Thank you so much to the family at Barneys New York for hosting the most lovely lunch in support of the ICA Boston. As a lady who rarely lunches, this was a fun break and a great afternoon spent with friend and fashion illustrator, Holly Nichols. We shopped, we dined, we met some amazingly talented people, including designer Brooke Garber Neidich of Sidney Garber Jewelry and had the most interesting conversation with none other than Barneys’ own Simon Doonan. 

What a fashionable, girl’s day!! I spent last weekend with a friend at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, followed by an amazing late brunch at Gaslight in the South End. The MFA featured fashion illustrations by the late Kenneth Paul Block, who sketched for Women’s Wear Daily and W Magazine. His illustrations not only feature the hottest trends of that time but focused on the famous lifestyles of the celebrities and socialites who wore them. They were lovely to see in person. I’m excited to go back soon to check out the TechStyle exhibit. This features garments made from recycled material and 3-D printers! That will be shown until July so don’t miss out!

What’s your favorite girls day out trip? Comment below.

Love working with a great team to come up with some fun and creative hair concepts. Kai Anthony, owner of Salon 1803 in Marshfield, MA is an amazingly talented stylist. He’s also a Redken educator, my personal stylist and a good friend. This is shoot #2 for Kai’s Mastered class with UK hair icon and celebrity stylist Sam McKnight. Our beautiful model is Jesslyn of Maggie Inc. Makeup by the amazing Shana Christoforo.

[Scroll below the pictures for links to all creatives involved as well as a behind the scenes video.]

Thank you to all who came out to shop local and support small business artists!
Enjoy a few photos from our shop small Saturday open studio, featuring fashion illustrator Holly Nichols, makeup artist Danielle Keefe and yours truly!!

Miss out on today’s event and holiday offers?
You can still get a complimentary mobile look book when you schedule any boudoir or beauty portrait in the month of December.
For more info, contact us HERE.

#ShopSmall

[Danielle’s Organic Lip Scrub]

Love & Lipstick’s own Danielle Keefe can now be found at Shannon Michelle Photography!
Designer Decor . Custom Lip Treatments . Headshots

Holiday Cards and Mugs by Holly!

Holly Nichols Studio [left] | Shannon Michelle Studio [right]

Live Sketching by Holly Nichols

We LOVE Christmas and the holiday season and we’re excited to share with you what we’ve got planned for the biggest shopping weekend of the year! The deals below are exclusively available Friday, Nov. 28th – 11pm on Monday, November 30th.

BECAUSE ALL HE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU…

We are making boudoir sessions easier and more affordable than ever…introducing Holiday Mini Sessions! This years theme is “LIPS OR LEGS” and includes an 11×14″ canvas print for just $159!
[No coupon code required]

If you’re a past client and have a BEAUTY PORTRAIT that you love, save 50% on all canvas prints!
[Coupon code: SHOPSMALLCANVAS]

If you know you’re going to be in way too many holiday photos this year, you might want to take advantage of 50% off the POSE THIN VIDEO download.
[Coupon code: SHOPSMALLPOSING]

Last but not least, if you’re a FASHION LOVER, take 20% off select DESIGNER DECOR. At just $12 each, they make the perfect stocking stuffer!
[Coupon code: SHOPSMALLPRINTS]

For more info on deals and to purchase online, simply click HERE for BOUDOIR and HERE for DESIGNER DECOR.

I recently came across a video about the everlasting conversation around retouching. It was led by another boudoir photographer and one of the comments made was…

“As boudoir photographers, we talk out of both sides of our mouth saying that you need to love the skin your in, at the same time let’s put you in all this hair and make up and lingerie…because you’re not good enough as you are; it’s a fine line. If you’re a boudoir photographer, I bet you struggle with this a lot, especially when you’re talking about why you shoot boudoir. How can you not be hypocritical when you’re doing this.” [Let me go on record and say that this photographer is quite passionate and lovely and I could tell she cared very much for her clients. I actually really enjoyed what she was saying, aside from the quote above. And I loved that the reason she retouches is to help women look past their “flaws” to be able to see their true beauty.]

As someone with almost a decade experience of working with high fashion runway models and someone with equal experience photographing women who are not models, I am more than qualified to speak up on the gap between the fashion industry and how we see ourselves day to day. Regarding that quote above and any other comment that comes close to it, I call “BULLSHIT!”

Keep reading to find out why…

I call bullshit because….

I know exactly where I stand on this issue. I don’t struggle with this at all and hypocritical is the last word I would ever utter out of my perfectly made up red lips when I describe my work. Can you hear the steam coming from my ears right now!!!!

Why is someone who has “all this hair and make up and lingerie” automatically described as “because you’re not good enough as you are?” If that’s why you’re doing it, I can understand why you’d have a problem with it. I say “because you love the skin you’re in and because you’re worth it, let’s put you in all this hair and make up and inspire you to experience a side of yourself you may not have yet seen.” Does having her hair and make up make done and dressing up really make her any less of who she is without it? What about when she comes out of the gym covered in sweat with frizzy hair? Or when she is covered in puke while taking care of her newborn. Do those “outfits” define her? No. They are all temporary experiences that together make up who she is. Not one or the other and certainly not because she’s “not good enough.” Why are we so quick to judge the dressed up version of ourselves but not the dressed down version?

That attitude is what shames women and it’s disgusting. 

The fashion industry is so fun; I absolutely love it and I’m proud to be a part of it!! But I think what everyone forgets is that the fashion industry is theatrical in nature. It’s not meant to be something you compare yourself to day in and day out. It’s meant to be fun! And if you want that experience, I can certainly give it to you. But again, it’s just that…an experience. It’s not who you are and it’s not who they [models] are.

Most women can’t relate to working in the high fashion industry. That’s OK, I probably can’t relate to what your job includes. But I think we rush to judge things that we don’t fully understand and I think that’s what happens when people attack the fashion/beauty industry. We are afraid to say things like “I want to look like that. I’m insecure. I’m afraid to be vulnerable.” So instead, we attack. We say “Shame on you for retouching. Shame on you for being 13 and skinny. Shame on you for selling us something we want but don’t want.”

What I’ve found over the years, is that the more that women find their own confidence and find the ability to love, forgive and care for themselves as they would others, the more they want to take care of and celebrate themselves. They want to embrace a variety of experiences and yes, for some, that includes hair and make up, lingerie and retouching. It also means embracing an experience that adds value and confidence to their life.

And shame on you if you think any differently.

[Naeem Khan | Reem Acra | Venexiana | J Mendel ]

Click HERE to book your own boudoir or portrait shoot!
Click HERE to find out why I think having a boudoir or portrait shoot makes you a better mom.

I’ve had this white bob wig in the accessories closet of my studio for well over a year. Last weekend, I finally got to use it! I absolutely LOVE monochromatic colors and when we applied that theme to Claudia, it did not disappoint! Here’s a before and after photo and some behind the scenes video from this fashion inspired portrait shoot.
I just LOVE the transformation with hair, make up and photography.

If you want us to recreate this look for you, message info@shannon-michelle.com!

“YOU, HERE! STAND RIGHT HERE!”

‘Where?’ I thought.
[There wasn’t enough space to physically fit, never mind see over the hundreds of other photographers in front of me].

“YES, COME. RIGHT HERE!”

[I’m in there somewhere!!]

It was my very first day inside the tents of  New York Fashion Week and I was getting a crash course in runway photography. There were just minutes before the lights went down and the music came up and I was just being thrown into the pit by runway photographer Anton Oparin, whom I had met the night before at an offsite show and had offered me the opportunity to shoot inside the tents. The energy was palpable and I had no idea what I was doing other than that I loved photography and I was getting to shoot at Bryant Park! Fear was not an option. I was left alone to just figure it out. Sink or swim. And as it happened, I was dead center in the middle of the biggest ring of hungry, angry, stressed out, sleep deprived photographers from all over the world. And fresh meat; they could smell it, I’m sure. The new girl Anton had brought in to take up one of their coveted spots. [Sorry guys. I would hate me now too…lol.] But everyone starts somewhere and I did eventually figure it out. Shooting fashion was the first time in a long time that I had felt challenged again. Combine this with my love for all things fashion and it’s the perfect recipe for me being here some 15 seasons later, with my own team of amazing people. Now I’m the hungry, angry, stressed out and sleep deprived one but I love it!  I look forward to being able to shoot fashion for as long as I’m still in love with it!

Throughout the time I spent on those fashion risers, I’ve met some wonderful people. Once such person is Charles Beckwith of modaCYCLE and The American Fashion Podcast [I love listening to this podcast and you should certainly check it out the next time you’re in the car, on the train or even in the grocery store]. Charles brings to fashion week a very kind, calming and much needed patient personality. So when his team sat down to interview fashion designer Ralph Rucci, I just couldn’t not share it with you!

Enjoy!!

Click HERE to watch an honest and open interview with American fashion designer, Ralph Rucci.

You’ll see me directly under the lowest light (right) waiting for the show to begin.

[Ralph Rucci – Spring 2014 Collection]

[Ralph Rucci – Spring 2014 Collection]