Boudoir Photography to Heal the Soul?

It seems like half the people I meet say they don’t take good pictures. Unfortunately, most people are used to seeing snapshots of themselves taken by Uncle Joe who's using a little point-and-shoot camera with the built-in flash. Nobody looks good under those circumstances. Hell, not even models actually look like the over-photoshopped caricatures that we see in magazines.

We tend to forget that.

So here I am, to tell you ladies out there that you are ALL gorgeous!  I love making women look - and feel - fabulous. But it does bother me just how many women have surprisingly low self esteem. Even some really beautiful women are ridiculously critical of themselves and/or their bodies!

I hope I'm changing that in my own little way. A genre of photography that I really love is boudoir or beauty photography, which ideally brings out that inner beauty in the process of photographing the outside.

Boudoir photography is definitely popular, but there still seems to be some apprehension about the entire subject. It's not dirty or sleezy - it's empowering and liberating! Okay - I'm biased and a pretty much a life-long feminist!

I know a lot of women might WANT to have some sexy and sultry photos of themselves but are terrified at the thought.  The ladies I've photographed have normally come in nervous, but after we got started, they not only relaxed, but started having fun! It helps that I'm a female photographer - there's no ulterior motives and I definitely won't be drooling when you get undressed!

If you are thinking about getting some boudoir photos, be sure to find the right photographer. Sure, I'd like it if everyone would call me up and book a session, but there are a fair number of photographers offering boudoir, so look around and select the photographer who has a style that you really love.  For example, if you like really soft, sweet and sugary, I could do it but it isn't my strong suite - you'd be better off finding another photographer who does that type of shooting perfectly.

I'm good at bold, black and white with a just enough edge to it to make you take that second (third, fourth, etc.) look. Okay, there's the occassional colored image thrown in as well, but those images are the exceptions.

I always loved the dramatic cinematography of 1940’s film noir movies and the grainy, often fuzzy black-and-white fashion photos from the 1950s and ‘60s. I remember, as a kid, coming across an old, outdated fashion magazine collecting dust in my aunt's closet. I paged through it and fell in love with a black and white photo of a gorgeous woman curled up on a chair in a tiny, narrow hallway. I didn't recognize her at my young age, but it was an old photo of Sophia Loren.

I also love the stark tonal contrast and texture in vintage film photos - it has a feel that just isn't present in the absolutely perfect and noise-free digital images that our new cameras put out. Don't get me wrong - I love digital and when I take a photo, I want the images to be perfect and noise free as well. But then I like to turn around and add some noise to throw in that character that seems to sometimes be lacking in those flawless digital images. Is that weird?

Anyhow, I'm sure you don't care about my views on digital noise!  But if you want to see some more of my photos, you can go to my website at http://gjfoto.com.  You'll find a link to the boudoir photos in the "portraits" section.

If you've ever considered getting some boudoir shots, go for it! If it's never crossed your mind before, it's something else you might want to add to your "bucket list".  Every lady I've photographed has gotten a healthy ego boost from the experience and had a ton of fun in the process.

So ladies of the Philadelphia area, call me or call someone else, but show the world we're not that traditional here after all!

Peace and Love.

(All photos copyright Colleen D. Gjefle, GJFOTO.com, 2011) 

Sensuous photo shoot with artist's model

A few days ago I had a photo shoot with an artist's model named Kathryn. Though she didn't have experience in front of a camera, she was comfortable posing since, as a life model, she poses nude in front of groups of artists or students. Even with a beautiful body like she has, that still takes guts!

Since she wanted poses to show her value as an artists' figure model, I shot more full body or nearly full body photos of her than I normally would. Some of my favorite photos of Kathryn are showing parts you can't show on the beach! I'm very happy with her photos and she is as well. Kathryn was a pleasure to photograph!

(All photos copyright Colleen D. Gjefle, GJFOTO.com, 2011)

Electronic Evolution

I had to take a photo of my Canon 5D Mark II digital SLR camera and my little epad sitting next to my small collection of vintage cameras. From the tiny Baby Brownie camera that took pictures measuring only 1 5/8 X 2 1/2"  to my new 5D with 21 megapixels of imaging power. Wow - electronic evolution.

I'm eventually going to put up pics and info on some of my old cameras on my website (http://gjfoto.com) but that is only a thought at this point. I love old cameras and old photos, so many of my images are reminiscent of vintage images, especially more and more of my portrait work.

Seems strange in a way to have a super-modern, high resolution camera with a top of the line lens that gives sharp, crisp images and to then use it to create soft, black & white images with some grain added to simulate old film prints. But there you go.

Winter Photo Shoots

I enjoy "location" or "environmental" portrait photography - in other words, portraits taken in the real world, not in a studio.  Many people just can't really relax and be natural in the artificial setting of a studio. And people have to be relaxed to take the best photos they can. So out into the real world we go!  Living in a large urban center (Philadelphia PA) provides a wide range of outdoor, real world backdrops.

However, it's a little trickier in the winter - you never know what the weather might hold for you the day you have a shoot scheduled.  But if there's no active blizzard on that day,
a winter photo shoot can be spectacular!
In the following photos, I took the photos of this lovely young woman on a busy city street and in the very tranquil Pennypack Park, located in the northeast section of Philly.

(All photos copyright Colleen D. Gjefle, GJFOTO.com, 2011)

The photos below were taken at Longwood Gardens (located between Philadelphia and Wilmington DE).  It was a very cold day, so we took some quick outdoor shots and then went into the huge conservatory where we could take winter photos amidst the lush, tropical greenery.  This makes for an excellent location for a winter photo shoot - the best of both worlds!

A Spur of the Moment Photo

It's January and several days ago we had a few hours of the dreaded "winter mix". Most of my backyard was encased first in snow and then in ice. Yesterday evening I noticed my favorite lawn ornament finally started to peek through the snow. I had to grab my camera before it got too dark and take a couple of shots of my "speak no evil" fat froggy! Sometimes the impromptu, "spur of the moment" shots end up being incredibly charming.