Love Yourself Series post 16, Tasha

In this series within my blog, I will share individual client stories, that they have allowed me to share with you, in hopes of encouraging you to love yourself more right now not when. These are real women, with real stories.

Beauty to Bombshell

Meet Tasha, she’s as unconventional as they come, and she always stands true to herself above all else. She never wanted kids or the American dream as society sells it, so she honored that and got beat down for it, she was shamed at times for not wanting what women are supposed to want. She is a 45-year-old badass woman if you ask me.

She jumped on my pre-payment plans last summer and came in this summer for her session, she had been shopping and saving all dam year for this treat, this once-in-a-lifetime experience she had to have. She doesn’t give herself enough credit she thinks she’s boring, yet she is teaching herself guitar, learning to grow plants, loves her pets, works hard, and doesn’t tolerate bullshit.

She planned for a year as I said for this session, so by the time of her style session she had outfits and props, so we just connected and laughed for a while. During her shoot we had so much fun, we found a few outfits that didn’t do her justice, and we found some she totally rocked in. As with all my sessions, we even find some poses that don’t look all that good, but we find way more than are totally amazing and showcase personality.

Love Yourself Series post 15, Debra

In this series within my blog, I will share individual client stories, that they have allowed me to share with you, in hopes of encouraging you to love yourself more right now not when. These are real women, with real stories.

Beauty to Bombshell

Meet Debra, a stay-at-home mom with a part-time job to help provide for her family. She always just felt overlooked and normal. She wanted to do this to show herself she was beautiful just the way she is. Like most of us shorter gals, we feel cute, not confident and sexy, or like a real woman.

So she took the chance to get out of her comfort zone and did something she thanked herself for. She booked a session. She wanted to showcase her style, which was more of shorts and a sweater, or more comfort over style and I loved that. She is bubbly, and always had a smile.

She struggles like most of us do with accepting herself and her body as things change, we have kids or we get a bit older. So we showed her just that, just how amazing she is right now. After 4 kids and life, she finally did something for herself.

We had so much fun, we played, we laughed, and we discovered a bit more of who Debra is. She got see and finally see herself in a new light.

10 things that say Pro vs. Hobbyist

So, today I wanted to share things to look for when selecting a professional photographer. These are things that for me I look for when hiring out myself. Especially when looking for a Boudoir photographer. Some of these can be questions you ask before booking or like me and some of my clients you find out the hard way. Either way always do your homework. If you are like me I want the best experience for the best price.

  1. Find a photographer you like their style, meaning you like their brand, the images on their website, (if they don’t have a website), and you like their editing style as well, all the professionals I know don’t give out raw files, there are reasons for this I will cover in another blog.

  2. Ask them their why, why photography? You find out so much about someone else’s motives with this question, most pros have a mission statement or reason why they got started. This evolves over time as well.

  3. Are they legit? Meaning do they have a business license, pay taxes, use all the right contracts, and how long have they been in business?

  4. Are they always improving their craft? Me, I like a pro who knows they don’t know everything, but they strive to learn as much as they can. This means investing in their business as well with mentors, and classes.

  5. Then I go into how they run a session, give me the deets, how long, what I need, do I need to know to pose (pros this one will be a hard no you don’t need to know anything, most have a list of things to bring, some cover hair and makeup some don’t, they will have you and should coach and direct you the whole time, etc.

  6. Then, I ask about pricing, pros have a price list and usually have firm boundaries and policies in place that work for them and their business, no 2 will be the same, so stop comparing. I have collections, that work for me, others will be different, though pros will have something for you to see, hold, or download so you can see a full price list. Some sell inclusively, meaning everything for one low price, and others charge according to their cost of doing business, some sell by the image.

  7. Then how do I get to see my images? I do in-person viewing right after your session, others may do a zoom viewing a week or so later. If it takes longer than that, the pro maybe has too high volume and can’t keep up, or they maybe aren’t as pro as they think.

  8. Then how long is the turnaround, meaning how long till I get my images/collections? At, my studio I have a fast turnaround, as soon as the final payment I edit and send out the digitals maybe 2 days after your session( usually that same day as the final payment). Albums and wall art take maybe a week to get back from the lab for me. The rule of thumb for most pros is 1-4 weeks for all products to be delivered after final payment.

  9. How do I receive my digital images? This one really sets the pros apart from the beginners. Pros DO NOT share your images on social media without a signed model release!!!! They DO NOT deliver images over FaceBook!!!! I email my clients images over, some pros use online galleries., and some use USB drives.

  10. This one is more of something that sets those apart who have one the work from those who haven’t, pros have systems in place, we write blogs, we have websites, make content, we have emails and auto-responses to FAQ because we value not only your time and energy but our own. Let me be clear this all takes time to set up, I have been working for 3 years to get and hone most of my systems and they still need work every now and again., so a beginner may not have all this setup.

Love Yourself Series post 14, Tarin

In this series within my blog, I will share individual client stories, that they have allowed me to share with you, in hopes of encouraging you to love yourself more right now not when. These are real women, with real stories.

beauty to bombshell

Meet Tarin, a beautiful amazing woman on her path of self-discovery after years of not being truly loved for who she is. She served in the navy, married young, divorced young, now a single mother who hasn’t let anything stop her. She may have gotten sidetracked a few times but she is now on her way.

She is back in school for her passion, taking amazing care of herself and her son!! She struggles just like most of us, but she keeps going. She is on a healing journey working on both the physical and mental things she needs to. She struggles with Crohn’s, so her weight yo-yos are due to flare-ups, but she is still gorgeous.

She is chasing her dreams, getting out of her comfort zone, and doing it!! No, it’s not easy, but she gets up and gets it done.

Her shoot was amazing, and we got some amazing shots, she had a hard time letting any go, she loved so many images from her session. She even brought in her favorite coffee mug!! I was like hell freaking yeah!!!

In, fact as I write this she has already booked another session!!! She felt more seen and more herself than before. She felt comfortable finally discovering who she is not who others say she is. So below are some of her images, only a handful.

Here is what she had to say, since her shoot ran a bit over, and we got distracted I had to text her after to get it, but here is what she said about her session:

“Before my shoot I was nervous. I didn’t really know how I’d look and that worried me. I am very self-conscious and hate that I always feel like the camera adds weight to me. But I was also really excited to do something purely for me to make myself feel good about myself. During my session, I felt awkward but I trust Accalia completely. She made me feel comfortable and confident in my skin. It was fun to just let loose and enjoy the moment. I fell in love with images. Some of them weren’t amazing but it wasn’t the fault of anyone it just wasn’t the photo I got excited about. A few of them I looked at and finally saw what others have told me for a while. I felt sexy, confident and like a real woman even though I’m in my 30’s and a mom, I I never felt like I was a woman, whether it was due to my size or constantly being reminded I’m someone’s daughter, I always felt so young and cute. Now I am able to fully embrace my 30s and sexy self. Do it!!! You can always delete the photos but you rarely get the chance to just be you and be made to feel amazing about your body and who you are. It’s worth it to just be the center of attention and focus on your well-being and positivity alone.”-Tarin

How to pose like a model when you're not

How do the cover models do it?

A knock-out photo time and time again?

Well, genetics help ( yes) but so does knowing how to pose for photos, tricks of the trade that can help turn you into the version of you you’ve always wanted.

So in order to prevent you from cringing at yet another picture of yourself, we have collected these tips with the help of the experts so you can take a good photo well before the camera clicks.

1) Before the shoot -

Get some “R&R” take it easy, no tricks here get some rest. The best photos are moments. So just be in them, and relax. Get a good night’s sleep, and don’t eat too much the night before either. You want to be as fresh as you can be. If possible do yoga or meditate before.

2) Posture, hair, shave, and clothes -

Are 4 main things to consider when preparing for your photograph to be taken. No matter how you want to look be it smart or rugged, all of these things are easy to do, but the thought and preparation before a shoot are difficult to fix at the last minute. It goes without saying a fresh hairstyle and a clean shave will make you look more presentable but the clothes you wear are often overlooked pieces of the jigsaw when it comes to preparing for a photo shoot.

3) What to do with your face:

One thing that may make one side better than the other is a must hide the blemish. To hide a double chin, or even just to prevent one showing up that isn’t there push your chin out a little bit down. This will also make the jaw look more angular. Do not pull it back as this tends to be why double chins show up in photos. An elevated camera angle will also help here, and not facing the camera squarely, as doing so can cause a face to widen, while a little bit of a turn helps create a more flattering look. When smiling try to keep your tongue behind your teeth and to the roof of your mouth. This keeps the smile controlled, prevents a gummy smile, and can lift the face while tightening the area underneath your chin.

4)When taking selfies-

Hold the camera as far away from your face as possible, especially if you’ve got a prominent snout.

5) What to do with your body:

Just get comfortable, if it feels weird, it probably looks like it. As mentioned early, maintaining posture is also key. Keep your chest broad, shoulders back, and pinch your shoulder blades together to prevent hunched over shoulders. Looking over your shoulder with your back towards the camera is flattering for everyone it shows a good jawline and angle for the face. Avoid creating parallel lines though, such as standing with arms by one’s sides. It is rigid and unflattering.

Fuck Shame.....Still I rise....

shame

/SHām/

noun

  1. a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior.

    "she was hot with shame"

verb

  1. (of a person, action, or situation) make (someone) feel ashamed.

    "I tried to shame him into giving some away"

Shame is also a feeling of I am bad, or something is wrong with me, instead of the behavior.

What do you feel when you look at this image?

As women, we are constantly told who and what we should or shouldn’t be. We are told to be ourselves, yet not like that.

I am here to say:

FUCK SHAME and FUCK THAT!!!

and those who make you feel shameful.

We are all human and we have needs, food, shelter, love, and connection.

The image above speaks to the shame a lot of us feel towards our sexuality and pleasure. It gives me the feels, like so many feels. The model and I were wrapping her session and she sat there and curled up and I was like wait….grabbed the toys, laid them out, and gave her a bit of coaching and direction.

This image brings up tons of stuff for me, about being told to not like toys, that it was wrong to feel pleasure or to explore yourself. So, much more as well like being a sexual woman was taught to be bad, to want sex was bad, to enjoy it was really bad, yet men love it yet shame us for the same pleasures.

Again, FUCK THAT!!!

I am a woman watch me take my power back, and say fuck that!!!

Ladies, I invite you to help yourself, do the shadow work, and reclaim your power!!!

FUCK SHAME!!!

Let’s make some amazing art along the way!!!!

Just start, now where you are, let go of what others have told you to be, and start asking yourself who you want to be, and then take action on that, no matter what you can do this. Only you can.

I have created a safe place to explore the different sides of who you are, a no-judgment zone. A place you can be who you are, or who you want to be for a day, the best thing is you are safe to explore yourself in ways we rarely if ever get to.

So let us rise again ladies and reclaim our sacred power as women as creators, and as lovers.


Still I Rise

BY MAYA ANGELOU

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

’Cause I walk like I've got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops,

Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don't you take it awful hard

’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines

Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?

Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I've got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise

Up from a past that’s rooted in pain

I rise

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise

I rise.



Flattering Tips for Women Posing for Photos

When shooting women there are a few tips that I find I use on almost every client, big or small, as we for the part all struggle with body image at some point in our lives. Shooting body conscious is something I do all the time because the clients love how the images make them feel without photoshop or editing.

Below is an example of one pose, micro-changes, on 3 different women.


So here are a few tips to help you know I got you, I will coach and direct you the entire time.

1) Never pose a woman square to the camera:

When females are posing we want a slim, feminine look. Some poses bring this out others do the opposite. It’s not the size of the lady it’s more about how they are positioned. For example, positioning a lady square will make her look wider. A better choice is to have her turn her body away from the camera by about 2/3 while keeping her face straight towards the camera.

2) Shoot from slightly above:

Shooting from slightly above your model will help to define the chin and jawline. The camera should always be at least above eye level- never below it. Works amazingly for curvy gals.

3) Go for a strong jawline:

A strong jawline without a double chin is one of the main features of women. Shooting from above is one, also have a lower chin, next press your tongue to the roof of your mouth while smiling. It feels weird, but it lengthens the neck, accents the jawline, and helps avoid double chins or brings your head forward, like a turtle.

4) A mouth slightly open -

How your mouth looks will make or break a photo. Tight lips look angry, boredom, and defiant. A mouth slightly open with lips just apart, also helps elongate the jawline and lends much more pleasant energy to the photo.

5) Careful with the hands-

A person’s hands are almost the same size as their face, for that reason, it is important to avoid having the palms or backs of the hands in full view near the face. Instead place hands to the side, under the chin, or over the shoulder. Also important to not have the hands pressing against anything. Make sure the fingers are slightly apart, curved, and only just touching the hair or face.

6) Create space-

Create a gap between the arm and body with any pose to create space between the arms, legs, and body. Pressing the arms to your body is unflattering, and makes arms look thicker than they are. Create visible space between the arms and the body, bend the elbows, hand on the hip.

Stay tuned for more.

Badass babe....

In this video, we have the amazing Heather, she is such a beauty, I mean woman crushing, type of woman.

I had a blast working with her, and the emotions we caught in 10 minutes of shoot time are amazing, watch me do maybe 3-4 poses and tons of emotion...

If you want to see yourself in a new light you can't afford to wait anymore.

The one thing we never get back is time...

You will never have this exact body again, it will change, things will sag, and you will change over time regardless.

So, learn something from us older ladies who are loving our experiences, do it now!!

Don't wait till you lose the weight, or you get another year older, I wish I had amazing images of myself when I was even more of a bombshell in my 20s and 30s.

The only you gain by waiting is the regret of not doing it sooner!!!

I have heard this from so many clients. They always say they wish they would have done it sooner.

I do offer pre-payment plans, so what that means is you can start paying for a collection now, and by this time next year you will be in the studio having your experience.

If you wait it will be 2 years, not just one ladies. I have a lady coming this week who is so excited because she jumped last year when I rolled out my pre-payment plans, they come with bonuses and extras, and some tips to help you while you wait.

I am phasing out post-payment plans ladies (not a debt collector and it takes too long to get your wonderful images), the post-session plans will be financed through Klarna, or Afterpay only, that way you get your wonderful collections and still get the luxury of paying it off over time.

So all bullshit aside, what's really stopping you?

Tell that voice to shut up when it says but this or but that.....

Your soul and wellbeing need this.

You deserve this.

You are worth it!!!

Ladies,

I am still stoked about this workshop I just got back from last month. It was so freaking amazing!!!!

I can not wait to collaborate with each of you over the years!!!

I can't wait to show you just how beautiful you are right now!!!

I now know for sure without a doubt, that I got you. I can showcase you in a way that will level up your confidence and the way you feel about your body now.

Yes!!! right now!!!

I have been shooting this month back at my studio, and while designing client albums I have loved the variety and difference in my work. I will show those only once the client gets their products, but man we have created some amazing art this month.

So really are you ready to get out of your comfort zone?

Life is to be lived now not when.

Weird shit.....

During the 2 day live in-person workshop, I was able to get tons of stuff, like videos, amazing images, and more. I got the chance to work with a few amazing models as well. I am so grateful to Denise Birdsong and the Stripped Down mythology.

In this video, I do some weird shit as my mentor calls it when you are really just dropping the walls, getting out of a creative rut, and finding beauty in each moment or pose.

Ladies,

It's official, I have my spot in the next course and round of Stripped Down!!!

The next workshop is at the end of September!!! My mentor reached out, and it going to give me some one-on-one time this round as well to help me level up even more!!!

I am so dammed excited!!!

So, let's get this summer cooking!!!

I can't wait, and I have got some amazing things in store as well, stay tuned, if I can ever get my end of things done we will be having a giveaway soon with a total prize value of over 20,000 for all who enter between the Grand prize and the runner up prizes.

This video is from the workshop I just got back from, this what part of a session looks like with Boushie Babes Photography.

https://exceptional-speaker-272.ck.page/52fa542333

The Dance...

Watch the dance with us in this video, as we dance in a fashion ladies for sure, the studio gets hot, and the images are amazing!!!

I am so grateful to be able to learn a better way to coach and direct you when you come in for a session. I now can get results with each one of you ladies without too much effort, we just flow, and it's freaking amazing!!!!

I come alive but better yet YOU come alive. We dance, and flow, the results honestly speak for themselves ladies. Have the best day you can today. Find a moment to dance.

oooh...Ladies.... this is hot....we both felt like we needed a smoke after this session.....it was 🔥🔥🔥

I love what I have learned with this new methodology, I am amazed at my work now, in just a few minutes we got so many intimate portraits that captured her personality and her different sides.

What do you miss out on by waiting.....

confidence

self-love

seeing just how beautiful you are right now

amazing intimate portraits for years to come

Seeing yourself in a new light

The amazing art of you personally

Freedom to explore in a safe place

Let's chat when you are ready to get out of your comfort zone Stay tuned for what's coming up in the next few weeks... Join my VIP Group if you haven't yet..... Otherwise, you miss out on giveaways and more... https://www.facebook.com/groups/817628441929723/

Love Yourself series post 13, Sandra

In this series within my blog, I will share individual client stories, that they have allowed me to share with you, in hopes of encouraging you to love yourself more right now not when. These are real women, with real stories.

Meet Sandra woman who has struggled to find herself, she has overcome so much in her life and she did this session to help her celebrate herself after years of trauma and abuse.

She was one of the first ladies to jump on my prepayment plans last year when I rolled them out, so this was a year in the making as she was prepaid. When it came time to do her style session we were both so excited, this was something she had been dreaming about but had always listened to others rather than honoring herself, till last year when she took the chance to do what she wanted to finally.

The next month we had her shoot scheduled, and the day of anything and everything that could go wrong did go wrong, cars breaking down, needy people, styling issues, running several hours late. We went through it together, I went and grabbed her when her car broke down and gave her a ride back so her man could fix it while we did the shoot. It was stressful and quite a day.

We still did it though, we got her hair and make-up done, we got the outfits selected, and we shook out the stress and got some amazing images!!! We had so much fun and stayed a bit later because she needed some time, it all worked out in the end and a week later delivered her album and wall art.

She was working hard the day I dropped off her Album and wall art.

Glow-Up

The class that leveled my work up years in days…..

After Stripped down…

Well, I am finally finding time to sit down and write this out, I have been busy since getting back last month.

Last month I finally went to an In-Person workshop with my mentor Denise Birdsong, She teaches the Stripped Down Method. I had been investing in the online course now for 2-years, this year it was a goal to make it to at least one in-person workshop.

I Made It!!!

I went to the workshop, made some lifelong connections, and totally found part of my tribe in that workshop. We got real, we got humble, and we realized we are all human. It was freaking amazing!!!!

So amazing I have already secured my spot in the next round of workshops!!! I can’t wait to see how my work levels up this round. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to learn and grow into the artist I am.

The first image at the top is from the workshop I didn’t even recognize my work, wait really I got that? WOW, I was amazed.

This next image is from after the 2 online classes before I made it to the workshop. I love the work, just could be better with what I know now.

After 2 online courses of Stripped Down

This next image is from my first year in Boudoir, I get lucky a ton with my clients in these, but I wasn’t getting the results I wanted with every client, and I knew I could I just had to level up my skills. Stripped Down was the missing link for me, it leveled my work up years in just a few days at the workshop.

I am now collaborating with each client in ways I was not able to before, the result speaks for themselves ladies, I am so grateful to learn more, and collaborate more with each of you.

Before Stripped Down….

The lesson here is to invest in the skills you need to work on and find a teacher or mentor that has been where you are. This is the most valuable lesson one can learn in today’s world, learn something new, and find a better way. The more you invest in yourself and your life, the more others will invest in you.