I will admit it. At the beginning of this year I decided to try to make my collections super easy and "give the people what they wanted". According to people, they said they wanted "just digitals", with a handful wanting albums and folio boxes, but to be honest, the majority went for the digital only collection. But I didn't press this further. I didn't question WHY the majority of people just wanted digital images of their saucy boudoir photos?? I just accepted it, but I realize now that as the professional, it is my job, nay! MY DUTY, to educate clients on why maybe digital images are NOT the ideal solution to receiving your amazing boudoir images. I have written about this in the past here, but I got away from it while trying to find what worked best for me and my business model. So, as we entered the halfway point of 2017, the Universe spoke to me. (roll your eyes all you want...I think it did)
I was cleaning up my studio and I accidentally knocked over a black box on my shelf. All of these 4x6, 5x7 and 8x10 prints came fluttering down to the ground and after I cursed my "bull in the china shop-ness" I looked closer at the images. These were beautiful boudoir photos that I had printed out 3 years prior....these were images that told the stories of the beautiful women that graced them and as I touched them with my hand I was immediately transported back to the day that I photographed them. I stopped what I was doing and sat in the middle of this pile of prints, smiling at the images in front of me. I looked at my work and thought about how far I had come since 3 years ago. I looked at the women and wondered how they were doing in their self love journey and life. But then....I frowned.
These images were stored on a hard drive somewhere in my home. They were catalogued away, sitting on a dusty hard drive and that's when I realized....I would never purposely plug in my hard drive to see these images, because, well, I'm lazy...and that's when I realized that most people are too. In this day and age, people want instant gratification and the path of least resistance....so, while the USB of digital files may seem ultimately the most instantaneously exciting and best option, I guarantee that if I have a USB of digital files sitting on my nightstand or an album on my nightstand with the same images, I will be more likely to pick up the album because it's the path of least resistance (plus we only create luxury albums with the highest quality so they are FAB to feel and seeing yourself in print is the ultimate highlight).
I can't say my husband and I ever cozied up around the computer, listening to the whirr of the hard drive and reminisced over our digital files....but every night, before we go to bed, we see our canvasses of our engagement and wedding and we see my sexy boudoir photos on our wall....more importantly, I see my boudoir images on the wall and am reminded both consciously and subconsciously that I am a fierce babe that can take on the world (but also has a sweet and sensitive side). So, I decided to bring back EXPERIENCE to my clients....if my job is to empower you, then I have to do everything I can to ensure you walk out of my studio and can continue that "Boudoir High" that clients rave about. If you can easily grab an album, make eye contact with a saucy matted image of yourself, or revel in the gloriousness that is YOU, then you can keep that high going without the inconvenience of A)having to track down your USB, B)having to plug it in to your laptop or computer, and C)wait for them to load.
Ultimately THAT is why I reverted back to collections and a la carte products...because I want what's best for you. That being said, there are still digital only options, but I want most clients to walk away with something they can look back on when jpegs become extinct. And don't worry, for the instant gratification you can still get your digital images the day of your reveal because with every purchased image in your collection or tangible a la carte item you will also receive the digital copy...so essentially, you get the best of both worlds!
Now, everyone's biggest concern when someone changes their pricing is that their costs will be significantly higher, but to be honest, my prices are pretty much the same as they were before July 1st, but now you actually get luxury items alongside your digital images.
As a boudoir specialist, I don't take my job lightly and every woman who walks through my door deserves to have an epic, self love experience...with the longlasting images to prove it and remind her just how f*ing amazing she is. At the same point I also have to realize that she, like me, is "lazy" and will NOT plug in her USB or go to her dropbox folder to remind herself of her brilliance (because who the fuck has time to do that????) when she could very easily reach for a book of high quality images or simply smile coyly at the image of her that sits on the nightstand. INSTANT EMPOWERMENT FOR EVERYONE!!!To learn more about our products and why we have chosen the ones we have, feel free to check out the pricing page or shoot me an email!
I'm Only Human ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photographer
I need to confess something. 2017 has not had a great start for me and in hindsight I know it could be worse, but I think I need to let y'all know what's been going on. I have been feeling slightly anxious and overwhelmed the last 2 months and maybe it's in part to the current political climate and the constant barrage of He Who Shall Not Be Named on social media, but I think another part is that I got away a bit from what I was trying to accomplish. This year I decided to change my pricing because I was told by various photography colleagues that my value and worth and all that good stuff, plus overhead costs were "worth so much more", but in listening to other people, I got away from what my actual goal is. I always try to remember that overall my ultimate goal is to affect as many women as possible and with that, I found that the way I adjusted my pricing was moving me further away from my overall mission. Do I still think I am worth a high value? Certainly. But money isn't the end game for me. Sure, I require enough to keep my studio and providing you babes with epic customer service, continual education, and experience and all that jazz, but for me, my value is in meeting every single woman I am able to affect and empower. While a lot of people believe in the methodology of "work smarter, not harder" I honestly don't think that is what is right for me....and I think this has been a big challenge that has made me feel so uneasy the last little bit. I haven't been shooting as consistently and I have been feeling....empty. I haven't been meeting as many women because my higher price point made me less available and I finally realized that it is in meeting women as often as I used to, that I am ultimately fulfilled and being used to my fullest potential. That being said, at the end of the day I AM a business, but only in the sense that I need to make a living to keep working towards my mission of empowering as many women and photographers as I possibly can. Is it humbling for me to write this post? You betcha, but I think it's necessary because I had to explain the sporadic pricing menu changes that have been going on the last few months while I struggled with trying to be "the right kind of business person" and realized just like everything else I do, I am not average or "normal" and I have to do what is right for me...and ultimately for you! After all, part of being body positive and all that good stuff is about being authentic!
So, you can check out the FINALIZED 2017 pricing guide on the site here or you can shoot me an email to: thpstudios@gmail.com if you are interested in booking a consultation!
Oops, I Did it Again (branding, that is) ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photographer
Since you are on this website previewing this blog post you can see some changes in and around this blog post! I have finally come to a place with myself and my work to be able to create an ACTUAL logo (aside from just my name) and I wanted to give you a bit of background where all of this has come from. Let's start with the symbol behind my name:
The book that changed my life was The Alchemist and I even wrote a blog post about it when I was on a kick about sharing my favorite things. I have not only read this book a few times, I have probably bought and give another 10 to people that needed it at that moment in their lives. If you haven't read it and are finding yourself at a bit of a crossroads in your life, I highly recommend it. But anywho, the idea of Alchemy was something that I have always been attracted to: the process of transforming lead into gold (or at least trying to). I have always known that what we do here at the THP Studios is more than just photography and I really connected with this idea of "transformation." Now, as I mentioned before I am not transforming women from ugly to beautiful, but rather, we are transforming the way they see themselves. More often than not the babes that come in front of my lens view themselves as lead: heavy, burdened, plain, etc. (this is never the actual case) and then when they leave, they feel like gold (bright, shiny, see their worth, etc.)
Secondly, the variety of alchemy symbols that I decided to forge together came out of a fab quote that I came across:
(this image was found via Pinterest)I strongly believe that everyone needs to recognize this about themselves and help develop that fire within themselves. I believe that every woman who comes in for a session leaves with a stirring inside her to get her to bring forth the passion for herself once again.
(artist unknown)Lastly, if you will look closely at the dark colors that permeate my site, you will realize that it is NOT black, and rather a beautiful, moody navy. When I travel and see the ocean, my favorite has always been when it is a gorgeous dark hue...almost the color of the night sky in the autumn. It's a color I had a hard time pinning down, but when I finally came across it, I realized it was a essentially a darker hue of the teal I had been using prior. As I have evolved, so have my tastes, but the original inspiration still stays. This darker color is also more representative of my shooting style, where I shoot more for shadows than I do for light (odd thing for a photographer to say!). In any case, this is the current, evolved version of THP Studios thanks for hanging around to watch us grow!
Empowering Emerald {curvy inspiration session} ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photographer
EEEEE!!! I am beyond stoked for everything that is coming down the pipe for 2017! One of the coolest things, is that myself and my cohort Lindsay Rae of Lindsay Rae Photography in New York are co-hosting a variety of workshops specializing in photographing women with curves and creating curves for those babes who are more athletically built! A side effect of our awesome niche, is that we also both utilize the same premium album company to provide our clients with gorgeous, long lasting products for our clients to preserve their gorgeous images and therefore, we have created our own album line coming out next year called Confident Curves. To get one of the samples made, I threw together a kick ass shoot with the gorgeous Miss C (who has been featured a few times on the site!) to celebrate our Empowering Emerald cover - a gorgeous "crocodile" looking leather cover in emerald.
This is only ONE of a multitude of gorgeous covers that will be coming in the new year with a variety of confidence-inspiring names! But anyhow, let's get to the goods! Check out this epic inspiration session shoot with Miss C, inspired by the dark hues of the winter season: burgundy, eggplant, and emerald. A lot of the outfits you will see come from Adore Me!! PS. You will also see Miss C as the cover girl of our 2017 Welcome Packages!!
Our First Real Life Employee ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
Well, guys, things are moving up and becoming a bit more streamlined to make an epic boudy experience for you! For starters, I have made my offerings much more minimalist (like my work) to make life easy for you! You select your images, get a fabulous album + digitals + wall art and call it a day (for more details shoot me an email and I can send you my info guide)!
I have also updated my Bad Ass Guide to Boudoir Styling to better suit my mission in terms of the Classy Sessions. You see, when I first started boudoir, I thought it was important to do things the way everyone did them when it came to boudoir. Dress up the woman, throw on all the jewellery, fancy shoes, etc. but the closer I came to recognizing my goal to empower women, I started to strip away at the suggested articles of clothing/items. I found that women would come to me with society's definition of sexy and they would be extremely uncomfortable. I also found the more "stuff" we incorporated in terms of clothing/accessories, the more the woman was hidden once again. I find that the less you have to hide behind, the more vulnerable and real your session becomes and that's when you tap into the sensuality and what it means to be comfortable in your own skin. It's about highlighting the sparkly bits of you, not the sparkly bits of the accessories that adorn you.
Now, if you want to do a totally dressed up, character-type session, then request a Sassy Session at your consult, because ANYTHING goes for those!! Wigs, over the top styling, crazy lighting, on location, pretty much the opposite of the Classy Sessions! I usually recommend starting with the Classy Sessions for your first shoot and then coming in to play for a Sassy Session!
In addition to the Classy & Sassy Sessions, I will also be offering Celebration Sessions (more to come on these!) These are an epic chance for you to celebrate whatever the hell you want: your self love journey, your birthday, your divorce, whatever. They are completely customizeable and are legit one of the best ways to celebrate momentous occasions in your life! You can also invite your friend(s) to participate, so stay tuned for that later!
Lastly, you have probably noticed a lot of photos of my main gal, Jill. In addition to helping me with modeling for my creative, last minute ideas to keep me learning, Miss Jill has come on as my Director of Customer Relations (like an actual employee now), meaning she will be helping out with consults & reveals in the studio. While I will still be present at the consults alongside Jill, I needed to free up more time for myself to be able to do what I do best: creative stuffs and empowering babes all over the world! I will be doing a lot more traveling coming up and this will allow me to make sure you don't have to wait any longer for your photo reveals, products, and consults! Jill has been with me since the dawn of Teri Hofford Photography's foray into boudoir and she is studying women's psychology at the University of Manitoba so she is on board with the mission of empowerment of Teri Hofford Photography.
I want you to get to know Jill a bit more, so I sat her down for an interview to give you insight as to why she wants to work for Teri Hofford Photography!T: So, Jill, tell me a little bit about yourself. J: I'm 20 years old, I am studying psychology at the U of M, I started modeling when I was 12, and I LOVE cats.T: How did you meet me?? J: I met you back in 2014 when I booked a shoot for my modeling portfolio. We quickly became friends and kind of worked together a lot since then doing fun things. I learn a lot from you.T: I learn a lot from you too! J: We met at an interesting time for the both of us. You were just getting started in boudoir and Winnipeg wasn't really known for anything other than wedding photography and I was getting my foot in the door as far as plus size modeling goes [and yes, in the fashion industry, Jill is considered plus size]. I was told that it would be good for me to work with a photographer that worked with all body types.
T: Tell me about your journey with self image and self love. J: When I started modeling, I was very young and impressionable and I compared myself a lot to other successful models in and outside the city. It was hard on me mentally because I was still very young and was being influenced by negative behaviour in the modeling industry. Back then too, plus modeling was not really a thing (aside from size 8/10). When I started it was when the super thing look was what the agency wanted. It affected me into thinking that I wasn't good enough and my success in other areas was surrounded by how much I weighed and what my measurements were. I tried to get down to what they wanted, but my habits were not the healthiest and I was still not thin enough for them. Therefore, thin enough was never thin enough for me. I found then, that other girls would see me as a role model to achieving thinness, but I was a role model that I didn't want to be. It was very hard up until I was about 15/16. I realized then that I still really wanted to do modeling and had an experience with a photographer from Toronto and was asked if I would be interested in doing plus size (I was at a size 4/6). At first, I was hurt but then they showed me plus size models and I realized that they looked more like my natural body than this cultural expectation. Like, why can't I just be a "model" instead of fitting into a category?
T: So, how have your feelings towards modeling changed? J: Initially, I think I had an unhealthy relationship and had this weird confidence because it was a double edged sword. As soon as I realized that I could model at my natural size, it has become fun again. My perspective on a lot of things has changed as a result of me moving from straight-size modeling to plus size modeling. I had to stop comparing myself to other girls because there were not a lot of other girls to compare to in the Winnipeg market. I had to start looking within myself to model. I realize that I am my own person and that is extremely liberating. Like most people, I'm not 100% there, but I'm getting there.
T: I think everyone is like that. So, what do you like about what we do at the studio? J: I have seen your business grow (we have lots of shoots under our belts LOL) and I have been personally impacted by our work together. I can look back and see how we were figuring a lot of stuff out and this is a safe relationship for us to be creative and play. Of course, there is work...but it feels like play. A lot of the clients that we get in here remind me of how I am and how the modeling industry is...always trying to achieve this unrealistic body expectation for other people. I think having to realize who I am at a young age allows me to help inspire women to accept themselves as THEY are and realize that their beauty is incomparable to any other beauty. Society is bullshit. It's nice to give women a space to realize they are beautiful regardless of where they are in their journey. It's great to work with people who are passionate about overcoming poor body image and seeing the expressions,comments and feedback of clients is really nice and makes me happy!T: What do you want clients to know about you? J: I want to help support women through their journey and help them realize this is a starting point. I want clients to know that when you have a day where you feel super crappy about yourself, to remember that it is JUST a day and it's okay to feel that way. BUT it's not okay to stay there. I want clients to know that despite being a model, I have had and still do have insecurities (if not more!). I think a lot of people judge me based on my looks and think I have it all together, but at the end of the day I am still susceptible to the same shit that everyone else is. I want women to understand and uphold the values of the Boudy Babe Code of Conduct, especially when it comes to not judging others or themselves. Essentially, I want clients to know that I got their back and I am super pumped to help them have an experience they will remember forever!T: What is going to be your role with Teri Hofford Photography? J: I am the director of client relations. Essentially, I will be doing consultations alongside you and then follow up after the session with the reveal. So, I get the fun part of seeing the client reactions after their epic experiences! I also get to help clients select their final images and provide the best information to give them the best display options for them. The thing I am MOST excited about is that I get to connect with and keep in touch with clients after their session to help them continue to stay empowered!
So, that is what is new and exciting for Teri Hofford Photography (for now) but I do have one more exciting situation going down, but it is not complete yet, so all will be revealed soon! I couldn't be more happy to have a growing team of amazing babes to continue to empower the women of our community and beyond!