Inspired by Art… Just got back to LA from a wonderfully inspiring stay at the Weston estate and the Wildcat Nude Photo Workshop led by Kim Weston and myself.  Last Thursday, when I first walked into Kim’s private studio and saw his paintings on the wall, I was feeling newly infused with inspiration and creativity. The gallery style studio reminded me of when I worked at an art gallery in LA and when I traveled through Europe stopping at every atelier I could find. I am so overwhelmed with love for art, artists, muses, fellow photographers, and the graciousness of everyone in our community. I am hard pressed to verbalize how grateful I am to lead a life filled with passion, art and beautiful people… so I will just leave it to my photographs to express it for me.

All photographs created at Wildcat Hill, Big Sur, CA August 29, 2010 by Christa Meola

I will be blogging the rest of my fav picks from the Workshop as well as share all of the news that has kept me so wonderfully busy this summer.

Stay tuned for more!

xx, Christa

Left to Right: Photos by Ed Weston, Kim Weston, Christa Meola

I thought the experience on my birthday last year couldn’t be topped! Last August, I had the gift of photographing nudes with Kim Weston at Wildcat, the Weston family estate.  The Weston family’s contributions to fine art photography has been a longtime inspiration for me and has fueled my passion for art, photography, story-telling and the female figure.  So the entire weekend was deeply meaningful to me, and I blogged the pictures in Nudes No. 1, Nudes No. 2, Nudes No. 3, Nudes No. 4, and Nudes No. 5.  The spark ignited that weekend has grown as I continue to enjoy photographing nudes - my latest are posted here, the Viceroy Nudes.

But here’s the crazy exciting news… on August 27th, 28th, and 29th, Kim Weston and I will be co-leading a Nude Photography Workshop together!  At Wildcat.  My mission is to expose portrait photographers to the Weston legacy, fine art photography, and photographing the nude female form… as well as having a hell of a good time!  I’m telling you the Weston’s know how to host a workshop!  Photographing nudes all weekend on the Weston estate, steeped in history and tradition is a unique opportunity for any photographer.  Plus the fireside chats are not to be missed!  Needless to say, I’m so excited for this event and seats are going fast.  Limited to 12 photographers.  Register by contacting christa@christameola.com.

Details for Wildcat Nude:

Tradition at Wildcat
This special Wildcat Nude offers a unique opportunity for students to explore nude photography
alongside Kim Weston and Christa Meola. Participate in a weekend-long discussion about
shooting for both the fine art market and private commissions while learning about the
Weston family’s historic contributions to fine art photography.

Two Photographers, Two Approaches
Kim Weston and Christa Meola.

Two Full Evenings of Discussion
Meet and greet on Friday evening at Wildcat Hill will include an introduction to Christa and Kim’s
work and the Weston legacy.  On Saturday, guests will enjoy a family-style dinner in the Weston
home and a fireside discussion of photography as well as a Q&A.

Two Full Days Photographing Models
Participants will get the opportunity to photograph the nude figure for 2 consecutive days. This
allows plenty of time to get comfortable working with the figure models and gives you the
opportunity to photograph what you might have missed on the first day.

Topics Covered
Telling a story with your photographs
Working with models
Composition
Lighting
Showcasing your work
Getting started in the business
And more…

Models
We will have 4 models present and the class size is kept small, so we have an excellent model
to student ratio. Working in this way we have a maximum of time, space and privacy. If time
permits one-on-one time with models may be arranged.

Locations & Lighting
We will be shooting in multiple locations on the premises. The Weston estate offers
several areas indoors and outdoors, including Kim’s private studio.
All set-ups will be natural light.

What to bring
Participants are encouraged to bring a portfolio of their work for viewing. 5 to 7 finished prints
that have been matted and or presented for easy viewing. Laptop - For those participants
that are interested we like to view the work from Saturday on Sunday morning so please bring
a thumb drive along for easy transfer.

All Levels Welcome
This workshop is open to all levels of experience and any size camera, film or digital is great
for this workshop. Students should bring their own film and equipment and know how to
operate their cameras.

Workshop Fee
$695 per person
Lodging not included.

To Register
Contact christa@christameola.com or call 310.383.6494
Space is limited to 12 students.

Hope to see you there!

Christa :)

What a little pixie! Working with Lauren in my studio at the latest Boudoir Workshop was such a pleasure. I couldn’t imagine a better muse!  Everyone adored photographing her and captured stunning images.  Lauren, you’re an awesome mix of super cute, downright sexy, and bendy :)  Thank you and I’m looking forward to our next shoot!

Location: Christa Meola Pictures Studio, Los Angeles, CA
Make-up: Gia Lane

I have crazy exciting NEWS to announce this week - stay tuned!

Christa ;)

Vintage styling at the Viceroy… This second set is from a fun shoot that is my favorite blend of fashion, fine art nudes and lifestyle portraiture.

Then we had a little fun with the model’s fringe for a few minutes.  I let her just roll around and play with it, and here’s what she did…

Location: Viceroy Hotel
Hair and Make-up: Miss Gia Lane - thank you Gia!
See Set No. 1 here.

Backlog of seven boudoir models now waiting to be blogged!  Whew.. I’ll get them to you soon :)

Have a great Monday,

Christa

Some sleek Nudes shot at my latest Boudoir Photography Workshop, shot at The Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica.  I photographed this same model on the Weston estate last summer for my birthday at Kim Weston’s workshop.  I couldn’t get enough of her, so I hired her for my boudoir photographers so they can add some fine art nudes to their boudoir portraiture.  Here are a few of my favorites… Set No. 1

PS. busy-busy lately, I’ve got a book coming out: “Exposed! Redefining Boudoir” as well as a summer fully booked with shoots as I prepare to make a move to Europe in September.  Thanks for continuing to stop by the blog, leave a comment, and for all of your emails and calls - I’m posting these for you :) and I love seeing a new brigade of boudoir photographers appreciating femininity in all it’s glory and imperfection :)

Wishing you lots of Love & Nudity,

Christa

Hot child in the city! Lounging about poolside in the sun, getting wet, getting hot, and sipping on a cool cocktail. This has been one of my favorite summers yet and it’s just beginning! I took these shots last weekend in Malibu CA as part of a full-day mentoring session for a new boudoir photographer who’s just getting into the business.  A big Thank You! to our gorgeous, bold, sexy hostess/model - Miss M - a stay-at-home mom and real woman, who generously served us cocktails and the yummiest food in between shots.  Can you believe this was a workday??

More nudes and boudoir on the blog coming up ;)  It’s been insanely busy in a great way and my summer is booked with lots of women who are jumping in and getting sexy on camera - stayed tuned!

xxx,

Christa

Wooohoooo! I LOVE being a girl.  You get to play dress up, wear pink and put on lipgloss…

…you often receive flowers and look cute even while hard at work…

…and there’s not a soul on earth who can resist a cute girl with a smile!…

…except for maybe troublemakers like your older brother :)

Here’s to all the girly girls :) and their dastardly brothers who couldn’t live without them!

And a big thank you to my older brother today - who took me out to lunch :)

xoxo,

Christa

Summer is here! Well, almost. Every year I jump the gun on summer, but in So Cal it’s just so easy :) Here are a few favorite moments from recent portrait shoots.  And even though summer hasn’t technically begun, these are simply my favorite things to do during summertime!

Be silly and eat cake…

…Celebrate! with Sparklers…

…spend time outside just lying around on a blanket (nakedness optional yet highly recommended)…

…put on your new summer dress!…

…go to the beach, and actually go in the water…

…enjoy ice cream! on a cone, with a friend…

…just lie in the grass and let summer happiness wash over you :)

…and even if it’s not summertime yet where you are, I hope ice cream is in your near future :)

xo,

Christa

It wasn’t all play at PictageU… I actually did some hard work, teaching 5 separate shooting workshops… lol!  Shooting boudoir with a gaggle of workshop enthusiasts is the most fun part, albeit exhausting.  To recap and keep the momentum going, here are just a few pics that demonstrate some of the tips I covered in my portion of the shooting workshops.

We talked about how when you arrive on location how to first maximize the light in your shooting area (all of these shots are natural light only), move furniture around so it best suits your subject and the story you’re telling, clearing the set (and thus your frame) of any unwanted distractions, and when there’s stuff on the wall you can’t move… Make it work! and incorporate it into the shot…

I also demo’d how to capture one of my Money Shots “Landscape of the Body” making sure to really emphasize curves with “extreeeeeme” posture and kicking those hips up to create a nice little triangle of awesomeness between your girls hips and the sheets :)

We talked about shooting those sexy details.  I really love her hands here.  Seriously.

I also discussed a few of the simple essentials I love to bring on location: a black muslin to set up a studio anywhere, a fan to help create a feeling of sensuality and movement, and some fun props.  These shots are taken in the same hotel room just a few feet from the bed, the black muslin (in this case, a hotel table cloth) covering some seriously bad hotel art, and is naturally lit from the balcony just about a foot to the model’s right.

I also talked about creating variety both on set and in post, how to create movement by slowing your shutter speed, and how to direct a model by giving her actions instead of “poses.”  This is another Money Shot “The Hair Toss.”

Gotta love the fan!

One thing I stress to newer photographers is to be mindful of composition - are you centering everything?  Try experimenting with negative space - it really helps direct the viewer’s eye, tell the story, and has such visual impact.

Once again, I had a total blast at PictageU.  I loved meeting you all, geeking out, and shooting up some boudoir together :)  Here’s to more workshop fabulousness in the near future!

ps. Make sure to leave more of your Boudoir & Lighting questions in the comments below for an FAQ post in the near future…

Christa :)

Had a total blast at PictageU’s Boudoir & Lighting photography conference! The Pictage community team put together an incredible event so packed with inspiration and practical information… I was honored to be there and teach alongside such talented and brilliant fellow photographers.  The conference was a huge success on many levels, and attendee after attendee said how much fun they were having and how much they were learning…  one gal even said “I feel like I just got $2000 worth of content!”

The best part for me was meeting such awesome people… pro photographers are the coolest people (yes, I’m biased) and form a generous, passionate, fun-loving group!  Thank you deeply to everyone in attendance for sharing your love and curiosity for boudoir photography… for being light-hearted and playful… for challenging yourself, me and all those around you.  I am happy to say I walked away inspired, enlightened and with many new friends :)

Now that I just rolled back into town, I’m playing catch up with client orders and will be editing pics from the workshop sessions, to be posted soon!…  In the meantime, I’d love to get some more questions from you all specifically on Boudoir and Lighting… So ask away in the comments section! and I’ll post the answers in an FAQ post early next week.

To all those editing their photos right now… keep it tight.  A++ only!

Christa :)