J's Bridal Boudoir Shoot

Dear J,

You were one of the most beautiful brides I've photographed. Women like you give me the urge to come out of wedding photography retirement.We met over the phone since you were coming all the way from Midland, Texas. We chatted between flights because we needed to get you booked asap. I remember hanging up and thinking that this was going to be so much fun. Your enthusiasm was obvious, and that's the best kind of photoshoot. We wanted to surprise your groom with a gift that he'd love. We created a photoshoot to be bright and airy. To show off your smile. I knew that we could create photos that showed him just how sexy and confident you are.

Some women worry about fading their tan lines before a boudoir photoshoot, but I think it adds to the allure. What do you think?

I'm so glad you wore your wedding shoes that had so much bling on top and the bottom had the prettiest teal bottoms for your "something blue." This is one of my favorite photos.

Your engagement ring is so beautiful. I'm sure that every time you look at it, you fall in love with B all over again.

Thank you J for trusting me with capturing you as a beautiful bride-to-be. I can't wait to have you and B back next year to celebrate your anniversary.

Sincerely,

Leslie

Photos: Leslie Cersovski Makeup: Edgar Campos Hair: Amanda White

What we retouch, and what we don't

I get a lot of questions about retouching for boudoir.  Especially, "You an make all my cellulite go away, right? Yes, but it's not usually with photoshop.  Here are the steps to ensure your photos display flawless skin:

1. I instruct my clients to prepare their skin at least a week in advance. Drink lots of what, hydrate with coconut oil and exfoliate a day or two before the photoshoot.
2. I provide my clients with a lotion that I LOOOOOOVE called Prtty Peaushun. You can buy it on Amazon directly. It diffuses the light without looking greasy.
3. I light with flat lighting on the potential lumps and bumps. No shadows? No cellulite!
4. If I get a fabulous pose with less than fabulous flat lighting, then I'll lighten up those unflattering shadows in post production (aka Photoshop)

So what DO I do in photoshop?

I delete bruises, pimples, spider veins, skin tone changes from being hot cold or nervous and stretch marks if I can even see them after the lotion is applied. I look for any wandering makeup that makes the eyes look dark where they shouldn't. I also will smooth out any bulges created by posing. For example below, I should have had her legs resting together slightly differently to avoid that tiny little curve on her leg. My bad. But I'm not going to punish my client for my oversight.  As you can see, I'm not making any changes to her beautiful shape or size, I'm just polishing out the things you would never notice in real life.

Because with a booty this fabulous, who would notice that tiny bruise on her top cheek?

PS: Next time I WILL NOT put the client right in the middle of a background crease. Even I have duh moments.

Our new dark and moody bedroom studio set!

If you've been to my studio, you know that I love bright and airy. Putting women in all-white room assures that cellulite and wrinkles are never to be seen.  But I do like to get a bit more raw and moody. In the past, I've had to drag out the huge 4x8 black and white v-flats to cut down most of the light. Effective, but I'd rather use my time taking photos of you than setting up the studio for moody photos. When the seamstress next door left a vacancy, I jumped at the chance. I painted it my favorite grey pain from Sherwin Williams. I strung up piles of sheer curtains and transformed a pretty weird and ugly space into the perfect place to capture the photos I longed for.

So now when you come into the studio, we'll capture some gorgeous photos in the skin-illuminating white room that you'll love, then we'll jump next door for some more sensual photos that will drive him wild.

By the way, isn't Miss J's hair incredible? That's natural folks. Her hair is what most people spend $$$$ creating with highlights and extensions.

Photography & Makeup: Leslie Cersovski Studio: Lavish Boudoir Wardrobe: ASOS

Miss L - Lavish Boudoir - 2018

Miss L, We absolutely adored photographing you. Your enthusiasm was contagious. I couldn't have had more fun during a session. You've got a kind of sass without having even a hint of snark.

That strappy red slip you brought in is perfect for boudoir. So perfect, I went and ordered one for the studio. It showed off your curves fabulously.  The cowboy boots and button down gave a sweet playful edge while the white sheets are always timeless. Especially with the bedroom-eyes gaze you have.

Thank you so much for choosing Lavish. I'm so glad you're already telling your friends. If they're as much fun as you, we'd LOVE to have them.

Cheers!

Leslie & the Lavish Team

Photography: Leslie Cersovski Makeup: Edgar Campos

Miss J - Bunny Mask Boudoir

Fashion Boudoir Photography

J has been a part of the Lavish family since she hired me nearly 10 years ago. She was 21, and ready to claim her beauty in photographs. I don't photograph a lot of young women. Let's be honest, they look so good in their selfies, they don't need a professional to coach them.

Creating art together as model and photographer

But J has always appreciated the art of boudoir and loves to collaborate. We've done several other shoots together and somehow we always come up with something new.

When J told me she was flying into our area for an overnight layover, we knew we had to make this happen. So on a Friday evening, we both sipped champagne (I usually don't partake with clients, but this was for fun) and played dress up. She brought piles of beautiful clothing, but sadly we ran out of sunlight. Of course it was one of the 10 rainy days that New Mexico gets in a year.

What to do on a rainy night.

But I brought out the studio lights, this awesome bunny mask from Yandy, a pair of fishnets and together we created a brand new style.

I must say I looooooove them. What do you think?

Makeup & Photography by Leslie Cersovski

Miss L - 50th Birthday Boudoir

L, I love that you came in knowing what you want and we rocked this 50th birthday boudoir photoshoot together.  Your love of Prince was THE best... I always play the same boudoir playlist but for you... Prince on Pandora. We even added a little nod to him with the purple ribbon in your image box.

It's kind of funny how we met. You e-mailed me and said, "You photographed my friend and I want to do this, too!" I checked my archives and I had no record of this friend. So I scheduled a meeting with you thinking that maybe she had a nickname or something. But I knew from your e-mail that we absolutely should meet for a studio tour.

We connected and I knew that I could create AMAZING photos for you. You had all these great ideas and I just knew that we were a good match.

You went ahead and booked me and we started the planning. The Prince shirt, borrowing the beautiful slip from my wardrobe, your slouchy sweater that was so sexy off the shoulder, white sheets and a high-fashion look with the high-waisted panties and push up bra.

Your photoshoot was effortless. You worked it like you've been doing this forever. There was never any awkwardness as you easily took my direction. I love it when that happens!

I loved sharing the reveal with your husband. You were a little bit hard on yourself, but he and I both agreed that you looked PHENOMENALLY sexy.

I didn't get to see your face when you opened the folio box for the first time since we did a hand-off delivery at Sandia, but I will always remember the text you sent afterward.  It absolutely made my week.

Thank you, L, for honoring me with this important celebration. I can't wait to have you and your daughter back for a glamour shoot.

Sincerely,

Leslie