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Tag Archive: portrait

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Passion at Musee Rodin, Paris!

Just got back from an incredible two-week vacation – 3 beautiful carefree days in Venice and 11 glorious day in PARIS filled with art, fashion, food, wine, photographs, and everywhere – l’amour! My awesome friend Natasha met me there for the most girly-girl trip ever! A blissful indulgent holiday that brought me offline and back to everything I love.

One of the standout experiences for me was the Musee Rodin. The emotion in every sculpture, the gorgeous soft colors and light, the sheer beauty and passion filling up this historical space & garden… it was almost too much to bear. Thank goodness I was allowed to use my camera.

Here are some of my favorite moments, colors, and moods from Musee Rodin.

Here’s a shot my friend took of me looking out at the inspiring garden of Musee Rodin. It’s blurry, but I love it anyway!

I’m back in Florence and getting ready to welcome the gals for our week-long Fine Art Nude Photo Workshop & Retreat starting this Sunday! And even though my bum is seated at my desk in this villa in Italy, my mind keeps wandering back to Paris! Bear with me :)

lots of love and inspiration!

x. Christa

August 31, 2011 | 10 Comments - Leave a comment!

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Street Performance, Firenze

On the street, near Piazza San Marco.

I love old men in hats, devoted to their music…

More from bella Italia all month long…

Enjoy the music!

x. Christa

August 5, 2011 | 11 Comments - Leave a comment!

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Masked!

I’m jumping on a plane bound for Italy in a minute, but wanted to share a favorite sexy moment from Friday’s shoot in NYC!

Ciao ciao! more sultry mystery on the blog soon ;)

x. Christa

August 1, 2011 | 5 Comments - Leave a comment!

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Curvelicious

Many photographers just getting started in boudoir photography ask me “how do you approach photographing plus-sized women?” My answer couldn’t be simpler: I approach each subject the exact same way, whether petite or plus-sized, male or female, child or adult. First and foremost, I focus on bringing out my subject’s personality, her love of life, love of herself, whatever is distinctive and true about my subject and the sensuality of the moment. Second, flattering someone is all about what you choose to focus on. You can easily flatter (or unflatter) any size/shape woman with lighting, angles, wardrobe and lens choices as well as the spirit in which you capture her.

I’ll let you in on a secret though, if you’re not accustomed to shooting boudoir. You can ask any pro who’s photographed a ton of women – they will all tell you that plus-sized women LOVE their curves! and if a plus-sized woman is coming to you for a photo shoot, she is digging who she is and wants to celebrate herself and her body! Ps. it’s actually the skinny gals who are more critical of their bodies and will require more encouragement and positive feedback during the shoot.

Here’s a few favorite shots from a recent mini-shoot I did with Julie, a beautiful new mom and plus-sized woman who enjoys her body and can demonstrate what I feel is most important to keep in mind when coaching and photographing women:

Sensuality and sexiness comes from within!…

Location: The Mondrian Hotel on Sunset, Los Angeles
Photography: Christa Meola
Make-Up / Hair Stylist: Rachel Lund – the best MUA and a terrific girl to have on set :)

More curveliciousness on the blog soon!

x. Christa

March 28, 2011 | 20 Comments - Leave a comment!

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Uptown and Downtown

This girl works both ends of that spectrum… one of the last shoots done at my studio, Kaylyn was a blast to photograph since she indulges my love of variety. We started elegant and fashion-loving in the studio, then stepped outside for some gritty cinematic action, and ended up at the beach for some good clean commercial fun.

All photographs created at Christa Meola Pictures Studio, Los Angeles, CA copyright 2010 by Christa Meola
Hair & Make-up: Cyndi Ochoa

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For Photographers: The film noir photos are all available light at dusk with just the outdoor lights of my building casting some seriously cool light/shadow against the brick and enhanced in Lightroom with the Graduated Filter tool (one of my favorite lighting tricks!)… I talk about how to do it in my new book Exposed, The Art of Photographing Women. Official announcement and details coming soon :) Plus, more fine art nudes from the Weston + Meola Wildcat Nude Workshop.

Stay tuned yo.

xx,

Christa

September 7, 2010 | 18 Comments - Leave a comment!

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Sienna

Running out the door to San Diego! to teach Boudoir & Lighting at PictageU over the next few days. So here is part 2 of Sienna’s Wet shoot… to tide you over.

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She’s just so cute!

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Ooooo, so Sophia Loren, right?

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Plenty more boudoir on the blog coming up… and one of these days I’ll post some of the lifestyle and travel portraiture I’ve been shooting as well :)

xo, Christa

May 24, 2010 | 23 Comments - Leave a comment!

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Wet, a little teaser

Just a quick little peek pic from Friday’s wet hot shoot in the studio :) More coming soon…! Super busy and excited preparing for next week’s seminar on Boudoir Photography and Lighting, hosted by Pictage, and jam-packed with live shoots, practical information, inspiration and more from 6 fabulous instructors including little ole me :) Hope to see you there! Register here before it’s sold out.

xoxo,

Christa

May 17, 2010 | 26 Comments - Leave a comment!

Springtime Childhood

I know it’s only mid-March and I’m rushing Springtime… but recent days in LA have been gorgeous breezy and sunny – just like Spring! These shots from a recent kid’s shoot remind me of growing up in NJ and all the awesomeness of the different seasons… when glorious Spring arrived, there was nothing better than being outside on a windy day and playing in your backyard.

Here are a few of my favorite childhood moments in Springtime… scootin’ around and sporting your favorite boots!…

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Laying in the grass… just happy to be outside…

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Smelling flowers…

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Oh, the excitement and anticipation of getting ready to climb a tree!…

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And the fear and the thrill of it!…

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Pausing for a snack of raisins…

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The wind blowing…

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…and being young enough to sport polka dot underwear and a ponytail…

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I hope Springtime hurries to your neighborhood soon :) and you take time to bask in the wonderful everyday moments even if you’re a big old grown-up.

xo,

Christa

March 12, 2010 | 12 Comments - Leave a comment!

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Portrait Workshop Demo

The sweet chaos of a family photo session… That’s what I was going for during my recent Workshop demo – I wanted all the Workshop attendee’s to see how I negotiate challenges, work with kids and parents, and manage to capture my signature pictures. So we got out of the studio and on our feet to a nearby home for some family photo fun…

…focusing on the necessity of play, creating action, capturing emotion, the beauty in details, the awesomeness of props, and much more… and sweet chaos ensued, as we ran around a tiny yard looking for great light, trying not to step in dog poo, and still capture great images.

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…such as, the personality and sass of each child…

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…kids being kids, and Rocking Out!..

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…the beauty of everyday details…

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…of course yummy happy close-ups!

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…and how much fun, value and variety that simple props can add to a shoot…

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Seriously, my Workshops are this fun :)

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February 18, 2010 | 13 Comments - Leave a comment!

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The Workshop! March 20th + 21st

I’m thrilled to announce details for my next Workshop! for pro’s and those that want to go pro… including topics from branding to sales and everything in between! The Workshop in January was a huge success and tons of fun, and I’m looking to top it with this new one!… The workshop will be held at my Studio + Gallery and is limited to a small group so you get plenty of one-on-one instruction and hands on learning. You will be on your feet shooting alongside me during model sessions and will be granted use of the images for your blog and portfolio. The last workshop sold out quickly, so register soon. More info below…

The Workshop, with Christa Meola

Revolutionize your brand.
Create meaningful photographs with impact.
Take your photography and business to the next level!

Saturday March 20th 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sunday March 21st 10:00 am – 7:00 pm

Held at…

Christa Meola Pictures Studio + Gallery
860 Via de la Paz, Pacific Palisades CA 90272

Topics include:

Branding…
Personality and developing your unique style. How to stand out from the crowd. Selecting an in-demand product line, getting booked solid, communicating with clients, and selling emotion not images.

Pricing…
Nailing your price list so you’re busy, happy and well-paid :) Best business practices including, contracts, release forms, and other good habits.

Shooting…
Family, Baby, and Boudoir shoots on location and in the studio. Christa will do demos and you will get time with the models and rights to your images. Learn how to capture honest moments and turnaround a kid’s meltdown, engage a reluctant dad, and relax a nervous mom or boudoir model. Plus, my Top Ten Money Shots™ and how to get them!

Equipment…
What’s necessary and what’s not. Lighting techniques – how to work with the challenge and beauty of natural light, a simple studio lighting set-up that works for any subject matter, and the convenience of hand-held video lights.

Workflow…
A Workflow that’s easy, fast and effective. Top 10 Tweaks I use in LR. Top 10 Tips for PS… how to take off 20 lbs in 20 seconds, retouching, working with actions, and more.

Photo Parties…
How I made $25,000+ in one weekend with Photo Parties. I breakdown the whole process for you and what I’ve learned that works best.

Plus!…
One-on-one time, individual portfolio review, Q&A session, awesome discounts from all of my vendors/sponsors, and a fabulous gift bag of my favorite things that make me happy :)

Workshop Fee: $950.00
To register, call 310.383.6494 or email christa (at) christameola.com.

The last Workshop sold out quickly, so register soon, and I can’t wait to meet you!

xoxo,

Christa

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February 15, 2010 | 8 Comments - Leave a comment!