW: Obzessions Boudoir DVD

Lynn Michelle — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:35:18 +0000

I was exposed to Judy’s work here on the DWF and I have always been drawn to her clean, beautiful boudoir images – they are soft and feminine and genuinely show off the client she is shooting in an utterly gorgeous way.

When I was informed that I would be reviewing boudoir DVDs, I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I was anticipating a walkthrough of a boudoir shoot and possibly some suggestions for posing. I was excited about the prospect of seeing a boudoir photographer in action.

What is it?

“Shoot with Judy” is a two disc DVD set geared towards boudoir photographers. One disc boosts a walkthrough of a boudoir session and a couples (Sizzle) shoot, while the other provides sample documentation for clients.

Description/details:

The DVDs came in a clear, two disc DVD holder.

The first DVD contains the boudoir & sizzle videos. The boudoir video is, as anticipated, a full boudoir shoot from start to finish. It starts with the selection process of the outfits, makeup application, and goes through the model being shot in a variety of poses and outfits. There is a short segment on Judy’s home studio and how she transforms it for the shoot, as well as an explanation of her equipment and lenses of choice.

There are several tips subtly interspersed in the video, but the majority of the video is watching Judy in action, directing the model with samples images being shown throughout. There are a few small breaks between outfits to explain what is coming up next.

This disc also showcases Judy shooting a couple on a farm. There is no description, just parts of the shoot set to music as you watch the couple pose and Judy walk in and out of the frame shooting them.

The second DVD contains a PDF document of album samples for both the boudoir session & the sizzle session. It also has a sample boudoir contract, customer FAQ, a of PDF pricing and two sample client emails – informing the client that images are ready & how to proceed as well as a session confirmation.

Usefulness | boudoir & sizzle videos:

I initially felt like the boudoir shoot was geared towards a newer shooter but I also believe that the more experienced shooter will notice Judy’s use of natural light and other lighting techniques in her studio. Both can benefit from watching her interaction with the client and if you carefully pay attention, she reveals hidden golden nuggets of information.

I was beyond impressed at the variety of looks that could be achieved while shooting in a smaller studio space, but this fell in the category of hidden gems that you had to carefully pay attention to it as it wasn’t being explained during the video.

I was also happy to see that a normal sized model was chosen for the session and I watched as Judy carefully positioned her and shot from very deliberate angles. Again, this wasn’t explained in detail, but very intriguing to watch.

The voyeuristic aspect of watching another photographer in action was definitely exciting and I felt that everything that I learned came more from what was shown then what was said in the video.

Unfortunately, I was not as impressed with the Sizzle Shoot/ the couple on the farm. While the music was catchy and the video did keep my interest, there was no explanation or interaction with the clients. I did enjoy seeing some very unique poses, but I felt like this would be a great promotional video for clients rather than a teaching tool for photographers.

Usefulness | boudoir studio documentation:

The client documents are a great starting point for a photographer who has recently begun shooting boudoir. They are detailed and customer friendly.

I felt like the pricing guide and sample album layouts were pretty to look at but as PDFs and with no additional explanation, they weren’t very helpful. I would have loved to see either a video or an explanatory document discussing album layouts or pricing structures to go along with it. The layouts themselves are modern & clean, with just the right amount of delicate touches for a boudoir album.

Other thoughts:

The DVDs have the information screened on them and look professionally made, but I felt like there was missing on the outside of the case itself. The opening screen on the video disc was simply beautiful and I would have liked to see some of Judy’s images on the outside of the case as well.

Overall rating:

4.5/5 for a new boudoir photographer

2/5 for an advanced boudoir shooter

Check Agent Provocateur for Boudoir Inspiration

Mark Lutz — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:39:07 +0000

The British lingerie company Agent Provocateur has released their 2010 collection and the photography has a bit of a voyeuristic feel to it. As a photographer I’m always paying attention to ads in order to see what’s what new. I honestly do believe that it’s worth knowing the style of work clients are being bombarded with these days via advertising.

NOTE to the Guys... with that said, you’re on your own you should need to try and convince your wife that the lingerie site your viewing is for “Research” only.

But seriously, as an photographer/artist I’m really digging the tasteful yet still overtly sexy feel of the photography on their website. It’s lighting is a bit dramatic and harsh and the angles sometimes extreme. It’s certainly not that soft window light that we often associate with boudoir. What do you guys think of the voyeureque boudoir? What do your clients think of it?

Boudoir shooters. Did you know has a Professional forum dedicated exclusively to the Boudoir Photography business? Discuss this post and more there now. (membership required)

iBoudoir There’s No App For That

Doug McNamee — Fri, 28 May 2010 11:16:28 +0000

My favorite camera right now is definitely the iPhone. In addition to using for everyday “oh, that’s interesting…” kinds of things, I’m also using it for portraits, including boudoir, as much as I can. It’s my Holga for the digital age. In fact, I thought about making a Holga ‘cover’ for my iPhone so I could appear hip to all those arty, film purists.

I shoot both natural light and tungsten (Lowel DPs). The biggest challenge is to avoid hot spots on skin, which worsen as you process the image. The scene has to be lit somewhat flatly, and the overall light has to be pretty bright. Some ask if it’s strange setting up everything in a studio, having a nude model posing, and then me pulling out my cell phone instead of a Mark II. The answer is that it’s not strange at all. I explain in advance to all my subjects what I’m doing and why, and that the iPhone images will be treated in the same manner as any other. I direct the models in the same way as usual and they react no differently than if I were shooting 4×5.

For apps, these days I’m using mostly Photogene and Cool FX. All attached images captured and processed in the iPhone 3G (the vintage 2mp model, not the new-fangled, 3mp 3GS)

EDITOR’S NOTE: Want to see more of Doug’s iPhone & Non iPhone Boudoir? Check out these threads in the DWF Pro Boudoir forum. (login required but trials are FREE)

Awkward Family Photos The Book

Mark Lutz — Sun, 09 May 2010 10:45:53 +0000

Ok I admit it, my name is Mark and I’m a trainwreck-a-holic. That’s why I love the descriptively named website Awkward Family Photos so imagine my joy when I found out they had published a book! Seriously the next time I need to buy a photographer a gift they are getting this book because I think everyone should have brides on their brain.

via|uncrate

Review: Ellie Vayo’s Guide to Boudoir Photography

Trent Ernst — Tue, 04 May 2010 11:26:19 +0000

Ellie Vayo has been shooting boudoir for nearly her entire thirty year career. In that time what is considered, how you say, sexy, has changed. However, some of these shots do go back to her film days and early on in her career. This is to say if you shoot boudoir and have only been doing it for the last few years: WARNING, here there be feather boas.

Of course, while the book does dip back into a time that many current boudoir photographers consider cheesy, it also has many timeless images and a few that come across as completely modern. There are some photographs that will tickle the eyes of a photographer, others that might feel dated, old fashioned, or somehow irrelevant. There are some great ideas for poses, and there are some shots that, well, I wouldn’t have shot it like that.

The text offers a similar mixed bag of advice. Some of it is brilliant, starting from the first page where it discusses finding clients, and a detailed discussion of what her studio offers. Some of it is just confusing, like a dozen solid pages of text (no images) of her employee handbook. It’s interesting, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not sure how the section on Vacation Pay relates to Boudoir Photography, exactly? Some of it is…well, I don’t really need another photo book telling me that Adobe Photoshop is used for retouching.

There are sections that demand to be expanded. The section on Post Production could easily be spun out into its own book, instead of the five pages given here. (Dear Amherst. I’ve got a great idea for a book….) And there are sections that probably didn’t need to be here (cf section on Employee Handbook.)

The book is a little business heavy. Do note that none of the examples above deal with anything about, oh, say, posing. But that’s okay by me, as it’s the business side of photography that presents the most challenge. But that’s me. Others might find the lack of information on posing (or editing, or the psychology of working with women who may have never gotten down to their skivvies with a stranger) a drawback.

So, no, this is not the indispensable guide to boudoir photography. Despite a number of titles out there, that book doesn’t exist yet, and may never get written. However, it is a great book to have on the bookshelf for inspiration and for some solid business advice.

Just remember: if you are planning on shooting boudoir, feather boas are not a necessity. I’m just sayin’…

Snag a copy at Amazon

Grab a Free Boudoir Photographers Directory Listing

Mark Lutz — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:40:21 +0000

Looking for a simple and effective way to spread the word about your boudoir photography business?

Did you know that the DWF also runs the Boudoir Photographers Network?

The BPN is currently ranked #1 in Google for “Boudoir Photographer” and “Find a Boudoir Photographer”. Currently BPN listings are FREE to any and all photographers. Read, no DWF membership required!

To snag your FREE directory listing CLICK HERE and be sure to complete all of the fields as incomplete membership applications are not processed.

Credit where credit is due. The BPN was originally created and launched by the Srinu and Amy Regeti.

Srinu and I could not begin to even keep up with the “supply and demand” reaction that had been caused by our new concept and idea of providing “Boudoir Marathons”. Before we knew it we were inundated with emails from all over the world asking how they could start these sessions and be able to offer a product that they could profit from and yet still were proud of. Thus, the “BoudoirPhotographers Network” was born and offered to those seeking more business in the market as an online advertising/marketing tool.

This dynamic boudoir duo were shooting boudoir before boudoir was cool. Check out some of their amazing work here and featured in Rangefinder magazine here.

The Definition of Lifestyle Photography

Mark Lutz — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:13:58 +0000

I woke up this morning in a rather contemplative mood. It’s almost Spring and all around me things are starting to come alive. That includes my otherwise old & tired grey matter which is still thawing out from what seemed to be a rather long and cold Northeast winter. Trying to find my muse in the vast expanse of the internet I stumbled upon someone calling themselves a lifestyle photographer, who they are is not important, but the fact that there was nothing “Lifestyle” about what I saw in their work was. It was posed, formulaic and planned. It had style but it was not life!

Moments later my non-linear brain took over and I found myself searching for the true definition of what a lifestyle photographer should be and everything I came up with quite literally sucked. It was all fluff, filler and marketing speak. That was until I ask our dedicated twitter followers to toss in their two cents…

tinawilsonphoto: a true depiction of a family/child’s personality and a peek into their relationships.
cesarrcabrera For me it is capturing every day things and life as it goes; but in an artistic manner.
anayacubic: photography that captures a slice of life in un-staged, natural settings, as events are occurring.

The responses from DWF Portrait expert Tina Wilson and the others really rang true with me. Lifestyle photography should be about capturing the relationships and the personalities of our clients as we see it. Afterall, as photographers we are, in a way, casual observers of life documenting little glimpses into the psyche of our subjects. A good portrait should give us more than just smooth skin and a proper lighting ratio. The ultimate compliment being that someone tells you that “You’ve really captured your subject(s)”.

Tina Wilson’s work is the embodiment of this ideal but don’t just take my word for it, watch as Tina shows us what she calls “Life, actually”.

To me, the addition of the video really helps to show how strong the still images are. How they quite literally capture and tell the story of that moment, that relationship and that interaction. This is the definition of Lifestyle Photography! Don’t you agree?

Discuss in the DWF PRO Portrait forum (login required)

photos by Tina Wilson

Behind the Scenes Marketing with Couture Boudoir

Mark Lutz — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:32:08 +0000

DWF Boudoir Expert Critsey Rowe shares her Couture Boudoir marketing video. Interesting to note that the video was shot with a 7D by ivid.

Canon EOS 7D
EF100mm f2.8 IS USM
EFS17-55 mm f2.8 IS USM
EF50mm f1.4 USM
EF70-200mm, f2.8, IS USM

If you’re a regular reader you’ve heard us mention Critsey before. Her “Barbie Doll Boudoir” was a hit last year with our readers.

Create Boudoir Marketing Buzz

Mark Lutz — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:18:28 +0000

Let’s face it, who doesn’t like a good contest? And by friendly pitting one client against another Amy Gaerthofner of Ardent Photo has created quite the little viral marketing campaign. Like many successful campaigns this one generates interest on many levels beyond that fact that it features some amazingly hot photographs!

Girl A tells her girlfriends to vote for her. Girl B the same, so on and so forth down the line.
Girl A thru Z all come back regularly to Amy’s blog to check the contest.
Bonus: New girls see the contest as well and their “I’m hotter than that” instinct kicks in and they schedule a session.

That’ s a Win Win in anyone’s book. What makes Amy’s contest really interesting is how she’s broken it down into categories. Best eyes, Best Legs, Best Smile, Best Silhouette, Best use of an Accessory, Best Black and White, Steamiest and Best of the Best!

OK fellas, stick your tongues back in your collective mouths and listen up, categories is an awesome idea. Why? Because you’re able to showcase the best assets (no pun intended) from all of your clients. I’m just gonna say it, not every girl on the planet is going to be a fashion model but all of them have the potential to look amazing in one way or another. Having categories allows you to highlight um… err… Oh hell let’s just call it putting their best foot forward! Literally in the case of LEGS…

Kudos to Amy for the amazing use of a contest and her creative spin. Do you have an idea for a marketing contest? We’d love to hear about it.

Check out Amy’s entire Best of Boudoir contest. And be sure to vote for your favorite photos while there.

Why We Retouch

Mark Lutz — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:49:02 +0000

Let me explain why.

The majority of studio’s don’t retouch their proofs at all. They just send them thru with some sort of action and off to print, just like the shot above.

The second shot took me less than a minute to retouch, and look at the difference. I may not have done a lot, but what I did do visually looks like a lot.

We regularly use the fact that even our proofs are retouched as a selling point to out do our competition. We tell them to ask the other photographers if they retouch their proofs (because we already know the answer). Most of the photographer don’t even have their shots on their own website retouched! I can’t tell you how many times we have had clients come back and book with us just because we retouch everything.

You can also charge more as now you offer a premium product that no one else has. I also add textures to a few images to add that little extra to a pile of proofs. The shot above is nice, but by adding a very light texture, I just made that shot shine.

You need to remember that every single image that goes out of your studio has your name on it. Even your online proofing. Do you really want someone judging you on your un-retouched work?

I want you to know that when I first started this process it would take me days and sometimes weeks to retouch all of my images. That’s why we designed Touchflow (http://www.fochtcreative.com) to speed up the workflow and make it a simpler process. We use interns at our studio and I wanted a way to easily teach them how to retouch, we can do that with our retouching palette. I can teach an intern ( and Fundy too) how to retouch images in about 15 minutes. What used to take hours takes just minutes, and when they are done you have full size and 4×6 size images. It’s all about speeding up the process, because time is money.

For more tips and a FREE 14 day trial of the Touchflow retouching palette check out FochtCreative.com

DWF Forum Adds Portrait Focus and Experts

Jeff Caplan — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:40:26 +0000

Warning… Danger… Shameless self promotion about to occur.

DWF and Portraiture. Hello!

Yes friends, it’s official. The DWF is broadening its horizons, and expanding to include portrait photography in a serious way. Most wedding photographers shoot portraits, and there is a growing number of portrait photographers out there. So we’re adding a focus on portraiture on the DWF.

What do these changes mean? For now, not a whole heck of a lot. We already have an active DWF Pro Portrait Forum and the DWF Boudoir Forum, as well as other forums where the business of portraiture is discussed—just visit DWF Marketing & Sales, or the Gear Forum! Some of the best portrait shooters are already active on the DWF, like Robert Alvarado and Mark Robert Halper.

Are you letting amateur portrait photographers in? New members will be vetted the same way we’ve always vetted wedding photographers. They need either a web site that markets their services professionally, or a Tax ID number. FlickR, personal blogs and so forth don’t qualify. New portrait focused members will help drive better, more in-depth discussion for everyone interested in growing their skill and business in portrait photography.

Should we call it the DWPF now? We’re not changing the forum’s name or logo. The DWF is an abbreviation given by it’s members, and we want to hold on to it, because we’re proud of our community!

Though the changes will be small, you’ll find a new commitment to portraiture on the DWF. For instance, you’ll find more portrait focused content on DWF U, in convention seminars and we even have a few surprises up our sleeves!

- Jeff Caplan

Want to see what all the fuss is about but you’re not a DWF member? Grab a free-trial today and find out.

Lighting the Boudoir

Trent Ernst — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:32:51 +0000

Neil van Niekerk, one our favourite experts on lighting, has turned his attention to the woman’s bedroom with his latest post on lighting for boudoir photography. Along the way he shares some great tips and some spectacularly sexy images, too.

Children’s Portrait Chain Goes Under

Mark Lutz — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:01:26 +0000

Is it wrong that I find a certain kind of perverse pleasure in knowing that one of the big boys has fallen to the economy? My only fear is that a bunch of part-time photographers who worked there churning out repetitive non inspired portraits might begin to flood the boutique portrait market. Let’s see 184 studios times X number of photographers equals a big number.

From their website:

Kiddie Kandids Announces Closure
Sandy, Utah – January 10, 2010

Kiddie Kandids, a Sandy, Utah based chain of photography studios, has ceased operations, effective immediately. This shutdown occurred as the result of an abrupt and unforeseen loss of funding from is banks. Kiddie Kandids’ operations have been particularly challenged by the economic climate over the past 18 months and its lenders have informed the company that they will no longer provide funding for Kiddie Kandids’ immediate cash needs. Without continued funding, Kiddie Kandids was unable to meet its imminent financial obligations. We have exhausted all possible avenues for funding and have come to the end of the road. This is truly unfortunate in light of the great team of employees and the great customers that made Kiddie Kandids a leading national children’s photography studio. It is our hope that if the assets are purchased out of bankruptcy that the buyer will consider hiring back many of our employees. In light of the unforeseen termination of funding by its lenders, Kiddie Kandids intends to file a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code in the coming days.

Prior to its closure, Kiddie Kandids was one of the nation’s premier children’s portrait studios, specializing in newborn, infant, toddler, and pre-school portrait photography. Founded in 1974, Kiddie Kandids grew from a single camera in a mall kiosk to a nationwide network of 184 hi-tech portrait studios. The majority of Kiddie Kandids’ studios are located within Babies ‘R’ Us retail stores across the country.

DWFers discuss the Kiddie Kandids on the forums (login required)

Hubba Hubba

Mark Lutz — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:36:19 +0000

Yummy! I think I can pretty much stop right there and let the pictures do the talking… but I won’t.

IRIS Book just released their newest album dubbed ” IRIS Desire” and I gotta say it’s way sweet looking. Here are the details.

Introducing IRIS desire – a sensuous new line tailored exclusively for your Boudoir photography
3 delicious colours to choose from: Hot Pink Satin, Midnight Black Satin, Purple Brocade
Custom designed end papers
All the beauty and elegance you expect from IRISbook, with a touch of sass!
See our current 2010 price list for details

Anyone have any experience with IRIS book? If so please share in the comments below, we’d like to know more about them.

Keep it in The Family

Fundy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:50:46 +0000

One of most popular products this year has been our family and high school senior albums.

Often times Focht and I shoot together on a family or high school senior shoot. Some say it’s because it takes two of us to get a decent shot or two. But we prefer to think that we shoot better together. Regardless, at the end of the day we have more shots that the client loves than they can afford to put on the wall.

In addition to gallery wraps, we’ve added an extensive line of family albums to the mix. Of all our shoots this year, almost everyone loves the albums. It’s a keepsake for them and something they can easily share with friends and family.

I highly recommend finding an album company that does just 10 pages as a minimum. Many album companies start at 20 pages minimum for an album. For us, that is just too many pages for a portrait shoot.

Here is one spread for a 10×10″ family album we shot recently.

Fundy

For more information on albums and album software, please visit Fundy SOS.

Assume The Boudoir Position

Trent Ernst — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:36 +0000

Starting to get into boudoir photography but having difficulty finding flattering, sexy poses? Have no fear, as the DWF’s own Robin Owen comes to the rescue with this great basic boudoir posing guide post on her blog.

Uber Sexy Boudoir Photography Tee

Mark Lutz — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:28:22 +0000

And as the photo above says it’s just six bucks at where else other than 6 Dollar Shirts. Honey where’s my credit card at?

Barbie Boudoir Hits the Bookshelf at Blurb

Mark Lutz — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:18:33 +0000

If you’re a regular reader here at the DWF photographers blog you no doubt remember our special feature on “Barbie Doll Boudoir“ by Critsey Rowe. Now Blurb, everyone’s favorite micro publishing company, is selling copies of her quote, unquote celebrity boudoir book “Couture Boudoir“.

Blurb is a company and a community that believes passionately in the joy of books – reading them, making them, sharing them, and selling them. -Blurb

I personally think it’s a pretty awesome posing guide and would also make quite a conversation piece for the consultation room coffee table. Not to mention it’s rather unique ice breaking capability.

PS – Don’t tell anyone I told you this as it’s not been officially announced but a little bird has hinted that Critsey will be speaking at the DWF Convention 2010 in Nashville in January. Shhh… it’s a secret!

Light Modifier Run-down

Matt Radlinski — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:07:54 +0000

To me, lighting is the most interesting part of photography. If I were a photojournalist, I’m sure I’d say moments or expressions were the most interesting thing in a photograph, but I’m not…I’m a portraitist.

So to me, while I adore exquisitely captured moments and expressions and compositions in a photograph, when the artist combines that with expert lighting techniques, an image can truly sing.

To that end, check out this informative post on light modifiers on the Lighting Essentials blog.

This post caught my eye because the first set of equipment Don mentions in the article is the Honl light modification system, which I love. I swear by the Honl grid spots, because as a wedding photographer who has to travel light, there’s nothing better than quick, lightweight, and simple modifiers to create the look you want in an image, and pretty much no other wedding photographers use a grid spot to make rim lights.

Here are a couple of pics for which I’ve used to Honl grid spots on my Canon 580s to make accent or hair lights.

Be sure to read the Lighting Essentials blog post for lots more ideas and examples of flash modifiers to give your images some extra kick!

– Matt