Tag Archive: new york

The Money Shots™ Giveaway Pinterest Contest

Summer is heating up and my birthday is coming in August, so I’m doing another hot giveaway!

Many of you know that I celebrate my birthday with a personal boudoir shoot, and I’ve begun to plan this year’s festivities by posting pics to My Bday Boudoir Shoot board using Pinterest.

I believe deeply that every woman and photographer can get so much value from doing her own shoot, so join me in the fun and start planning YOUR boudoir photo shoot! If you’re male, plan one that you’d love to do with your next client. 

As part of the fun, we’ll give away two copies of The Money Shots™ posing guide for BEST BOARD (most inspired collection) and MOST FOLLOWERS for the board with the most followers.

The Money Shots™ are THE shots that sell. Part Pose Book and Part Coaching Guide, this is a set of inspiring poses and ideas with my instruction so you can easily capture these Top Ten Best-Selling Boudoir photographs with enormous success every single time!

You ready to plan your Ultimate Boudoir Shoot and win The Money Shots™? 

Using Pinterest, create the Ultimate Boudoir Photoshoot pinboard using content from christameola.com and around the web. Choose your favorite poses, outfits (or lack thereof…), props you love, fantastic settings, and any element you’d love to include in your shoot. 

CONTEST DETAILS

Contest ends this Monday, Aug. 6th at Midnight EST.

ENTER NOW:

  1. Follow Christa on Pinterest
    New to Pinterest? Request an invite here using this invite link.
  2. Create an “Ultimate Boudoir Photoshoot” pinboard
    Select “+Add” and then “Create a Board” at the top-right hand corner of the Pinterest page.
    Make sure to name your board “Ultimate Boudoir Photo Shoot.”
  3. Start pinning!
    Search christameola.com and the web for pics that inspire you and pin it.
  4. Share the board with friends to increase your chances of winning The Money Shots™

Christa and Team Meola will review all the boards and announce the winners on Tuesday, Aug. 7th.

Good luck and happy pinning!

***UPDATE: There was such wonderful participation and phenomenal boudoir shoot boards, that we chose 4 winners!

Michelle Young, We love the idea of Sexy Beach Glam.
Jaime Baxter Martin, A board full of soft, beautiful and sultry inspiration.
Pamela Mullins, Just plain HOTNESS! Love the bold implied nudes.
Amie Adams, rocked the follower count

xoxo Christa

ps. I also use my Pinterest page to post Lighting I love, Rocking Boudoir Poses, How To Tips, Art that inspires me and so much more! Join me, and I’ll see ya on there!

 

How to Look Great Naked, No. 1

I am absolutely loving this summer! I’m just back from a blissful two week vacation filled with plenty of summer loving with my beau, sunsets and skinny dipping. So in honor of this smoking hot season and nakedness, let’s talk about How to Look Great Naked!

As you may know, I got a book deal to write a new boudoir book, The Art of Boudoir: How to Create Stunning Photographs of Women. I’ve been writing up a storm and super excited to share all the juicy new content with you.

I’m particularly excited about several sections in the book, which I created for all women who want to feel comfortable with their bodies and cultivate sex appeal, whether at a photo shoot or in daily life.

Today’s post is a little taste of the book’s content that focuses on the art of sensuality, which is truly the answer to…

How to Look Great Naked

1. Know What “Looking Great” Means

The quickest shortcut to “looking great” naked is not actually in how you look. A woman may be a beauty on the surface, but no amount of visual perfection can create sensuality and sex appeal, which is more truly what it means to “look great.” Sensuality is in a woman’s attitude. So, whether you are a photographer striving to create stunning nude photographs or you are a woman who wants to look great naked: The foundation is a woman enjoying herself and her body.

2. Be Confident

Step one in creating allure is to brim with confidence. In fact, confidence is the sexiest thing a woman can wear. Confidence in how you move, how you look, how you feel, and what you do. Remember to stay focused on your postive attributes and know that you can pull off nearly anything if you do it with self-assurance.

I know being confident is easier said than done. As you move through the rest of these tips and techniques, being confident becomes easier. In truth, no one feels 100 percent confident, ever. We all have insecurities and fears. A useful tip that has always worked for me is, if you don’t feel 100 percent confident, then fake it. Merely pretending to be confident will often be just what you need to manifest the real deal.

3. Practice Being Naked

Comfort with your body takes practice. Get very familiar with your body, paying particular attention to the parts you love. Practice being naked. Walk around your home naked. Try posing in the mirror naked. Appreciate and admire your body from all angles. Make sure you focus on the good stuff, and be grateful for the gift of your body.

4. Have Fun

Men (and women) are attracted to women who are genuinely enjoying themselves – that quality matters more than any individual physical attribute. Although this seems simple, it’s often neglected. Have fun! Enjoy being a woman. Enjoy being admired. Be playful. Have fun strutting around. Especially during a photo shoot, it’s important to remember to not take ourselves too seriously. After all, we’re posing in our underwear. Make sure any doubts or concerns take a backseat to having a good time.

5. Focus on Feeling

When a woman feels sexy, she looks sexy. When cultivating sex appeal, make sure to focus on pleasure and feeling good. How you move and how you flirt, dress, undress, and touch yourself—even how you breathe—should be guided by what feels good to you. Sometimes putting on your favorite music or closing your eyes for a moment can help you focus on feeling good.

6. Slower is Sexier

I was photographing a burlesque dancer in LA, and when I asked her to perform a few dance movements faster for me, she refused. Slower is sexier, she said. She’s right. Sensuality has a slow tempo. Take your sweet old time with your movements and gestures. Walk slowly and deliberately. Move your hands along your body languidly. When taking off clothes, tease and do it slowly. Take your time in between each piece. Hint at removing the item before removing it. Teasing out your movements is not only more sensual, but also gives the photographer more time to catch a movement she loves.

7. Flirt!

Move like you can barely contain your desire. Be playful and allow a bit of shyness to come out now and again. Look at your viewer or the camera with a teasing glint in your eye. Let your inner good girl and naughty girl come out to play and duke it out.

8. Know the Innate Power of Attraction

Men and women have enjoyed looking at women since the dawn of time. Stretch marks, cellulite, or some extra pounds are not going to change that. A woman’s attitude is the most important aspect of feeling and looking truly beautiful and appealing, not physical beauty. Trust that your viewer loves it all. Know that any boldness, playfulness, and enjoyment of your body will be appreciated and enjoyed.

9. Know the Tricks of the Trade

Finally, cultivating sex appeal and looking great naked is not about dieting or Photoshop. It’s about working what you’ve got and knowing a few tricks of the trade to enhance what’s already there, which brings us to the upcoming How to Look Great Naked, No. 2!

So stay tuned for more key tips that make a world of difference in feeling and looking great naked!

In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below… Did you find these tips useful? Do you find a person’s attitude their most attractive quality? or What are some of your tips to looking great naked? I love this topic, and can’t wait to hear from you!

Lots of love,

Christa

Celebrating Curves! Plus WPPI Giveaway

It’s Celebrate Curves Week on the Meola blog!

One of the Q’s I get asked most by photographers is “How do you flatter curvy gals?”  So here ya go!

My Top 8 Tips to Flatter Curvy Gals

1. Read the #1 secret about shooting curvy gals most beginning photographers don’t know.
2. Ask your subject what she loves about her body. Focus on that.
3. Ask her what compliments she receives a lot or what her partner loves. Focus on that. 
4. My favorite Q to ask: what does she love about her personality? Do your darndest to bring that out.
5. Read my lighting tips to flatter curves. 
6. Walk around your subject to look from ALL angles to find the most flattering ones. Go high, go low, and go waaaay beyond shooting from your height. Just because you’re 5’7″ doesn’t mean you should shoot from there 🙂
7. Use lenses that flatter, such as the 85mm 1.2 (my fav) or the 70-200mm.
8. Most importantly, know that essentially the only thing you really need is to truly observe and appreciate the woman in front of you. Ask: what’s beautiful about this woman? And focus on that.

The only thing I like as much as enjoying my own curves is photographing another woman enjoying her’s! Today, the lovely Tru is gracing my blog. This was a mini-session, and I was captivated by Tru’s laugh, her rocking hourglass shape and her gorgeous skin. She told me that she also loves her feet and her man loves “everything.” Ha! You gotta love that.

Tru is a prime example of my belief that sensuality comes from within!

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In her own words: “Once I embraced my curves, I gained the freedom to be me.”
-Tru www.trunettaatwater.com

Now onto a GIVEAWAY!

I have TWO FREE WPPI TICKETS for you!

Join me at WPPI in New Jersey – my home state! I’ll be speaking and teaching alongside some of the industry’s best, such as Sal Cincotta, Doug Gordon, Lindsey Adler and more. Such a great line-up!

Registration includes the two day workshop, seminars, a personal portfolio review, mini trade show, and a free conference & expo pass to WPPI 2013.

Here’s my juicy topic:

How to Add Boudoir (& Big Bucks) to Your Business
If you’re not shooting boudoir, you’re missing out on a ton of money and fun. Whether you’re a wedding, portrait, boudoir or aspiring photographer, Christa will show you how to develop your unique and highly profitable boudoir brand. Learn the biggest mistakes photographers make when breaking into this market and get a step-by-step guide to swiftly grow your ideal boudoir clientele. She’ll tell you exactly how to bring out the best in every woman before, during and after the shoot. Plus, she’ll share her proprietary “booty” sales boosting technique. Christa will tackle the biggest questions, myths and mishaps about this highly lucrative field. 

New Jersey // June 25th & 26th
Register Now
$149

To WIN a FREE TICKET to WPPI, Leave a Comment below with a Q about adding boudoir to your business, photographing curves or let us hear how much you loooove curves!

***UPDATED : Winners of this contest are Shannon Lery and Lea-Ann Wadleigh!

Got a friend who could use a bit of curvy celebration or a free ticket? Forward this link

Lots of love and boudie hugs,

Christa

ps. More giveaways on the blog all summer long! Sign up here so you don’t miss a single one 🙂

 

 

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

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!