Meet the "Boudoir Team!"

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I am not only pleased to announce that Courtney Bell Photography will now be holding bi-monthly Boudoir Day events, but I am also excited to introduce to you my professional hair and makeup artists, Miss Sarah Nenni and Miss Stacy Lee Elwood!

Miss Sarah Nenni

In addition to being a fantastic hair stylist, colorist, and extensionista, Sarah Nenni and I have been good friends for about 20 years (yeesh!).  Sarah lives in the Huntington area and has been doing hair professionally for over eleven years. She has trained in Columbus, Indiana, Nashville, Philadelphia, and Miami, and she currently works at Mirror, Mirror Salon in Barboursville.   Sarah has been the official hair stylist for Courtney Bell Photography ever since my first Boudoir Day event in 2009.  Not only does she consistently give my clients gorgeous, sexy hair, but she has the uncanny ability to put even the most nervous clients at ease with her crazy sense of humor.  Sarah is also no stranger to modeling, herself, and has utilized her experience to assist me on several boudoir shoots.

Miss Stacy Lee Elwood

The newest member of my "Boudoir Team" is makeup artist, Stacy Lee Elwood.  At a young age, Stacy became interested in makeup as a natural extension of her love of drawing and painting.  Stacy worked as a professional makeup artist for MAC for three years, where she trained with some of the best and most well-known artists.  She has also done makeup for runway shows, weddings, proms, and other special events for over six years.  Stacy currently works as a nurse at St. Mary's, but her passion for transforming women and making them feel beautiful through makeup continues, and she is very excited to be able to provide her professional makeup services for Courtney Bell Photography.

Yesterday, Sarah and Stacy worked their magic for two Boudoir models.  One of the models is my friend and next door neighbor, and the other is a new friend and newlywed, who's wedding I photographed back in June.  I asked these girls to model for me so I could test out a couple of new backdrops, which I recently purchased specifically for boudoir, to have some new boudoir photos to display on my website, which I am currently redesigning (coming soon!), and to showcase their photos at the upcoming Bridal Expo (January 27, 2013).

I felt the best way to illustrate Sarah and Stacy's amazing hair and makeup skills was to shoot "Before and After" photos.  Therefore, I photographed the models as soon as they arrived at my studio yesterday, wearing their hair and makeup just as they typically do on a day-to-day basis.  As you can see in their "After" photos, both girls transformed beautifully and easily into sweet and sexy sirens!

Sassy, vamped-up "Before and After"

Sweet and sexy, bridal "Before and After"

I had SUCH a great time photographing these girls and working with Sarah and Stacy yesterday!  There were a lot of laughs, and both models sent me nice "thank you" texts last night telling me how excited they are about their photos.

As mentioned above, I am currently redesigning my website, which will feature a Boudoir gallery with complete pricing information.  The website will hopefully go live before the end of the year.  In the meantime, be sure to check out my Facebook page to see more photos from these girls' photo sessions, as well as several other examples of my style of boudoir photography.

Also, don't forget that Courtney Bell Photography will now be holding Boudoir Day events on the first and third Sunday of every month!  There are only five appointment times available for each event, and the first official Boudoir Day of 2013 is going to be held on January 6.  So, be sure to schedule your appointment as early as possible!  You can either email me at cbellphoto@comcast.net or call (304) 522-7747.

Big Boudoir Announcement!

As 2012 officially comes to a close, I have to say that I am really looking forward to 2013 because I’ve got a couple of big announcements to make! Unfortunately, one of those announcements will have to wait until after the beginning of the year (sorry!), but I am very excited to be able to make the other announcement today.

Beginning January 6, 2013, I will be holding regular bi-monthly Boudoir Day events on the first and third Sunday of EVERY month! This means that I will be dedicating these particular Sundays exclusively to photographing Boudoir sessions, AND these are the only two days per month that on-site professional hair and makeup services will be available at my studio for your convenience. If you are not able to schedule your appointment on the first or third Sunday of any month, or if you do not wish to have professional hair and makeup services, never fear! You may still book a private Boudoir session on any day of the week or on a different weekend, as long as my schedule permits.

I am also pleased to announce that the professional hair and makeup artists who will be working with me next year are Sarah Nenni and Stacy Lee Elwood! I will be introducing these lovely ladies more formally in the near future, complete with “Before” and “After” photos from a couple of Boudoir sessions that I am shooting this weekend. So, be sure to stay tuned to learn more about Sarah and Stacy and to see actual examples of their fabulous work in a future blog.

In the meantime, as mentioned above, the first Boudoir Day event of the year is going to be on January 6, 2012, followed by another on January 20, 2012. The sitting fee is $200 and includes the following:

• Private studio photo session with Courtney Bell (up to 2 hours of photography )
• Up to 3 different outfits
• Bring any props you’d like to give your photos that extra personal touch, or choose from a selection of props and/or furniture at the studio
• All images professionally edited and re-touched, according to YOUR specifications, exclusively by Courtney Bell (no one else will see your images)
• Your 20 final images will be posted in a password-protected online gallery, from which you may order prints directly
• Seven of your favorite, full-resolution images will be given to you on a disc or emailed directly to you ($20 for each additional image. Copyright release available for an additional $100.)

There will only be five appointment times available for each Boudoir Day, so please try to book your appointment as early as possible. In order to reserve your appointment time, a non-refundable deposit of $50 will need to be made at the time of booking. The balance of $150 will be due on the day of your photo session.

*Please note that professional hair and makeup services ARE NOT INCLUDED in your sitting fee, and you will need to pay Sarah and Stacy for their services separately ($25 each) on the day of your session.

I also offer Boudoir Parties at a discounted rate if you are able to bring 3 or more of your girlfriends with you on any day of the week other than one of the regularly scheduled Boudoir Days. (Please click here for details.) If you and your girlfriends would also like on-site professional hair and makeup services for your Boudoir Party, please try to schedule least three weeks in advance in order to allow Sarah and Stacy time to adjust their schedules accordingly.

Call or email today to reserve your appointment time for Boudoir Day, 1/6/12! The best way to reach me is by email at cbellphoto@comcast.net, but you may also call (304) 522-7747 (Monday through Friday after 7:00 p.m., or on the weekends is best).