Learn, Party, Shoot!
Posted on March 6, 2010
I’m off to Vegas for WPPI’s annual convention! I will have limited access to my email for the next 6 days so if you don’t hear from me right away, please be patient, I’ll start emailing en masse on the 12th. I’m so excited for this trip! My adorable and talented hair/makeup artist Alpha B of Sweet Fuss Hair & Makeup Artistry is coming with me to meet some people, learn some stuff and have some fun! I’m also doing a shoot for another Boudoir photographer so I’m UBER excited about that! And… I know I’m so lame for admitting this, but I’m NOT as excited about the parties as I should be. Simply put, I’m no longer 23. I’m tired. If I want to hear Jesh De Rox speak at 8am I do not want to be up until 2 the night before, ya got me? But, I didn’t make the schedule.
Regardless, me, Alpha and my tired and sore feet will be home next week. I hope you all have a great weekend! I know I will!
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Tech Support!
Posted on March 2, 2010
If you sent me an email after noon today, please re-send when I give the signal! My email is still screwy and the hubs is workin’ on it! Feel free to comment here as well, all comments are moderated so I’ll see them. Thanks!
*Okay, it looks like I’m getting email now but I haven’t gotten any email that was sent after 12:16 yesterday so if you sent me something, re-send it please!*
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Hollywood Boudoir
Posted on February 24, 2010
No, really! My adorable client who just happened to love a mix of styles including a take on old Hollywood glamour booked a room for her shoot, where else? Hollywood! I know there’s parts of Hollywood (okay most of it) that are seedy and not exactly upscale but I still find myself wistfully looking out the window as I pass the stars on the sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard and hinting NOT so subtly to my hubby that “Grauman’s is only ONE block in THAT direction” (don’tcha wanna go??? elbow-elbow, hint-hint)!!?? He’s British AND a man so he didn’t get the hint. But in all fairness I was ready to hit the road so, I didn’t push it.
Our stay was brief and tiring but when I started shooting, the surge of excitement hit and I loved every minute of it. I can never say enough how amazing my clients are and don’t expect me to stop anytime soon! We had such a fun day and I got a little cocky (as per usual when I’m high on gorgeous images) and said ‘Okay, you look like a thousand times hotter than in your Engagement photos!’ (which I didn’t take and which were actually really cute). Oh dear. Will my mouth ever quit? I doubt it. It’s the shooting! It’s like my drug! Thankfully, she laughed at my dorkiness and all was well.
The next morning we said Goodbye to LA… well, actually ’see ya next month’ to LA and headed to Ojai. I’d never been and it’s where my older sister was born. Such a cute little tiny town. I, of course found the one fab Antique store and wandered around for awhile and felt at home. I found the Hospital where my sissy was born and took some pictures for her keepsake album. We then headed to Solvang (really to Buellton for some pea soup, YUM!) and ended up realizing it was 6pm and we didn’t want to drive for 6 more hours so we stayed the night in Solvang and had a fantastic dinner at Hadsten House. Our wonderful waitress turned out to run a sanctuary for abandoned/abused/elderly pigs! She was so amazing and she showed us her photo album of all her babies. She has SEVENTY pigs! Mostly potbellies and a few farm pigs. More on that later….
We headed home the next morning and I’ve been doing nothing but sitting at my computer ever since! HA! But the good news is, I’ve got Hollywood images to share! Hope you like them!
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Let it be known…
Posted on February 17, 2010
This is one of my favorite shots from our recent trip to NYC. Was it freezing? Yes, it was. Do I have THE greatest clients ever? Yes, I do. Don’t get me wrong, there wasn’t as much gawking as there would have been in a less thriving metropolis, however, it was indeed about 28 degrees and my gorgeous client is indeed completely bare legged on the street. Let it be known, I and my clients do what it takes to get the shot. (ie: me shooting on a rooftop in a post below). Alpha and I were in LOVE with her coat and decided it needed to be shown off, Danielle style (ie: mostly naked in an outdoor location, HA!). I just love her natural pose and her expression that says ‘yeah, I’m here. I’m hot. You got a problem?’ Let it be known, that attitude… that’s where it’s at.
MUCH more to come!
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Boudoir, Bagels and Airplanes
Posted on February 13, 2010
Well I just (Thursday morning) got back from a short, fun, exhausting and fantastic trip to NYC and Miami! 3 nights in NYC and 2 in Miami. It was a whirlwind and I’m totally drained but if I’m being honest, I can’t wait to do it again!!! I had 3 of the most amazing clients ever and got to meet up with 2 of my past NYC clients too! I got nearly frozen, burned my lips on a grapefruit martini, chatted with an inexplicably sassy cabbie and boarded a plane a total of 5 times (twice on one due to the always lovely engine issue). My Saturday client brought us Bagels with THE most amazing tofu cream-cheese. I’m not gonna lie, I’m not even supposed to have dairy and my first thought was ‘hmm… a little presumptuous to bring tofu cream cheese, maybe I want REAL cream cheese!?’. That is, until I tried it. The clouds parted, the sun shone and the angels sang. It. Was. That. Good. And if you can believe it, it gets even better. My beautiful client then proceeded to tell us that she would have them deLIVered for us the next day!! I think I might’ve done a happy dance. In fact, when they arrived, I KNOW I did a happy dance.
Then that night, my new friend/past client/cupcake fiend brought over enough cupcakage to feed the entire hotel. I stared at the boxes and didn’t even know where to start. I later decided the best idea would be to take a bite of each (they were gynormous), which turned into two bites of each which turned into…. UGH. Full. Too. Much. Sugar. But YUM!!!
Alpha and I had a SUPER fun night out in Manhattan after our NYC shoots were done and we treated ourselves to more Grapefruit martinis (yes, my lips are still burnt but people, they’re THAT GOOD) and fabulous tapas at an appropriately dark and loud loungey restaurant on the LES. We met with another past client that I adore and we just finally relaxed. Cheers to us!
Then it was off to Miami! Interesting packing predicament? Absolutely. First of all the good people of American Airlines (I say that with as much disdain and sarcasm as I can muster) decided to throw my bags and the bags of 20 of my fellow passengers onto another airplane for no good reason. The response at baggage service ‘that happens all the time on flights from NYC’. Perfect. Well I was told my bags would arrive by 11pm that night. Nope. The automated message then told me I’d have them within 6 hours of the pickup time. Nope. Then I was told by an actual person that I’d have them between 7 and 11 am. Nope. At which point my no-nonsense PR specialist client pretended to be me and call them again. About 20 minutes later the driver called us directly and said he was 10 minutes away. We already got some great shots at her beautiful house and he arrived just as we were walking out the door to pack up her car and head to the Hotel. Yay! Wardrobe! Yay! Underwear I don’t have to wash in the shower and dry with a hairdrier!
It was all lovely from that point on, we had so much fun and ended our shoot on South Beach by the water. We left the next day and although we had to go back to the gate, eventually deplane and then re-board, it was all so worth it. My bags arrived at SFO, my adorable husband was there to roll them all for me and I got my grumpy butt home at about 1:30am. And now the search for good bagels begins (I’ve already found a tofu cream cheese that’s decent (and added scallions like the Pick a Bagel cream cheese) so I’m halfway there.
All in all, good times. Here’s a pic of me and Alpha just before leaving for our night out, I cannot emphasize enough how awful I am in front of the camera. But I’m sharing it anyways. I pray that this act will get me a few cosmic brownie points. 
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That’s Not Boudoir!
Posted on February 2, 2010
I hear it all the time… “She’s outside, that’s not really Boudoir”, “She’s not in lingerie, is that really Boudoir?”… Well, I’m here to tell you (aren’t you lucky?) that Boudoir has come a LONG way baby. Of course the meaning of the word Boudoir is a woman’s private bedroom but the word has really taken on a larger meaning where photography is concerned. Sure many people are still very traditional, which is totally their call. But really, Boudoir to me is about being seductive, intimate and sexy. And you can be those things in almost any outfit, in almost any location!
I like to shoot my clients in as much real clothing as lingerie. Doesn’t a sheer blouse, a fallen strap, a soft faux-fur coat or a well worn undershirt, have more yumminess, mystery and excitement than a boring chain-store bra and panty set? I think so. Isn’t having a suggestion, an invitation, WAY sexier than just having it all right THERE in every shot? Again, I think so. Don’t get me wrong, real clothing doesn’t mean covered up. I just want everyone to start thinking outside the Boudoir box a little bit. Lingerie is awesome, but choose one or two key pieces. One bra & panty set after another is just not exciting. So mix it up! Have some fun! You don’t have to look too far to find something that will make you feel confident, comfortable and extremely sexy. But whatever you do, don’t forget those heels
Now just to letcha know what I’m talking about… this outfit was part lingerie, but mostly real clothing. Is it Boudoir? Is it seductive, intimate and sexy? I think so.
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Brittany + Ryan
Posted on February 1, 2010
I had such a fun day with these two… we weren’t able to make a full day out of it due to their schedules but these two are so fantastic that I didn’t care! Brittany wore a little black vintage dress that belongs to me that quite frankly, I’ve been DYING to put on someone! We ran off to San Francisco and hit a few favorite locations, ending in one of the sexiest stairwells I’ve ever seen and was determined to get to before sundown! Brittany was shy and stunningly beautiful, Ryan was intense, sexy and Uber funny… together, well, I just can’t ask for a better combo. Thank you to both of you for wanting to work with me and for getting me out of my January funk. I could just squeeze you both! But that would be weird.
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February 1, 2010 at 6:34 pm -
Wow! Great pictures, the ones on the rooftop and then in the stairwell are my favorite.
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Cupcakes, Red Lipstick and Inside Out Underwear
Posted on January 14, 2010
That was pretty much my day yesterday with the amazing Meghan. Let it be known that this girls LOVES her cupcakes. The subject was barely brought up before she sat at her laptop and searched all the nearby cupcakeries to see who would deliver (she’s from NYC so delivery is a little easier to come by there). She was most disappointed to hear that MY favorite place, Sibby’s was located in another town. So she went to work. As I’m in an adjoining room I mention that it’s too bad that the place she called couldn’t deliver until 6:30pm and she said ‘Ok, no, I have this application… that gives me all the best cupcake places that deliver in this area’. Yes, you heard right. She has an application. Lord, help us all.
In the end the cupcakes were not acquired before she left but she said she didn’t really need them anyway (although I have a pretty sweet BS detector and it was going off like mad) so when all was said and done… whose to say? I’m guessing there was some sweet, chocolate confection in her life after we parted ways and before she hopped back on a plane to NYC. I just bet.
Another thing we need to know about the stunningly gorgeous, easy-going and smart as a whip Meghan is that she is a lipstick fiend. I’ve seen a few in my day, believe me, and she’s right up there. The girl needs lipstick and she needs a lot of it. Oh, and did I mention it has to be RED? I’m not gonna kid you, my bossy side (okay saying my bossy ’side’ is pretty ridiculous, I know) took over and just told her ‘it aint gonna happen. Not right now. You can have red lips at the end crazy pants’. So for the most part she obeyed but she did ask for more lipstick um…. twenty three thousand times??? lol… no, it wasn’t nearly that bad but you know, I get it. When you love something so much, when it’s a part of your life… you want it to be with you in such times. I guess, if not when you’re half-naked on a rooftop, then WHEN?
The last thing I want to tell you about our sweet Meghan is that she is a little bit…. silly. The girl can climb a 30 foot vertical steel ladder in open air and stilettos but she can’t walk a runway without tripping. When I gave her one outfit, she emerged with her undies inside out. Giant printed label on her booty and all. I had to point it out to her in a LOVING way of course, HA! So she went and changed them, started to walk out and then we heard the words ‘Oh dangit, now they’re BACKWARDS!’
And this is why we love Meghan. Not because she kept telling me how talented I was, not because she worked it like a friggin supermodel (she’s done some modeling but she was in-fact an actual Client), and not because she made a special stop on her west-coast trip just to have this shoot done. Well, okay that stuff is awesome too. Or as Meghan would say, ‘SO Sick!!!’
Meghan, thank you so much for choosing me to be your photographer and for deciding to celebrate who you are, right here and now. Thank you for letting me capture your beauty as I saw it and for loving the process. Thank you for wanting to document your experience and have something beautiful and personal that you want to remember for the rest of your life. You’re the best, girl!
more to come!!!
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It’s a Celebration
Posted on January 12, 2010
So on Sunday I participated in my very first Wedding Fair. I never wanted to do them before because when I was planning my Wedding, I went to only ONE Fair and I immediately knew it wasn’t for me. There were limitless photographers and there was an obvious lack of ’screening’ on the part of the Fair organizers. I was underwhelmed and a little disappointed. So I’d never really thought about doing a Fair myself and sort of never gave it another thought. It wasn’t until last year that I realized that there’s a few premiere shows in the Bay Area and one in particular that had strict limits on their vendors and kept the event extremely classy. I was intrigued but since I’d never done a single Fair before, I didn’t know exactly how to approach it. I contacted my friend Andrew Hsu of Studio MSV who was participating in the event and he was kind enough to give me the contact info for the coordinators. I then proceeded to have a lack-of-confidence-meltdown and decided I couldn’t make the call because I’m just lil’ ol’ me and who would want ME in their amazing high-end Wedding Fair anyway? He humored my insane panic attack and called up one of the women coordinating the event. Then of course I felt ridiculously embarrassed and decided I needed to grow a pair and deal with it!
I spoke with the coordinator and she essentially offered me the spot right then and there over the phone! I was blown away and so excited and SO grateful. Then began the labor intensive process of designing my ’space’ and planning for the Fair. I’m not sure how many times I stepped through the door of several favorite antique stores in my area but I can tell you, it was epic. I was determined to not have just a boring space with a couple albums and a table. I was going to make it ME! Every extra dime went into the planning of my space and it’s SO weird to say that it’s now all over! And I learned a few things….
I didn’t know what kind of crowd I’d be dealing with since this was in fact at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. I knew the event was fairly high-brow but also a good mix. Boudoir has come a long way and I think I’m safe in saying that the SF Wedding Fair hasn’t had a Boudoir Photographer in the mix until I came along. So the reactions I got were both surprising and expected. What I wanted to get across to those interested but unsure of Boudoir is that it’s a CELEBRATION of who you are. That it’s no longer taboo or cheesy or uncomfortable. That it’s a perfect gift for your groom or for your hubby but that it’s truly a gift for YOU. Sure, I got a few eye-rolls, laughter and just plain confusion but I was completely overwhelmed by the number of girls that came running up, so excited and so in love with my images. Several had already seen my work online, others had been thinking about it for awhile and the rest were simply intrigued. There were girls that drug their girlfriends over, their fiancees over and some that just wanted to hang out, chat and excitedly rummage through my albums. The big eyes and squeals of delight were so satisfying and I met SO many amazing women. A couple of whom worked the event and weren’t engaged but wanted to celebrate themselves regardless, which is how it SHOULD be! I barely had a couple minutes free without people to talk to which I think is a stunning success.
I am so proud and happy and excited that women are beginning to feel more comfortable being in their own skin, not apologizing for wanting to feel sexy and wanting to do something nice for themselves. Wanting to celebrate who they are, right now, in this moment. I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to give that feeling to women, to be able to say when they leave their photo-shoot that they feel sexier, stronger, happier and more alive. I don’t know too many causes greater than that. Boudoir may be for his eyes… but it’s for our souls.
Here’s my space! There’s a few things I would’ve liked to change but when I say it came down to the wire, I truly mean it. It was a labor of love and what I got out of it was so much more.
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I absolutely love these photos! A perfect blend of old Hollywood glamour with a modern edge. Perfection.
Simply beautiful work as always Danielle! I love the different looks she has in this session……. it’s hard to pick a favorite!
Man, we rocked that photo shoot. She was amazing =D. It is hard to pick my favorite shot. =D.