Fable Boudoir Photoshoot Experience; Fit for a Queen
As a strong, independent female I have always been loud, proud and a bit much for the timid at heart. I am forward enough for all the people who will never carry the backbone to speak up for themselves and I ensure that people know of my presence when I walk into a room. Commanding space is my forte and I absolutely love being in front of the camera. When I was graced with the ability to shoot a boudoir session at Fable Studios, I simply could not say no. The one and only time I shot boudoir before this instance was in my early 20s. It was a collaboration with a girlfriend I worked with and we shot in the photographer's home. I was able to muster up some hair & make up assistance from another friend and we made the most of what we could for a self-organized shoot. For any working actor/model/artist you're aware of the time, effort and energy it takes to execute such organization and that ultimately you hope your vision is portrayed in the final piece.
When it came to working with Fable Boudoir, I truly had no worries. My appointment was set and I was given reminders by text for booking and an emailed prep guide for the shoot. As someone who has been in several shoots before I pride myself on showing up prepared. I dived into their prep guide and became extremely impressed with the info. They left no questions unanswered and even helped me learn things I could have never thought of myself. Like using your toothbrush to brush dry skin off your lips a couple days before the shoot. Unbeknownst to me, skin on the lips is way harder to edit out than just being silky smooth when you arrive. My slight OCD was shelved by the guidance given ahead of my shoot. I simply prepared what I wanted to wear that day and got myself ready to make the most of it.
Upon arrival I noticed this: Everything is elegant. The space is clean, the color choices regal and bold on the walls, the fabrics of the couches and the accents around the room, fit for royalty. The artwork created by the studio that surrounded me on the walls gave me hope for my shoot and made me wonder what their experiences previously were like. The coffee is Nespresso (totally biased on this, I love Nespresso) and the lil' matching cups I almost squealed over. I'm a sucker for elegance and tiny things with great coffee in them. I was sold before I ever signed my waiver. Andrew was one of the first individuals to greet me with a welcoming smile and making sure I was comfy. We spent time going over why I wanted the shoot and what it meant to me that day to be shooting it. He wanted me to have a vision built in my mind and for all photographers who craft that story pre-shoot, it is the only way to go to capture that emotion you envision. I felt welcomed and excited in Andrew's presence and his friendly nature and safe word prep for the shoot made me feel right from the get-go that I was in the hands of professionals, never to be taken advantage of.
Natasha was my make-up & hair artist while Katelyn and Christina set up my wardrobe that I had brought with me. While I packed 3-4 of my own outfits, I was pleasantly surprised when they added in costume and jewelry pieces to accent my own outfits. The conversation with Natasha was awesome, she spoke of her world travels for work and told me of her years of experience. I honestly felt like she dabbed at my face like 10 times and she was done. I have never experienced make-up done that felt like it barely took any time (which it probably did but I was too into the conversation to notice) and yet I looked so drastically gorgeous after. Please follow her below to see my before and after, Natasha is a star when it comes to make up, she owns the transformation. I cannot say enough thank you's to her for this day and making me feel like a star with my own glam squad.
When I surfaced from make up I was so thrilled to see the set at Fable. Their organization of their space to maximize their studio was astounding and I couldn't believe how many different feels and backgrounds we were able to work with in just one studio. Katelyn was my initial photographer with BTS (behind the scenes) help from Christina and I absolutely loved these girls. They were motivating and helped to capture my best sides. Their encouragement and adjustments to me while shooting made me feel as though I was on a cover shoot and I might as well have been JLo. I truly felt like a star in their care and any self doubts I had were squashed by these fabulous ladies always cheering me on. Their correspondence to me post-shoot with BTS footage was also greatly appreciated but I enjoyed my time in studio with them most.
In and amongst it all was Andrew. From the initial intro on arrival to the final few shots when everyone was exhausted he seemed to always remain on his professional photographer game. There's always a point in this style of work when you can tell whether the photographer is enjoying shooting their subject or not and I truly believe Andrew knew what he was crafting while working alongside me. Now I know what you're thinking: these people are pros! They do this for a living and of course they rock at their job! But honestly, I have experienced all levels of shooting and I adored Andrew's take on it. He knew where to make minor adjustments to my hands or body angle, always asking before touching and keeping it polite. He definitely had this inner vision of capturing a side of me that I never knew I had - or could look so damn good in! There wasn't a single time during my whole shoot where I felt unsafe or uncomfortable with this team. For the subject matter their level of professionalism speaks for itself. They are presenting a service, getting the job done and ensuring your well being the entire way. Kudos to the entire team on this!
After shooting there was no rush to boot me out before the next client and my bag was carried out to my car for me with a personal send off from Andrew. This small cherry on top at the end of my shoot was the lasting impression that counts to me. I was able to climb into my car and just smile to myself like a big nerd ball because a whole team of people just worked hours at making me feel astoundingly beautiful. A true experience fit for a Queen.
I cannot say enough about Fable Studios. The empowerment I felt as a female throughout this experience has laid the framework for me to continue to embrace that fierce side within. It has paved the way for me to showcase my talents further outward into the world and has given me the backbone to believe in myself again, whole heartedly. It only takes a moment in life to shift perspective or realize new angles and from the bottom of my heart I want to thank the entire team at Fable Boudoir for setting my soul ablaze. My creativity was laying dormant for far too long and you've all helped this phoenix rise from the flames.
Comments
Post a Comment