It’s hard to believe I am saying this, but yea, Kimberlee and I have come to Paris for six years now either leading workshops or doing photo shoots. And now we are here again! Excited to see what this year holds for us as we set out to shoot two wonderful studio clients in this mind blowing city. Earlier today we were reminiscing and thought we would share our Parisian escapades with you lovelies. If you were ever there with us we’d be honored if you commented! (You have to go to the actual post by clicking on the header to comment fyi).
2009 was our first try at this Paris thing. This was one of the bravest things we’ve ever done. We were like 26 year old little squirts (with terrible fashion sense) who wanted to lead a group of photographers in Paris, teaching them and creating community with them. We led a boudoir photography workshop for 12 ladies, who traveled to Paris from the US and a few from Europe! We were nervous, and SO relieved when everything went off without a hitch. Oh this was also the era of K and I wearing matching things ALL the time. What the? This was also the year we decided to force our workshop attendees to create a music video with us, which you can watch here… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRYRKIb_Tb4 After our workshop, we also took an epic roadtrip through northern France and Brugge.
2010. Or as we call it, “The Year of The Volcano.” We took on a lot this year as we planned for two back-to-back photography workshops with 14 people in them each! We rented a beautiful, to die for apartment in the Trocadero Arrondissement, and we even brought our moms out to help and have fun with us. Alas, a volcano filled the skies with tons of ash, stopping all air travel for about a week, and only about half of our attendees made it out. We were beyond disappointed. BUT for those who were there, man did we have a great time. All those who missed out ended up attending a workshop in San Diego or in Paris the following year. See the video here…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLVX0Xk8vrk
2012!!! Two workshops back-to-back, held in Le Marais Arrondissement of Paris. We really felt ‘in our grove’ this year and really understood how to navigate this crazy city. Afterwards K and I went on a road trip all over France. Incredible times, to say the least.
2013. We were asked to speak for GNPP in Tours, an awesome photography organization for the talented photographers here in France. We piggybacked it with a photo shoot of our friend Tenley. See the videos…. Sunny Day and Eiffel Tower.
2014
Last year we created a beautiful video/photo shoot with one of our loves, Christine Penny. This woman inspires and motivates us and she booked this package with us so that we could collaborate and create a dreamy kinda ‘day in the life of a fabulous entrepreneur in Paris’ visual story. Her video is one of the pieces we are most proud of. This is the year that K’s little man (just 3 months old at the time) traveled with us as our travel buddy.
2015
We are here again this year, and we couldn’t be more excited. This year we have two beautiful clients traveling here for their own photo shoots on the streets of Paris. Jennifer & Jessica are two friends who wanted to have a fun experience together, and we are honored to be able to be a part of this dream for them.
2016
While we are here prepping for our photo shoots this year, we have already been talking and dreaming about what is going to be in the plans for 2016. We love doing photo shoots and will probably book a couple more again for next year. But then we’ve also been dreaming about possibly hosting a ‘reunion workshop’ here – for any PAST attendees (who have ever come to a retreat or workshop, either in Paris, SD, Vegas, or Miami). So we’re putting this out there to all of you past attendees – would you be interested in coming for a Paris Reunion??? If so, please email us and we’ll start putting together a waiting list. xoxo, M&K
It’s launched!!! 125 pages of exactly what we did to get our business to where it is today! Some things worked great, and some did not, but we tell ALL in this digital download. 24 hours left for our launch sale. Get yours now!!!!
If you know us, you know that we pour ourselves into our books, and hey, to be honest, we are gosh darn proud of this bad boy.
Mainly because it really illustrates the sweat and creativity that we have put into this studio and getting to the point it is now. We would be ridiculously honored if you purchased it people. And we truly know it will be helpful to you.
xoxoxoxox- Marissa & Kimberlee
Next on the agenda… PARIS photo shoots and mentor sessions in April 2015 and
launching our next “Boudoir Retreat!!!”
I, Marissa, have to tell you about this non-profit called Kusewera. Here’s their wonderful mission “Our mission is to empower and educate children in impoverished countries through active and creative play. We create affordable humanitarian service trips for people of all walks of life, so that they can personally help implement the Kusewera Empowerment & Educational Program (K.E.E.P.). We organize activities such as sports, dance, music and art. This sustainable year-round program empowers the children to learn, laugh, play. We hope to empower the children to pursue goals, dream for a better future and be positive leaders in their community. We encourage and invite anyone to volunteer, and in turn, gain valuable perspective while making a long term difference in the lives of the children.”
I was invited to join this group with one of my closest friends, Tenley Molzahn. She and I met when she had a shoot with our studio in 2010. Since then she has been one of K and my most awesomest friends (in fact she’s even my neighbor and she went to Paris with us!). What a trip this was….
I meant to write this post when I returned from my trip in October, but you know…. life. It happens. So here I am now looking for a few of my fave pics to post to tell you what an INCREDIBLE trip this was. This was my first humanitarian venture where I wasn’t asked to photograph it, so to say the least, I was stoked. WAIT, don’t get me wrong, I love being able to serve with my talents, but being behind the lens always leaves me feeling a little disconnected while documenting other people playing and interacting with their new friends. So I was ready for this new take on this type of trip where I felt like I could really goof off with kiddos.
All that to say, sorry for the quality of some of these images…. I was too busy having fun and DANCING!!!
I truly fell in love with the Philippines. I felt so at home with all the friendly faces, the weather, their customs, their BEACHES (omg)! This trip was such a reset and reminder that there are billions of people that needs our help and resources and hope that I never forget that and am intentional with the way I live my life, in hopes to make a small impact. If you are looking to to do something like this, I STRONGLY recommend you look into a trip with Kusewera.
One of our “play” assignments was teaching a dance to these kiddos! We had about 30 minutes to teach them this cute little number and man did they get into it. Here’s the end result.
I still have more stories to tell, and I so, so, so plan to return and hope to teach a photography and business course to a group home of girls that I fell in love with. I’ll will be sure to fill you in when that’s a little more on the horizon with that.
Thanks for reading and be sure to shake it off, shake it off.
Can’t stop won’t stop mooovin’- Marissa
Happy New Year everybody! We are THRILLED to say that we are returning once again to Paris, France, in 2015! This year we will be doing photo shoots on the streets of Paris, and will also be offering 1-on-1 consultations for professional boudoir photographers. If you are interested in joining us we would love to meet you in our favorite city for a day of inspiration, talking business/marketing, and of course – SHOOTING – in our favorite city n the world!
***CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO & ALL THE JUICY DETAILS***
“A dream of a lifetime. To be there in the city of lights was just amazing, but to be in the presence of such talent guiding me in such a magical place is something that I will never forget. Marrisa gave a confidence that I didn’t have. In such short time I feel I learned so much from her. I will forever be thankful for all she did. AMAZING EXPERIENCE. BOUDOIR DIVAS ROCK!”
Ready to sign up and join us in Paris!? We have made this as easy as possible for you by creating a payment plan! Click HERE to sign up today! *Please note – we only have TWO more spots available… please contact us as soon as possible to take one of these spots! Email with any questions you may have: [email protected]
See you in PARIS! 🙂 xoxo, Kimberlee & Marissa
We are beyond thrilled to say that we have officially launched our behind-the-scenes video from our 2014 trip to Paris with the fabulous Christine Penny! If you haven’t seen her website go check it out immediately. This was such a cool collaboration, and we were so honored to work with Christine again. We had so much fun traipsing around Paris, spending hours together, with 5 looks and locations, and capturing some beautiful images and video footage. So without further ado, here is the Premier of “Jour a La Nuit”:
Christine, we loved capturing these images and creating this fun video with you. You are so freaking talented and we loved having the opportunity to work alongside you with this project! Until next time… 🙂 xoxo, K&M
A little random combo of a post on this lovely Thursday. Today I sit in a Cafe in Encinitas, loving the ambiance but also kinda wishing I had chose a spot with some AC. It’s hot as heck in this little beach city and all I am thinking about is the ocean. Kimberlee is in what I am assuming is much cooler Anacortes, Washingting plugging away (I am visiting her next week and stoked about it). She writes this as the first part of our combo post…..
YAY MIAMI!!!!! We are so excited about this… can’t believe it’s about a month away! If you are thinking about joining us, we’d love to connect with you via email ([email protected]) or our Facebook Group. Or visit all the details and booking page here. In case you’d like to see exact dates, here’s a little calendar for you. Keep in mind there are only TWO SPOTS LEFT for boudoir shoots in Miami! If you want to snag one, go ahead and email us to get it booked. Note that we are open to booking a shoot on a consult date if that’s where the demand leads us….
And now onto my part of the post, our funny #TBT to what I think was 2006. Kimberlee and I made our first video ever on our little point and shoot, this was one of the first shoots ever in our new studio. The comments are particularly hilarious, and while I do agree with some of them actually, I still somehow managed to come out of this shoot with an image that won an Accolade of Excellence Award from WPPI. So glad I didn’t listen and submitted the image. Kinda proof that you should never listen to your critics. Or at least only listen to the ones you trust ya know, never internet trolls. Sorry about the ad at the beginning, the you tube account is so old I can’t even remember the login to change it. Go ahead and laugh at the video, we sure are. High five to just going for it before you totally know what you are doing right Kimee? 😉
Here’s the image that won….
Remember that awesome hand made gown we photographed in Paris?! Well we’re putting it up on auction! This October, Marissa is planning a humanitarian trip to the Philippines with the non-profit group Kusewera. She’s auctioning off that amazing Parisian striped tulle dress to support her effort. Now’s your chance to bid on these one-of-a-kind items! Help her make a difference and support this amazing cause!
This hand-made Striped Dress with tulle skirt is great for photo shoots! The tulle skirt can be worn alone or under striped dress. It’s been photographed by The Boudoir Divas studio in Paris on two separate editorial shoots. Both items are beautiful and timeless! Listing also includes a 12×18 thin wrap print of Hotel de Ville photo, shot by The Boudoir Divas.
Place your bid here! XOXO
So just in case you are new to our blog, we are boudoir photographers and we have a lovely studio in San Diego. BUT we are also a little bit of a traveling circus, as we love to go to our favorite cites and book client shoots. We have taken our traveling circus to Paris, Italy, Spain, Peru, Africa, Caribbean, and most of the larger states in the US and A. Next up on our list, Miami and Scottsdale!!!
If you haven’t had a boudoir shoot, well it’s one of the best things you can do for yourself. We know that a lot of the audience that reads this blog ARE bou photogs themselves, and yes, we are still very much talking to you ladies!!! Yes this is the perfect gift for a special occasion like a wedding gift, or anniversary gift, however we have plenty of women who come to our studio to a book a boudoir shoot simply because they want to do something special for themselves. They want to take a step towards being kinder to themselves, feeling good in their own skin, and have a damn good time doing it. If you are a photographer you especially need to have a photo shoot, as I assure you that core belief in your product/experience will be a pivotal changing point in your business. I know what you are thinking, ‘I hear testimonials all day, I get it.’ Trust us when we tell you, you have no idea what your clients are experiencing until you have been in the hot seat yourself.
As a little inspiration to get you excited about your potential upcoming shoot, take a look at one of our latest shoots. Meet Hannah who has kindly allowed us to show of her images…..
Email us at [email protected] to book your Miami or Scottsdale boudoir photo shoot!!
We are coming to MIAMI!!!!!!! Through the years, we’ve had a TON of questions from photographers asking if we’ll do a workshop on the East Coast, and recently a lot of you have requested that we come to Florida. So yes, it’s true – we’re finally doing it! We are offering a 1-day workshop on Oct 7, then we have blocked out 2 days to schedule a VERY LIMITED number of 1-on-1 consultations. Lastly, we will also be offering photo shoots for those of you photographers who would like to get in FRONT of the camera and see what your clients feel like!*********MORE INFO AND REGISTRATION FOR MIAMI!*********
We wanted to make this doable and EASY for you to sign up, so we’ve created payment plans for EACH of the options! Also, we’ve had a few people email to ask if we could create a custom package & registration link for both the 1-day workshop AND a 1-on-1 consult. So we’ve also got that option for you here (with $100 OFF!)
We wanted to make this doable and EASY for you to sign up, so we’ve created payment plans for EACH of the options! Also, we’ve had a few people email to ask if we could create a custom package & registration link for both the 1-day workshop AND a 1-on-1 consult. So we’ve also got that option for you here (with $100 OFF!)
1-DAY MIAMI BOUDOIR WORKSHOP: We are super excited about offering our 1-day workshop in Miami. We are going to pack as MUCH info into this 1-day as we possibly can! We’ll be touching on boudoir business, branding, marketing, and pricing… as well as give a demo with a model to showcase lighting & posing tips. We’ll also talk about the Supermodel Experience and how we’ve created a space & environment where our clients are allowed to feel sexy, beautiful, and empowered. Pricing is SOOOOO important and such a HUGE part of building a successful business. We are passionate about sharing as much info as we can about how we have built our business, and we won’t hold back when it comes to giving tips and advice on creating a business model and pricing structure that works for YOU. And during the demo, we’ll be sharing our easy lighting recipes and top posing tips & tricks to make our clients look their absolute best.
1-ON-1 CONSULTATIONS WITH KIMBERLEE OR MARISSA: This is something that we absolutely LOVE…. having the opportunity to sit down with you 1-on-1, and talk about your boudoir business. We will go over anything you’d like to talk about, from marketing and branding, to pricing and business model. We’ll also be scheduling a photo shoot for you with a model, so that you can build up your portfolio! Have uninterupted time with Marissa or Kimberlee to get an in-depth review of your boudoir business, strategize and brainstorm, and get feedback on the areas that you want to talk about. 4 hours on either October 8th or 9th. You will meet with Kimberlee or Marissa for 1 hour of shooting with a model, and 3 hours of 1-on-1 time to discuss your business, marketing plan, online presence, and anything else you would like to talk about. And if you book a consultation with us, we’ll be shooting YOU for a quick headshot session at some point during your time with us!
*NOTE: VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF CONSULTATIONS ARE AVAILABLE.
BOOK YOUR OWN BOUDOIR SHOOT: Want to have a taste of what YOUR clients go through? Get in front of the camera and have your very own boudoir experience! If you are a boudoir photographer and have never had your OWN boudoir session, you really should think about booking a shoot for yourself. We think it is an invaluable experience to get in FRONT of the camera and feel what your clients go through.
We hope to see you in Miami in October! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot us an email ([email protected]), or join our Facebook Group to add to the discussion about Miami & ask your questions there. Or, are you ready to lock in your spot? Then go SIGN UP NOW!
When we were young 20-somethings, our imaginations ran wild with the possibilities for this vision that was our photography business. But what began as a grand dream in our minds, we matched with some serious will and hard work. Persistence doesn’t even come close what would describe what when on the countless times we were knocked down, made mistakes or just plain worked through the exhaustion. We had a vision and we wouldn’t stop until we saw what was so brilliantly clear in our minds as a functioning, beautiful reality. We wanted to create our own little castle, a lovely little kingdom that was authentically ours. That the rest of the world would see as “The Boudoir Divas,” the world’s largest and most sought after boudoir studio, but we would see as something that was totally our little universe. A world where women could enter, feel amazing, learn what it meant to embrace their own skin and unique beauty, and have one of the best days of their lives in the process. Through the years we were honored to hear over and over how a woman’s shoot was the mark of a new chapter in her life that was titled, “Self Acceptance.” Our little world was so loved and we were, and are, incredibly grateful to all of the women who have trusted us so willingly.
Our little world…… 6500 sq feet, 7 full time staff members/photographer/artists, 500+ shoots a year. Adding crazy photo shoots all over the world, having people from as far as Hong Kong flying in for a shoot or to learn from us, traveling and speaking to other photographers showing them pieces of what’s possible and how to get it. If we are unabashedly honest in our content, well it was electrifying to pour out hearts into our art and have it so well-received. What more could or would an artist ever ask for? I think the answer to that is nothing. They would ask for nothing.
But if you are like us, if you think in pictures, if you see the world as an open sketch pad just waiting to put your pen to it, then you will never harness your imagination. You just have to let it keep creating. When one creation is done, you revel in it, you enjoy it, but then you turn the page and go on again. But this time around the artist sees things differently. What was important to her is still VERY important, but it has changed a bit. Mainly because her medium has changed, her brushes or tools are different, and an artist is nothing if not resourceful and ready to adapt. She loves the challenge of using the best pieces of the beauty that is currently around her.
This is exactly what happened to us. Our lives are different and change is in the air. A lot has been happening in our lives, and we are excited about all of the big changes that are taking place. It’s actually very simple, all of it. And my goodness is it colorful, risky, and exciting. Instead of continuing in this gorgeous chaotic world that we call our BIG studio, we were inspired by the words in the quote above, and we are changing-up our business and our studio a bit. We will be leaning-out, freshening up, condensing, and reinventing The Boudoir Divas. We won’t be doing as many shoots, but we will remain just as profitable. We are the same crazy-entrepreneurial-minded-business-women-best-friends. None of that has changed. But we are ready to reinvent and give a new look to the San Diego studio.
We are learning that you need to embrace the simple in order to enjoy the extraordinary. Now for us crazy dreamers (who, mind you, still have a lot of long-term crazy dreams), when we were talking about this new direction for the studio – for a few minutes, ‘scaling down’ felt a little like ‘going in reverse.’ But if we keep our focus and continue pursuing our big dreams, we know that the opposite is actually true. Sometimes in order to move forward, you have to take a small pause and decide what changes need to be made in order to jump into that next season of life. Our hope and big dream is to open more Boudoir Divas studios someday, and in order to do that we need to create more time to focus on just that. And in order to create more time, we need to get the San Diego studio more streamlined, and give it a fresh new look, or facelift, if you will.
Not to mention… with this change, we are going to create a little more time to explore life. What’s the point of hitting your goals if you don’t take the time to relax and enjoy them?! Life is so sweet right now. Kimberlee is enjoying mamahood in Washington. I am planning my next wanderlust adventure. We are blessed beyond measure.
So what exactly is getting sketched up on this blank page you wonder? Well, we currently rent two suites that make up the 6500 sq feet of our dreamy little castle – upstairs and downstairs in a huge building in San Diego. So we are now consolidating into one suite, currently under massive reconstruction, putting up walls, windows, lofts, doors. Creating all new sets, with hopes of going from a kitschy look to a very fresh, modern look.
We move into this space on July 26th. So we have about a week to paint, host the biggest yard sale in the history of Sorrento Valley, move our entire offices downstairs, and build our new sets to be up and running on August 2nd. It’s going to be a challenge, but this little family can hustle like NO other, and I think we are all excited about the task at hand. Hard work has never intimidated these beauties we roll with.
Let the new adventure begin, chin chin!
PS. We JUST LAUNCHED our San Diego Boudoir Retreat and Miami Workshop/Consults/Shoots.
