So here's a great little story about one of our most recent clients, and our transition from the previous studio to the new one. This is Stephanie in all the photos, and I've selected these images to highlight here in this blog. (all images, and even her actual first name are used by written permission)  All the images are from our NEW studio, even though we have many stunning ones from the previous studio.  Although our studio is on the square in Gallatin, we still believe it's not too far to travel if you are coming from even south of Nashville. It's a chance to get out away from town, and be "away".  You know how it's just sexy to be away from the normal town you live in.  In fact, we've had several clients from other states find us on a web search, and come out here to shoot with us. 
     Stephanie was the last lady we had photographed in the old studio before we packed up and moved it across town to a bigger and better location.  At some time in between our two photography studios, we finished designing and ordering Stephanie's absolutely stunning boudoir album. She had told Dawn that she would love to come back as a model for us to practice on in our new studio.  We were already fresh off a photo session together with her, so we thought that would be a great idea. We needed this!  Transitioning to a new studio, with different colors and different lighting and room shapes is something that takes some getting used to. I had already done a few basic test shots with Dawn. She of course wins the award for "Most Photographed" at Boudoir á la Mode. I mean, being husband and wife and all!
      So, once we had the studio looking pretty good, and ready for some real photo action, we had Stephanie come on in. I mean, we had the baby grand piano brought up some steep stairs into the new studio. That alone was no small task for our piano movers. Stephanie rocked a few really amazing piano shots, but I'm only showing one here, in order to keep the blog post from being too huge with photo content. 
       So a big THANK YOU to Stephanie for modeling for us. I imagine she may want to order another album, because her images are amazing, and they are many. Her husband is going to love these images either way, even if only in digital form.  I'm going to cut out here, and leave you with a small gallery of images from her recent session at the new studio. Enjoy!

We have landed our dream photography studio. Dawn and I have been working like crazy people to get it all designed and decorated in quick time. We both have a very esthetic eye for decorating, and somehow we don't clash on idea. Well, very rarely. We are soooo thrilled about this new place to make photography art!
    Above is a photo we shot just yesterday. Many of you are already familiar with Dawn's trademark tattoos and booty, so you know that's her in the photo. Consider it a teaser.  By tomorrow, the studio will be ready. And of course, we constantly make adjustments and changes. 
    We are now located right on the square in Gallatin, TN.  Right in the middle of it actually, above the Firefly business, which is next door to Ovation Music and Studios. We absolutely LOVE our spot!  We have more natural light to work with than ever, yet we still retain enough dark areas to use our signature style studio lighting.  The photo above uses both. 
    We are having a special wine & cheese gathering this Saturday at 4pm. We will have a solo acoustic guitar/vocal act present. His name is Patrick, and his voice is one of the most pleasing voices ever.  Contact us if interested in coming.  We are located at 101 E. Main Street #206 in Gallatin. Let the good times roll!
  

I felt inclined to share a little bit of business knowledge I've acquired over the years regarding business names and branding. I will soon be offering beginner to intermediate photography classes, as well as some business instruction. So for this blog post, I wanted to offer some business name advice to new businesses, or mainly to people considering starting one.  But first, a quick history on our own name, Boudoir á la Mode!
     Back in 2010 while I was putting together my whole boudoir photography business plan, I knew I wanted a studio name that had the word "boudoir" in it.  That would help with not only Google and other search engine SEO, but it would help any prospective client to instantly recognize that I am very much boudoir.   Back in 2010, I was still shooting weddings, but also branched into boudoir. There is an older blog post that lays out our studio history in more detail. 
      I wanted the word "boudoir" to appear in my business name.  The french word boudoir means A private sitting room, dressing room, or bedroom, especially one belonging to a woman.  So I got to thinking and brainstorming (with the help of my sister in California), what could I name this company?  Hmmmmm. I was really hoping to continue using French words, since boudoir is French.   But I wanted to make it recognizable to us non-French speakers.   Here's the fun part that came to my mind!    Note:  "á la mode" is a term we have all heard as a way to serve apple pie or similar desserts.  Apple pie á la mode, meaning, served with ice cream.  But wait....ice cream has nothing to do with boudoir. (except that women love them both!)    So I looked it up, and behold, the other definition for the term á la mode is:  "in fashion or up to date".    BINGO.  I have a business name that works!   
     Now, for those up-and-coming photographers who are considering going into business. I beg of you, PLEASE think it through!  Think long term. Think different, and memorable. Do you think there's a chance that some day in the future, you may want to sell your thriving business?  Well then you don't want to name it after yourself.  I mean, who wants to buy a business named Joni Fabriucci Photography, unless you get lucky and find another photographer named Joni Fabriucci who also wants to buy your business.  That's likely never gonna happen. 
      One trap I see new creatives fall into is thinking small and non-creative.  I've seen many a new photographer use the word "Creative" in their business name. (thinking they are being creative)  They often call it something like Creative Photography, or Creative Creations or similar. That's usually a dead giveaway that you are a newby. New photographers are thrilled that they have found a new creative outlet, and they think they are going to be the only ones who thought of calling their business "creative" something.  Just don't.   You will outgrow that idea in no time (if you continue on the path of photography). You will realize it was not a good name, and then have to redesign and reestablish yourself. Again, think long term! Think BIG.  Envision yourself as a well established super-photographer in the future. What would that super-photographer's business name be?  Maybe it would be your own name. That's perfectly awesome!  If you know you will never want to sell the biz, by all means, using your name can be a powerful tool, especially if you have a cool name. 
    A third and final tip. It's best not to use intentional wrong spellings for your business name. It's not good for most businesses, and it's not going to help your SEO (search engine optimization)  For instance, if you wanted to call it "Black Cat Photography", don't spell it Blak Kat or Blak Cat or whatever.   First of all, who on earth can remember how you spelled your business name?  If you meet someone and tell them to look up your website, do you think they will remember what spelling you used? Likely not, unless you spelled it correctly.  And that's assuming they even remember your business name at all to begin with. Be memorable, and spell correctly. 
   Now, who can even remember how to spell "boudoir"? (insert laugh)   Thankfully, Google and Bing and those others can all figure out what you are trying to type, and bring you results. Sometimes, technology can be quite the little helper. 
  So that does it for this business tip on naming a business. I'm sure I could think of more tips, but in the name of keeping it brief as possible, I'm signing off now. Thanks for reading!
   

We just wanted to announce our new set of boudoir angel wings!  I call them "hot wings".  Interestingly enough, we ordered them from Ukraine, right before Russia invaded their country. So that's still going on even as I write this, just a few days after that war began. So very sad!   Ukraine to Nashville, just in time though.  I wish them well over there, and I pray for their people. 
      So, aside from the interesting time window and location where we got the hot wings from, I must say that Dawn and I are absolutely thrilled with how beautiful and photogenic they are. There will be a small extra fee for our clients to use them, if they wish to wear them in photo sessions. As far as I recall, the whole wings and lingerie thing was made popular by Victoria's Secret and their televised shows.  Since then, they have gained increasing popularity with boudoir photographers and clients. What's not to love?  They are just gorgeous, and they introduce an entire new element into this art form we call boudoir photography.  And guess what, you don't have to drink a Red Bull to get these wings. You just let us know you want wings as part of your session plan. We would LOVE to see them on you. 
     Let us know what you think. Drop a note here. You can also tell us what color you would like to see us order next time. We will be adding another set in the near future. Be sure to follow us on Instagram if you don't already. That's where we post the latest, freshest images of our work.  
   Hot wings, get your hot wings!

What happens when a boudoir photographer and his assistant/wife go to Gatlinburg for a few days in the mountains? 
Well, more boudoir happens, of course!  Dawn and I recently took a little R&R to a beautiful cabin in the mountains. Aside from the usual hot tub and beautiful surroundings, they also had a pool table in the loft. I'm an avid pool shooter, and this was part of my fun and relaxation. But wait, there's more. 
    When Dawn and I travel, we usually shoot a few boudoir photos at the hotel we stay at, or in this case, cabin. Sometimes we even connect with a local model, and have her come out to the hotel room so we can get some fresh new images at a new location. Doing so also helps establish us a bit more in those cities, where one day we may potentially move to, or franchise in. How about that, a Boudoir á la Mode franchise in Sarasota, Florida....or wherever.  How about Tampa? These things go through our mind. 
    Back to the cabin in the woods now!  So, we LOVED the new surroundings! The wooden walls, and modern but cozy decor. We chose this particular cabin because of the way the owners decorate. We did not want the typical "country granny" look, as I call it, which most Gatlinburg cabin rental owners opt for.
       The main disappointment was not seeing any bears! I really had hoped to see some black bears foraging around. Black bears are far less dangerous than a grizzly. Sometimes people even manage to feed them by hand. But I just wanted to see one! And to shoot some photos would have been bonus. 
     And here's a little secret about our trip. Well, its not a secret now. I let Dawn shoot a few man boudoir photos of me. Yep, I did it. My first solo boudoir session...of me. (I've posed WITH Dawn in some couples sessions).  So yeah, I got to feel a little bit of what it's like on the other side of the boudoir lens. It was what I thought it was. It was invigorating, emboldening, fun, and sexy. Will any of the images ever be seen by others? I don't know yet. It's up for debate.
      So watch out when you go to the mountains. You may also get cabin fever...of sorts. Don't forget your camera. 
​

Roseanne......the most photogenic face I know of......   But more on that later. 
​
  Dawn and I  first met Roseanne in Orlando in early 2020, right before Covid.  We were on vacation, and we connected with this quite lovely model named Roseanne. We like to shoot boudoir while on vacation sometimes, so we did. I almost always take my basic camera gear with me.  We had just recently re-+launched Boudoir á la Mode, after I took several years off from it. (See an older blog story on that)

 Recently, the heavily English accented model came to Nashville for some arranged photo sessions with other photographers, including us. Well, upon our offer, she ended up staying here with us for about 3 days, and we got to know her so much better. What a sweetheart she is, and she's fun to be around, and so endearing in her ways. So, while she was here shooting boudoir in our studio, why not create even more content?  A small Boudoir á la Mode video ad would be nice (as seen below, modeling one of our coveted kitty logo nighty shirts).  And oh, how about let's also make a posing instructional video, taught by yes, Roseanne!  That video will be coming soon. It's designed to be slightly more advanced than basic boudoir, because we teach that to our clients by ourselves. But the video is more like basic modeling 101, and the tips she gives can ALL be applied to boudoir, for anyone who wants to up their boudoir game just a tad. (or, to possibly start modeling)

     I've been saying since we first shot with Roseanne, that she has the most photogenic face I've ever seen. I still hold to that. She has very high cheek bones, deep set eyes that really work for her, milky skin tone, and a cute little dream-nose, and naturally pouty lips.  I want to be clear though, that being majorly "photogenic" doesn't mean necessarily that someone is more beautiful than the next girl.  Because frankly, every lady who comes into our studio, whether she is a model or a client from across town, they all look like models in some of their photos. I'm being real here. And this is where I differentiate between "photogenic" and "beautiful".   To me, photogenic just means it's very EASY to capture that model-quality beauty in a high percentage of photos. But I wish you could all hear Dawn and I as we sort though our client's photos after each session. "Wow, she looks like a model here!".   That's normal here. 
    I want to mention one more thing about the above photo. The outfit!  The sweater is ours. We have several of them that we recently acquired, because I think one of the sexiest photos is when a woman wears something heavy and beautiful up top, and just panties below. (or nothing)  It's photogenic.....it's sexy...and it's not done enough!  So ladies, when you come in for your session, why not give this a shot? 
Be sure to watch the 30-something second video below, if anything, just to hear her accent when she speaks. She tells us that WE have the funny accent though. 
Cheers!
​  

Let's get right to the point!  We are so excited about what two things we are now offering.

 1) A female photographer option for clients.
 2) Maternity Boudoir Photography

    First let me go over the female photographer option we now offer.  Her name is Kenzee (in photo below), and she is already rocking this stuff!  She is a photographer with an eye for beauty and sexiness that is VERY much like mine. Myself (Shane), being a male photographer, with obviously a male perspective, I have an eye for "what men like". Well I'm very impressed with Kenzee's eye for the same. We have trained her to use the same exact lighting and posing style we use, and she uses the exact same camera model we use here at Boudoir á la Mode. I cannot tell her work apart from my own now! Seriously. So, now we are offering a female photographer option (for an upgrade price, because we have to be sure to pay her!)  As a man, I totally understand and respect the concern that some women have about posing for a male photographer. I understand potential husband objections and concerns. Well, this opens up the door for those of you who love our work, but need a female photographer. It's on!
   As a brief background, I originally met Kenzee while I was doing a music artist shoot for her boyfriend, Breck.  I occasionally go out of my studio for a session that appeals to me, for a change of pace. Anyway, I met Kenzee while shooting Breck, who is the son of my long time good friend, Chance James, who is no longer with us on earth. So, I've ended up spending a lot of time around Breck and Kenzee in the past year. She has even been one of our boudoir models, and she and Breck also did a couple's boudoir session with us, which is another thing we offer, but haven't made a lot of hoopla about yet. So here we are, expanding the business and products and crew again! 
  Dawn will always be working on set as usual, alongside Kenzee, just as she does with me. I love this team. 

​   

2) Maternity Boudoir photography!  To us, it's the same process, and the same lighting, but slightly different posing. Maternity and boudoir are such a perfect pairing, they just go together automatically. We are thrilled to now offer maternity sessions for those amazing, expecting ladies!   I will be writing further blogs on both today's big announcements I've just made. But I wanted to get both new announcements run up the flagpole NOW. So here we are. Be sure to check out our new Maternity Boudoir portfolio page HERE.  By the way, almost all of the images of  Melanie, our model in this first maternity boudoir gallery were shot by Kenzee!
 

  

(photo above is one of our models who has allowed us to use all her photos online)
   So a recent lady came into our studio on her session day.  What was about to happen a few hours later, she would not have previously thought could happen. Not that she didn't want it to. This story just shows how we help ladies to be relaxed and confident while they are here for their boudoir photo session.
     So there we all were, preparing her for her session. Dawn was getting our client ready with makeup and all that girl stuff. I was going over some photo ideas with said client. We will call her Miss X, to keep her totally anonymous.    So, Miss X is a wonderful person, and always in good spirits. She was planning to do some nudes while in the studio, but nothing quite as bold as the shower scene pictured above, which is one we shot in Las Vegas with a model while we were there.  We do also have two beautiful showers here at our Nashville area boudoir studio. 
    Upon viewing several photo ideas before her session that day, Miss X looked at this shower scene and said she loves it, but is just "not bold enough" to do such a photo. She obviously wanted to, was she did not think herself bold enough to.  Now, if this story were a movie, this would be where we immediately cut this scene and jump right to the next scene, and the words come up saying "2 hours later".  And now, Miss X is posing with no problem in the shower, totally nude. (and tastefully so)  The shower scene photo made it to her final photo collection and it's beautiful!  I pre-steamed up the shower for effect, then turned off the water before she got it, so no actual getting wet and showering was needed. The steamy dripping water down the glass makes the effect look real, and sexy. 
   There was no coercion or persuasion to get her into the shower scene. She was just ready, and it was obvious. The nerves were gone.  Now she has this sexy and beautiful photo for the rest of her life. She did it!  Congrats Miss X.  (and you know who you are!)  I will always remember her words earlier in the day that she was not bold enough to do that shot. 
      This story should serve as a double reminder that 1)You are probably going to lose all your nervousness very quickly after we start shooting.  and 2) We are good at what we do, making our ladies feel comfy and relaxed in their boudoir photo sessions!   Dawn and I (her husband) LOVE what we do. It's such a blessing to be able to help so many ladies feel as beautiful as they really are, and to sometimes be instrumental in helping them SEE that beauty.  It breeds confidence and esteem.
​   Boudoir anyone? 

Hi it’s Dawn, the co-founder of Boudoir á la Mode.  I have the pleasure of being the makeup artist for most of our boudoir photo sessions. (I am often times the hair stylist as well for each lady who comes to our studio.)  One thing that makes my client look her best is to use mineral based makeup which is virtually chemical free.  
    The brand I use is Younique . I was sold not only by their product, but by the fact they are generous contributors to abused women and children.  That cause is very important and dear to my heart as I have seen women and children suffer greatly. I joined unique for both of these reasons.  Immediately I joined as a representative many years before I began doing makeup full time for our boudoir business.  The makeup looks beautiful and silky smooth. The pictures always show each woman in their most beautiful light, both literally and figuratively!   It’s a true joy to blessing, and enjoy the makeover portion of our studio here in the Nashville Tennessee area.  We are located about 20 minutes away from Nashville in the Hendersonville district.  I
   If you wish to purchase some of this popular and amazing makeup product, here is a link where you can do so. Just click HERE