Orange is the new Black | San Jose Boudoir Photography

Boudoir Coterie Portrait photographyEarlier this week a friend told me about Netflix’ new series “Orange is the new Black” and I’m totally hooked. While the “orange” referenced in the show title is orange prison jumpsuits, it’s inspired me to think more about the color in general fashion.

Up until earlier this year, my wardrobe had barely any orange that I can recall. That all began to change after Christmas when I had a VISA gift card burning a hole in my pocket, and I was really in need of a new wallet. I found a super cute Kate Spade “grown up” wallet (you know the kind that fits a checkbook and more than five cards?) on clearance and had to have it. The wallet came in deep purple and bright orange, and though I was initially attracted to the purple, I waited too long laboring over my decision, and ended up having to get the orange.

As it turns out, the wallet was just the beginning. Over the last few months I’ve picked up quite a few orange pieces, including a bright orange bathing suit cover up and soft orange and cream striped top.

It also seems like my closet isn’t the only one that’s suddenly increasingly orange. Recently all of the Coterie staff were together in the studio and most of us were wearing some kind of orange. It seems to be everywhere this summer!

Anyway, I was browsing online for fun boudoir lingerie and found some really cute orange pieces. Are you daring enough to give this hot color a try? Check out some inspiration below.

orange is the new black

If you’re ready to rock some hot orange in a boudoir photo shoot, contact our San Jose Studio today!

Nicole

408.460.1855 or bcoterie@sbcglobal.net

Makeup By the Pros | San Jose Boudoir Photography

A little intro…

I would like to introduce you all to Nicole. She is a past client who enjoyed her session so much that she wanted to become a part of my team. Yay! She loves to write and will be creating some fantastic and informative blog posts for you all(amongst other things behind the scenes). All her posts will have her image at the top you you will know it’s her. I am very excited to have her join my amazing and ever growing Coterie team and I am proud to have such amazing girls to work with!

Welcome aboard, Nicole!

Boudoir Coterie Portrait photography

 I have something to confess. Before last year, I’d never had my makeup applied by a professional. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, but I never had a  real reason to before I got engaged.

My first experience was in preparation for our engagement photos. I asked  the artist for a fairly natural look and had no idea what to expect. Holy smokes! I seriously could not stop looking in the mirror all day, nor did I want to wash it all off before I went to bed.

 

A few months later, I was searching for a makeup artist for my wedding and scheduled a makeup trial. This time I wanted a slightly more dramatic look, but didn’t want to go too crazy. Same result. Holy smokes!

 

Shortly after my makeup trial, and in the midst of wedding planning, I started toying around with the idea of doing a boudoir photo shoot. I was first inspired by some Groupon and Living Social deals, but then I did some research and found Boudoir Coterie. Since I finally understood the benefits of professional makeup, the fact that they provide it was one of the factors that aided in my decision to choose Boudoir Coterie for my shoot. On the day of my shoot I had my makeup done pretty dramatically. At first it was a little shocking to see myself wearing such sultry makeup, but I felt like a superstar and was amazed by how it looked in the photos. Smoking hot if I do say so myself. Of course, I also had my makeup done on my wedding day, which made me look and feel like a million bucks. I think you get the point by now. While I believe all women are beautiful in their own skin, a little enhancement can be fun. I really think that all women should try to have their makeup done by a  professional at least once.

 

One of the main benefits for me was understanding exactly what I looked like with the right makeup. As women (and I’m sure plenty of men too), it’s tempting to compare ourselves to celebrities, but it’s not really fair when they have a team of professionals working on them most of the time. Seeing what I looked like with the help of a professional made me realize that celebrities are just “normal” people underneath their makeup too. While I’ve seen and heard this many times, there’s something more powerful about experiencing it for yourself.

As an added benefit, I took lots of close up pictures of my face with professional makeup and have tried to mimic some of the looks. While I still have a long way to go, I think seeing myself done up by a professional has helped improve my own skills too!

San Francisco Bay Area Photographer

Ready to feel like a celebrity for a day? Give us a call or shoot us an email to schedule a boudoir or glamour photo session and get glammed up by Boudoir Coterie’s professional team right here in our San Jose Studio.

 P.S. Hair and makeup in this photo was done by Elizabeth and the Maddox Kai Salon in Los Gatos, CA.

408.460.1855 or bcoterie@sbcglobal.net

Bride To Be | San Jose San Francisco Bay Area Bridal Boudoir

“Do you shoot boudoir for brides?”

Why yes, of course! Although many of my bridal shots are for his eyes only, I do, on occasion get to share. It’s past time to schedule a bridal boudoir sample session with my Coterie Girl, Kristina so we have more fabulous bridal image samples to show off… Guess I need to make some calls. 😉

A bridal boudoir session is very much like a regular boudoir session but we try and include 1-2 looks using some bridal pieces. Whether you want to include your veil and garter, or even some cute bride to be panties and mock bouquet, whatever suits your fancy for the perfect bridal shots you have in mind! Miss J planned to wear these amazing boots with her dress so we had some fun with these simple accessories. A little can go a long way… and hot damn does she look smoking!

Sexy pictures Boudoir Coterie

So what would you bring to your bridal boudoir session? Would you keep it simple and classic? Would you be willing to bare it all in just a long veil? Or maybe you would want some shots incorporating his favorite hobby? Whatever your ideas, Boudoir Coterie customizes each and every session to best suit your needs, and planning the session and wardrobe is half the fun! A complimentary wardrobe consult is included with every booking so even if you need to do some shopping, we can go together and pick out the perfect outfit for your body type… and your wedding night. 😉

Interested in learning more about what Boudoir Coterie has to offer brides? Give us a call or shoot us an email to schedule your complimentary consultation at our San Jose portrait studio so you can see it all for yourself… and start planning the session that will have him running down that aisle!

408.460.1855 or bcoterie@sbcglobal.net

Fabulous Boudoir Parties | San Jose San Francisco Bay Area Boudoir Photographer

With all the hype in recent days over Boudoir Photography and Boudoir Parties, I realized I haven’t put much information out there regarding the fact that I DO also shoot parties!

Boudoir parties take place at our San Jose Portrait Studio and are a great way to celebrate many of life’s milestones. Each girl chooses whether she wants a Boudoir or Beauty session. Let’s face it, not everyone is willing to be photographed in their skivvies but EVERYONE wants an amazing image of themselves so I leave that decision up to you!

Regardless of what you wear, parties are a fantastic experience full of fun and laughter! With your favorite refreshments on hand and the pampering you get, to the fun of being in front of the lens– you will be left wondering why you haven’t done this sooner! Girls sit and relax, chatting and laughing while in the makeup chair or waiting for their in front of the camera. But once it’s your turn, we shoot away from the audience so you can totally relax and enjoy the experience. Once you see a few shots for yourself, all doubts will be waved and you will all feel amazing, sexy and beautiful. Oh and be sure to plan an evening out afterwards because you will want to take advantage of how you look and feel, I promise!

Boudoir Parties sexy photos

For more detailed information or to schedule a complimentary consultation with your friends please contact me at:

408.460.1855 or bcoterie@sbcglobal.net

Sexy Photos San Jose Boudoir Photographer

A Lil’ Bit Of This, A Lil’ Bit Of That… | San Jose Boudoir & Glamour Photographer

Summer is fast approaching and there is lots going on behind the scenes!

As you have recently seen, we have two specials, the “Beauty” special(get a complimentary 16×24 canvas when booking) and the “White Sheet” summer special(special package and pricing). We also have a girls night out at our San Jose portrait studio planned and will be hosting an Origami Owl Party! This is an open invitation, so everyone is welcome, bring a freind, or two! This party will be held Sat, June 29th from 4-6 pm. Oh and there will be some of us heading out for dinner afterwards and you can join in that too. I LOVE my locket and get compliments ALL the time. <— totally not exaggerating!

I am also in the works of planning a girls night out movie night with a Magic Mike showing. It’s the ultimate cheese ball, girly flick with lots of eye candy and I think it would be a blast to do a showing at the studio.

Watch for MOVIE NIGHT details coming soon!

I am waiting anxiously for the mailman to deliver this bad boy…

I have a couple images published in this Philosophie Boudoir Magazine geared towards boudoir photographers. I’m so excited and cannot wait to see it in print! Oh and this reminds me that I have officially become a member of the AIBP! Wait, that’s not all… I even discovered last night that I had an image chosen back in May as the AIBP Today’s Choice! <— click that link to see which one. 😉

I am totally sure that I am forgetting more news but the blog isn’t going anywhere so I can update again if need be. 😉 For now, here are a few image sneak peeks of full sessions that will be arriving to the blog very soon…

The gorgeous Miss J.

sexy Fire fighter boudoir

The stunning Miss Jen who is a friend and fellow boudoir photographer(her and her soon to be hubby, Max own and operate Breathless Boudoir  in Louisiana!)

Sexy Vegas Boudoir

And a little Speakeasy, theme shoot fun… which was hosted by the lovely and ever so talented Stacie Frazier of Vegas located Haute Shots boudoir.

Boudoir Coterie San Jose Bay Area boudoir portraits

I am currently working on some awesome edits from my trip to Vegas last March. Uh, yeah, last MARCH, but hey this girl has been busy with clients and surgery and stuff so cut me some slack. Haha. Jen’s shoot and the Speakeasy were both part of some fun sessions I did while I was there. Seriously, it was so much fun to finally meet and work beside so many talented photographers that I have spent a couple years getting to know online!

Okay, so that is all for now. I will be updating soon with many more images from these fabulous sessions… and more! Oh my gosh, like my Mom’s Beauty session and a joint beauty session with my Coterie girl… see I told you I was forgetting something! LOL

Enjoy the rest of your week!Sexy Photos San Jose Boudoir Photographer

Stepping In Front Of The Camera | San Jose Bay Area Boudoir Portraits

Nerves.

It takes a lot of them to get in front of the camera for a Boudoir session. No matter how many times I have told my clients that there was no reason to be nervous, it was hard to take my own advice.

I am most comfortable behind the camera creating images that make others look and feel gorgeous.

Last month I turned 39. Yeah, I said it… so start planning my big 40 you’ve got lots of time and I want a PAR-TAY… but I digress… I wanted to celebrate with some images so I asked a photographer friend if she wanted to do a swap, on the condition that I get to edit– hey, I am an admitted control freak but she agreed to these terms. Ha! She is not a boudoir photographer and let me just say, that despite her doing a pretty good job, it was extremely hard to guide myself into poses and expressions from in front of the camera. I will also admit that I almost backed out. Shhhh. Tell no one! Yup, I was nervous BUT just like my other advice, the words “Your nerves will melt away within minutes” stood true, and IT WAS FUN!

I learned a few things too… like my ass isn’t quite as big as I thought, my boobs aren’t quite as small as I thought and, I’m kinda cute. Yup, all the same insecurities I hear from every other woman that I thought I didn’t believe about myself came to the surface and wouldn’t ya know it, it’s not as bad as I thought. Now since I am being very honest, there was an even bigger hesitation on my part to doing a boudoir session– my Arthritis and physical deformities. I’ll admit it, when it comes to shooting boudoir, I am very particular about a few things… feminine hands and pointed toes being the two biggies(I am sure all my past clients are nodding their heads right now). Both of these things are impossible for me to accomplish. I have messed up feet and cannot point my toes and my hands are pretty dang crippled… do you know how hard it is to show clients “ballet hands” when most of my fingers and both wrists are fused, fingers jutting out in all directions like a unique gang sign with a member of one? It’s pretty damn funny, really. But guess what, it’s who I am and it didn’t bother me even the slightest as I looked through the images.

Okay, enough chit chat, I am sure ya’ll are curious so let’s see some images before stating my conclusion…

San Jose Bay Area Glamour Boudoir Photographer

San Francisco Bay Area Photographer

Now I shall admit one final thing to you all… despite having fun with my friend Paula(and thanks again!) I have decided, without a doubt, to save my pennies and do a shoot with a boudoir pro. I want to relax, be guided, and have it done in a pampering way. I also really want some beauty shots, something in a big frilly gown and flowers in my hair. Sigh. This could become addicting!

Okay, so seriously, NO MORE EXCUSES! If I can do this, than so can you! It’s so awesome to have gorgeous images of yourself. If money is an issue… I do payment plans. Yup, it’s time for you to look and feel great too and I want to be the one to get you there. I mean seriously, if I can do it…

San Jose Boudoir sexy images photographer

Are you convinced yet? What will it take to get you in my studio? 😉

bcoterie@sbcglobal.net or 408.460.1855

Sexy Photos San Jose Boudoir Photographer

Beauty by Boudoir Coterie | San Jose Bay Area Beauty and Glamour Photography

I have mentioned in the past that I offer Beauty sessions for those women who would like some gorgeous photos but want to keep their clothes on. These sessions are just as fun as boudoir, they are pampering and make you feel like a super model! Beauty by Boudoir Coterie is a personalized session, designed to meet your needs and are done at our San Jose studio. I recently did a trade shoot with a photographer friend, Paula and we did some Beauty shots during her session. They are gorgeous so I decided to make a magazine folio with them to show everyone just a hint of what a beauty session can be. Next week I will be shooting a couple gorgeous ladies as full on Beauty sessions with cute outfits and gowns–  I can’t wait!

I figured the best way to let you all know what I mean by Beauty sessions is to show you examples. So here is that little folio sample(and a gift with purchase in the back). 😉

Would you like gorgeous images of yourself? Maybe yourself and a friend, sister, mother, daughter? From now until May 30th, book a double beauty session with a friend or relative for only $100 more(a $100 savings). Mention this folio and you will BOTH receive the special gift! Don’t wait any longer, come in and let us make you look and feel magnificent!

Sexy Photos San Jose Boudoir Photographer