Tag Archive: Photography

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….

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Kinda shy at first…

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

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

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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.

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

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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.

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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

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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.

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

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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.

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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

Wildcat Nude Workshop, No. 1

 

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

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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

Viceroy Nudes, No. 2

 

Vintage styling at the Viceroy… This second set is from a fun shoot that is my favorite blend of fashion, fine art nudes and lifestyle portraiture.

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Then we had a little fun with the model’s fringe for a few minutes.  I let her just roll around and play with it, and here’s what she did…

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Location: Viceroy Hotel
Hair and Make-up: Miss Gia Lane – thank you Gia!
See Set No. 1 here.

Backlog of seven boudoir models now waiting to be blogged!  Whew.. I’ll get them to you soon 🙂

Have a great Monday,

Christa

Viceroy Nudes, No. 1

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

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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

 

Poolside

Hot child in the city! Lounging about poolside in the sun, getting wet, getting hot, and sipping on a cool cocktail. This has been one of my favorite summers yet and it’s just beginning! I took these shots last weekend in Malibu CA as part of a full-day mentoring session for a new boudoir photographer who’s just getting into the business.  A big Thank You! to our gorgeous, bold, sexy hostess/model – Miss M – a stay-at-home mom and real woman, who generously served us cocktails and the yummiest food in between shots.  Can you believe this was a workday??

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More nudes and boudoir on the blog coming up 😉  It’s been insanely busy in a great way and my summer is booked with lots of women who are jumping in and getting sexy on camera – stayed tuned!

xxx,

Christa

Being a Girl

Wooohoooo! I LOVE being a girl.  You get to play dress up, wear pink and put on lipgloss…

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…you often receive flowers and look cute even while hard at work…

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…and there’s not a soul on earth who can resist a cute girl with a smile!…

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…except for maybe troublemakers like your older brother 🙂

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Here’s to all the girly girls 🙂 and their dastardly brothers who couldn’t live without them!

And a big thank you to my older brother today – who took me out to lunch 🙂

xoxo,

Christa

Summer Silliness

Summer is here! Well, almost. Every year I jump the gun on summer, but in So Cal it’s just so easy 🙂 Here are a few favorite moments from recent portrait shoots.  And even though summer hasn’t technically begun, these are simply my favorite things to do during summertime!

Be silly and eat cake…

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…Celebrate! with Sparklers…

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…spend time outside just lying around on a blanket (nakedness optional yet highly recommended)…

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…put on your new summer dress!…

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…go to the beach, and actually go in the water…

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…enjoy ice cream! on a cone, with a friend…

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…just lie in the grass and let summer happiness wash over you 🙂

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…and even if it’s not summertime yet where you are, I hope ice cream is in your near future 🙂

xo,

Christa

PictageU Boudoir & Lighting, tips

It wasn’t all play at PictageU… I actually did some hard work, teaching 5 separate shooting workshops… lol!  Shooting boudoir with a gaggle of workshop enthusiasts is the most fun part, albeit exhausting.  To recap and keep the momentum going, here are just a few pics that demonstrate some of the tips I covered in my portion of the shooting workshops.

We talked about how when you arrive on location how to first maximize the light in your shooting area (all of these shots are natural light only), move furniture around so it best suits your subject and the story you’re telling, clearing the set (and thus your frame) of any unwanted distractions, and when there’s stuff on the wall you can’t move… Make it work! and incorporate it into the shot…

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I also demo’d how to capture one of my Money Shots™ “Landscape of the Body” making sure to really emphasize curves with “extreeeeeme” posture and kicking those hips up to create a nice little triangle of awesomeness between your girls hips and the sheets 🙂

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We talked about shooting those sexy details.  I really love her hands here.  Seriously.

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I also discussed a few of the simple essentials I love to bring on location: a black muslin to set up a studio anywhere, a fan to help create a feeling of sensuality and movement, and some fun props.  These shots are taken in the same hotel room just a few feet from the bed, the black muslin (in this case, a hotel table cloth) covering some seriously bad hotel art, and is naturally lit from the balcony just about a foot to the model’s right.

I also talked about creating variety both on set and in post, how to create movement by slowing your shutter speed, and how to direct a model by giving her actions instead of “poses.”  This is another Money Shot™ “The Hair Toss.”

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Gotta love the fan!

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One thing I stress to newer photographers is to be mindful of composition – are you centering everything?  Try experimenting with negative space – it really helps direct the viewer’s eye, tell the story, and has such visual impact.

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Once again, I had a total blast at PictageU.  I loved meeting you all, geeking out, and shooting up some boudoir together 🙂  Here’s to more workshop fabulousness in the near future!

ps. Make sure to leave more of your Boudoir & Lighting questions in the comments below for an FAQ post in the near future…

Christa 🙂

PictageU Boudoir & Lighting, teaser

Had a total blast at PictageU’s Boudoir & Lighting photography conference! The Pictage community team put together an incredible event so packed with inspiration and practical information… I was honored to be there and teach alongside such talented and brilliant fellow photographers.  The conference was a huge success on many levels, and attendee after attendee said how much fun they were having and how much they were learning…  one gal even said “I feel like I just got $2000 worth of content!”

The best part for me was meeting such awesome people… pro photographers are the coolest people (yes, I’m biased) and form a generous, passionate, fun-loving group!  Thank you deeply to everyone in attendance for sharing your love and curiosity for boudoir photography… for being light-hearted and playful… for challenging yourself, me and all those around you.  I am happy to say I walked away inspired, enlightened and with many new friends 🙂

Now that I just rolled back into town, I’m playing catch up with client orders and will be editing pics from the workshop sessions, to be posted soon!…  In the meantime, I’d love to get some more questions from you all specifically on Boudoir and Lighting… So ask away in the comments section! and I’ll post the answers in an FAQ post early next week.

To all those editing their photos right now… keep it tight.  A++ only!

Christa 🙂

Sienna

Running out the door to San Diego! to teach Boudoir & Lighting at PictageU over the next few days.  So here is part 2 of Sienna’s Wet shoot…  to tide you over.

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She’s just so cute!

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Ooooo, so Sophia Loren, right?

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Plenty more boudoir on the blog coming up… and one of these days I’ll post some of the lifestyle and travel portraiture I’ve been shooting as well 🙂

xo, Christa

 

Wet, a little teaser

Just a quick little peek pic from Friday’s wet hot shoot in the studio 🙂 More coming soon…!  Super busy and excited preparing for next week’s seminar on Boudoir Photography and Lighting, hosted by Pictage, and jam-packed with live shoots, practical information, inspiration and more from 6 fabulous instructors including little ole me 🙂  Hope to see you there!  Register here before it’s sold out.

xoxo,

Christa

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