Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Boudoir Denver goes to the ball!

There are often times where I have been told I have an "old soul". Maybe it has something to do with my grandmother playing Louis Armstrong and watching movies like The Sound of Music and Gone With the Wind until I had every line (or song) memorized but I still love to get lost in history. There is something extraordinarily special about the 40's, the whole war time romance that is just tragically beautiful. Pearl Harbor is one of my all time favorite movies, I love the story and the costumes! Pin Up girls originated from this era when soldiers painted them on the sides of their airplanes and "pinned" the illustration in their bunkers to keep them warm at night. I also love the role of women in the forties, classy and elegant while strong and determined as they took on jobs they had never worked before and waited for loved ones to return home.

I was pleased as punch when I heard about the 1940's WWII Era Ball that took place in Boulder, Colorado at the Boudoir Airport and just had to be involved in any way that I could, so I volunteered to be an event photographer for the event. This is one of those once in a life time experiences, beyond all dress up and music was something much bigger than I am. This was a celebration and remembrance of the soldiers and their families from the past and present. War is tragic, there's many things in life that are but this was about celebrating those beautiful memories that are far more important.





The ball was set at just the most perfect location, the Boulder Airport. I am a bit of a aviation nerd since my day job I work for an airline, but I didn't seem to be the only one caught up in the thrill of being surrounded by a variety of WWII aircraft. Their were all sorts of different military vehicles and airplanes that you could even get your picture taken next to. It's not every day you get to stand next to WWII boomer. The view from the Boulder Airport was also pretty magical in its self, great view of the foothills and just the perfect summer evening. (It only sprinkled on us twice)



Everyone looked FABULOUS! Ladies and gents, young and old there was such a variety of people who attended the ball. I loved the younger couples that dressed in the best of forties fashions to the older men who dusted off their uniforms just for the occasions. May hair wasn't long enough for the Victory Curl but maybe next year I will have to grow my hair out to give it a try. Towards the end of the night there was even an authentic contest for the men and women who dressed the most like the period.



I might just have to sign up for some dance lessons before next years ball! But don't let two left feet discourage you, admiring all the fabulous dancers is just as acceptable (which is what I did behind my lens). There were a couple different dance performances that were held through out the evening... including hula dancers! But my favorite dancer was this older gentlemen in his navy uniform, his spirit and feet acted 20 years young but his beaming smile was truly what made my heart melt. He and so many other Vets that attended the event are what really made the ball so special. Our freedom is because of these fine men, I had to hold back tears when at the beginning of the ball the color guard stood with the United States flag and these men looked so proudly at the nation's flag. I gained so much respect for our military after attending this event. All net proceeds from the ball support The Wounded Warriors Project and The Spirit of Flight Center. So besides such a great excuse to dress up the money also goes to a wonderful cause.



Then if that wasn't enough there was the music! Frank Sinatra, The Andrews Sisters and The Hot Tomatoes... OH MY! So much amazing entertainment packed into one evening. I'm pretty sure whenever I get married I'm hiring The Hot Tomatoes to play during the reception.


 I can not thank Khyentse enough for letting me be a part of this amazing event! I hope to volunteer or attend this amazing event for many years to come. This year it even sold out, so make sure to get your tickets early for next year! Check out the 1940's WWII Era Ball website for more information and their fabulous facebook page for updates and more pictures from some of the other fabulous photographers at the event. Also this winter they will be holding a 1940's Winter Ball, just in case you couldn't wait till next summer. Be sure to check out Boudoir Denver's facebook page for more photos from the ball. Here are a few more of my favorites...









Friday, June 24, 2011

What To Wear Boudoir Denver Edition : Summer
















Summer time and the living is easy... I L.O.V.E. Summer! Let me count the ways... there's the glorious sunshine. Warm summer nights. Juicy fresh fruit. The great outdoors. The list could go on and on. Summer is also the perfect time to embrace the great outdoors for some outdoor boudoir. :gasp: I know what you're thinking... Outdoor? Doesn't boudoir always involve a private room with a bed?! It doesn't have to! Embrace the beautiful sunshine, natural light is always better anyway.

Here's the elements you need for the perfect outdoor boudoir photo session. First, location. One of the reasons I love Colorado is there are so many of those beautiful open fields. Isn't there something romantic about a grassy field? The best field is a little overgrown, the more tall weeds the better. (And the better for concealing since you might be in small amounts of clothing) Second, clothing. Like always you do not have to be nude to do boudoir, it's all about your comfort level. Since you are a little more in the public eye I suggest wearing a babydoll or slip, something that comes just above the knee and covers your midsection. I just love Victoria Secret's Pleated Babydoll it's so soft, feminine and I love the bow. The empire waist with the fabric that flows away from the body would be perfect for any body type. Bring a robe with you, something to easily get "dressed" and "undressed" from. Third, props. Props are where you can get creative and personal... tell a story. I always think picnics are so romantic and you need something to lay on anyway. Pick a blanket that is soft and with a simple pattern, if the pattern is too bold it will be detracting in your photos. Then add a beautiful bowl of cherries... or strawberries or whatever your favorite summer fruit maybe. A few pictures of playfully eating them will be the cherry on top! (Pun intended)

Hopefully this inspires you to see the light and embrace the great outdoors even for boudoir!

{xoxo}
Elle Bea

Thursday, June 23, 2011

The Challenge : Confessions of a Business Owner pt. 2


There are two things recently that have lit a fire in my heart. The Secret and The Make Things Happen Challenge. For me they both go hand and hand. If you have a dream I encourage you to do both. The Secret cost around $16 at practically any where that sells books or Free if you check out the book from the library (but I promise if you check it out, you'll probably end up buying it), The Make Things Happen Challenge is Free... So what's your excuse? My dream is to have a successful boudoir photography business AND be a fashion photographer. (That's right two big dreams, there are no limits to dreams.)

First, The Secret. At first I was skeptical and didn't believe in The Secret. You are the creator of your destiny and it is through positive thought that will attract all desires Sounds pretty powerful huh? When we are children it's so easy for us to dream and believe in magic, but somewhere along the way we fill ourselves with doubt and we partly stop dreaming. I can't explain what made me finally stop caring about how this "magic" happened but I knew that my dreams where not coming true. I use to be focused on the negative, I trolled  other photography's blogs and stewed in jealousy of their success and made comments to myself like "I can do better". YUCK! It's no wonder I wasn't successful with starting my business, instead of focusing on my own success I was too busy focusing on putting others down. It was around the beginning of this year that I stopped doing that and focused on my work rather than others, this was before reading The Secret but I realized that this change was one of the reasons things started to change in my business. 

The Secret has changed my life. If you follow my personal account on twitter (@ElleBea) you may have seen my three thankful things I post per day. The Secret taught me to be grateful, it encouraged me to be positive in every aspect of my life and it taught me to believe in all my dreams and that nothing is impossible.

Second is the Make Things Happen Challenge, if you have a business or want to start a business YOU ARE CRAZY NOT TO FOLLOW THIS BLOG! Lara Casey is the editor of Southern Weddings Magazine and the business woman behind Make Things Happen. I attended the Make Things Happen workshop in March 2010. I had been blessed with a scholarship to the workshop. I wasn't sure what I was doing there, I was so intimidated, so scared, but it was amazing. The workshop was more like therapy, it was so emotional because it was the first time I realized my fears. The fear of failure. After this amazing realization I started to dream and believe in myself again, but then I put MTH on the back burner. 

Soon after starting to read The Secret a breakthrough came. I started to demand a clear vision of my business. Suddenly from all the confusion and struggle came clarity. I finally found the courage to commit my website to 100% boudoir, found my branding and I re-found MTH! A re-awakening, a kick start, re-charge to kick butt and make things happen! I even found new friends, fellow MTH alums from acress the country that either lived in or were moving to Colorado. Proving that we all are truly connected. How amazing life is! 

So now I challenge you! Don't be afraid... We will do it together and there is tons of others out there ready to support and inspire you. Join me in the Make Things Happen Challenge, it's already started but you can start at any time. There's also a chance to win a spot to one of the Make Things Happen Workshops, Click Here. You have till June 29th to enter. Now unfortunately there's only two more cities left, neither of which are anywhere near Denver BUT if you win I would love to help you with a ticket and offer up one of my buddy passes which will give you a very discounted flight. (E-mail me if you would like more details) I hope that you all will keep dreaming and will join me on this fabulous challenge!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Confessions of a Business Owner

Hi, My name is Laura and I'm the new girl in town!

As you may or may not have noticed there has been a lot of changes to the Boudoir Denver blog and my “first big girl” website ElleBeaPhoto.com . I've always been passionate about photography but business?! Yikes! Business was more like a dirty word and something I was straight up terrified of! I have always thought of myself as an artist, not a business woman. Fear started to stand in my way of pursuing my dreams and I couldn't let stupid fear stand in my way anymore! I would like to introduce to the world my vision, my passion, my heart and my soul... Boudoir Denver. While posting my latest photography sessions, tips & tricks, and featuring other fabulous business in Denver run by lovely ladies, I would also love to share with you all my journey in pursing my dreams as a business owner. Hopefully I might inspire some of you amazing ladies to follow your dreams too!



This is the brand new look of Boudoir Denver! Another “B” word in business is branding... the look and most importantly the feeling of a business. Boudoir photography to me is more than just sexy photographs, it's a celebration of womanhood and more importantly a celebration of self! I will admit it, I HATE photographs of myself, majority of woman do. I want to change that. I want to create an experience that will make every woman feel sexy, romantic and as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside. I started to focus on how to communicate this feeling in my business visually and it was as if the universe handed it to me on a silver platter. I wanted a look that was both romantic and feminine then suddenly I was surrounded by color! From my morning breakfast (rainier cherries) to a rusted pickup truck suddenly the “look” of Boudoir Denver appeared! A warm natural pallet of brown and beige with a pop of my new favorite girlie color, coral. I hope you love the new look as much as I do! Stay tuned for more confessions. Be inspired and Dream BIG!

{xoxo}

Elle Bea

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Some Like It HOT!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARILYN!

Have to admit I almost forgot one of my favorite ladies of all time's birthday! It's hard not to love Marilyn. She's just fascinating and so captivating and the ultimate boudoir boom shell. When I was in high school it was her photographs taken by AndrĂ© de Dienes that inspired me to be a photographer myself. There are tons of fabulous photographs of Marilyn Monroe but Dienes' are something special, majority of them taken when before Marilyn was Marilyn and she was a girl known a Norma Jean. She is candid and real, before the pressures of Hollywood effected her. I wanted to take pictures that captured the true beauty of every woman. 
 
One of my favorite quotes from Marilyn is, "Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring."  Happy Birthday Marilyn, to a true Hollywood icon and ultimate boudoir lady!