It’s Celebrate Curves Week on the Meola blog!
One of the Q’s I get asked most by photographers is “How do you flatter curvy gals?” So here ya go!
My Top 8 Tips to Flatter Curvy Gals
1. Read the #1 secret about shooting curvy gals most beginning photographers don’t know.
2. Ask your subject what she loves about her body. Focus on that.
3. Ask her what compliments she receives a lot or what her partner loves. Focus on that.
4. My favorite Q to ask: what does she love about her personality? Do your darndest to bring that out.
5. Read my lighting tips to flatter curves.
6. Walk around your subject to look from ALL angles to find the most flattering ones. Go high, go low, and go waaaay beyond shooting from your height. Just because you’re 5’7″ doesn’t mean you should shoot from there :)
7. Use lenses that flatter, such as the 85mm 1.2 (my fav) or the 70-200mm.
8. Most importantly, know that essentially the only thing you really need is to truly observe and appreciate the woman in front of you. Ask: what’s beautiful about this woman? And focus on that.
The only thing I like as much as enjoying my own curves is photographing another woman enjoying her’s! Today, the lovely Tru is gracing my blog. This was a mini-session, and I was captivated by Tru’s laugh, her rocking hourglass shape and her gorgeous skin. She told me that she also loves her feet and her man loves “everything.” Ha! You gotta love that.
Tru is a prime example of my belief that sensuality comes from within!
In her own words: “Once I embraced my curves, I gained the freedom to be me.”
-Tru www.trunettaatwater.com
Now onto a GIVEAWAY!
I have TWO FREE WPPI TICKETS for you!
Join me at WPPI in New Jersey – my home state! I’ll be speaking and teaching alongside some of the industry’s best, such as Sal Cincotta, Doug Gordon, Lindsey Adler and more. Such a great line-up!
Registration includes the two day workshop, seminars, a personal portfolio review, mini trade show, and a free conference & expo pass to WPPI 2013.
Here’s my juicy topic:
How to Add Boudoir (& Big Bucks) to Your Business
If you’re not shooting boudoir, you’re missing out on a ton of money and fun. Whether you’re a wedding, portrait, boudoir or aspiring photographer, Christa will show you how to develop your unique and highly profitable boudoir brand. Learn the biggest mistakes photographers make when breaking into this market and get a step-by-step guide to swiftly grow your ideal boudoir clientele. She’ll tell you exactly how to bring out the best in every woman before, during and after the shoot. Plus, she’ll share her proprietary “booty” sales boosting technique. Christa will tackle the biggest questions, myths and mishaps about this highly lucrative field.
New Jersey // June 25th & 26th
Register Now
$149
To WIN a FREE TICKET to WPPI, Leave a Comment below with a Q about adding boudoir to your business, photographing curves or let us hear how much you loooove curves!
***UPDATED : Winners of this contest are Shannon Lery and Lea-Ann Wadleigh!
Got a friend who could use a bit of curvy celebration or a free ticket? Forward this link…
Lots of love and boudie hugs,
Christa
ps. More giveaways on the blog all summer long! Sign up here so you don’t miss a single one :)
Hi Christa,
Tru looks absolutely wonderful and very sexy !
I’m just getting started with boudoir, and I’d love to hear your take on stretchmarks – most women have them, curvy gals and the rest :-) Do you have any special lighting tips to make them conveniently “vanish”, or do you do it in post-production ?
From across the Pond,
Ulla xx
This post is beautiful – what a gorgeous woman! I’ve recently decided to start offering boudoir and fine art nude in my business. My problem isn’t with shooting, but rather gaining the trust of my clients. I am only 18, and have done two boudoir sessions at this point, but I want to find a way to appeal to an age group that is older than I am. I have sensed that some women may be uncomfortable being photographed in the nude or near-nude by someone who is younger than them. Any tips?
Tru is Beautiful! My Q is: How do I add boudoir to my business when I am mainly an outdoor photography and don’t have a studio?
Christa,
Thank you for sharing your wisdom. My question is, as an aspiring professional, how do I go about getting subjects/models to pose for me so I can build up my portfolio? I have a small studio in my basement with a few lights and softboxes. I would love to specialize in photographing curvy girls. I’m a curvy girl myself so I know how it feels to not think yourself beautiful. I would like to bring that beautiful feeling to other women.
Thanks again!
Christa, everytime I see your work I am just in awe. There’s something you hit upon about femininity in your images that is really enlightened.
And the questions above are great, so my addition to that is this:
How do you suggest beginning building a portfolio (with confidence!!) because while I’m an eager aspirant, I want to be able to be prepated enough to make my clients – or volunteers – comfortable and happy.
I love your advice about finding what they love most about themselves – and what their significant other does. i think it applies to all women.
Q – Can you offer advice on marketing boudoir when one is mainly a family/children’s photographer? I love boudoir and would like to do more, but right now my portfolio is mainly children and families.
Love your style great look!!Thanks for all the great tips!
OOOOH WEEEE! That girl is HOT and FANCY!!! Thanks Christa
I would love to go to WPPI! Please pick me! It is important for me to learn how to photograph curves well because I have alot of them myself and recently went in front of the lens as an experiment. Wow did it change my whole way of thinking as a photographer, to get boudoir images of myself taken. I think it might have been one of those game changer moments. I love learning form you and I would love to see you speak! please, please!
Fabulous! Love all the comments above and hope to read your response to them. :)
Christa, thanks for the great tips – they are so appreciated! Nice to have someone who is so willing to share her ‘secrets’ even if not all…hehe!
Tru’s images are beautiful! U really know how to capture a woman’s true essence!
Christa, beautiful shoot as always and Tru is truly dynamic as captured by these photos. My question is: As an amateur photographer and full time designer, I have a love of all that nature has to offer, how do you make the step from amateur to professional?
HI Christa,
First of all, I want to say that you are an amazing artist and that your work has inspired me in so many levels. Not only in the photographic field, but other areas as well because I now started seeing the beauty in everything in my life. Now I see everything with a different eye, and I thank you for that.
I started doing photography in february 2012 as a hobby. I am basically self teaching myself through books and online resources, but I cannot find good advice in how to take this beautiful hobby of mine into a career and make money.
I would love to know everything about how to book that first paid client and how to market yourself as a tasteful boudoir photographer.
I know this is the right path for me. I enjoy making women happy and COMFORTABLE in their skin. To me, confidence is sexy after all!
best,
Anais
Christa… love this post. It is so great to see clients embracing their curves! I am curvy too..and can’t wait to be shot by someone that really understands how to accentuate the positive! I hope someday to be shot by you!
But for now, I will keep making other women’s dreams come true with gorgeous photos! I do love the tips you shared, and really need to ask these questions with every client. Thank you for being so giving and teaching all your tricks!
~ Heather
Beautiful imagery as always, Christa! I love curves and I admire anyone who can be comfortable in their own skin. I think we as boudoir photographers have a noble cause when we can show women how beautiful they really look just the way they are. :)
Christa,
I fell in LOVE with boudoir after watching you boudoir workshop on creative live. It’s pretty much all I shoot now and I am throwing my first boudoir party at the end of this month- I can’t wait. Thank you for inspiring me and for being such an incredible teacher and role modle.
I very much hope I will be able to make it to WPPI next year and get a chance to learn from you in person.
Amanda
What an amazingly gorgeous woman!
Christa, ever since I watched you on creative live, I have lived you!!
It was then I have decided to go boudoir, and catored my website to what
My passion now is. I love to empower women, and love the
Energy that surrounds it. I have been following you ever
Since!!! Your bounty calls, your blog posts, I even tried to apply
Online to be apart of your teAm!! But was unable to complete
The form because I was at the doctors office with my son.
My passion is alive and I want more of christa! So please
Please please pick me to see you at WPPI!
Your fan forever!
Tanya Petraglia
Xo
OMG I LOVE Tru! She looks AMAZING!
My question about boudoir is:
How do I go about marketing myself as a boudoir photographer when I don’t have a set studio space? I want to feel confident in asking my clients to pay more for a hotel room, but, I struggle with that.
xoxo
Sarajane.
I’m a girl with curves and I bring all of my insecurities into a shoot with me and once I pull out my camera, I turn all of those insecurities into empowerment. Every woman is or has been insecure about her body. My job is to make sure at the end of the shoot, my client is feeling bold and beautiful and when they see their images, they shouldn’t see a different person but a better person. Boudoir changed my life…and dammit, it’s changing the lives of women across the Pacific Northwest!!
Thank you for always being so inspirational! Thank you for the great tips that you leave on your blog for us with as well! I’m loving the boudoir business and I feel that I am making my way. I would love to win the WPPI tickets! I would love to meet you!
I added a comment earlier… here’s my question:
I shoot at a boutique hotel in downtown Seattle. How do I approach the hotel in order to get better rates and/or establish a partnership of sorts? I send many people to the hotel and my clients often return again because they love the hotel so much. Also, my first few times, I felt weird about meeting my clients in the lobby and walking them up to the room. If I’m not doing an actually party of friends, I book clients in 3 hour increments to maximize my time and profits.
I am about to start offering boudoir as part of my business. I have a marathon portfolio shoot scheduled in a couple of weeks, and am super excited!
I watched you on creative live, and you really inspired me! I would love to come to NJ to hear you speak.
hello the diva of boudoir!
what would you recommend to a male photog to get his female clients relax and show the sexy in them, as they would to a female photographer?
thanks! :)
Great post! Tru worked it!!!
love this post…awesome tips…thank you!!! ooooooxxoxoxoxoxo
Beautiful, as always. And love her attire! Thanks for sharing!
Oh, how can I begin to tell you how photography has been like my therapy during my own paradigm shifts. There is definitely something magical about capturing a womans new found confidence or resolve in life. I so admire your works of art and would love to learn how to flow so that the women show up with all of who they are – curves and all. Tru showed up and she is beautiful!
Christa, How do I take my passion for capturing a womans new found essence and turn it into a successful boudoir business (without feeling like I have to appologize for charging them)?
I love your work! You’re one of the top photographers that inspire me daily. Thank you also for the tips on curvy girls!
I’ve only done a few boudoir sessions and have been finding that in trying to get others interested in coming in for a session, even though they love what they see and say that they’d love to do one ONE day, that they almost always say “oh maybe after if I lose X amount of weight”… and no matter what I say contrary to that it’s been difficult to hook them. What would you suggest to do when someone says something like that, in order to try to convince them that they don’t need to lose the weight in order to look and feel sexy?
Wow I love this shoot! I am a curvy a girl and feel like boudoir pics is something that every women should have done but I am just starting and I don’t have any studio space at all, I would love to know what to do in this situation as well as how you edit your photos. They are truly just breathtaking!
Love the tips on flagging curvy women! I do more wedding than boudoir photography, but much of the approach to making a curving woman love her wedding photos is the same!
I absolutely am in love with boudoir photography and women’s portraiture. I love to empower a woman from behind my lense; the transformation is beautiful to watch, they start out apprehensive and unsure, insecure and nervous and end rocking it out like a super model. When I show them their final images and I hear; “oh my God! That’s me?” It makes my heart sing! Facing the challenge of just starting out has been my biggest hurdle, but I’m taking it one day, one client at a time.
Love this topic and love the beautiful pics. Now that is a sexy curvy woman!
My question:
How do I get women to feel ok about spending this much money on themselves?
Many women come to me wanting to do this as a gift for their significant other. There’s nothing wrong with this, but I get this feeling that is their excuse to allow themselves to do this. I want them to know it’s totally ok to do this for themselves and to enjoy not only the amazing pics but to allow themselves to be pampered and enjoy the experience. I think women have a hard time with this.
Thanks!
Michelle
I just LOVE LOVE LOVE your work. My question is: How do you tastefully market your boudoir sessions? I have done a few boudoir sessions and I absolutely love it. I think every woman should have a boudoir session to let them see just how beautiful they are. I am just not quite sure how to market it.
Tru is divinely radiant! Not only does this woman have killer curves, but her cool, confident personality is brilliantly captured. I shoot a great deal of curvy women and your 8 Tips are a great resource – thank you. Ooo La La!
Hey there lovely Miss Christa! I have a question for you… One of the biggest struggles that most curvy gals I have worked with (especially moms) face with their own body is the tummy. Post-baby, a lot of moms lament the tummy they once had, and I’ve noticed in your photos (as well as a lot of other photographers’ images of curvy gals), all the emphasis is on concealing / camouflaging the tummy. Any tips on flattering the tummy while still revealing it? The only way I’ve found is to arch the hell out of her back, and not all women are ex-acrobats like me, so I’m trying to think of other ways. Any thoughts on that?
Tru looks absolutely stunning and is an inspiration. I always love your beautiful work.
Christa & Tru, you are most inspiring and beautiful inside and out! Love you ladies! Thanks for being you!
That was a great on the tips for curves. I have always had curves and I think that us bigger women need to feel sexy too. I’m a little to old to feel that way now, and a little to big, but that was great info. I have always wanted to do bourior photography. And I think I would like to work with some of the curver women.
Do you have lots of curvey women? I think most of us that are bigger needs someone to show us that they we are just as sexy as the skinny ones. Thank you for sharing with me and hope someday I can say check out my website.. love everything you do and look forward to your emails..
How can I get those first clients, when I don’t have any boudoir photos in my portfolio to show that I can shot it?
And how to make the clients trust me without having previously worked with boudoir?
Thanks.
Hi Christa! I love your work! My question is how do you market the boudoir side of business while doing it tastefully?
This blog post makes me smile so much!!! Tru is amazingly beautiful in these photos. She just exudes confidence and sexiness. Love me some curves too, especially on a woman that can fully embrace them. Amazing photos, amazing post, and amazing tips.
Also, that corset is SO HOT! MEOW!!!
Entering for the boudoir giveaway! To be honest I have only ever photographed ONE curvy girl and I was only semi-successful at it. Being a curvy girl myself I’m in a position to understand my clients and how they might feel during the session. But Christa… I sure as hell could use that portfolio review and your advice capturing those curvy clients in the best light! Christa you are the posing goddess, pick me so I can learn more about sexy posing! Pick me!
Thanks for being willing to educate all of us as you continue to run your boudoir business! You gave some great practical advice at Creative Live that I’ve been able to implement. I can’t wait to incorporate more boudoir into my business!
I absolutely love celebrating a woman’s curves b/c I too am a woman with some curves. I don’t want to capture who are already gracing covers of magazines. I want women who don’t know how beautiful they already; to show them they are celebrated with what God blessed them with.
OH – I SO want to add boudoir to my biz!!! As a mom and a friend to so many mom’s I know what this can do for them!! THAT is why I want to start in boudoir. I recently went from shooting all on location to opening a studio!!! While I’m focused on this new chapter the desire is still there…just need to put the wheels in motion. I LOVE LOVE LOVED you on creativeLIVE and would LOVE to see you at WPPI!!!!!
Thanks for giving Curvy girls a voice! I love photographing them and wish more would take the plunge to truly love themselves!
Beautiful! Your models are always styled to perfection, I’d love some pointers on wardrobe & props.
Hi Christa. Love the images of Tru. She looks like she had a great time! I purchased your creativeLive course and would love see you speak at WPPI!!! I really want boudoir to be part of my business.
Gorgeous images!! I saw you on creativeLIVE earlier this year. I just shot my first full nude maternity session. How do you market to people you know in my case former brides and portrait clients about boudoir services? Thanks Crista!!
I would love some great pointer on how to get passed insecuriey and uncomfortable moments when shooting curvy ladies? It is sometimes hard for larger ladies to see the beauty in themselves
Thanks so much for posting this blog about shooting curvy women. I’m mostly a bridal photographer, and this is really great info for some of my larger girls.
I’ve been trying to build boudoir into my business. So far, I’ve only done 2, and your work was my inspiration. My only question is, how do you keep out the underarm bulge? I seem to get that all the time.
Hey Christa! First i was born and raised the first 16 years of my life in NJ too, (flemington/highbridge/hampton/clinton areas.)My question for you isn’t about incoorporating boudoir into my business, i simply just said i’m doing it and have…but now its nailing those appts. How am i supposed “lure” new clients to me, without having much money to invest into marketing? I was all word of mouth before, and while its still that way, an once in a while appt isn’t fulfilling my goal to truely be specialized in boudoir. Also, my main studio is in my garage, and its not the most appealing/professional looking space…tips and/or tricks to overcoming this dilemma?
Hope to hear your response(s) <3
I’ve been hooked since I saw you on Creative Live!
I would love to know the best products to offer this market?
Thank you,
Tree
Christa,
Your work is lovely!
My question is as follows: how do I go about finding local figure models?
Thanks!
HI Christa, I love your work and I follow you since a year, tried to get into the creative live workshop with my silly video on the snow with my dig rocky and I keep on hoping one day I will shake your hand and have a word or two about our love for bodies and boudoir!…I recently shot a very curvy gal and she loved the images but I was unable to sell her more than the 5 that came in the package she initially got. :O( all her images where stunning and i was sad she didn’t took any…I need to learn how to sell my art and I hope i can learn more from you and from wppi.
Thanks fro always sharing so much
! smiles Barb
Hey Christa! I love your work. You really make a woman’s personality shine through in your pictures. I don’t shoot boudoir but I’ve learned a lot from watching you on creative live and through your blog. Thanks so much for sharing your talent :-)
What props do you use when shooting women with curves?
Tru is a TRUE beauty! She has got it goin ON!
You really show her off beautifully, too.
And what a great name.
Thanks so much for the tips and techniques.
Always informative and very much appreciated.
–Deborah
I’m enjoying the blog and tips. I like photographing curvy girls to show them just how beautiful they really are!
I looked at your last Creative Live session and was so inspired that I picked up my camera and went straight for a shoot as soon as it was done! I love boudoir but I don’t have a studio and hotel prices are pretty high here. My question is what are some alternatives that you would actually recommend and maybe have used yourself?
What an amazingly beautiful woman! Girl, you rocked this session!
This couldn’t be more beautiful at a more perfect time! I have a session of my own, shooting two wonderfully curvy women this week and after seeing this post, I just know that we’ll rock ours, too.
Thank you!!!!
It’s so good to see women with curves instead of stick people. I have curves as do I my daughters. It’s time women feel free to celebrate their assets.
Thanks so much for offering us these tips. You are so inspiring. My boudoir hero :)
Meola!! You are the shit! I watched your online workshop on creativelive and learned an immense amount of techniques for flattering women of all sizes and ages! It have greatly improved my wedding, bridal, senior, and engagement photography! I am from a small town of Monroe, LA and would LOVE to experience WPPI! Thanks for all you do for the industry and for helping me appreciate the woman body! Keep doing what you do! Thanks a ton!
The pictures are beautiful!! U are correct curvey women are some of the best to take pictures. Would love to learn more from you Q. Pick Me!!!
It was a great little gathering, and you’re session was fantastic. I’m grateful that I was able to attend. Thanks for contributing as much as you do to the creative community.
Thank you Joel! I’m glad you were able to attend – so happy you loved it!
xo Christa