Tag Archive: intimate

Sneak Peek Trailer!

So freaking excited to show you this fun little sexy sneak peek at what’s in store for all of you signing up for the ONLINE BOUDOIR WORKSHOP!

 

SOLD OUT

Do you want to change your life, live your dream of photographing women, make more money, and have a fulfilling career empowering females? Then sign up!

“It’s the first workshop I walked away from saying how wonderful it was and how it was worth every single penny.” Stephanie Piscitelli, Bridgewater, MA

“EPIC!!!! I have a new outlook.” Melissa Lin Huddlston-Smith, Moreno Valley, CA

“Worth every penny. This is the workshop for those who want to stand out in the photography community.” Allie Lindsey, Temecula, CA

“Christa’s workshop just blew me away!… an amazing experience!” Rita Spevak, Chicago, IL

“Had the most amazing time & learned so much my head is still spinning.” Allison Smoley, Temecula, CA


..and more COOL RESOURCES for you:
Yesterday’s Live Q+A Call yesterday was such a freakin’ blast!! I didn’t expect the huge turnout and demand (silly me), so I’ll definitely do another one soon! Thanks so much to the hundreds of  people that tuned in and submitted 80+ questions! If you’d like to receive a recording of the Q&A call & get early notification of the next one, make sure you’re on my mailing list (you can submit your email in the field to the right, plus you get my awesome Pro Photographer Manifesto for free 🙂

Lots of love & nudity,

x. Christa

 

Street Tough + Supah Sexy!

I just wrapped three days of back to back shoots and intensive workshops – whew! and it got me thinking that there is no sweeter, more powerful, more feminine, and seductive combination than Strength plus Vulnerability. Now that to me is supah sexy!

A female boxing enthusiast and budding model, Lissarette has this knock-out killer combo down cold. This is another smoking hot set of photographs taken for your viewing and educational pleasure for the ONLINE BOUDOIR WORKSHOP. For this particular set, I showed how different lenses (the 24-70m 2.8, 50m 1.2, 50m 1.4, 85m 1.2, and 85m 1.8) photograph the same subject at different ranges and which is best for each situation!

So if you want to catch that action, sign up to go behind the scenes of this shoot and watch footage of me photographing Lissarette…

Cool news:

I am hosting a FREE Q+A LIVE CALL tomorrow, WEDNESDAY JUNE  8th,  3PM-4PM EST.

I know you’ve got burning questions…

“What do you think I should charge for a session?”
“What advice do you have for male photographers who’d like to shoot boudoir?”
“How do I flatter plus-sized clients?”
“How do I get that first paying client?”
“What’s equipment do you recommend for someone just getting started?”
“Do I need a studio?”
“Should I sell the digital images?”
“People like my photos, but I’m just not selling much – what gives?”
“Your pictures look so emotional and natural – how do you do that?”
“What vendors do you use and what are your favorite products?”
“How much do you do in photoshop?”
…and so much more!

What’s your burning Q?
Enter your email below if you’re not already on my mailing list, and I’ll send you the simple instructions for how to join the live call and ask your burning hot questions!

See ya on the call!

x. Christa

Enter your email here for the call-in details!

Last chance!

WIN A FREE SEAT to my Online Boudoir Workshop!

You have til 12midnight EST tonight…

Winner will be announced on tomorrow, Monday June 6th 9am EST.

Good Luck!

x. Christa

ps. Spots are booking up fast, and we are now over three quarters filled up!! If you’ve already registered (smart move!) and win, then your fee will be refunded 🙂 So Register Now before we are sold out!

Nude, with Vino Rosso

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

Hot Summer in the City!

It is scorching hot in NYC right now – whew!…  and whether you’re indoors with AC or outside sweatin’ it out… hope you are keeping cool!

This set of photographs were created in my small little studio in NYC as part of the super cool video demos for the Online Boudoir Workshop!  If you’d like to peek behind the scenes and enjoy footage of how these scorching HOT pics were created, head on over to the Online Boudoir Workshop website & get more details on how to register now!

Good Morning…

…and good night! I love it when you can’t tell if it’s early morning sun-up or late evening sunset 🙂 and really, does it matter?

Here’s to a wonderful sun-soaked weekend!

x. Christa

Yoga Love

Two words: Devotion + Dedication. One is nothing without the other. In Yoga. In Love. In Life.

Here’s to practicing equal amounts of both!




These shots are from a recent trip to LA, and I love the pics so much, I’m blogging my favorites in two parts 🙂

Location: The Mondrian Hotel on Sunset, Los Angeles
Photography: Christa Meola
Make-up & Hair Stylist: Rachel Lund
Photo Assistant: David Glenn

No. 2 on the blog tomorrow!

x. Christa

All Heart, The 22 Woman Shoot No. 2

My true love is shooting subjects as naked as possible, even if they have their clothes on. I want to uncover the bare essence of who you are and everything you are that makes you, you. As a fine art nude and boudoir photographer I shoot a lot of women and love the expressions of the female body. But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: “I’m not interested in boobs and butt without some heart.”

Marie Forleo gave me a wonderful opportunity to shoot my favorite type of subject for her Rich Happy & Hot Adventure Mastermind group. If you didn’t catch the background story of this crazy marathon 22-woman shoot (of which I had 8 to 10 min’s shooting time with each girl), check it out in my first installment. It was a smashing success and total blast, and I am grateful to Marie and her amazing Mastermind women, who have personality in spades.

This is an incredible group of powerful women, who are sincere, giving, and love life…

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smokin’ hot too…

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strong, on the inside and out…

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contemplative…

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exuberant!…

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silly…

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genuinely happy…

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honest, focused, forthright…

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and elegant in spirit.

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Location: The Huntley Hotel’s Presidential Suite, Santa Monica CA
Hair & Make-up: the girls’ own handiwork
Photo Assistants: Robin Hultgren, Hannah Skye, David Glenn

Ciao for now! and thank you for stopping by and saying hello 🙂

x. Christa

ps. Coming up on the blog: more plus-sized real-women awesomeness! dispatches from the streets of Firenze! and a bad ass yoga shoot 🙂

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!…

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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

Rich Happy & Hot

Marie Forleo doesn’t mince words – her email to me a couple months back just read: I have a crazy fun idea… involves you. Let me know. I was already traveling, bound for Italy, and before I could even reply, she called me up and revealed her idea. But let me back up… if you don’t know Marie Forleo, you’ll want to check her out! As best-selling author, speaker, Nike Athlete, fitness personality, entrepreneur and all around AMAZING super woman, Marie is dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs through her Rich Happy & Hot brand. I got to know Marie better during her Rich Happy Hot Business School last fall, which was incredible! We felt an immediate kinship that can only come from being born and bred in Jersey  – those are bonds that don’t break 🙂

Back to the scheming: Marie wanted to surprise her Adventure Mastermind ladies (all 22 of them) with a sexy and fun photo shoot during their retreat in LA. That’s right, she wanted it to be a surprise, meaning the girls would have NO IDEA what they were in for when they showed up at the Presidential Suite of the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica. Now how could I turn down an exciting challenge like that?  I’m always up for a spontaneous photo shoot, and I love demonstrating to women (myself included!) that the planets don’t need to be aligned to jump into something, and that trust goes a looooong way!  To add to the excitement, I would be given a total of 4 hours of shooting time, so about 10 minutes per girl, give or take. I was so freakin’ excited and jumping up and down ready for the fun and to see how we would all pull it off…

Well I’ll tell you more about how it went down in the next installation, but suffice it to say, I had THE BEST team on the shoot with me – Robin Hultgren and Hannah Skye are both regular attendees at my photography workshops and now have become indespensible to me as assistants, confidantes and friends. Add to that my power house right hand man, David Glenn, and of course the shoot want smooth like butter.  But most of all, I have to give credit to the 22 brilliant women of Marie’s Adventure Mastermind – these girls had the strength to be vulnerable, the sense of humor to take it all lightly, and the cojones to go for it! Each woman and her shoot were so different, but all were a total blast!

Here are some of my favorite photos of the first four of the Rich Happy Hot women, and they’re not called Rich Happy and Hot for nothing – wow! I’ll be blogging lots more of them in the coming weeks 🙂

Location: The Huntley Hotel’s Presidential Suite, Santa Monica CA
Hair & Make-up: the girls’ own handiwork
Photo Assistants: Robin Hultgren, Hannah Skye, David Glenn

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We had a studio set-up in the master bath for when the sun went down… this one is one of my favorites – so raw, so honest…

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More rich happy hotness on the way… I’ll break down the process for those interested in doing Boudoir Marathon shoots like this 🙂

x. Christa

I could never…


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“I could NEVER do a sexy photo shoot.”… aaaand that’s my cue! I LOVE photographing women who think a sexy shoot is sooo not them, or not what they could ever do, or that they don’t photograph well, or yeah yeah yeah 🙂 I get asked all the time if I only shoot models. Hell no! My clientele is mostly 40+ moms who have never dreamed of stepping in front of a pro’s camera before, especially not in the buff. Exactly the kind of woman like Mrs. C., a dear friend’s wife who I invited to do a shoot, and of course she said she “could never!” Oh, how I love a good challenge! My persistence in putting her on the scheduled worked, and to Mrs. C’s credit, she committed 110% to the experience and showed up with all she had.

Mrs. C has the greatest legs you’ve ever seen, a rockin’ backside, beautiful skin, a gorgeous smile and a playful spirit. We booked a hotel suite, had some wine and a total blast! My team and I enjoyed the shoot as much as Mrs. C did, and everyone went home that day giddy and with smiles on their faces. I think the resulting photographs are elegant, sexy and playful… and definitely showcase what every woman can do, if they just give themselves the opportunity.

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When another woman posted on my Facebook page that she didn’t think she could do a sexy photo shoot because she’s shy about her body, Mrs. C didn’t hesitate and wrote the following comment in response…

You don’t know me, but my new friend, Christa just did the most amazing boudoir shoot with me as a surprise for my husband. I told her I didn’t think I could ever do something like this because it just wasn’t me. But the more I thought about it the more I wanted to challenge myself. Christa is not only amazing behind the camera but also so great and inspiring in front of it! We had such a fun time!! It was so much more than I ever expected. When I showed my husband my album from the shoot, he was absolutely floored! Of course he loves the naked ones the best 🙂 I kept saying to him “Can you believe I did this??”

I’m forever thankful to Christa for talking me into doing the shoot and giving me the confidence and safety to enjoy it. It was not only a fabulous gift for my husband (which he absolutely loves) but truly a gift for myself. I love having these photographs, and I look at myself in a whole new light. I see the things I love about my body instead of the things I don’t.

Christa is truly amazing and gifted and I’m privileged to know her! If you have a chance to work with her, do it! It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done!!

Thank you Mrs. C! for putting your trust in me, for going waaay outside your comfort zone, for your warmth and sincerity, and most of all for spreading the word and letting other women know that they CAN!

xoxo,

Christa

Tips for Getting Started in Boudoir

Today, I am featured on the Pictage Pro Photography Blog, discussing my top “Tips for Getting Started in Boudoir Photography.” Pictage is an incredible pro photographer’s lab, but is so much more than that. In fact, what I love best about Pictage is the tight supportive community they have created, the people they attract, as well as their exemplary customer service. The Pictage blog is a must-read for any pro photog in the portrait, wedding or boudoir business and there is tons of useful information and insight on the Pictage Forums… if you haven’t yet, you should stop by their website and check them out!

Here’s a small excerpt from my featured article…

I receive tons of emails from enthusiastic photographers who are catching boudoir fever and would love to know how to get started!  Here’s a perfect example:

“I am just starting out as a photographer and would love to do Boudoir.  There are so many things I need to do and learn, and I am working to raise the money needed for equipment, sets, and marketing. I’m not sure what to do first or how to really get started!”

To READ MORE about my best advice for a helpful approach in getting started, how to prioritize your investments, create a smoking hot portfolio, and get that first boudoir client!… head on over to the Pictage blog!

Happy shooting 🙂

xoxo, Christa

ps. more pics from Italy being posted tomorrow!…

 

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