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Christina Gressianu Photographer

Portrait Photography Studio in Loveland, Colorado

boudoir photography

Beyond Boudoir

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When I talk to you ladies about what I do, frequently boudoir comes up. And when it does, there’s an interesting push-pull you feel. As though it’s mysterious and beautiful (pull) and daring and dangerous (push).

Let’s see if I can feed the pull and starve the push a bit…

First, let me be honest. A couple years ago I had my own boudoir portraits made for the simple reason that I felt like a hypocrite telling you about how it’ll be wonderful when I’d never done it. And yes, I felt the same push-pull you’re feeling. And it was wonderful.

Now, let me tell you something else. You are so much more than a butt and boobs. You’re more than legs in stilettos hooked into a thong. (what a freaking weirdo photo idea… that was clearly a man’s idea. You don’t know what I’m talking about? Google it…) You’re more than a flat or not-flat or stretch-marked belly. You are more than all of those put together… AND, here’s the clincher… while you are more than your body… it’s still your body!

What makes you beautiful and sexy isn’t JUST your body, and your body is part of it. What makes you beautiful and sexy is your confidence, your sparkling eyes, your playfulness, your willingness to be daring. And that’s both the push and the pull of boudoir, isn’t it? Don’t we all want to be daring in our lives!? Bold! And the whole daring part of being daring is that it’s scary! (Otherwise everyone would do it and there wouldn’t be anything daring about it)

If you’re tinkering with the idea of boudoir for yourself, then you can consider yourself done with this article…

If you’re considering it as a gift for someone, then keep reading. This boudoir portrait with the guitar is absolutely the one I’ve gotten the most comments from men on. Men love this one.  Men rave about how sexy it is. Great, so what exactly is showing? Not boobs, not butt. A little hip, shoulders, back, legs and arms. The great thing about sexiness is that it’s not necessarily about how much skin you show. It’s about exciting the imagination, and that doesn’t require a whole lot of skin.

Think about what might be sexy that’s totally comfortable… being wrapped in white sheets? A giant mens’ dress shirt? That cocktail dress that hugs in all the right places?

Even if you want to do a boudoir session as a gift for someone, it’s still your session. It’s still about you. You call the shots. You wear as much or as little as you like. I’ve been there. You’re safe with me. And nothing ends up on my website without your ok.  And when we’re done, you’ll feel like the smoking hot woman-on-fire that you are. You might be hungry too.

Thank you so much for such a fun and self-esteem boosting session. I had a great time and I love the photos! ~ Starla

Book your session now while you’re feeling bold! If you wait, you’ll talk yourself out of it. Fill out the form and you’ll get some info, and then we can get on the phone!

Why Your Husband Really Stares at those Victoria Secret models – It’s not why you think!

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fort-collins-boudoir-photographerHas this ever happened to you? Your on the couch snuggled up with the Love of Your Life, watching that sitcom you both love (it was Chuck for us) when Leggy Blonde in Her Underwear shows up on screen, and your otherwise sweet and wonderful life partner forgets himself and wolf whistles. Wolf Whistles!! At Leggy Blonde who looks NOTHING like me! Hello?? I’m right here… you know, the woman holding your hand…

He didn’t understand why I was so offended. It was just a reaction. Which obviously just made me more upset. But fortunately, we are both graduates of the Landmark Forum so we were then able to have a conversation of what I was making his whistle mean and such. So that happened.

We’ve also been watching the BBC show Coupling recently, which is hilarious. Between my man’s wolf-whistle, all the boudoir shoots I’ve done, the incessant FB sharing of articles complaining that the Disney Princesses need to eat more and such, and the brilliance that is Coupling, something crystalized in my brain.  I think this epiphany will help any woman whose husband forgets to finish his sentence when a scantily clad supermodel appears.

Here is it… the really reason why he can’t help himself when he sees a Victoria’s Secret Model (or similar)… are you ready?

Because…

She is Confidently Walking around in her underwear… and happy to be looked at. That’s it, ladies. Your husband has little to no concern for the measurements of any particular feature. He doesn’t care what color her hair is, or that her hair is even combed. He doesn’t care how tall/ thin / busty / tan / pale / etc she is. It’s a woman, confidently strutting around in her underwear, loving to be looked at.

And what do we do? We get out of the shower, wrap a towel around us as fast as we can, and say “What are you looking at?” That’s what I used to do.

Try it out… see if I’m right. Strut around the house in your undies. They don’t even have to match. But you do have to strut. And you can’t wilt when his gaze hits you. The confidence part is key. It will feel ridiculous. And that’s why we don’t do it, and then get upset when he looks at models in their underwear.

If the confidence part is the hardest, here’s what I have to offer:

1 – Remind yourself that this spouse of yours chose you. He didn’t settle for you. There are many fish in the sea, of all shapes, sizes and IQs. He actively chose you.

2 – No one cares about the measurements of any of your particular features nearly as much as you do. Everyone else looks at you as one whole person… not a set of boobs that are too ____, not a butt that is too _____.

3 – Book yourself a boudoir session. If you can’t strut around the house in your underwear yet, start with a photo session to as practice. You’ll be nervous until about 5 minutes after we start. I promise. Then you’ll have photos to see how awesome you look strutting around in your underwear. And then you can show him those photos and see how much he loves it. (He might even wolf-whistle) And then you’ll be strutting around the house like a model.

Get in the Car and Go

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Because sometimes, that’s what you’ve got to do.

Rio Grande Gorge, Taos

I’ve been learning a lot lately about living from inspiration, or following your heart, or whatever you want to call it. It comes down to listening to the soft whispers that gently ask that you do something exciting and scary, rather than listening to the loud and ceaseless voice that has reasons and justifications for playing it safe, keeping things predictable and controllable.

Well, last week I had one such little whisper that said “get out of town… now.” I had all kinds of reasons why I shouldn’t… I’d go alone? Where? And isn’t there work and stuff I should be doing instead? The whisper said “yes, alone… anywhere… and the work will wait.” Ok then… it makes me nervous, but I’m listening.

Rio Grande Gorge, somewhere between Santa Fe and Taos

And so on Friday, I got in my car and drove to Taos, New Mexico. Saturday morning, I took a yoga class and then drove to Santa Fe. Sunday afternoon, I drove back to Fort Collins. In between, I talked to strangers of all kinds, locked my keys in my car… twice, broke into my car… twice, did a lot walking, stopping, and looking around. I certainly had my moments of discomfort, moments of “what the hell am I doing here?” and “why am I the only person in the universe all alone?” For the most part though, I was drunk on my freedom, giddy with the enormity of infinite possibilities and madly in love with the little whisper in my heart.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

I think everyday, everyone should do one little thing out of the ordinary. One little act that is simultaneously exciting and uncomfortable. That way, when big opportunities or big ideas present themselves, you’ll be a pro at tuning out the fearful voice telling you to play it safe. You’ll be able to recognize that little whisper saying “yes, do it.” And you will listen.

The Many Flavors of Boudoir Photography

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There are many great things about boudoir sessions – the outfits, music, accessories and beauty of course. It’s a little like playing dress up, but with altogether different results!  When Lauren and I talked about her boudoir session, she was bubbling with ideas… I got emails about fun clothes she’d found and photos she liked. We decided to do the shoot at a friend’s pre-owned furniture store here in Fort Collins, just for the randomness of what might be there.

Lauren showed up with a suitcase of shoes, 2 bags of clothing and a basket of jewelry. So far, she takes the prize for most fun stuff brought to a shoot.  And because we had all the different areas of the store, and all her different outfits, we got to showcase a good sampling of the variety of flavors boudoir photography can be. Not to mention the amazingly multi-faceted-ness that is Lauren.

I tried to think of clever names for the various flavors… but so far, this is #1.

Flavor 2?  And fair warning: the photos get steamier and more beautiful as you scroll down!

How sweet and sexy is that expression in, uh, flavor #3?

This is definitely the Michael Jackson Flavor!

The following two I see as being very Dita von Tess:

And this last one is my absolute favorite! It’s a magazine ad for cowboy boots or something. Confident, feminine… gorgeous!

A Monday of Random Things

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A bunch of things are going on now and when I was trying to figure out what to blog about first, I kept not blogging. So, I’m just throwing it all into one post because that’s how today is going to roll.

First, I’m doing a fundraiser for a wonderful organization in Northern Colorado called Hope Lives! They are all about helping women with breast cancer in all kinds of ways we might take for granted. They provide services such as massage therapy, cooking/cleaning / home help, personal and family counseling, and more. I love this organization because the result, are tanglible, immediate and local. They are directly helping women right now, right here. And you can help them too! October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and you can signing up now for a Boudoir for Breast Cancer session! It’s fun, the photos make a fantastic gift for that someone special, and half of your session fee is tax deductible. (The half that’s not tax deductible goes to things like the hotel cleaning fee, make up, batteries, and other such hard costs of doing this. Teryn, who is a wonderful hair and makeup stylist, and I are both donating our time and talent.

Next, I’m thrilled to announce my acceptance into the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA)!  The WPJA is “an International, membership-based organization representing professional photographers skilled in the documentation of weddings and events in a candid, unobtrusive style. As a WPJA member, Christina Gressianu joins the ranks of some of the most talented wedding photojournalists in the world as judged by their technical, creative and visual aptitude.

Christina Gressianu will be held to strict membership standards regarding image quality and content, technical and creative technique, website and marketing professionalism, business ethics and communication. In turn, he/she gains prestigious affiliation with one of the industry’s top professional organizations. Christina Gressianu can further gain admittance into quarterly competitions, where his/her work will be judged by some of the world’s most respected and accomplished award-winning photojournalists.”

Exciting, isn’t it?

I am also participating in a local Halloween themed art show! I don’t have all the details yet, but I know the show goes up on Thursday, and so I was working feverishly over the weekend to craft a good creepy photo. Since the show is not up yet, just a sneak peak…  inspired by Blair Witch Project.

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Lastly, I’m super excited to blog Stephanie and Skip’s Wedding this week, but I’m not quite ready yet, so here’s a little sneak peak:

Ellis ranch, wedding photography, northern colorado, loveland