Valentine's Day Boudoir - TBT

If you are trying to decide on a Valentine's Day gift for your sweetheart, you should consider scheduling a boudoir photo shoot. A few sexy shots in new lingerie or just you, wearing nothing but a bed sheet will make a fantastic gift. If you are would feel more comfortable you can schedule a session in your own home and I will bring my lights to you. 

I have pulled a few of my favorites from this recent boudoir photo shoot to give an idea of how many looks I help you achieve during your session:

Introducing the Queen of Diamonds - TBT

Jenny contacted me through Model Mayhem with an interesting concept last year. It  has taken me a while to get these photos posted, but better late than never. I brought my studio equipment to her and this setup was put together in a spare bedroom. I made use of the existing walls and floor for some of the shots, as well as setting up different fabric backdrops on the opposing side of the room. Most of the shots used only two strobes with white umbrellas, with the occasional third light for accent lighting. My favorite images are down below.

Gina - TBT

Sometimes you go into a photo session with an idea for what will work, and then you have to abandon that setup and rework your whole plan. That was the case here with Gina. I had a specific lighting setup ready for her when she arrived for her photo session, and after taking a few test shots, I realized that it was not a good match for her. I started by removing one light, and then repositioning the others until we got the shots you see here. Rather than take more photos that did not look as good as they could, I stopped and changed what was not working for us. It was a lesson that not everyone can be lit the same way. I realized that if the studio setup doesn't work one way, there are countless other possibilities for beautiful light.

Erika - TBT

::Updated With Even More Photos::

Erika is new to modeling but was willing to pose for me in a variety of setups at my studio. She brought some items of her own wardrobe, as well as utilizing several pieces from my boudoir case. We also raided my prop box and played with some of the hats and other outfits I keep at my studio.

I have found that the best way to help someone get comfortable in front of the camera is to give them directions, but not commands. Erika was great at taking direction and after a short time she was falling into some great natural poses without the need for me to tell her what to do. Especially as she started playing it up for the camera.

Narrowing a full session of images into a handful of favorites is a challenge in itself, but here are a few of my picks from Erika's time at the studio:

Portfolio for Trade - Boudoir

Following a session where I shot multiple outfits and setups for promotional fitness photos, I continued the session for this model with boudoir themed images.

We were still working in a small living room, about 8 feet in each direction, and  using lighting to create dramatic images with a sensual feel. Starting with a leather bustier, and a few customized lighting setups, and then moving on to pink lace and stockings.

Portfolio for Trade - Personal Fitness

Since closing my studio, I have been scheduling photo sessions anywhere that has a few square feet of space to set up a backdrop and lights. This session was held in a half-empty living room with the sofa pushed to one side and my background stands pushed up against the opposite wall. We had about 8 feet of space in each direction to work with. It was just enough room to set  up my portable flashes and light-modifiers to give us different lighting effects. The idea behind this photo shoot was to give us both some great looking images to add to our portfolios. This young woman is a personal trainer and wanted some promotional images to add to her online profile.

::: UPDATE 2015 ::: She has since discontinued her personal training career :::

We started this session using a white fabric backdrop and set the lights to make it a bright white. Throughout the photo shoot, we changed backgrounds, lighting effects, and wardrobe to create several different looks and poses for a variety of options. To create some dramatic images, I changed to the black background and moved my main light to the side to create some cross-body shadows.
We shot over 700 images during our 2 1/2 hour session. I narrowed it down to 200 top picks. In order to share them here, I have narrowed my list of favorite images even further:

Kahlan - Model Portraits

Its always great when a model will help you realize a creative concept.

Kahlan is a wonderful model to work with, and makes selecting favorites a challenge because of the sheer number of good poses she is able to achieve. I came to her with several different ideas in poses and lighting and she was happy to help.

Here are some of my favorite portraits from our most recent session:

Lacey - When Formal Becomes Informal

I photographed Lacey several months ago and have been overwhelmed with life changes since then. I wanted to share more from our session and I will be posting a variety from past sessions in the near future. I contacted Lacey through model mayhem and we had a very long session experimenting with light, wardrobe, and posing.

This series began with a classic-white men's dress shirt with cuff-links and a classic black bow tie. It became a kind of strip-tease, with emphasis on the tease. The sexiest thing about this series is not what you see, but what you almost see, or what you think you see. 

The following photographs are suggestive. 
These images are Not Safe For Work.

Kahlan - Sheer Beauty

Kahlan is such a fun model to work with. Each of our sessions has produced so many fantastic shots, it is quite difficult to choose favorites. I love shooting different wardrobe and props because it gives the model more creative freedom to act with pieces she may not have used before. The sheath dress in this series is part of my prop kit, as is the fan pictured in a few of the images.

These images are Not Safe For Work:

American Beauty featuring Lacey

The movie "American Beauty" has been around since 1999 and since it's release photographers have been re-creating one iconic scene. This animation shows a small clip from the movie so you can see the inspiration for this session. Roses are the key ingredient for emulating the original, I opted for silk rose petals to give longevity to the look and prevent unnecessary cost for the destruction of long-stem roses. I feel that the petals enhance the sensual tone and maintain a bit of mystery while shooting nudes. I love seeing rose petals utilized  as a prop in boudoir photography.

Rather than shooting exclusively from above, I moved around her with and without a ladder. I climbed up until my head touched the ceiling and extended my reach to capture full length poses. I also crouched down with the camera just a few inches off the floor for closeup and detail shots. My studio is small, so I had to be creative in placement of the vertical backdrop as well as the white fleece she was laying on. Some touch-ups at the edges were necessary during editing but the majority of the photos are true to life. I do very little to modify the model's natural beauty and aside from temporary blemish reduction. I let them shine through as themselves, or whichever personality they want to convey for a particular set.

Rose petals are the only wardrobe used in this set. 

These images are Not Safe For Work

Creating Art With Kahlan

Working with Kahlan is always a joy!

I had the opportunity to collaborate with her on a concept using dramatic rim lighting techniques in the studio. To achieve the final concept, I converted the images to black-and-white.

This Image was the inspiration for this session, and then we put our own spin on it to showcase Kahlan's beautiful tattoos. I have a collection of inspirational images I refer to when I am planning a photo session, especially with a model as beautiful as Kahlan.

Warning: The following images contain nudity and are Not Safe For Work

Lacey in Lace

Here is another set from my session with Lacey. I love the play of dark and light of the lingerie and the sheer wrap. These images are playful and fun while capturing a variety of expressions and poses. I wanted the black background so there would be a beautiful contrast of Lacey standing out against it. By eliminating any distraction in the background, the focus is set just on her.

Lacey - Exploring Shadows

With Lacey's help, I was able to explore different lighting techniques by only lighting from the side and slightly behind her. This enabled me to create an implied silhouette by keeping most of her body in shadow, and allowing the light to only shine on the edges of her figure. This technique is called rim lighting. A black lace wrap adds a touch of implied decency, while still being playful giving hints of shapes and forms within the shadows.

Although these images are artistic in nature,
They contain nudity and are Not Safe For Work:

Kahlan's First Photos

I have yet to share all of my favorite sets with Kahlan. I have had limited shooting time with her, but each of our sessions has gone over two hours and produced hundreds of images from each. I have picked a few favorites in the past but was hesitant to share too much. I have gone back through many sessions and hope to be posting more models soon. This session was held on location in a bed & breakfast and offered a new depth I could not achieve since closing my studio.

The mirror came with the room

 I brought my camera and set the lighting, 

But it was Kahlan who brought life to the images. 

These images are suggestive in nature and contain some nudity, and are Not Safe For Work:

Introducing Lacey

Lacey is a part-time model who graciously agreed to help me build my portfolio and hers while playing around in my studio. We shot for over two hours, and had tons of fun playing around with lighting, props, wardrobe, and lots of fun poses. I have so many favorites from our session, it will take time to share more of them.

Introducing Kahlan

 

I met Kahlan through Model Mayhem. You can find more about her here. We both wanted to improve our portfolios, but without a studio, it proved difficult to find a suitable location. We were able to use a small bed and breakfast for our shoot, and made use of the decor as our backdrop. She brought several outfits, and we also used items from my kit to achieve different looks and combinations during our session. She has a large tattoo of angel wings across her back which made for some very cool looking images.

Day of the Dead on Ice

I was intrigued by the idea of using ice as the theme rather than the classic Day of the Dead skull and flowers. I learned so much from assembling my first mask and applied that knowledge to this new design. I created a post on the making of my original mask as well as a session where it was worn by a beautiful model.

To begin the construction of this mask, I took a blank mask and supplied paint and flowers and lace to bring the idea into being. I treated the overall build as if I were applying makeup to a face. To accomplish this, I first applied a flesh tone with additional red pigments over the lips and cheeks. Once the flesh-tone was dry, I applied white and iridescent paint and allowed some of the base layer to show through mimicking the way makeup would be translucent once applied.

The concept of ice was my only plan before assembling this mask. I started painting the large snowflake which covers the forehead of the mask. I painted diamonds, teardrops, eye-shadow, and lipstick. The mouth was modeled after the teeth design on traditional Day of the Dead masks. I added gems to offer a 3-dimensional effect to the design. The white veil was attached first with hot-glue, and then stitched with needle and thread. The blue roses were attached in the same fashion. To further enhance the anonymity of the model, I attached lace within the eyes of the mask.

What better way to showcase this new creation than to have it modeled by a beautiful young woman. In addition to the mask, her wardrobe included white lace tied around her waist. A garter and white lace fan added a playful flourish during the photo shoot.

Given the minimal wardrobe,
These images contain nudity
And are Not Safe For Work

What is Eden's Edge Studio?

Welcome to Eden's Edge, I am Adam. 

Eden's Edge Studio is an ongoing photographic journey for myself as I collaborate with talented models to create striking images for each of us to add to our portfolios. We are both creative artists seeking a canvas to express our combined vision. We come together to improvise a composition of our talents. I love to document my progress as I learn new techniques and explore new ideas. It also serves as a journal through experimentation using poses, props, and lighting.

I have been a photographer for over twenty years.

To learn more about me, view my complete profile and follow me on Instagram

I created this blog to showcase my studio photography with more adult content than the images I share on my Natural Images blog. Some people cannot appreciate the art found in nude and suggestive images and don't believe that someone who photographs nude models should photograph families and children. There is art in both forms of photography. I understand the viewpoint from both sides, and I allow for this separation in my portfolio.

 So, why did I call it Eden's Edge? 

It is a reference to the bible story of Adam & Eve. They were cast out of the garden, but before they left, I imagine they turned around at Eden's edge.  It lies somewhere between the purity of the garden and the tempest of hell. And there, it seems, is where I view the world. I see both the beauty in it, but also the hell surrounding me. This portfolio is Adam's creation. Here, I explore the female form as art while bordering on the edge of sin. If you do not appreciate my art, then it was not meant for you. I share it here for others to enjoy.

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