Tag Archive: christa

Hot Sales Tips and Paris Pics!

If you know me, you know I freaking LOVE sales as much as I love romance, travel & taking pictures. 

A lot of my workshop grads report a huge surge in sales after studying with me, such as Melanie – who posted this on Facebook today:

 

Hearing your success stories makes me feel AWESOME! and I want more of that for you and for me 🙂

Want to know how you can sell more easily, with more joy and make more money? 

Scroll down for details… and please enjoy all the romance and beauty I experienced in Paris recently while shooting on the Seine…

 

For my Hottest Sales Tips…
Please join me for a Free Live BOUDIE CALL Q&A this Thursday on SALES & SELLING

The steps you absolutely MUST do before each sales session !
How to create a masterful In-Person Sales Session flow that will never leave you at a loss for words!
How to ensure your clients order during the first sales session
The importance of asking your clients if they want mustard on their sandwich (yup, you read that right) and more…

And for the first time ever, I have a Special Guest, Kristen Kalp, joining us on the call!

Why?

Well when I first saw Kristen’s Sales Without Shame program, I thought “B*tch stole my idea!”

But of course she didn’t. She did even better than that…

Kristen created THE BEST in-person sales tool out there. Her program is so aligned with all my beliefs and strategies and fills you in on everything you need to know to sell portraits effectively, simply and easily. She walks you through exactly what to do, in what order and guides you through every step of the process.

So I asked Kristen to join us on the call to share her wisdom, and she said yes!

EXCLUSIVE! BOUDIE CALL THIS THURSDAY!

Thursday, June 7th
1:00p EST / 10:00a PST

Call in details:
Dial-in Number: 1-218-862-1300 
Conference Code: 668103 

During the call, we’ll answer ALL your burning sales Q’s,
as well as some you might not even think to ask…

What single sales tip has made Christa and Kristen more money than any other?
What’s the best way to deal with clients who need more time to order or are from out of town?
How do I start to sell in person on a super low budget?
How do I overcome my fear of feeling “sales-y” and make more money yo?!


Post your Burning Sales Q in the comments below, and tune in on Thursday!

xoxo Christa

P.S. You can also hear me dish about sales and high-end client experiences during a juicy exclusive 45 min. interview with Kristen, which is available to folks who use her Sales Without Shame program. Details on that here.

 

Alison, No. 2

Hello and Happy Monday! It’s so great to be back to regular blogging – I’ve missed you guys! As you may know, I recently got a new book deal and have been working hard cranking out brand-new & seriously juicy training to make the Sept. 1st deadline. Tons of shoots are being lined up, my office walls are becoming plastered with a collage of book material, and I’m psyched to dive even deeper into how to photograph women. 

I’ll be sharing bits of this book writing journey with you, as well as posting pics from recent shoots – such as the beautiful and elegant Alison. We had a phenomenal shoot together and did such a wide variety of set-ups. If you missed Alison, No. 1 – you’ve got to check that out for some gorgeous nudes, booty shots, and lingerie focused boudoir.

For this set, we wanted to create slightly androgynous portraits with a fashion feel. Elegant yet strong. Beautiful and fun…


I challenged Alison to push way outside her comfort zone (can you believe she is actually quite shy?), and jump out into this luxury hotel hallway wearing nothing but a necklace, Jimmy Choos and a smile for this set of sepia-toned nudes…




Saucy, no?

Alison’s shoot was such tremendous fun and a transformation for both of us. I’m so honored that she trusted me to guide her in this amazing & sensual journey.

And for those who’ve asked: oh heck yeah! I’m super excited about the new book and will fill you in on the details as we get a bit further along.

In the meantime, feel free to send me good writing juju, and I’ll be seeing you here on the blog…

xoxo, 

Christa

Alison, No. 1

I LOVE transformation! It’s such an integral part of what I do, and Alison’s shoot experience is a sublime example of that. Alison is a self-proclaimed tech geek, shy, modest, and feeling “caught in a girlish disposition and figure.” She wanted to call out the WOMAN inside – bold, sexy, and daring – with a dash of quirky throw in. 

We had a few planning consultations before the shoot and came up with a handful of hot, fun, daring and creative scenarios. Alison was super nervous before her shoot, but knew she wanted to go outside her comfort zone, so she committed fully. I was blown away by how much beauty and strength she brought in front of my camera.






I think this one is my fav. Sublime.


More pics from Alison’s session will be posted in a series over the next several days – they are all so unique and some of my favs to date!

lots of love and inspiration,

Christa

ps. I’m off to host my Fine Art Boudoir Retreat in Paris in a couple days, so stay tuned for all that beautifulness coming soon!

Monica

One of the coolest things I love about being a photographer is that I get to know people intimately. I’m the type of shooter who wants to know what makes you tick, what you love about yourself, your life, your marriage, your body, or whatever the reason that has you and I come together on both sides of the camera.

No matter how well I know my closest friends, I get such a deeper appreciation for and understanding of who they are when I take their pictures.

One of my favorite people in the world is the lovely Monica. She is such a brilliant person – smart, beautiful, gutsy and a truly fascinating woman. We met last year in Italy and immediately became fast friends. We lived on the same hillside in Florence a short walk from each other, and we’d often get together for apertivo hour in town, a long hike around the Tuscan hills, train rides to nearby cities together and always long chats about life, love and art.

At the end of my stay in Italy, we did a shoot for Monica. No particular occasion, except to celebrate her life at that moment in time.

A mosquito net and tanned skin signify summertime in Italy…

 Originally from Egypt, raised in the states, a year or two in Venice & Paris and now currently residing in a small Tuscan villa with a vineyard as her front yard….

Monica loves family heirlooms… I covet this bracelet – a gift from her mom and the purse was her grandmother’s…

Practically inseparable from her bike, Monica rides daily about an hour to and from work. She’s a fine art tour guide for the museums in Florence.

She FLIES down the hill, without a helmet. Our mutual friend, Federica, calls her “pazza!” (crazy!)

…just a little celebration of the simple daily rituals of a beautiful life in Italy – a walk in the fresh air around the landscape, a thrilling bike ride to work, lounging around in lingerie, a cup of tea in pretty cups with a friend…

…it’s the simple things!

Have a beautiful day,

xo Christa

The creativeLIVE gals!

It’s been a whirlwind since my creativeLIVE workshop in February. So many exciting projects happening currently, but I want to share a few pics from the fabulous boudoir party I had with Kenna and Celeste of creativeLIVE!

We had such a phenomenal time – four girls (the cL girls, my make-up artist Rachel, and me) and one awesome guy – my assistant Mr. John Cornicello (love him!). Champagne was poured, heels were kicked up and gorgeous pics were captured!

Celeste is a powerhouse Producer with a super fun spirit. Her shoot was all about her spunky personality, those gorgeous curves, and her love of dancing, vintage clothes and shoes!

Here’s what Celeste wrote to me after seeing her pics…

I LOVE the pics! I wish I would have recorded Jason when he flipped through them with me. I don’t know how to describe how I felt watching him pause and gasp at all the different pictures! I can’t thank you enough! Jason says “Thank you VERY much” too.

Next up: Kenna…

You may recognize Kenna as the on-air host of creativeLIVE. She’s one of the most beautiful individuals on the inside and out that I’ve ever met. We focused on capturing her joyful spirit, elegant beauty, love of accessories from far away places, and those gorgeous golden eyes!

Here’s what Kenna had to say about the experience:

Christa not only gave me THE most amazing gift in portraits that I will treasure for the rest of my life, but she also gave me the gift of pushing myself well beyond my comfort zone. The shoot itself was a magical experience. I was giddy but also unsure of myself. By the end of the shoot I felt amazing inside and out because I had soaked up Christa’s smile, laughter, energy, creativity, beauty and confidence. I was blown away when I saw the resulting photos. My heart leaped. I couldn’t stop grinning and saying out loud “is that really me?” YES. That is me – those are my eyes, that is my smile and that is my spirit. Thank you Christa. When can we do it again?


So I’m afraid we’re going to have to stop there and not show the rest of the shoot because of privacy 🙂

That’s part of the job as Boudoir Photographer – most of my favorite images are only seen by one woman and her man. And I kinda like that. It’s what makes my work so sacred and fulfilling.

A huge THANK YOU to Celeste and Kenna for your trust during the shoot, for your generosity in letting me share these images and for being so much fun! I had such a blast and you’re both amazing women.

And an enormous THANK YOU to all of you who tuned in to watch me shoot and teach on creativeLIVE and for the ongoing outpouring of love. I’m truly grateful.

Lots of love and inspiration,

xoxo Christa

 

The Clothesline

What a fabulous week! It was packed with a wonderful variety of shoots… superstar entrepreneurs, family, boudoir and nudes. Whew! I love variety 🙂

Add to it the most gorgeous sunny weather in NYC lately, and I’ve been just skipping through the park. Literally.

Here are a few sunny nudes to match my mood today…


Have a gorgeous weekend!

(I know it’s only Thursday, but I’m getting started early 🙂

Lots of love,

Christa

Musee D’Orsay

I am loving this Springtime weather in nyc! It’s making me so excited for the upcoming Fine Art Paris Retreat, and I just added two more spots, so we have two seats open now for ladies only. So I thought I’d post a few pics from one of my fav places in Paris… the Musee D’Orsay – the cafe inside the museum is the only place you’re permitted photos, and it’s just gorgeous! The palette is sublime. You all know I’m a huge fan of white with touches of black and gold… not to mention the paintings and sculptures…

Spring also brings change, and oh my we’ve got a lot of changes going on around here, so stay tuned. We also have a fun giveaway coming up this week so watch out for that 🙂

Lots of love & inspiration,

Christa

How to Flatter Every Woman

LOVED shooting Miss M at my recent creativeLIVE Boudoir Workshop! She is curvelicious and knows it. I get asked so often how to flatter curvy women, and it’s really the simplest thing ever – most curvy gals (especially the ones stepping in front of a camera) absolutely adore their body and dig their curves. Most men do too 🙂

We spent the entire first day of the workshop discussing how to work with women, flatter every size and shape, relax nervous clients and bring out the best in every woman. We covered essential posing, shooting & lighting techniques that every photographer can rely on to capture gorgeous photographs…


During the creativeLIVE workshop, we covered posing and how slight adjustments in posture can really enhance curves. For example, dropping her left elbow behind her body, putting her hand at the height of her hip, dropping her knee and working that extreme posture all work together to enhance this gorgeous gal’s hour-glass figure… (and let’s be honest: wearing a corset helps too 🙂

We also discussed crossing your subject’s arms in her lap when shooting a close-up. Again, creating lines that curve when they hit the end of the frame…

I also demonstrated how coaching actions is a simple way to create natural movement (instead of stiff poses), eliminate your subject’s nerves, and create photographs with some emotion and life!

A woman enjoying herself and her body, getting undressed, smiling and flirting is just too cute and so damn sexy… These were just a few of the actions I coached while shooting. (ps. and as I said throughout the workshop – make sure to add the FAN!)

Lastly, good posture is divine: straight back, relaxed shoulders, elongated neck, chin/hips/chest out… easy peasy.

These were just a few of the tips covered in my 3-day creativeLIVE Boudoir Workshop (more photos & tips coming soon!).

But the real secret sauce to flatter any woman regardless of your subject’s size, shape or age: focus on her personality, confidence, her favorite features / body parts, and her enjoying herself!

That’s it baby.

Because the sexiest trait in a woman is happiness, and confidence is the sexiest thing a woman can wear.

xo Christa

ps. I’m coming to you from Vegas baby – here for WPPI. If you’re attending, stop by and say hello! I’ll be judging the print competition in the Portrait category on Sat and Sun. And I’ll be teaching a MasterClass in Boudoir on Wed at 2:30p – since it’s a MasterClass, the seating is limited, so snag one by registering online for my class when registering for WPPI. If you’re already registered for the conference, sign-up for my class by calling 1.877.779.3127. See you there!

creativeLIVE “After Dark” Fine Art Nude Sneak Peek

Wow, it’s been a jam-packed and amazing weekend teaching for creativeLIVE so far. Last night we shot their first ever “After Dark” segment with a focus on Fine Art Nudes. I shot with a gorgeous figure model for an hour and half with 3 different backgrounds and lighting set-ups, and I had such an incredible time!

Our in-studio participants said it was their favorite segment thus far as well, and saw a totally different part of me come alive. I am in the zone when shooting nudes. Many aspects are completely different from shooting boudoir with real women, and both are integral aspects of my brand and business, which was part of the discussion during this “After Dark” segment.

You can watch a sweet sneak peek trailer of the After Dark segment here.

I would love to share my passion for shooting Fine Art Nudes with you, and I hope that you get a chance to watch it via the download you can purchase.. You will see that my shooting style is different from the rest of the weekend’s shoots, in how I coach & pose my model, my rhythm of shooting, my energy and my focus. I think it’s a valuable and essential practice for the boudoir photographer, with skills you can bring into building a successful business.

Here’s a little sneak peek….

Nude model + sheer fabric + fan = one of my all-time favorite set-ups!…










Thanks so much for tuning in and sharing your love via comments, tweets and Facebook updates – I am so grateful for all the enthusiasm! It has been such a powerful and fun experience sharing my love for and experience in this industry with creativeLIVE’s worldwide audience.

Tune in to Day 3 today for one more surprise, a couple more shoots and discussion about building a successful business – sales, pricing and marketing.

Lots of love, nudity and inspiration!

xoxo Christa

ps. you are able to watch the “After Dark” shooting segment with purchase of the download  (which is a freaking steal at $99) when you buy it before end of day today!

creativeLIVE Sneak Peek, Mercedes

Just flew into Seattle Monday night and had an awesome day with the creativeLIVE crew, met up with Chase Jarvis, and did a couple of pre-shoots for my upcoming creativeLIVE Boudoir Workshop. We’re busy preparing some hot and sexy fun for you all, but I wanted to give you a quick sneak peek of the sexy fun in store!…










If you’d like to watch me shoot and see behind the scenes of this shoot went down, get it in gear and get signed up for the FREE live event this weekend!

More soon 🙂

Christa

ps. Once you enroll now, you’ll receive timely reminders so you don’t miss a thing!

creativeLIVE Boudoir Workshop, Sneak Peek

Happy Saturday!

Less than a week til my creativeLIVE Boudoir Workshop and I’m getting EXCITED! We have lots of sexy surprises in store for you, so I thought I’d share a super quick run down of the hot & sassy weekend we have coming up real soon!

CLICK PLAY to get the juicy deets…

ENROLL NOW

See ya online from Seattle!

xoxo Christa

A Romp Around the Vineyard

A little sunshine from Italy for a rainy day…

This is what happens when I ask a model to RUN! towards me and she’s not wearing a bra… a total outtake but it cracks me up 🙂



This is kinda what I feel like doing today…

This set is No. 11 of 12 taken during my Workshop & Retreat in Italy this last summer. I’m planning on topping it with a Fine Art Nude & Boudoir Photography Retreat in PARIS this Spring! Already halfway sold out, you can grab your spot to romp around the City of Lights with me and get the details here.

Hope to meet you soon!

xoxo Christa

ps. You don’t have to go all the way to Paris to watch me shoot and take one of my workshops… Join me next weekend, Feb 10-12, for my FREE creativeLIVE Boudoir Workshop streaming LIVE online, worldwide. We are going to heat things up in creativeLIVE’s Seattle studio, with lots of sexiness and surprises in store (hee hee – it’s all very hush hush right now 🙂 So you’ll have to enroll now & tune in to catch all the fun!