Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Beautiful Women Come in all Shapes and Sizes {New Braunfels boudoir photographer}

Lisa On Location offers tasteful, sensual boudoir photography for New Braunfels, Austin, San Antonio and San MarcosI had my annual Boudoir Day the other day! If you read my blog on a regular basis, you know that once a year I rent a nice hotel room -- this year it was the Faust Hotel. I hire a makeup artist (Lauren at Hint of Shimmer is amazing) and do a day of boudoir mini-sessions. Each lady gets a makeover courtesy of Lauren and then half an hour with me to photograph them in their favorite slinky things. At the end of each boudoir day I like to have a professional model come in to work with me to create some images for my ad campaigns. I never use my client images (unless they specifically ask me to) for my portfolio or albums because I believe it is that lady's right to keep her images private. All the images you see here are of that model, Rachel.

When Rachel arrived she pulled out a suitcase full of slinky things. She pulled out a very lovely corset and said, "I don't recommend this one because it doesn't look good on me." I found that hard to believe. She was quite stunning. But because I wanted her to feel sexy, I chose some of the other outfits and we got started. Rachel was an amazing model. She needed little coaching from me and she exhibited a confidence in her body that conveyed very well through the camera, so I was stunned to hear her confess to me that other photographers have had problems with her hips. It's the reason she didn't want to wear the other outfit. "Excuse me?" I said. "Problems with your hips?"

"They're too round," she said.

I had just spent the day photographing women of all shapes and sizes, from petite to plus size, and all of them were beautiful. To hear this gorgeous model tell me that anyone had issue with any part of her body was disheartening to say the least. "Well I think they're perfect," I told her. Any photographer that has issues with round hips can give me a call right now because I'd like to give them a proper chewing out. It's our job as the photographer to work with the body before us and make it look good using the right lighting and the right posing. I decided to demonstrate how gorgeous her "imperfect" hips were by setting up a back-lit silhouette. Take a look above and tell me if you have issues with those hips. My cell number is on my site. Go ahead, give me a call.

Lisa On Location offers tasteful, sensual boudoir photography for New Braunfels, Austin, San Antonio and San Marcos
When I started advertising for my boudoir day on my Facebook page a few months ago I got a few comments from some of my clients, "When I lose a few pounds," they'd say. "I'm just too big," they'd say. One of my boudoir clients from last year e-mailed me. She was proud to admit that she was "5'8" and 300 pounds of diva-ness," and wanted me to share her images with potential clients who may be nervous about their weight. "If there are any of your plus-size gals that want to see a big girl in action, I don't mind you showing them my photos." Just not online, she said. She was in training to be a minister and discretion was important. Her session was awesome. Her images are amazing. She's beautiful.

Lisa On Location offers tasteful, sensual boudoir photography for New Braunfels, Austin, San Antonio and San Marcos
As I continue to edit these sessions, I'm doing my best to leave mother nature alone. Of course, I'm smoothing out the skin to give them that magazine glossy shine. I'm tucking a few little skin pinches here and there. Covering up bruises, blemishes and scars. But for the most part I don't have to spend too much time. These women are beautiful without much help from me. And Rachel's hips are perfect. Rachel, if another photographer has issues with your hips, give them my number. Please. Seriously.

Lisa On Location Photography

Friday, January 20, 2012

New Orleans or Bust {New Braunfels photographer}

World's Largest Fire Hydrant (actually, third largest) in Beaumont, TexasIt's been a bit of a whirlwind week for Lisa on Location. Today is my daughter's birthday and it always seems to hit me at a bad time. I'm coming down from the Christmas rush a little bit heavier around the middle and thinner in the wallet. My party planning energies are low and to top it all off, this is the month of the big PPA annual convention, Imaging USA. This year took us to New Orleans. I'm finally catching up on the laundry and getting ready for a houseful of 10- and 11-year-old girls to invade but I thought I'd take a break and recap some of my New Orleans experiences.

To set the scene here let me just describe my usual trip-going prep work. I usually painstakingly map our way--if we're flying I have the arrival and departure times memorized, I know how to get from the airport to the rental car place or whether or not there are shuttles to our hotel. I know exactly which sites we'll see which days and their hours of operation and ticket prices (which are usually pre-purchased online). If we're driving I know where we'll be at each moment calculating how fast we're going and stops for bathrooms. I have a Roadside America app on my phone and I have each of those silly stops mapped out. It's only two hours out of our way to see the second-largest ball of twine in the country--well, why not? I'll just include that in the itinerary. This time, however, was a total wing it. I knew we were going. I scheduled it back in June. I just failed to make the time to plan it out.

Discarded beads and litter filled the gutters of Bourbon Street in the French Quarter
We hit the road and went. I did use my app to see the sites along the way. We found the third-largest fire hydrant in the world just a half mile from the interstate (it used to be the first until those darn Canadians went and made one bigger). We stopped to pose in the Frog Capital of the World. We had our fun on the way. We arrived at the hotel starving and ready for some good old jazz on Bourbon Street. Imagine our surprise when we hit Bourbon Street on Saturday night and were greeted by a group of drunk women in sparkly dresses and super high heels. I believe one vomited in the gutter and another fell down in front of a street band, giving a peep show to the trombonist. We ventured a bit further and saw the Hustler Club, a few prostitutes and drunk college guys. Lots and lots of drunk college guys. It didn't help the overall mood when the Saints lost to the 49ers in the playoffs. "Where are the jazz clubs?" we asked each other.

Everyone seemed to wear a Drew Brees jersey during the Saints' playoff game while on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter
Apparently not on Bourbon Street, we were told. I finally met up with a New Orleans local on the second day of the conference and learned that most of the decent jazz clubs were a few blocks away from the French Quarter on Frenchman Street. I see. So my sudden failure in not planning our trip per my usual anal--er, I mean--thorough measures failed me this time. No worries, however. We saw a side of New Orleans that was not in the brochures. They don't tell you about the stench of urine and vomit that permeates Bourbon Street. "There's a reason it smells that way," my new local friend told me.

We had a great time at the photography convention. I learned a lot and made lots of new photographer friends. We even got to boogie to 50 Amp Fuse, "the world's greatest cover band" at Canon's big party on opening night. Performing with 50 Amp Fuse was Mark Rivera, Billy Joel's long-time sax player who has also toured with Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band and did the incredible arrangements of the horn section on Peter Gabriel's hits "Slegehammer" and "Big Time." Billy Joel's guitarist, Tommy Byrnes, was also in the band. For Jayme, a huge Billy Joel fan who's seen these guys several times in concert (from the nosebleed seats) getting right up there next to the stage was a very cool experience.

We did return to Bourbon Street on Monday night with some of our best friends who moved to Slidell a few years ago. We were a little wary about it after our Saturday experience, but we wanted to try the Acme Oyster House. After an excellent meal and some great conversation we went for a walk down Bourbon with our friends and found the atmosphere much improved. Not so much drunken debauchery and there was an amazing jazz band playing at Maison Bourbon, led by fantastic trumpeter Jamil Sharif. So, I guess it depends on the time of week and perhaps time of year that you make that trip. I can't wait to return to New Orleans. I totally missed Jackson Square and we never even saw the river even though we were right next to it while in the convention center.

Men throwing beads from a second floor balcony on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter
Now back to party planning of a different kind. I have a little girl who's going to be very disappointed if I can't get these candles to look just right.

Lisa On Location Photography

Saturday, January 7, 2012

And Here We Go Again! 2012 is in swing! {New Braunfels Wedding Phototgraphy}

New Braunfels wedding photography at Landa Park and the Faust Hotel by Lisa On Location photographyNovember just about killed me. And December kicked me while I was down. I loved every minute of them, but I was exhausted most of the time. You see, just like there's a football season, and a hunting season and a Christmas season, we photographers have out own seasons.

January and February is photography conference and seminar season. We'll be hitting New Orleans shortly to take care of that! Spring is wedding season number 1. Then there's late spring when it's Senior season. Then comes summer where there's a few more weddings (in Texas it's not as popular a wedding season as the rest of the world because it's so damn hot) but there's a little bit of a lull. Then fall hits and it's major wedding season for us. I think I've told you that October is the biggest wedding month of the year for Texas and a lot of weddings sort of build up to that month and then die down at the end of November. Then hits Christmas card season where I'm swamped with families and card orders. Then Christmas comes and I see a little peace. The week after Christmas my phone doesn't ring much and I don't get many e-mails. I don't like if for long, but I love it for short. I spend all day in my jammies. I play Wii with my kids. I eat too much junk food, drink too much wine, stay in bed too long every day and watch movies that I've seen a dozen times already. I get a year's worth of lazy weekends slammed into one or two weeks.

New Braunfels wedding photography at Landa Park and the Faust Hotel by Lisa On Location photographyThis past week saw the end of my lazy post-Christmas break with the flood of wedding inquiries (lots of engagement rings under the tree this year), a couple of senior sessions and then finally the first wedding of 2012 today. And it was a beauty! The setting was Landa Park. An outdoor wedding on January 7 was a gamble for this couple. Would it be nasty and cold and wet or not? It was not. It was gorgeous. And this couple deserved a day like today. Jessica and James were so sweet and so young and so genuinely in love. It was a joy to spend this beautiful Saturday afternoon in their company.

The wedding followed with a dinner and dance at the beautiful and historic Faust Hotel in New Braunfels. I love the Faust and the people who work there so I was thrilled when they called me a few months ago.

This was a great way to start off 2012 for Lisa on Location. Then I returned home to a child that was throwing up. So I guess my lazy break is over. It's time to get back to the work that I love so much. Not the throwing up part--the photography part. The throwing up part just comes with the territory.

New Braunfels wedding photography at Landa Park and the Faust Hotel by Lisa On Location photography

Lisa On Location Photography

Sunday, January 1, 2012

It's Boudoir Season! {New Braunfels Boudoir Photography}

Lisa On Location photography offers special boudoir packages for New Braunfels, Austin, San Antonio and San Marcos in time for Valentine's DayIt never fails in retail. The day after Christmas as I peruse the aisles of my favorite HEB searching for clearance priced Christmas peanut butter cups (because really, does it matter that they're wrapped in red and green foil? They're still so peanut buttery precious any time of year), I trip over stacks of Valentines chocolates. The piles of unsold Christmas cookie tins and dented up popcorn cans featuring photos of kittens in red bows have been moved to the clearance aisle to make room for the singing monkeys with heart-spotted underpants and boxes of chalky hearts that say "text me."

It seems the same would be so with Lisa on Location. Moments after fulfilling my last holiday card order, I turned around and began work on one of my favorite annual Valentine's Traditions -- The Lisa on Location Boudoir Ball. I can't think of a more perfect gift for husbands and boyfriends than a collection of photographs of the woman they love in glorious, sensual attire. Of course the men in their lives love it, but want to know a secret? I've been told by many past clients that the women enjoy it just as much as the men!

Who wouldn't enjoy a little pamper session with a professional make-up artist, then their own private photo session? Who wouldn't like enjoying a glamorous photo shoot in a romantic bed and breakfast, sipping wine and eating dark chocolate and giggling about men, love and "I can't believe I'm doing this"? Afterwards I'll present you with a private gallery of your edited images and you'll get to choose your favorites (and you can even let him take a peek if you'd like).

Give me a call when you're ready to make that special gift for your man -- or for yourself. Spaces are limited! Can't wait to hear from you!

Lisa On Location Photography