Happy 2008!

I can't believe it has been so long since I blogged! In fact it was my New Year's resolution to blog more and already I am a little late on that goal. As we have been busier shooting and traveling, the blog has suffered but I hope to catch you all up soon on what has been going on with us. I have been mostly shooting boudoirs this winter. We just finished over 50 sessions in just the last couple of months. The new website with our boudoir portfolio is available at www.taitboudoir.com We have been doing sessions in the cities we usually work in as well as traveling outside our normal areas to offer boudoirs to brides in US and Canada. JP being originally from Calgary, and myself from outside of Washington DC we are fortunate that we get to spend a lot of time in in both countries and able to visit with all of our family and friends frequently. We are looking forward to all of our upcoming 2008 weddings including a few exciting destination locations. Our main website has also recently been redesigned, check it out at www.taitphoto.com

Here is an awesome video my sister's friend Scott put together of me shooting a bridal session. I love doing bridal sessions and boudoirs - every woman should have some awesome images of themselves that they can be proud to show off or in the case of boudoirs keep private!



I think I will leave this post at the top of my blog for a while so that I can share the video with newcomers, so please look below for new posts.

--Erica

Love Affair Head Shots

A couple of headshots I took during the week of some of my new workshop friends.

Lisa


Shannon


Carmen


Karyn

Erin

Love Affair Girls

The Love Affair Workshop girls group photo. Images courtesy of Lauren




Our fabulous instructors:

Images from Love Affair Shoot

Here are a few images of one of the couples we shot at the workshop.

Exploring the Island

Our house is called "Almost Heaven" and it really is... beautiful and right on the beach. I can hear the waves crashing as I blog these images...

Niki and Lisa having fun photographing Kim while we explore the beaches...

My roommate Lisa getting a shot on the beach...

Kim crawling through the reeds to get her shot...

The infamous island light house....

One of the only ways to get around the island...



Beautiful sunset on our first night...

Arriving at Bald Head Island

I've just arrived at Bald Head Island for a four-day all women's photography retreat and workshop called "Love Affair".

Here's a pic of the "red-eye" girls. We all left around 10pm the night before and arrived early in the morning and were the first of 40 women to arrive at the island.


Here is our ferry arriving to pick us up. No cars are allowed and the only way to get on the island is via the public ferry or a private boat.

Boudoir Contest Winner

Congratulations to EDEN for winning our Valentine's Day Boudoir Contest! Eden will get her session including all of the images and a black silk album for free.



But that is not all... I'd like to give all of the other finalists: MANDY, ALANNA & TRICIA a free basic session (option 1) as a thank you from me for entering. I will be in touch with you ladies to schedule your session. I am opening the date of March 4th for boudoir and have a couple of spots reserved for you. I will also be sharing the email comments with you shortly.

Here are most of the comments we received along with the votes for Eden:

"I would like to put forward my vote for Eden. It refreshing to someone take such traumatic life events and put them into a positive light."

"I know of Eden’s strength in getting out of a difficult relationship and that she has found love again…I applaud her for being the strong woman that she is and hope she wins!"

"Because she's a social worker with a big heart!"

"A wonderful person, inside and out, who has come through may trials and tribulations to be the gifted person she is today!"

"I think Eden has overcome many obstacles and deserves it the most!"

"There are many, many, many reason's that I want you to vote for my friend Eden. Eden inspired me to become who I am today, she showed me support, friendship, love, happiness and confidence, things I couldn't find in myself. Unfortunately Eden was not able to attend my special day last year, but I will be joining her and her fiance for their special day in the Mayan Riviera and I can't wait to see that smile on her face and that confidence in her that she is a beautiful young women who deserves to be here on this earth with her true friends and family marrying the man of her life. Eden has overcome great obstacles in her life and has taken the steps to become the amazing women she is today, she deserves nothing more than to have this perfect experience. Please vote for Eden!"

"I vote for Eden for the free boudoir photoshoot. I admire her strength and inner beauty."

"Here's my vote for the beautiful and sweetest heart Eden!! :)"

"Eden’s story touched me. She’s strong, committed and I vote for her!"

"I would like to vote for Eden because she is beautiful and you can’t help but love her."

"Her story is touching. I can relate in many ways and hope this BD shoot helps her continue to exude the confidence that she helped create for herself, despite the hardships that it sounds like she has been faced with."

"I just read through your entries and Eden sounds like such a beautiful woman inside. Having women in my family that have faced and fought cancer made me realize how it takes a STRONG person to do that. Eden touched my heart and her strong courage is motivating."

"Her story is so inspiring. She deserves something beautiful for her and her husband-to-be. She's an amazing woman beautiful inside and out. I would love for her to win."

"Wow. 4 wonderful stories to choose from! I choose Eden to win because she is a woman who fought back and took charge of her life. It's a story that will inspire others and that other women can relate to. That deserves to be celebrated."

"I am voting for Eden because I am touched by her story."

"Anyone who faces cancer and comes away a winner (like my grandma) gets my vote!!"

"I vote for Eden because she's an incredibly strong woman :)"

"Eden is wonderful, supportive caring person who deserves only the best."

"I am voting for Eden b/c she is a beautiful person on the inside and out. I have a lot of respect for her and think that she is awesome!!"

"I'd like to vote for my good friend Eden. She's a very special person and so devoted to her fiancee and friends. She's a true gem."

Heading out of town

We are heading out of town! Please be patient we will respond to emails and calls as soon as possible while away. Our first stop and only portion of the trip together is Las Vegas. I've always want to be there on the most popular day to get hitched. I think I am going to walk around see if anyone will let me take their picture. If you are getting married there on Thursday, give us a heads up.

Just for fun, here are the pros and cons of a Vegas wedding.

If you want to catch up at some point during the rest of the trip, here is my schedule: Las Vegas (February 13-17), Bald Head Island (February 17 - 22) Vancouver (February 22 - 28), Edmonton (February 28-29) and to Calgary for a boudoir marathon (March 1-5).

Come back on V Day for the big announcement of the winner FREE Boudoir Photography session!

Free Boudoir Contest - Update

We are about half way through the voting, currently there is no "front-runner" so keep the votes coming! We are enjoying reading the comments about the finalists.

Here are a few:

About Mandy: "Mandy is the reason why the saying "Beautiful on the inside as well as the outside" came about. I have known her since she was a small child... she has always had a strong sense of compassion and empathy for humans and animals. She is pure to the core with so many wonderful attributes. I hope that she wins as it would mean the world to her... someone who is constantly giving to the universe deserves a wonderful thing like this in return."

About Eden: "Eden is a wonderful person with a big heart for those around her. Not only does she give so much to her friends and family, but also to all her patients she works with on a daily basis in health care. Eden has always been a beautiful person, both inside and out, and I am so happy to see her be able to recognize this at this stage in her life."

About Alanna: "This is my daughter and I love her very dearly and I know that dealing with her mis-shapen stomach has been difficult. I hope she wins."

About Tricia: "Tricia has gone through a horrible year and has now come out of it ready to celebrate the beautiful woman that she is! It would take a lot of strength not to doubt your self-worth after what she's been through, and that is why she deserves the free photo shoot."

TrashTheDress.com Sepia Photo Contest

TrashTheDress.com is doing a sepia photograph contest for the site's members. Please check it out and vote for my image! They have a really neat way of viewing and voting for the images where you don't just have to pick one.

Trash the Dress Sepia Contest

When you see mine pop up, click it. Hint: it looks like this...

Free Boudoir Contest - Voting Open

I am very excited to announce the finalists in my free boudoir session contest! Let me say thank you to all of the women who entered. It was a honor to read your stories and it was incredibly hard to choose the finalists. In fact after I received the first entry I was praying that I would only receive 3 entries in total because at that point I knew what difficult decision was ahead.

There are actually four finalists: Mandy, Eden, Tricia & Alanna. I felt that all of these entries were great and I simply could not narrow it down any further. The winner of the contest will receive a free boudoir session, the digital files, and a black silk album with 10 images.

To vote, please send an email to taitphotocontest@gmail.com with one of these lady's names in the subject line. Feel free to let me know why you are voting for someone. I may include comments when I announce the winner. Voting ends on February 13th at midnight PST. I will announce the winner on my blog on Valentine's Day.

-- Erica

Mandy

My whole life I have not felt sexy at and have struggled with my weight and people have made fun of me...you name it. I have been always told that you are to FAT!!! I have just recently lost 40lbs and still working towards my goal. I feel that I should win because I want and deserve to feel sexy. I try but it just does not work, I don't know how to put make-up on or even do my hair. I want to show everyone that I am a new person and I deserve it. My fiance love me and tells me that I am sexy, but that is his words. No one know's how I feel and I would love to feel SEXY on my own (with the help of you and your team of course). My wedding is in August and I would love to give the pictures to my fiance for a wedding gift...I can just imagine his reaction. Yes he loves me but he is really going to love me and it will give him a taste of what to look forward to the night of the wedding. Not to mention that it will boost my confidence 100%. Please consider me. I need a lift in my spirits.

Pictures attached:
1 - Bad Hair day...No wonder I keep my hair in a ponytail.
2- Camping and me at the peek of my weight
3 - Me now almost 40 lbs lighter and wanting to flaunt it!

Eden

A wise woman one wrote: "every woman should have some awesome images of themselves that they can be proud to show of or … keep private!" Up until this past year, I would not have been able to understand that statement. In fact, most of the photos that I of the past five years have been discarded … A fact that is sadly true though I deeply regret that now.

Approximately five years ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I was young, starting college, confident and fearless. That changed. I don't want to give a sad story or give the impression I am feeling sorry for myself, but for five years, I did feel sorry for myself. I used food to cope and I played "victim" to the things that happened (cancer is only one of three major events that happened during that time, however, I am not comfortable describing the others on a public forum). While I had amazing friends and amazing family, I often turned to food, as mentioned, and gained a significant amount of weight. After another life changing event happened, I decided to fight back. I was angry with all that had happened to me, and I used that anger in a positive way - to make changes happen. The forces of my energy and hard work helped see change happen on a systemic level of a major Canadian institution, it brought change to the way people are treated medically and emotionally during traumatic times, but the biggest change I saw was in myself. I took charge of my own life. I got physically, mentally and emotionally healthy. Not only was I able to lose the weight I had put on, I gained a new found respect and love for myself and ultimately my confidence and self-esteem grew.

While and my health isn't 100%, I truly feel as though my life is perfect! I found an amazing man (to be married this year) who loves and supports me, I am working in a career whereby I am able to help others in difficult times, and I am happy! I can't believe the years I wasted worrying about how I look.

I think the opening statement of my entry is one I can only now at this phase of my life appreciate because I now value myself as a person. I want to celebrate this time! I want to take photos because I feel as though the happiness I have found radiates from me, and as we all know, photos last a life time! It is the memory that never fades! And I want to remember myself like this, not like the person I was!

I want this free photo shoot for two reasons: 1) to celebrate becoming the person I have, from the inside out, so I can look back and smile and remember how far I have come and 2) I want to give the photos to my future husband as a gift for loving me and supporting me! He thinks confidence is beautiful and I believe the confidence of a boudoir photo shoot combined with the talent of Tait Photography is an AMAZING combination!

Tricia

Well how to sum up in a few paragraphs what I have been through, what I have now and what having this done would mean to me?? But here is goes :)
About 4 years ago I met someone who I thought was wonderful, he made me feel so special and wonderful. We quickly moved in together and fell in love. We got engaged after a year and a half and started to plan a beautiful wedding. During the planning I started to notice 'things' he would do or wouldn't do. He would be really happy one moment and then blow up the next, he would turn off his cell phone and not come home till after I was in bed. I talked to him lots about it but he would just say that it was because of all the stress with planning the wedding. I truly loved him and trusted him so I believed him.

So Jan 20, 2007 we had our wonderful wedding day...I felt so beautiful and never loved pictures of me more than on that day. I saw such a glow in me. We were happily married for 5 months when one day I came home to a note at my front door saying that he was gone....no explanation, just gone. I was devastated. It was my worst nightmare coming true and it just got worse from there. Everything came crumbling down around me, I found out that I was pregnant and then had a miscarriage at 6 weeks, two days after coming out of the hospital I found out that he had a girl friend and that he had been cheating on me for quite a while. He came into the house while I was in the hospital to move all his things out and stole my wedding rings and pawned them and drained our savings account. For months I cried everyday, avoided friends and family and all I did was slept and went to work. I was so mad at myself for not seeing what was right there in front of me. I started to doubt myself and mistrust so much. I was so depressed, it was truly one of my darkest moments.

But through that dark moment a ray of light somehow found me. His name is Scott and he has made my soul calm, my smile true and my life simply happy. He gives me everything I need without asking for anything in return. He as been beyond patient with me through all my fears, insecurities and doubt. We have built this amazing friendship and relationship. We started emailing each other and really getting to know one another and now I am so comfortable and calm with him. He makes room for me in his life in every aspect, friends, family, hobbies etc. We truly balance each other out. I am myself with him and the best of me comes out with him. Through days where I thought I would never find a truly wonderful person to share my life with again, he came into my life and has made such a difference.

So getting these pictures would fulfill two dreams....one for me to feel beautiful again for someone I love. I see the women in your pictures and they look so incredibly beautiful! I want to feel like that again. I want to feel the glow and excitement. And second for him...he would absolutely love love love it for me to give him pictures of me. I know he wants me to be more adventurous, but its hard for me to get over the fear I have of being completely free with someone again. He is so paient and supportive and never pushes me. I am slowly getting there and having boudoir pictures taken for him would really help! I want more than anything to show him a beautiful picture of me and see the look on his face. I mean what girl doesn't want to thill their man with sweet sexy pictures of them. But I want to thrill myself as well.
Please please please pick me!!!

Alanna

Growing up I always had that layer of "baby fat" that makes all women, who have it, self conscious. As I got older and developed as a woman though I got bigger and even more self conscious about my figure. I was the girl that the boys were always friends with but never dated.

After going through some traumatic relationships as a young adult I found someone who loves me for who I am as opposed to what I look like or could look like (if I only lost a little weight). I had finally started to come to terms with the fact that I needed to accept myself for who I was and love myself. After being together for awhile we got pregnant and had a beautiful baby boy who is now the light of our lives.

Post pregnancy though I am now going through what a ton of women do after having a baby. My body feels different and strange. Clothes don't fit like they used to and my stomach looks completely different. I had a C-section and the scar the surgeon left has made my stomach sit lopsided and look awful. I feel like my body isn't mine some times. I need to feel sexy again. I need to feel like a woman again and not just someone who had a baby and is now used up.

Even though I have always been a plus size girl I have always wanted boudoir photos done. I have always been to afraid to follow through with them though and I have found that not a lot of photographers have done boudoir photos with plus sized women. This has always added to my anxieties about having boudoirs done. I think that having the boudoir photos taken would be a symbol of my moving on with my life and a step towards accepting my new body and embracing my new found beauty.

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