I’m back from an amazing and memorable summer in Europe. From Florence to Venice, Paris, and back to Tuscany – the trip was INCREDIBLE! Like any good working vacation, it was full of good friends (old and new), lots of photography, inspiring art, divine food, wine, new experiences, a TON of laughter, and just a full-out f’g GREAT time!

The Italy Workshop was beyond my wildest expectations and one of the best times I’ve ever had with some of the most beautiful talented amazing women I’m happy to call friends. It was a full-on women’s dream retreat, and I can’t wait to do it again next year! Here is the first set of pics that I shot during the workshop…

I’ll be blogging all of the Italy Workshop pics over the next two weeks, ending with a DELICIOUS GIVEAWAY with goodies straight from Italia!

So keep your eyes glued to this space 🙂

THANK YOU to the amazing women who enjoyed a wonderful week in Tuscany with me – You made it what it was, and always remember… “It’s ITALY, bitches!”

lots of love,

Christa

This shoot is inspired by so many of my favorite things: NYC rooftops, red wine, fine art paintings, still life’s, and well… hanging out half-naked!

If you want to TAKE A PEEK BEHIND THE SCENES and watch how I shot this seductive sultry wine-soaked set of nudes, we’ve got it all on video! and you can watch it all!… by registering for my Online Boudoir Workshop, beginning really soon on June 14th! Register now!

Yummmm, right?!

This shoot was SO MUCH FUN! and when you book your seat for the Online Workshop, get ready for some funny footage of how I got these shots!

The Online Boudoir Workshop starts June 14th, get your sweet ass booked now before it’s sold out! Red wine and nudity is included 🙂 You’re buying.

x. Christa

Fashion & Fine Art coming up!… Exciting news: Mr. Kim Weston and I will be co-teaching a new Wildcat Nude Photography Workshop due to popular demand 🙂  This workshop on October 16th and 17th will focus on photographing the nude figure combining fashion and fine art sensibilities – my favorite combo!  So watch out, we’re going to style it up with inspiration from Italian Vogue. Wooohoo!  Details below. Seats are already mostly sold out, so register quickly by calling the studio line 310.909.8957.

Here is the last series of nudes from my demo at the Wildcat Nude Workshop in August (click to see No. 1 and No. 2).  Sarah is a favorite muse of mine and will be at the new Workshop coming up.  She has such sensuality and elegance, is soft yet strong, knows how to move every inch of her body, and I LOVE working with her.  This entire series was shot in an outdoor tub, natural light only, on the Weston estate.

Wildcat Nude Photography Workshop
with Kim Weston & Christa Meola
Wildcat Hill, Big Sur, CA
October 16th & 17th
Optional gathering on Friday night the 15th

Tradition at Wildcat
This special Wildcat Nude offers a unique opportunity for students to explore nude photography
alongside Kim Weston and Christa Meola. Participate in a weekend-long discussion about
shooting for both the fine art market and private commissions while learning about the
Weston family’s historic contributions to fine art photography.

Two Photographers, Two Approaches
Kim Weston and Christa Meola.

Two Full Evenings of Discussion
Meet and greet on Friday evening at Wildcat Hill will include an introduction to Christa and Kim’s
work and the Weston legacy.  On Saturday, guests will enjoy a family-style dinner in the Weston
home and a fireside discussion of photography as well as a Q&A.

Two Full Days Photographing Models
Participants will get the opportunity to photograph the nude figure for 2 consecutive days. This
allows plenty of time to get comfortable working with the figure models and gives you the
opportunity to photograph what you might have missed on the first day.

Topics Covered
Telling a story with your photographs
Working with models
Composition
Lighting
Showcasing your work
Getting started in the business
And more…

Models
We will have 3 models present and the class size is kept small, so we have an excellent model
to student ratio. Working in this way we have a maximum of time, space and privacy. If time
permits one-on-one time with models may be arranged.

Locations & Lighting
We will be shooting in multiple locations on the premises. The Weston estate offers
several areas indoors and outdoors, including Kim’s private studio.
All set-ups will be natural light.

What to bring
Participants are encouraged to bring a portfolio of their work for viewing. 5 to 7 finished prints
presented for easy viewing. Laptop – For those participants that are interested we like to view
the work from Saturday on Sunday morning so please bring a jump drive.

All Levels Welcome
This workshop is open to all levels of experience and any size camera, film or digital is great.
Students should bring their own film and equipment and know how to operate their cameras.

Workshop Fee
$695 per person
Lodging not included.

To Register
Contact christa@christameola.com or call 310.383.6494
Space is limited to just 9 students.

Hope to see you there!

Christa 🙂

Inspired by Art… Just got back to LA from a wonderfully inspiring stay at the Weston estate and the Wildcat Nude Photo Workshop led by Kim Weston and myself.  Last Thursday, when I first walked into Kim’s private studio and saw his paintings on the wall, I was feeling newly infused with inspiration and creativity. The gallery style studio reminded me of when I worked at an art gallery in LA and when I traveled through Europe stopping at every atelier I could find. I am so overwhelmed with love for art, artists, muses, fellow photographers, and the graciousness of everyone in our community. I am hard pressed to verbalize how grateful I am to lead a life filled with passion, art and beautiful people… so I will just leave it to my photographs to express it for me.

All photographs created at Wildcat Hill, Big Sur, CA August 29, 2010 by Christa Meola

I will be blogging the rest of my fav picks from the Workshop as well as share all of the news that has kept me so wonderfully busy this summer.

Stay tuned for more!

xx, Christa

Some sleek Nudes shot at my latest Boudoir Photography Workshop, shot at The Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica.  I photographed this same model on the Weston estate last summer for my birthday at Kim Weston‘s workshop.  I couldn’t get enough of her, so I hired her for my boudoir photographers so they can add some fine art nudes to their boudoir portraiture.  Here are a few of my favorites… Set No. 1

PS. busy-busy lately, I’ve got a book coming out: “Exposed! Redefining Boudoir” as well as a summer fully booked with shoots as I prepare to make a move to Europe in September.  Thanks for continuing to stop by the blog, leave a comment, and for all of your emails and calls – I’m posting these for you 🙂 and I love seeing a new brigade of boudoir photographers appreciating femininity in all it’s glory and imperfection 🙂

Wishing you lots of Love & Nudity,

Christa

Friday Night Nudes… These are a few of the final shots I took on the Weston Estate and a nearby forest in Big Sur, during a workshop with Ed Weston’s grandson, Kim.  I highly recommend the experience to everyone – pro and amateur, male and female, film and digital 🙂

I had so much fun shooting this whole series of Weston-inspired Nudes!  And I hope you enjoyed them too…

Here’s an opportunity to win a free print – for all of my awesome blog readers who continue to come back and leave some love 🙂  I’d love to hear which picture is your favorite from this series –  Nudes No. 1, Nudes No. 2, Nudes No. 3, Nudes No. 4, and Nudes No. 5.

Let me know in the comments below by next Friday, Oct. 2nd, and I will select someone at random for a free 8×10 print of your favorite image 🙂

xoxo,

Christa

**Updated to add** The snake is REAL, and it’s a 9 foot Albino Burmese Python weighing 25 pounds.  It feels like it’s way heavier though – I held it (albeit not while I was naked!).  Find out more info about Eugene the snake by clicking here.