This morning I had a WONDERFUL Skype consultation with a new friend (who was the winner of the Thirst Relief Auction for a mentoring session with me!) One thing she mentioned was that she had come up against some opposition from someone recently, who made it seem as though boudoir photography is sleazy. This is just SO not true!

We are boudoir photographers. We take gorgeous pictures of women in a classy, tasteful way. We give women a piece of art that is beautiful – and something that they will treasure. It is not sleazy. As one client said: “This isn’t about sex, it’s about confidence! It’s important that I feel beautiful and it’s something I am working on to change my perspective on everyday.” Boudoir photography is NOT about objectifying women. It is NOT about reducing a woman’s worth. It is NOT about trying to fit women into a particular ‘mold’ that the media, & society as a whole, has created for a ‘perfect’ woman. It is NOT about having a makeover and trying to be something you’re not. It is so much more.

It is EMPOWERING. CONFIDENCE-BUILDING. BEAUTIFUL IMAGES OF WOMEN. Helping a woman feel sexy and beautiful is not wrong. I (Kimberlee) am not ashamed of my profession. I am PROUD of what we do. I am thankful to have a job that affects women in a positive way. Every single client who comes to our studio is given the chance to see herself in a new light, and to have an experience that shows her just how beautiful she truly is. What could be more rewarding than that?

There is no better way to explain this than through the words of a client. We just got this email yesterday, and as soon as I read it I just got chills! I couldn’t wait to share it here on the blog. Susan, THANK YOU for putting your experience into words, and thank you for giving us permission to share your words here on the blog:

“OMG Erin!! :-D I got my album and CD’s in this afternoon’s mail! You guys r-o-c-k in getting your work out so damn fast (less than 24 hrs, sheesh!)!! I was once again, stunned speechless as I beheld my beautiful photo album in my hands. I felt, and still feel, choked up in gratitude, appreciation and sincere thankfulness. Emotions that are welling up from the soul because of giving me such a deeply personal and truly unique gift that no other person has. Your lovely team that day has shown me a beautiful side to myself that I’ve never seen. And now that you’ve allowed me to peer behind the heavy curtains of self doubt and dancing threads of insecurities, a mystical force of confidence has seared itself into my character which allows me to fight those horrible thoughts, perhaps forever! :-) If I were to wish any one thing for all of womankind, is to spend the afternoon with your girls, such as the wonderous day that I had, all for the sake of “gifting” unto them what I have been blessed to have received. Please, please, please pass onto the entire staff my heartfelt thank you! ♥ Forever stronger, Susan”

I was that annoying friend that asked the wedding photographer if I could get some pics asap. Oops. But I was just too excited to show off Kimberlee and her handsome hubby. So Jackie Wonders was kind enough to entertain my request and send these over. Thank you Jackie!! They are so lovely.

Kimberlee West became Kimberlee Schelling last week!!! If you visit this blog somewhat regularly I am sure you have heard K be very open and honest about her love life, from difficulty to the beautiful picture it is right now. I am so honored to be tied, in friendship and business, to a woman who trusts in God’s restoration and has unwavering faith that he has a plan. I can honestly say that that may be one of the hardest things to do in life; to have faith and trust in the darkest of times. Kimberlee (and Eric) is such a gorgeous picture of God’s love in that way.

While K let me actually be a part of her festivities rather than photograph them, I did have the honor of grabbing a few shots during the getting ready portion of the day (probably my very favorite part of the entire day from past wedding experience) while her truly amazing photographer and friend snapped the “official” photos. I am sure that our the talented Jackie Wonders will have images for Kimberlee to post soon, but until she does I wanted to share the few that I snagged of her getting ready moments…

I know I’ve already said this on Twitter & FB, but wanted to ‘officially’ share the news here on the blog – along with a little video from the night I got engaged! Quick recap of the story: So last month, I’m in San Diego, Eric is back home in Washington. Right after the June workshop, Eric texted me and told me that he had booked me a massage for that day… such a great (unexpected) surprise for me. He told me he wanted to pamper me after a long week of work (so sweet of him!) Little did Eric know, that was a day that M & I decided to work on a HUGE project (which we’ll announce later)… we were in the midst of a big, all-day photo shoot for this project, and there was no way I was going to make it to the massage appointment. So I had Ashley call to change the appointment. (I just HAD to throw a little wrench in the plans). When the spa called me back to tell me that I couldn’t change my appointment after all, M told me that I could leave and she’d finish up the photo shoot without me (thanks M!). So I had the most amazing, relaxing massage… and afterward, my masseuse leads me out to this beautiful private pool area overlooking the ocean… with a firepit, champagne, and Eric there waiting for me. So then… he got down on his knee, popped the question, and I said YES!

After the proposal, we headed to a local restaurant for some food… and this is where the next surprise was waiting… my whole family, AND Eric’s whole family, waiting there to celebrate with us! As soon as I saw everyone, I was just completely overwhelmed (as you will see in the video below). :) A HUGE thank you to my future bro-&sis-in-law, Andy & Leah from Thomson Images, for shooting this video – it’s so special to me, to be able to look back and remember this moment! (Thanks you guys!)

Ok – so now for a funny story. Eric, being the sweet guy that he is, tried to be sneaky with getting my ring. Since he didn’t know what size my ring finger is, he snuck into my house and stole one of my rings from my room. Only thing is, he stole a thumb ring. :) So… my beautiful ring fits PERFECTLY on my thumb!

Heeheehee… I just HAD to post this!!!! In the midst of our photo shoot, while we’re dancing, moving, and being silly in front of the camera, M had a little wardrobe malfunction, a la Janet Jackson at the Superbowl halftime show. ;) (Scroll down)…

OMGosh I just LOVE this photo; it makes me laugh every time I see it! Hope you all have a wonderful day. Don’t take yourselves too seriously… hope you find something today that makes you laugh!

Hey everybody! Hope you all had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend! I thought it might be nice to start this workweek with a little collage that shows lots of randomness about me… so, here it is:

I have been putting off this post for a LONG time. Mainly because I feel like my world has turned upside-down (in a good way)… and yet, how do you put into words the reason WHY you have purposely turned your world completely upside-down?

Marissa and I have always tried to be very honest and raw with you guys on this particular blog. Maybe because we feel like photographers out there understand us and know where we’re coming from… all of us are trying to find our way in this business – sometimes succeeding, sometimes screwing up, and yet always loving the fact that we have made this our profession, and we get to do something we LOVE every day! I know I’ve been pretty honest about my personal life in the past several years here too – for example – talking about my divorce… and then there was that official ‘announcement’ of dating “Price Eric” (as Marissa has nicknamed him). So it’s only fair that I continue sharing about my personal life, with all of my friends out here in internet world.

So, yes, I have made a decision to radically change my life this year. I moved to Washington state!!!!!!!!!!!! And the reason why? Well, I think this quote I heard recently is really the best way to explain it…

“When something is important to you, you move heaven and earth to make it happen.”

Last year, I reconnected with a friend from my college (Biola University). He and I had actually worked together at Red Robin, and so when we reconnected (yes, it was through Facebook), I really thought nothing of it. Fast-forward to a year and a half later. After going through a long year of long-distance dating, with 2-hour conversations on the phone every night quick weekend visits every 6 weeks… well, we decided that we had done the long-distance thing long enough. Prince Eric is the most amazing man, and he truly loves me for who I am. He is so incredibly supportive – he is so loving – and he is so much fun to be around. It was important to me to move things forward and to date each other in the context of ‘everyday/normal life’ – in the same city. This is so important to me, that yes, I moved heaven and earth to make it happen. And it is worth it! Although I miss being in the studio every day, I WILL still be traveling back & forth between WA & Socal, to still be involved in the Boudoir Divas empire. Nothing is changing with that. I will still be teaching workshops, I will be working every day from my new ‘office’ (aka my local coffee shop)… I may start doing 1-on-1 consultations for photogs here in the Pacific Northwest… and I will do whatever it takes to make this work. And, who knows? Maybe a new Seattle location is in the future for the Boudoir Divas…? The possibilities are endless! :)

When all is said and done, I am just so excited for what has happened. After going through what I went through with my divorce and all of that incredible pain, I honestly didn’t know whether I would find love again. But God has done incredible things in my life, and in Eric’s life, to bring us to this point… and God has blessed us with the most amazing love. You guys, I can’t even describe how full my heart is right now. So there you have it. I’m living in Washington, commuting to San Diego, working from a coffee shop, and I’m in love. :) Thanks for reading my rambling thoughts! I’m hoping to post some more pics soon from my life here in WA, so stay tuned if you’d like to know more about my new home. xoxo, Kimberlee

GET READY… this is a LONG one! :)

So, just in case you haven’t heard about this little project we’re taking on… we wanted to throw out this idea to all of our boudoir photographer friends out there! We have had this crazy dream – and a crazy goal – to raise money for women entrepreneurs in Malawi, Africa… and if this idea sparks excitement in your heart, then we want YOU to join with us! Why Malawi? Why this project? Why small business loans? Well… here’s just a little explanation, to share with you why it’s something we feel really passionate about. Marissa and I recently took a trip to Uganda, Africa, to document the stories of women and children living in poverty.

We had the amazing opportunity to talk with these resilient women, to hear their stories, and to see first-hand HOW they have been able to survive – and thrive – despite the horrible circumstances they’ve been faced with, being born into poverty. It was incredibly humbling to see these women, and to hear the HOPE in their voices, despite what they are facing on a daily basis. Most of them women we met have been able to change their situation, and get OUT of poverty… and it was really cool to consistently see that a small business loan had helped them do this. We saw women with tailoring businesses and little shops – they’ve been able to make a living for themselves, and all they needed was a little hand up, to help them get started.

We are so blessed… we have been born into a society and a country that gives us SO MUCH opportunity. Marissa and I run a successful business, and we have been blessed beyond our wildest dreams, knowing that we are able to live OUT this dream of ours with The Boudoir Divas! We just want to give back, even though this seems like a small way. But we want to give a few women the opportunity to start a small business in their hometown!

One man we spoke with in Uganda defined poverty as “helplessness plus hopelessness.” It’s not about material goods or wealth. It’s about having no hope… no possible way for you to change your life… because there is absolutely no way to pull yourself out of your current situation. This is how a majority of the world is living. So when a small opportunity is held out to someone who is helpless & hopeless… their situation is now given new meaning as they are given an opportunity to change. They are no longer in poverty because they DO have hope. They DO have an opportunity to change, to do something about their situation. They are no longer helpless.

HOW IT WORKS…
We would ask that you commit to giving $5 from each boudoir shoot that you do, put that money aside and then the first of every month (or a date you choose) you update our donation page http://www.optinnow.org/fundraisers/boudoir . We have been doing this same thing with our clients, and we have labels we have printed that we stick on their invoice so that our clients know that a small portion of what they have paid is going to an amazing cause. Here is an example of what the label could look like. You can adapt ours (right-click and save the image below), or just make your own!

MORE DETAILS…
*If you commit to the pledge email us at info@theboudoirdivas.com and we will add your link to the Opportunity International post. Note: You do not have to be a member or Boudoir International to participate, you don’t even have to be a boudoir photographer. You can just commit if you love the cause.
*There is no written contract saying that you are going to participate. If you even need to stop donating we will completely understand. If you are more comfortable making a one time donation we welcome that as well.
*Our studio (www.theboudoirdivas.com) has earned $3500 in the past for World Vision’s Girls in Crisis Fund and now we are ready to push with fellow boudoir photographers for a larger goal. We love to dream big and believe that God will meet us halfway if we humbly trust him and are in line with what he loves. So let’s do this together everyone! BOUDOIR PHOTOGRAPHERS UNITE!!!
*ALL of the details can be found here!

***ALSO…… If you’d like to see the finished product of one of the videos we worked on while we were in Uganda, click below!

Thank you so much for helping us move forward in our big dream. If you have any questions about this, or would like to know more about how to get involved, CLICK HERE and visit the Opportunity International page. Not sure what we are talking about when we say “Boudoir International“? It’s just a little referral website for photographers – click here for more info.