Getting Personal | San Jose Campbell Bay Area Boudoir Photographer

It’s been a while since I have posted a personal post and what better time than the start of the New Year and with some changes heading my way?

We had a crazy busy, yet wonderful Chrsitmas. My mother flew in Christmas Eve and surprised the boys Christmas morning… or maybe they surprised her, either way it wasn’t exactly as we planned but it was still fantastic. Here’s my two little guys and our last minute Christmas card that I wasn’t going to do but heard complaints that I just *had* to send one because a few people look forward to my cooky cards each year. Hahaha

together

Yup, these are my two crazy kids that keep my life insanely wonderful.

This is my youngest cutie, Odin and I on Christmas eve when we went driving around and looking at Christmas lights. My selfies rarely turn out. Haha. Confession:  For being a photographer by trade I am ashamed to admit that after putting so much pressure on myself to make every family image perfect, I stopped using and bringing my “good” camera altogether. It was very liberating at first but now I rarely take anything more than cel phone shots of my kids and I usually forget to do even that. For example, daddy and Asa were with us and walking hand in hand in front and I didn’t even think about taking that shot until it was too late. Maybe I need to make a resolutions to take nice pictures at least once a month. Sigh.

Odin and me2013

2013 was a great year. Business has been steadily growing and I am starting to see a return of past clients. How awesome is that!? When I decided to only shoot women and mainly boudoir, I never imagined that I would see return clients, I mean the majority of the women I work with tell me that this is a once in a lifetime event and that’s one of the reasons they are okay with spending so much. It is the best compliment to have them come back again because they loved the experience and how it made them feel! I have also seen an increase in personal referrals. There is one amazing family that I adore who have all been in. Three sisters, cousins, friend and their mother! 🙂 So far 2014 is shaping up to be a good year too, despite my ringing in the new year cleaning up puke from my oldest child and consoling a terrified doggie who was shaking so violently from the fireworks in our neighborhood, I already have bookings through April!

So here is the biggest news… if you have read my About page, you’ll know I have severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. My hands are the worst and I have long said that as long as I can hold my camera I will be fine! Well a couple weeks ago I felt pain in my left hand, a left hand long crippled with fusions and artificial joints. I had been waiting until I had pain before scheduling surgery even though it was clear years ago that something wasn’t right with the joints they put in in 2005. Well that time has come and on Jan 22nd I will be having more reconstructive hand surgery. I have no idea what will go down but again, and as I told the doctor, “as long as I can hold my camera, I don’t care what you have to do!” 🙂

This is what he has to work with:

Hand x-ray 2013

The funny thing is that I really don’t have much pain and haven’t until whatever happened a couple weeks ago to trigger a strange pain and ache. The bad news here is that I won’t be shooting for 8 weeks. Aaaahhh!!! This means that I am now booking for April and May. With Feb and March now out of the picture(end of March sessions are now fully booked) I imagine April and May months will book up fast with the bridal season approaching. Point being, don’t wait too long to contact me since those inquiring in Feb & March will be first in line to fill up April and May.

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Now I have a question that I hope you all will give me some feedback on… via comments right here on the blog.

 I am thinking about offering a makeup class, taught by yours truly. This would teach basic tips and tricks that I have learned over the years geared around eye makeup.  The class would include an eye palette, brushes and possibly liner and eye primer in your class fee. I want a class that includes everything so that you could literally go home and do what we learned in class without having to go out and do more shopping. However this will bring the class cost to $100-$125. It would be  a 2 hour class and include refreshments and some fun giveaways.

Any interest?

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Coming soon, favorite images of 2013!

Happy New Year everyone! May it be exciting, sexy and self confidence. 🙂

Sexy Photos San Jose Boudoir Photographer

Luxurious Lace for the Holidays|San Jose Boudoir Photography

Boudoir Coterie Portrait photographyWinter might not be quite the time that you’re thinking about taking off your clothes and posing for a photo session, but some of these pieces might just change your mind.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a lingerie post, so I figured it was about time. I have to confess though, this totally wasn’t supposed to be all about lace. My main theme was inspiration for winter boudoir sessions, but when I started browsing, I found myself to be super drawn to all of these gorgeous lace bra and panty sets in beautiful rich colors, so it ended up going in that direction. How’s a girl to resist?

What I love about a good  sexy bra and panty set for a photo session is that you can spend as much or as little as you want and still look fabulous. Check out the deep purple one from H&M below.

Also, while you might not wear lace undergarments every day, they’re a fun way to spice things up a bit, and you’ll likely get a lot more future use out of them than something like a corset or teddy. Winter is the perfect time for lace because you don’t need to worry about it showing through thinner summer fabrics.

luxurious lace for the holidays

Aside from all of the lace, I did find a couple of stunning and unique pieces that I’m totally swooning over. The first one is  this nightgown from ModCloth. The rich berry color and bow make me think holidays, but not in a cheesy  naughty Mrs. Claus sort of way (not that there’s anything wrong with that if that’s your thing).

Layer of Leisure Nightgown and Thong Set in Berry

And now, saving the best for last, this is from a local lingerie shop called Besos in Los Gatos. If I didn’t have other people to buy Christmas presents for, I’d run right out and buy this for myself and would be scheduling a photo session in it ASAP.

besos lingerie

Feeling inspired? Ready to heat up these cold winter nights? Give us a call or shoot us an email to schedule a photo session today!

bcoterie@sbcglobal.net or 408.460.1855

Nicole

 

A Very Etsy Holiday|San Jose Boudoir Photography

Boudoir Coterie Portrait photography Anyone else feeling a little bombarded by big retailers this year? I guess I should probably get better with the “unsubscribe” button, but every day I get a good 25-50 emails from different stores touting all kinds of sales. Thankfully I have DVR, so I can skip most of the TV commercials, but I know they’re out there too.

What’s even more crazy is that my husband and I were at Best Buy the Friday BEFORE Thanksgiving and there was a tent with people camping outside for Black Friday deals. I’m not sure what kind of deals they were offering, but that just seemed plain old crazy to me. I love a good sale just as much (if not more) than the next guy, but I can’t think of a single sale that I’d give up a week of my life for.

Anyway, now that I have that out of the way. I do love the holiday season and the giving and receiving that comes along with it. For the last few years I’ve been doing a lot of shopping online and really love Etsy.

In case you’re not familiar, Etsy is an e-commerce site that focuses mainly on handmade and vintage goods. Since almost anyone can open up an Etsy shop, it’s a perfect place to support small businesses and to find some really unique stuff. Of course, the downside is that there’s a whole lot of garbage on Etsy too, but that’s always good for a few laughs.

If you haven’t finished shopping for the ladies on your list yet, and have already purchased a photo session with Boudoir Coterie, I highly recommend giving Etsy a gander. To make things easier for you, I’ve put together a guide with some fun , and relatively inexpensive, stuff I found in my own browsing. Enjoy!

An Etsy Xmas

 

1. Mustard Yellow Fall Geometric Hand Painted Coasters – $30

2. Starburst Pleat Bag – $48

3. MacBook Pro 15 Inch Case – $53

4. Wood Print iPhone 5 Case – $19

5. Natural Handmade Soap – $6

6. Orange Color Block Silky Infinity Scarf – $32

7. Nameplate Necklace – $49

8. Rose Bobby Pin Set – $9

9. Red, Orange and Gold Spotted Teardrop Vase – $36

Nicole