Creative Day at the Studio

Hello everyone,

Lately I’ve been giving the studio wardrobe a bit of a refresh. I’ve been taking some pieces and repurposing them or finding new ways to give them more than one use. I haven’t used these curtains in almost exactly a year. I never had the heart to get rid of them because I knew one day I’d feel inspired to use them. Creating a style list for my creative day with @marylyn.phan, I just wrote down “striped curtains” and hoping something would come to mind. I started pinning and draping the fabric on her and created a dress directly on her. It felt so good to not worry about if it was perfect but to let the fabric move in the ways it wanted to I’m so inspired to do this for more sessions! I am also loving that this has been a sustainable way to use items I have in the studio.

-Shannon

Frequently asked Question

Hello friends,

I’m going to answer one of the frequently asked questions I get from clients about posing.

“I don't know how to pose! What do I do?!”

It’s a simple answer… I’ll help you the whole way with posing! You don’t have to have any experience in modeling or being in front of the camera at all. I truly enjoy helping with posing and direction!

No matter the pose, I will demonstrate it before we get to taking the beautiful photographs ( often the client is much more elegant than I am as I demo the poses)!

I totally understand, its intimidating to walk into a photo studio and feel you aren’t ready because you aren’t sure how to pose or if you’ll look relaxed. Again, I am here the whole way to help, couch, and motivate everyone in front of my camera.

Ready for your session?

Contact me at info@shannonkdougherty.com or through the website at www.shannonkdougherty.com

Here are some favorites from this beautiful session and her testimonial:

“Such an empowering experience. Shooting with Shannon was incredible she is amazing, her professionalism, and coaching put me at ease. I wouldn’t say I’m a natural infront of the camera but with her vision and some coaching she captured some stunning images! Her portfolio is stunning and I couldn’t recommend her more!”

Studio Wardrobe

Hello friends,

One frequently asked question I get from clients is, “What do I do for wardrobe?! What do I wear?”

It definitely can feel super stressful to decide what to bring in for your photoshoot but that’s where I come in!

First, during your consultation, I go over all of the details on what I best to bring for your photoshoot. Plus, you don’t have to go spend a lot of money. We also have a second wardrobe consultation to go over more details on what you have to bring.

The best part is there is an extensive studio wardrobe for clients to use for their session. If you want to go glam, I have gowns, long dresses, full tulle robes, and many things with sequins to give that luxe touch to your session. There are also tons of lingerie, corsets, bodysuits to name a few options (I’m personally a fan of vintage lingerie so there is a lot of that in the wardrobe). There are also a few more daring pieces with leather and lace.

For this blog post, I wanted to share a few client favorites and a sneak peek of a few of the items in the studio wardrobe. I definitely plan on doing an extensive catalog of the pieces in the future!

Until next time,

Shannon

Let's chat about boudoir

I call myself a boudoir photographer but I don’t really even like that word. By definition a boudoir is a bedroom or private dressing room. While that does translate to calling it Boudoir photography, I feel its so much more than that. I prefer to say I shoot intimate portraiture. Why don’t I just say that? I do! If we think about it though the word ‘boudoir’ is much more recognizable when we are searching for photographers.

When I speak to my clients, I want them to know that this experience goes beyond just “sexy” posing in lingerie. It’s so much more. I want my client to connect to themselves on an emotional level. It’s a brave thing to put yourself out there (especially in front of someones camera) and that should be celebrated.

Everyone has a different definition of what they think “sexy” is. I could have a client walk in and want to be completely nude the whole time or have one that wants to be mostly covered. There is no wrong answer here. The proper boudoir/intimate portrait experience can happen no matter what you aren’t or are wearing. There should be a bit of YOUR story in your images.

It’s incredibly important to me to always listen to my client and give them images they can walk away and be proud to have for many years to come. If you booked with me then you know thats why we have a phone chat long before your session date, I want to know you and what would make you excited with your images.

I would like to throw the idea out the window that boudoir photography has to be one way or look a certain way. This is another reason I will mix it up and focus on portraiture as well during a session.

The images in this post are a storytelling boudoir/intimate portrait session I did for a close friend.

Cheers!

Shannon

Happy New Year!

Hello everyone!

We did it! We made it through the most wild year…2020 ( I don’t even want to type that year any more).

I haven’t shared any client work in a while, so today I’m going to brag about Rachel!

Rachel came in for her session to gift her significant other with a portrait and boudoir session. When she left, I could definitely tell that the session was just as much for her. One of my favorite things to hear a client say is how much their photoshoot experience meant to them.

I picked out some favorites from her session. We did a lot of black & white images ( if you follow my work then you know I am OBSESSED with a b&w session).

I say time and time again that I have the best job in the world. I get to meet so many amazing clients, capture their beauty and really show them how stunning they truly are.

Cheers!

Shannon

We moved!

Hello lovely humans!

Phew, a lot has been happening the past few months. I guess we can all mark off on our life checklist about living through a pandemic. During the quarantine and lockdown, I’ve been keeping busy with my head down and working on next steps for the business. Also, I moved! I’m still located in St. Louis but in a new space and LOVING it!

This year is the year of change, right? I didn’t really plan to move during a pandemic but it worked out that way. I slowly started to book limited sessions starting in June for all the parts of my business (portraits, fashion, and boudoir). I have to say all of these sessions are a breath of fresh air. I’ve been loving the new space!

I can’t wait to have more of you in front of my camera soon!

Cheers!

Shannon