Las Vegas Dance Inspired Intimate Lifestyle Portraits | Tom

I traveled to Las Vegas back earlier this year in February to teach a class on capturing intimacy and connection with couples boudoir (I’ll be sharing more about that in a future blog post), and while there I had the opportunity to work with and photograph an amazing dancer/performer by the name of Duy Phat (Tom) Le. We were connected by a mutual friend, who I am eternally grateful for helping us meet, and were able to create some dancer inspired boudoir magic on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas.

 Tom was open to experimenting and playing around to see what we could create. No expectations, no pressure, just an opportunity to play outside the box with no pressure to do anything other than experiment and see what we could come up with.

 And now I’m excited for the opportunity to share our results with you!  

Oklahoma City Dance Inspired Creative Portraits | Tylor and vinny

My mind is always a whirlwind of ideas. They float in and out of my head, sometimes faster than I can write them down. Thankfully, some ideas remain, and some special ones tug at your heart until you have no choice other than bringing to life your vision and letting the magic unfold. This ballet inspired couples boudoir session was one projected I knew I needed to bring to life.

Watching ballet dancers perform is a magical experience for me. Seeing the way dancers move across the stage, admiring the control they have over their bodies, appreciating the beauty they create with the angles and lines of their body - all of that takes years of practice, dedication, strength and perseverance; but seeing it all come together and their skill in making it seem so effortless has me convinced that just a little magic may be tossed in for good measure.

Recently I had the opportunity to work with two local ballet dancers, seeing them come together for this creative project and create their own kind of magic. I was so excited to plan this project and thrilled to capture the entire session from start to finish.

I’m excited to share with you the results of my vision to create a series of intimate portraits of two dancers showing grace, agility, and movement, with intimacy and connection woven throughout each portrait.

Dancers:

Tylor Bradshaw - Oklahoma City Ballet

Vinicius Vasconcelos - Oklahoma City Ballet

Oklahoma City Angel Wings Intimate lifestyle portraits | emily

I’m still in love with the amazingness of these blush angel wings from Leah Maria couture. I wanted to do more of a fun and playful creative shoot, so I partnered with Oklahoma City based model Emily Victoria and rented Whitemoose Studios, a natural light studio in Oklahoma City, to do another angel inspired boudoir session.

My first session with these wings involved a Halloween angel inspired male boudoir session with downtown Oklahoma City as the background. You can check out that session here.

I think the results from my session with Emily Victoria speak for themselves. A mixture of sensual and playful, with a little bit of sass and plenty of bold confidence thrown in.

Looking to schedule your own boudoir session with these blush wings? You can contact me here, I’d love to talk with you about scheduling your own boudoir session!

Model: Emily Victoria

Makeup artist: Elegantly Finished Faces

Why I Love Photographing Couples INTIMATE LIFESTYLE PORTRAITS | Oklahoma City Couples Boudoir

Have you ever been around two people and just knew that they were meant to be?  

Not because they both look good based on society’s beauty standards, or because the couple comes from the same background and share similar interests, but because you can almost visibly see their profound and abiding connection and commitment to one another.

 You see the way their thoughts flow together and the way they seem to see into each other’s souls and know their partner’s heart.   You see the way they laugh together, tease each other, fight (acknowledging that no relationship is perfect 24/7) and make up, and live each day with the conscious choice and commitment to “do life together.”

 I enjoy being around these couples.  I love seeing their connection, seeing their joy, and I want to give these couples a tangible reminder of what they mean to each other.

It’s easy for couples who have been together for a while to get stuck into a routine, focusing on the day-to-day activities that need to get done… jobs to go to, bills to pay, chores to complete, kids to pick up, clothes to clean, dishes to wash, etc., and sometimes couples forget that their life together is more than just completing things to check off items on an imaginary list.

 It’s about living out life with your favorite human…and stealing the covers.

 And so I want to give couples photographs that remind them of the truth of their relationships that they may sometimes forget.  That their partner loves them, cares for them and has chosen them. 

I  photograph couples either at my in-home studio or at the couples’ home with the goal of capturing who THEY are as a couple.  No two couples have the same relationship, so in my pre-session questionnaire and pre-session video or in-person consultation I ask couples specific questions about their relationship with the goal of photographing each couple and capturing what it means to them to be in their relationship; how they fit, how they interact, and how they connect with each other.  I love hearing couples say that they feel like I captured “THEM.”   

Some of my favorite images to photograph involve one partner looking away, while the other partner is staring at them without the partner who is looking away knowing they are being admired.  You can see in the eyes of the partner staring intently at their lover that they know the prize they have “won”, they have a look in their eyes that says my partner chose me, and I’m so FUCKING THRILLED that I get to spend forever with them.

When I have the opportunity to capture that emotion and then present that photograph to the partner who didn’t see it because they were looking away, and that partner then gets to see that connection and love shining in their lover’s eyes, that gives me the BEST FEELING EVER.  It’s like a big warm hug (if you like big warm hugs, if not think of it as a really great high five!).

These portraits allow couples to see their love shining back at them through photographs of them together, and they can have them as a reminder either in high quality albums or as wall art displayed in their home.

The best part? You don’t have to have a special event to wait and schedule a couples boudoir session.  By scheduling a couples boudoir session, I’ll capture your love, connection and intimacy, giving you a tangible reminder that each of you is loved by the other.

Oklahoma City Intimate lifestyle Portraits | Arielle - a/k/a "Wonder Woman"

After clients have stepped in front of the camera, I have them fill out a post-session questionnaire. This gives me insight into their experience and helps me create the best experience for future clients. I’ll be sharing their answers as well as boudoir portraits from their sessions. First up is Arielle.

During my pre-session consultation with Arielle, we talked about what she wanted to wear for her session. While we were discussing wardrobe options, she mentioned having a Wonder Woman cosplay costume! Umm, yes please! I encouraged her to bring it, and we had a blast incorporating the costume into her session and having her channel her inner warrior.

What was your motivation for scheduling a boudoir session with Intimate Lens Studio?

“Seeing everyone else’s really awesome pictures and wanting some of my own.”

What were you nervous about going into your session?

“Not liking the pictures after, maybe not looking how I wanted.”

What was your favorite part of the experience?

“Getting to wear my wonder woman costume.”

How do you feel now that you've completed the session?

“Loved it! Wanna do it again someday now that i know what to expect.”

Would you recommend Intimate Lens Studio to others?

“Already have!”

Would you do a boudoir session again?

“100% yes.”