The Smallest Details...

always matter.

I don't do manicure on my nails, I'm just careless, I know some women can't stand not having their nails done, it's just their vanity.

I understand, because in photography, though I don't get manicure but always keep a short clean nails always, I always ask my clients to: MAKE SURE YOU DO YOUR NAILS, IF YOU ARE ALLOWED TO.

And of course they are!

Next to the eyes, I swear to you, nails are one of the details that people look on a portrait.

I love this one so much, I smiled during my edit especially when she posed and she made sure her nails shows.

She did pretty well or her sisters did pretty well doing her nails.

How Do They Say it in Text?

<3

I didn't know that it's a heart and it obviously it means love! hahahaha! I swear I thought it means ice cream, and they would say when they make a comment: "I <3 this" so I really thought I ice cream and ice cream is delicious, so it means like, I love this one like an ice cream.

Oh gosh, this is embarrasing but I really just have to say my thought. I have been assuming this thought for YEARS! yes, I'm that awful!

I found out that this is a heart when we watched a movie and they showed this text, "I <3 u" in big text, I mean its the whole cinema screen, so I yelp: "Look! it's a heart!" and my husband stared at me, "Yeah! what do you think it was?" I said, "Ice cream!" and he shook his head!

So yes, I <3 this image that I took" ! so I'm saying "I love this image that I took".

I love how I got hired. B, the one on the right side, wrote me a letter and told me, for her birthday she wants a pictorial with her friends and her sisters and asked and arranged everything, from how much each girl is going to pay and how it's going to happen, from how many changes they are going to do and what they are going to wear.

She just need to ask her mom of her schedule.

Her mom and I talked and we were both impressed.

And as you notice, it all happened.

She just turned 13. You don't see a lot of teenagers do that at 13.

And Why Not?

I don't solicit doing budoir, because I always think it's a special choice, even who should take it. I respect every person's choice on who is going to take them in their most intimate moment.

But don't get me wrong, I love doing it. My client on this one was just really shy but decided to do it because she has not idea what to give to her husband. Yeah, sometimes you just have to let go of things and just do it.

I love this session so much...I love doing budoir but if you are going to do it, always make sure that you do it without big expectation, just trust yourself that you did your best to get fit before the session. I was laughing when one of my scheduled client left me a voicemail and asked me for an available date and she said: "Stef, please let me know when I'm going start to stop eating!" hahahaha! of course it was a joke but I advised her to treat it as a reward, that she'll work hard until the scheduled session and she'll be so proud of herself and she will have a proof. Best way to do this is to do a little party with just the girlfriends, I usually book a budoir session, a month and a half away, so that you will have enough time to get fit in the most healthy and most realistic way, doing it with girlfriends will be more fun because it will be a buddy system. It is truly an experience.

I have to be honest, not everyone of us are size 0 but we can always showcase what is beautiful and you have to find a photographer who, first, makes you feel comfortable, may that be me or the person next to me, I really don't care. But if you ask me?

Why not do it?

because you know what, when do you really want to do it?

Sigh!

So now I can officially say that May truly is a crazy great month next to October, the beginning of Spring and October being the overture of the warm season, I love both months.

For the next few weeks I'll show you all my works. I have lots of budoir shots, I wish I can share it here BUT my clients declined, and you know what, even if I say and photographers do have the right of all the photos, I do respect privacy because I would wish for the same if I would request for one and hopefully they will obliges. I'm proud of all of them and they are too BUT no, no! hahahaha!!! and that's okay.

Now this is one of my session that I love so much. You know why? I love the lighting in her house! AND I love her so much, she's so easy to handle and she hasn't done this I think in a while but it seems like she did a session like this yesterday. It really does pay off when you as a person, and my client admits that she has vanity, and there's nothing wrong with that, to know all your angles and what works and what doesn't. I always remind prospective clients that there is no shame to practicing and knowing what smile works and what doesn't and what pose works and what doesn't. It's the camera, yes, "You work it" means you do something with it and you have control over it.

Usually during my first session, I ask my client if they know their angle, and if they don't, no worry, I usually find it, yes, I do the mugshot style looking, front view, side view, to the right ,the the left please and then analyze, that only takes 3 minutes and a whole lot of fun after.

And as you notice, she didn't go crazy on the make up and I mean, no crazy colors. I always believe that make up should enhance AND NOT CHANGE your face! I always remind people that, she knows herself and that is great. The secret for great portrait is beautiful skin, you don't have to put crazy color eyeshadows because it really doesn't matter, what matters is your skin.

Enjoy the view, I think this is one of my most favorite sessions for this year.

So Should I???

They always ask me that question, "Should I really do it?" when I tell them they should do a budoir session with me. The question is "why not? when are you going to do it, when your 85?" not that there is anything wrong with that but I grew up remember what my aunt told me, "As long as you are young, Stef, you have to save all your money to have your picture taken, one day you'll be old and you'll look back and you'll say, "I don't look that bad."

So we did it...a budoir...of course these shots I'm showing to you are ones that can be showed for the world to see, what happens after a few minutes is between my client and I.

Women always wonder, "Do I have to work out?" "Are you going to do some touch ups?" and my answer is yes to both, you have to, not for me but for you, you have to feel good that you did your best and then just hire a photographer that you can trust about everything. I'm very careful and fun with my budoir sessions. I love the discretion I do with it because I think it is the client's most vulnerable moment, I have never heard anyone told me that they didn't have fun, yes, there are apprehensions, who doesn't want to be Gisele Bündchen, I would! but there's also that self acceptance that yes, I might not have her body or her looks but I'm still beautiful in my own very way.

Yes, I did ask all my friends that, especially the ones who I know went to the road of getting fit in the most beautiful route that they can ever find, may it be for running, riding their bike or dancing, when I see someone work so hard for it, I offer my service, I don't do it regularly but I will do it with the condition of total submission and just trusting me, because you know what, take it from Marie Antoinette--

She loves immortalizing herself.

L, Thanks so much for being a great sport!

xoxoxox!

Cute Little Pink Princess

She giggles when you ask her what her age is and she asked us if she can be 5 or 6 or 8 instead...she made my week extra perfect. My Master's weekend with a very fun pictorial just made everything uber wonderful!

I so Love this one

I love how behave he looks, it was as how I describe my day that I took it...easy Sunday Morning! That's the one thing why I love to take pictures of babies, me and them have the same happy time--Morning. His mom hesitated to answer when I asked her what's baby J's most happiest time and she said , "It's early morning..." and I said, "Don't worry, I wake up at 3am on weekends." and she said, "Oh my Gosh!"

Yes, I love an easy Sunday morning.