Tag Archive: los angeles

Chic Brunette, No. 2

Picking up where we left off with Racy Blonde & Chic Brunette, No. 1

Mrs. C ditched the blonde wig and we rocked out the rest of her session together as brunettes. If you take a peek at the previous post mentioned above, you’ll see the same sets – the patterned couch, the bed, the balcony – but all with a different look, in terms of styling, pose, mood, and post. No matter what location I’m shooting in, I hustle my butt off to create variety and tell an interesting story.


That last shot is one of my favs- such a fun and sexy session!

Do you have any Q’s or tips on how to create variety? Share them in the comments! I enjoy hearing from you.

Thank you as always for stopping by and contributing!

Lots of love,

Christa

ps. want to see the inspiration for two of the above shots? Follow me on pinterest, check out my boards, and see if you can spot the shots.

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

A Very Sexy Boudoir Workshop

I’m coming back to LA for a One-Day Boudoir Intensive on February 27th! I am taking a quick break from living la dolce vita in Italy for a few jobs I couldn’t resist in Los Angeles, so I thought I’d throw a workshop into the mix for the people who’ve been emailing me with requests (thank you!). This kick ass workshop will be held at a luxury hotel in Los Angeles and is limited to a very 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, will get personal coaching while you shoot, and will be granted use of the images for your blog and portfolio. We will have a mix of pro models and real girl-next-door clients. Since I LOVE blending fine art nudes with fashion & boudoir portraiture, please expect partial nudity. The main focus of this boudoir workshop is to build a totally kick-ass smoking hot portfolio!

Here are a few favorite shots taken at the Last LA Boudoir Workshop… this was a demo of finding the best natural light as well as how to style a shoot…

christa_meola-boudoir_photography_workshops_004

christa_meola-boudoir_photography_workshops_005

Miss L is one of my favorite models to work with! She is incredible and has worked with many amazing photographers, including one of my favs Annie Liebovitz. I love what a chameleon L is – she looks very Blade Runner here no?

christa_meola-boudoir_photography_workshops_000

Yes, we have film shooters 🙂  Also, there is no paparazzi-style shooting at my workshops – only one person at a time is the lead director of a shoot – the other photographers can shoot from the periphery if they are so inclined, but do not interfere with the main shooter 🙂 I make sure of that!

christa_meola-boudoir_photography_workshops_003

christa_meola-boudoir_photography_workshops_002

A Very Sexy Boudoir Workshop!
with Christa Meola

Sunday February 27th 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
SOLD OUT!

A One-Day Boudoir Intensive
Focused on building a smoking hot portfolio,
standing out from the crowd, creating a high-end look,
and answering all your burning questions about going pro!

Topics covered:

Live Boudoir Shoots and Model Releases!
Live Boudoir shoots will be on location at a luxury hotel. Christa will do a demo, working with three different models. You will each get plenty of one-on-one time with the models and full model releases to use your images.

Side-by-Side Personal Coaching & Posing
Christa will be by your side, available for personal coaching, while you shoot.  Learn on your feet how to relax a nervous client, bring out the best in each girl, create sensual moments, push yourself creatively, and find flattering “poses” for every body type.

Lighting & Equipment
What’s necessary and what’s not.  Learn three different lighting set-ups: how to work with the challenge and beauty of natural light, working with studio strobes, and the ease of video lights. There will be a variety of Christa’s favorite lenses for you to borrow so you can see which ones you love the most!

Top 10 Boudoir Money Shots™
Christa will make sure you capture these all-time Bestsellers for your portfolio. These are the pics every client wants and will hire you for!

Sexy Post Production
A Workflow that’s easy, fast and effective. My Top Tips in Lightroom and Photoshop which create smoking images!

Creating a High-End Look
How to stand out from the crowd with a distinct look, and how to develop a high-end signature style on a budget.

Sets & Styling
How to style a set and a model to create pictures that look like they should be in a magazine. This is key!

Pricing & FAQ’s
Nailing your price list so you’re busy, happy and well-paid. Let’s get all your most frequently asked questions answered about permits, contracts, releases and other business practices.

A few Raves about Christa’s Workshops:

“Best money I’ve ever spent on my business. Period. I’d do the workshop again in a heartbeat.”
Erin N.

“The workshop was so AMAZING!!! I would recommend it to anyone starting out or looking for a fresh approach to their photos! It was worth every penny and I can’t believe how much I got out of it.
Heidi W.

“Best workshop I’ve ever taken!!!!!! I learned more about the art and business of portrait photography in two days than I did in four years of college (and it cost much less 🙂 sign up!”
Shani B.

“Totally inspiring and empowering. Thank you for being so open with everything that has made you a success and passing that on to us!”
Robin H.

“You are effing awesome. I learned so much watching you interact with your subjects and how you gave them really good direction. Also, learning the way you handle your pricing was gold to me. The whole workshop was a knockout.”
Francesco B.

“I have taken a few workshops and this one by far was my favorite. You have juiced up my creative level and showed me how to apply my style to my work and so much more! I feel like when I got to a photo shoot now, I have an action plan, instead of clicking away. Thank you!”
Tammy C.

“I highly recommend this workshop! Unlike other workshops I’ve taken, Christa actually gives you time to DO what she’s teaching – and I loved her attitude throughout the weekend. She truly wants to help other photographers shoot better and be more successful as business people. It wasn’t a “look at how fabulous I am” workshop, it was a “look how fabulous YOU can be” workshop!! Thanks Christa!!!”
Christine H.

“THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I HAD AN AMAZING TIME! I got so much out of the workshop but I think the best thing was confidence, and the fact someone really cared enough to show other artists how to get paid for what they do! You have changed the way I look at myself, by showing how I too can be successful. Thanks Again!”
Shannon J.

“You and your workshop were awesome. I really loved learning the psychology behind what you shoot, show, sell, etc. You gave every attendee individual attention, and your personality, enthusiasm and energy kept us all going and inspired. I had a blast.”
Marc J.

Workshop Fee: $900
SOLD OUT!
To Register: call 310.909.8957 or email christa (at) christameola.com.

****UPDATED TO ADD: this workshop sold out quickly.
Please check the updated schedule at the top of this page for current availability in upcoming workshops!

 

Looking forward to shooting with you! and if you’d like to see other pics shot at this workshop, take a peek at these “Me-Oooow!” pics.

xoxo, Christa

ps. Space is extremely limited, so register now! If you’re new to my blog, feel free to look around – you’ll find plenty of my boudoir photos, fine art nudes, and tips for photographers.

Stepping Out

 

I wouldn’t call myself camera shy, but I have to confess to not having many pictures taken of myself.  As a photographer, I’m more comfortable observing a subject than being observed.  So for my birthday recently, I decided to walk the walk, be a woman not a photographer, break out of my comfort zone and go for it.  It was a beautiful hot Monday, my 25th (that’s right) birthday, and my last day in my photography studio in LA before moving out and ending my lease. With my sights set for moving to Italy in December, I could think of no better time for my own boudoir birthday-suit photography session to celebrate!

The photographer… Michael Chylinski, a long-time dear friend and professional drummer, who usually shoots landscapes and basketball hoops!  Hahaaa, he was more nervous for our shoot than I was!  Despite not being used to shooting with strobes, he was game to shoot for me while I gave him a tiny bit of coaching 🙂

Here are a few of my favorite Rated-PG pics.  This logo tank was a gift from a friend at the Grand Opening of my studio – seemed appropriate….

christa-meola-boudoir-nude-photography-workshops-00091

Kinda shy at first…

christa-meola-pictures-boudoir-nude-photography-workshops-0002

…but it didn’t take long til things heated up 🙂

christa-meola-boudoir-nude-photography-workshops-0005

Seriously, it was literally hot as hell in my studio, and yes that’s sweat on my face – I decided not to retouch it.

christa-meola-boudoir-nude-photography-workshops-0004

A behind-the-scenes shot reflected through the mirror in my studio – this cracks me up!  I’m not in a flattering pose by any means, but I love the moment Michael captured of me getting undressed, plus I love that you can see my tiny studio set-up: one main light and small fan – it’s simple and it works.  All pictures from this shoot were with this set-up.

christa-meola-pictures-boudoir-nude-photography-workshops-0001

In honor of my new book coming out, “Exposed: Redefining Boudoir”

christa-meola-boudoir-nude-photography-workshops-00081

And this is my absolute favorite.  I’m having fun, Mike’s cracking up, we see my studio for the last time and it’s just a great moment I’ll always want to remember. Plus, I love Mike’s socks – hahaaa!  Thanks Michael, for capturing my life authentically here. I won’t give you a hard time for taking your shirt off since it was sweltering that day.  I had a total blast and I’m forever grateful for this shoot and your friendship.

christa-meola-boudoir-nude-photography-workshops-00062

Thanks also to my wonderful talented friend and make-up artist Shannon Jankula, who is such a pro at making women look and feel beautiful.

Quick announcement: PartnerCon just opened registration today for my shooting workshop in New Orleans on Thursday, Nov. 11th.  Limited to only 15 participants… so hurry here to register.  Also, they sold out the first 500 seats to PartnerCon (where I am one of the line-up of awesome speakers), but they just added more seats… so you can still register for that here.

Thanks all for visiting and don’t forget to leave a comment!

Lots of love and nudity,

Christa xoxo

 

Vintage Inspired

Madison is back for more boudoir! Do you all remember this gorgeous woman from last year – well it seems I created a boudoir shoot addict!  She wanted to create a very vintage-inspired shoot, channeling Vogue circa 1940’s and Rita Hayworth.

All photographs created at Christa Meola Pictures Studio, Los Angeles, CA copyright 2010 by Christa Meola

christa-meola-nude-boudoir-photography-workshop-0004

christa-meola-nude-boudoir-photography-workshop-0001

Madison is a breast cancer survivor, and one thing I love and want to celebrate about her is her hair, which has grown back in all it’s glory and then some 🙂  So we took a quick break from the Vintage action, so I could grab some more natural photographs of one of my favorite women who has become a very dear friend.

christa-meola-nude-boudoir-photography-workshop-0002

Can’t you just feel it?  I love Madison here.

christa-meola-nude-boudoir-photography-workshop-0005

Madison is a creative gal, and she created this set up completely on her own… I was just along for the ride and to push the shutter.  I adore the little scar evident on her chest, and chose to leave it unretouched.  It feels sacred, proud, and beautiful.

christa-meola-nude-boudoir-photography-workshop-0003

To see more of Madison, take a peek at the shoots that started it all… Room Service and More Madison Madness.  Hair & Make-up for this shoot by Shannon Jankula.

Next up on the blog: my birthday boudoir shoot – yikes!  I am in front of the camera this time 🙂

Stay tuned!

xoxo,

Christa

Top 10 Ways to Increase Sales

Sales is not a dirty word. You could call it providing the best service to your client… or, doing your complete job phenomenally well… and how about: possessing skills and creating products that are in high-demand and highly-valued… and creating exceptional experiences for your clients that are one-of-a-kind…  Call it whatever you like, but if you have a negative association with “selling” – please lose it.  Selling is an essential part of our job – in fact, it’s what makes it a job and turns a hobby into a career.  Treat sales and selling with respect and enthusiasm, honor your client and do the very best for her and your sales will soar.

Here are a few of my favorite tips:

Top Ten Ways to Increase Sales

1. Make it Meaningful
Regardless of the genre you shoot, keep in mind that you aren’t just taking pictures — you are creating how your client wants to be remembered… and the more you nail that, the more she’ll love it, the more she’ll value it, and the more she’ll want to pay for it.  Customize each shoot so that it is unique and full of personal details and emotional elements that will be meaningful to your client.

You can start during the first phone call by asking questions like “What do you love about yourself, your body?  What do you think is sexy? What are some of your favorite things that make you happy? What does your husband love about you?” etc. and use all of those personal details to create an emotionally meaningful story told through your pictures.  I could do a whole other Top Ten list on how to make a shoot personal and meaningful – this is obviously my favorite part of my job.

2. Make it an Event
This isn’t just a shoot… It’s an event!  Give your girl a rare opportunity to be pampered, to be feminine, to go shopping, to keep a fun secret from her man, etc.   I mean how many spa days can one girl have??  This is a unique experience – make it fun and milk it for all the excitement, playful, girly-girlness you can provide for her.

Plus, make sure to honor each stage of the process: from her first phone call, through-out the exciting/nervous weeks leading up to her shoot, the photo session, that night, seeing her images for the first time, receiving her products, and the lasting memory of it all!

Lastly, keep in mind that the whole experience should also be a celebration of her womanhood.  Most clients seeking boudoir aren’t young things looking to enhance their image – they are women who want to reclaim their femininity (long-lost to motherhood),  to celebrate their triumph over breast cancer, to honor their hard work and recent weight loss, and a multitude of other significant events.

Look closer when a girl contacts you for a shoot – there’s a deeper reason why she’s doing it.  Make it a journey of self-discovery from beginning to end, and she will invest highly.

3. Capture the Money Shots™
Ok, so you’re going to make each shoot personal and customized to each girl… In addition, you can always rely on the best-sellers –  the images that every girl wants.  I call them “The Money Shots™.”  You know the ones… there are dozens, and I refer to my #1 Best-Selling Money Shot™ as “Damn my Ass Looks Good.”  Because c’mon, don’t we all want that shot!  Another couple of my favorites are “Landscape of the Body” and “It’s All About the Shoes.”

I’ll cover the rest of my “Top 10 Boudoir Money Shots™” and how to capture them at the upcoming Pictage U.

christa-meola-boudoir-photography-workshop-0126

4.  Shoot for Variety
I find that most of the photographers that attend my workshops benefit most from this single tactic.  Capturing a nice breadth of variety from one shoot is what some newer photographers seem to struggle with most.  We can all sometimes get stuck shooting one thing (because, wow, it looks so great!), and we keep snapping away and burn up our whole session time on only a few set-up’s.

However, there are so many wonderful and easy ways to create and capture variety on a shoot… from slight styling adjustments (pulling up her hair, pulling down a strap) to wardrobe and set changes…. as well as how you compose shots, light a shot, what you shoot with and what you get out of the girl.

Girls have eight thousand different moods – Get each of them: sweet, sexy, bold, sassy, raw, flirty, funny, etc.  Get shots with movement, action… Get shots that are still, contemplative…  Get every stage of dress… and undress!  Get every story-telling shot: the Master, the Close-up’s, and Details.  Get a shot or two that incorporates a fantasy element or a prop.  Get a few with a different lens or a different camera.

Know when you nail a shot and when it’s time to move on and do something different.  My workshop attendee’s hear this mantra again and again during the live shoots:  “Get it and Move On!” Tape it to your camera back.

5.  Be a Tight Editor
Show the client your A++ images only.  Women are their biggest critics, and you don’t want her to go “eh” or certainly “ugh” at any of her pictures – that’ll slow her down, kill the enthusiasm and make her question your taste.  You want “WOW!” for each and every one, so that she wants to buy them all.

Think about it – would you want to see 35 amazingly awesome hot pictures of you… or 168 shots, most of which you remember were okay, a couple were cringe-worthy and maybe a dozen or so that you really like.  And that 168 included those same 35 amazingly awesome pics, but they get lost in the heap of plenty and overshadowed by the ones that she hated… and then horror of all horrors: it falls on her to separate the wheat from the chaff in order to decide what to purchase which becomes a dreaded chore of confusion for her that she never gets around to.  Sound familiar?

Editing is part of our job as photographers – to give the best service to your client.  And selecting the best shots after the shoot is just as much a part of your art as pressing the shutter – it’s choosing the shots.

6. Give Her the Gift of Photoshop
You want her to feel soooooo good while seeing her pictures – you don’t need to tell her you fixed them up a little bit in photoshop.  Give her the greatest gift here of not telling her what you’ve worked on  – do the sister a good turn and retouch the essentials.  You don’t need to go to town on each and every image – remember, you’ve kept a tight edit so you don’t have many to work on, and you don’t need to clone stamp out every blemish and sharpen each eye lash – just a little boost here and there on the things your girl is self-conscious of… we all know what those are right?

One word of caution: do not change who the girl essentially is, like take off 40 lbs or 20 years… just the slightest adjustments can make a huge impact.

Also, put some beautiful post production on your work.  Find a few actions you love working with and use them sparingly on a handful of your final images.  Just a little bit to give them a finished touch.

christa-meola-photography-boudoir-workshops-0125

7. In-Person Selling
This is another must, especially when it comes to giving your client the best care and service.  It’s important that you continue to be enthusiastic and honest when counseling her on what you’d recommend she purchase.  This is the easiest and most fun part of the job, if you’ve done your work up front and already asked her needs and discussed your products during that first phone call.

Not only is in-person selling another contact with your client, who’s by now become more of a friend, it’s the best and most efficient way for your client to get your advice on what to purchase, and let’s face it – it’s a lot of fun.  You guys get together, have champagne or tea, get giggly and excited to see her pics, and then launch into the slideshow of her pictures and let the work speak for itself…

8.  Showcase Amazing Samples

Have your dream products on hand at the order session, so clients can see/touch/feel what you have available and what you want to sell.  Make them the best you can afford – to show her what she’ll be getting.  It’ll prove worthy of the investment – people usually want exactly what they see and will fall in love with what you show them.

Also, make sure your samples are of a significant size since it’s easier for people to buy the same size or smaller, but rarely will they go bigger. Lastly, make sure each product you offer has a purpose, such as “the slideshow will blow your husband away and can be put on his iphone” “the 8×10 print is a modest headshot for your mom” and “the 10×10 album that you love is for you when you’re 60.”

When you have thoughtfully considered her needs from the first phone call, through-out the shoot and while editing and prepping her order session… it’s easy to designate your products to suit her needs.

9. The Slideshow Presentation
The very first time your client sees her pictures is extremely special for her and an opportunity to blow her away that you won’t be able to duplicate – she only sees her pics for the first time once, and you want to set it up for the biggest impact.  Make it emotional, make it bigger than life, make her feel like a movie star in a magazine.

Creating a slideshow that is a hot video with a few gorgeous album spread designs thrown in and set to music that fits the tone of her shoot will have a much bigger impact than proof prints, a contact sheet, or thumbnails online, right?  Plus it’s a product that she’ll most likely want to purchase now.  Most importantly, it showcases your photos as a complete set, as a total story – she’ll be much more likely to want (and buy!) them all when showcased together.

Some tips for the slideshow: keep it short and sweet – only you’re A++ images (I use 35-55 pics), always show it with music, don’t hit the same note twice, gain her trust right off the bat and put the juiciest pic first, and make sure to tell a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end.

christa-meola-photography-boudoir-workshops-0124

10.  Follow Up
Basically increasing sales all comes down to one thing: exceeding expectations. Make your client feel cared for every step of the way.  Surprise and reassure her by pre-empting her needs.  Befriend her with your honesty.  Excite her with your enthusiasm.  And make her boudoir photography experience one that she’ll remember fondly.  Following up is going that extra mile that some people just simply leave out.

The night after the session, call her – she’s probably feeling a little anxious about what went down during the shoot, maybe second-guessing how she looked, and is dying to know how the pics turned out – so let her know how much fun you had and how awesome the sneak peek of the pics look – it’s a brief call or a voice-mail message and it makes a world of difference.

After her products arrive, call her – to see how much her husband loved his gift… and more importantly, what her girlfriends thought!  Those girls are your next clients – which is the ultimate in increasing sales.

To learn more about photography, whether you’re just starting out or already a busy pro, you’re welcome to join me at the PictageU Boudoir & Lighting Conference in San Diego – I think they are near capacity and have about 5 seats left… so Register now, and I hope to see you there!

You can also sign up for one of my next Boudoir Workshops! –  June 21st and 22nd in LA – you can register by email christa (at) christameola.com for more details.

Hope to see you at one or both of these events so we chat/shoot/geek-out on Boudoir Photography!

xoxo,

Christa

Symphony in Color, No. 3

Gorgeous color! Here are just a few favs from the final installment of my photography series of downtown Los Angeles…  It was hard not to turn them all into black and white… as one of the Workshop attendees this past weekend noted, “Christa, you see things mostly in black and white” – she’s right! I usually go for the moment, the relationship, light/shadow, lines, etc… color is secondary for me.  But in these pics, color is the star for sure!

God and palm trees are everywhere… even in Downtown LA 🙂

christa-meola-lifestyle-photography-0013

And to follow-up on the beautiful black & white’s of the Walt Disney Concert Hall from my Symphony in B&W No. 1, here are some of my favorites that showcase the beautiful blue notes of the sky reflected in the steel…

christa-meola-lifestyle-photography-0017christa-meola-lifestyle-photography-0016christa-meola-lifestyle-photography-0015

Ahhhhhh, just let this one wash over you 🙂  Bliss….

christa-meola-lifestyle-photography-0014

Hope you guys enjoyed my series of Downtown Los Angeles as much as I loved shooting it!

Lots of fun coming up on the blog – gorgeous boudoir pictures, workshop attendees’ pics from this past weekend’s Portrait Workshop, and some Polaroid lovin’ 🙂

xxx,

Christa

Symphony in B&W, No. 2

Just a few lines of light that I love from my recent downtown LA Art Installation project.  As I mentioned in Wednesday’s post, Symphony in B&W No. 1, my goal was to capture the energy of the city.  I played around with slow shutter speeds and high contrast settings to capture movement and a play on line and perspective.  Here are just a few of my favorites…

christa-meola-photography-7792christa-meola-photography-7786christa-meola-photography-7788christa-meola-photography-7785christa-meola-photography-7787christa-meola-photography-7793

Stay tuned for the color shots!

Have a great weekend!

xoxo,

Christa

Symphony in B&W, No. 1

I love photographing portraits… it’s my passion, and I am pretty confident now that I can capture the subject’s personality in a single frame and nail it.  Shooting landscapes on the other hand, when there’s no living breathing human in the picture and no interaction between subjects… well now that’s a challenge!  So when the Library Lofts in downtown Los Angeles went looking for a photographer to shoot their art installation, suddenly, I was so on fire and told them I was their girl.

My goal was to capture the energy of the city.  When you think about it, places are living breathing subjects too… and I wanted to create an art installation for the lofts that people feel when they pass by.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall was an obvious on my list of must-have’s.  Created by the world famous architect, Frank Gehry, the Disney Concert Hall is probably the most photographed building since it’s opening in 2003.  The sun was setting fast when I arrived at the Hall and I had about 10 minutes to shoot before it would be too dark… So I went with what I know best and I chose to shoot the hall like I shoot my boudoir photography… walk around the subject, notice things, the curves, the lines, etc… and suddenly the Hall took on a life of it’s own and became a boat at sea, a mountain top, waves in the ocean, and many other things…

What do you see?

christa-meola-photography-77811christa-meola-photography-77801christa-meola-photography-77791christa-meola-photography-7783christa-meola-photography-77771christa-meola-photography-77781christa-meola-photography-77821

A big thank you to one of my self-proclaimed blog-stalkers, John Batdorff, an extremely gifted photographer, especially with landscapes, who generously gave me some advice before I started shooting… Thanks John!

More in this series on the blog tomorrow and this weekend – I’ve prescheduled the posts so while I’ll be teaching the Portrait Workshop this weekend, you can enjoy a peek at downtown LA!

xoxo,

Christa