Tattooed Beauty {Stylized}

I was asked to tag along with a fellow photographer, Ashley of Ai Photography, on a stylized shoot. I was so excited for this shoot because one, we were shooting my friend, two, she was going to be rocking a tutu, and three, it was at one of my favorite locations, the haunted hotel. Here in Okinawa when a business falls thru people literally pack up their belongings and leave the site and everything else stays. Once a place has been abandon the locals taggers come thru and leave their work behind and for the most part their art is amazing. So when Ashley told me she wanted to shoot at the hotel I jumped on it and was excited as I have been there two times before just to look around so ideas started bouncing around in my head. Sarah was such a good sport and I really couldn't be happier with the outcome of my photos.

The breeze going thru here was ridiculous! Loved it! 

My absolute favorite of the day 

This shoot made me so excited to go out and explore/shoot the other abandoned gems on this wonderful island! Thanks again, Ashley and Sarah! 

Fun Bokeh

The local photo group I am apart of here in Okinawa had a meet up this past week to walk around a little shopping area, American Village, to bust out our bokeh kits and have some fun with all the Christmas lights at night. I love this side of photography. The artsy, who cares, no rules, just have fun photography. We meet up at the good old Starbucks, got our hot drinks and headed out. Being that it's Christmas time, we were able to count on using our cute cups as our focus within the pictures....or at least that's what I did :)  American Village is filled with Christmas cheer and it defently makes me miss home a little less during the holidays and it's always nice to share it with people who love the same things as you: photography, coffee, and pretty bokeh!

A string of lights hung between buildings make for a pretty cool effect 

Shisa making hearts flip 

Compliments

Since moving to Okinawa I came here with full intentions to kick starting a business. However, once we got here it seemed as if everyone that owned a 'fancy' camera was a photographer and I didn't want to be lumped into that group. So I put that on the back burner and just did shoots as I pleased when ever I got the itch. With that said, I have always stood in the crowds among the photo groups I am apart of on Facebook and never really posted my photos because one, I didn't want to overwhelm those groups with daily shots of my son, and two I didn't want to be looked down on because I don't have a business so what was the point of me posting my photos. I mainly joined these groups to learn and listen to amazing photographers both here in Okinawa and all over the world. They have taught me so much and have given me the confidence to post my work among their own.

Today I attended a monthly meeting that is held by a local photography group I was approached by a woman who does outstanding work in the world of Boudoir photography. She asked if I was planning on building a business based around boudoir and if not that I should really consider it. She loved the photos I posted from Alex's shoot and coming from her it meant so much! I know my friend loved her pictures and my husband is always complimenting my work but coming from someone who doesn't have a personal relationship with me felt so good. She defiantly has given me a little mental push to do what I love. I am going to continue building my portfolio while living here in Okinawa and learn as much as I can so when I get back stateside I can grab the bull by the horns and continue on this journey. 

One more from Mrs. M's photo shoot 

*I wanted to show some love to the amazing photographer that has been my inspiration since moving to Okinawa so please visit her website! I promise you will love her work as much as I do :) 

MadBanana Photography

Mrs. M {Boudoir}

Winter time in Okinawa calls for a lot of rainy days which isn't ideal for photography. However, when you get a couple of your close friends together magic happens. My neighbor was so nice to let me take pictures of her since I have been getting the itch to take some Boudoir photos. With the help of a fellow photographer, an awesome MUA and my lovely neighbor we took full advantage of an empty house on a gloomy day. There were a ton of laughs, coffee, and of course clicks of the camera. This shoot reminded me exactly why I love boudoir. Thanks again, Alex, Ashley and Sarah for an awesome morning!

The start of my favorite sequence of the photo shoot 

Bitting her lip for her Mr. Grey ;) 

4 girls and a TON of laughs 

Waiting 

Soft and Beautiful 

Mrs. New Booty :)