Blog

Thank You

For 6 and a half years I’ve had the privilege to capture the portraits of so many families & friends in our studio and so many wonderful women in our Couture & Boudoir Sessions. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who crossed the threshold of our studio. You put food on our table and put my daughter through school. These have been amazing years, discovering the true meaning of multi-tasking and customer service. I got it wrong sometimes but I also got it right too. And either way clients were patient & appreciative.

 

So as you can imagine it wasn’t an easy decision to make but as of this week I am closing my business to pursue an opportunity that I am so excited about. Next January I begin a new role as Artistic Director of Nenagh Arts Centre. I can’t express how much this is going to mean, not just to me but my family too. I will of course still have the camera, photography has always been a passion and always will be but it will be just a passion for now. So as I get ready to close one small studio door, another great big avenue opens.

Thank you all again for your support! Wishing you a Peaceful 2018.

What I’ve Learned

So for six years I’ve been photographing women and I’ve learned so much over that time.

I have learned that taking a woman’s photograph is not just about pressing a button or good lighting; it’s about an emotional journey. It is about listening to her, understanding that she probably feels scared, vulnerable and may even lack confidence.

I have learned that empathy and ability creates beautiful images that have a lasting effect. That it is ok to say you like or even love yourself.

I have learned that we need to be positive about ourselves and other too, we need to focus on what we love and learn to show an outward positivity to encourage others to treat us well.

Eva x

Introducing Boudoir Couture Lingerie

As of Autumn 2017 we are introducing a range of Lingerie suitable not only for Boudoir Couture photoshoots but also as a treat for yourself. Check out the beautiful Lillian below, the first of many designs.

Lillian Chemise

Fall in Love with yourself in 5 easy steps

Fall in Love with yourself in 5 easy steps…

or “how to fall in love with yourself and not feel guilty about it, not one bit”

Sounds simple doesn’t it, well it can be if we just get out of our own way! A photoshoot, whether Couture or Boudoir is a small part of the journey for self love. Makeup and beautiful images make us feel good about our selves but how do we make that feeling last long term? We do that with the small details, reminding ourselves every day how amazing we truly are.

Fall in Love with yourself in 5 easy steps

That can be difficult, right? To say out loud “Oh I’m amazing, I love myself”… Yip! Doesn’t roll off the tongue does it? I’m not talking about the “Wow I’m better than anyone else”.. far from that, I’m talking about self appreciation.

So what can you do to help yourself on this journey? There are loads of little things but today I’m going to show you 5 simple, every days things you can do.

  1. Give yourself a compliment, right now… we can wait…… got it? Write it down somewhere.. read it, and again. Right today you are going to emit that quality. You will ooze this wonderfulness that makes you unique. So, once you’ve got that, repeat it again tomorrow. Try this every day for a week, then once a week, say a Monday morning. Make it a habit, write it down!
  2. What is your USP? (Unique Special Person). Close your eyes, think about what is your passions, your interests, what music do you love, what do you love it eat, what’s your accomplishments? Write it down!
  3. “WOW. I’m Awesome”… worthy of love, respect and appreciation. So start doing it! What 3 things make you awesome, it can be anything, take time to think about it and then when you’re ready guess what… that’s correct, write it down! Read it out loud, and again until it’s ingrained in your mind. Write it on a post it and place it somewhere around the house so you see it every day.
  4. Did anyone ever give you a compliment? How did you react? Was it by putting yourself down as you don’t want to come across vain or full of your self importance… Well stop it now! The next time someone says something, listen to it, take it on board, thank them as they took to time to say it to you. When you get the chance… write it down!
  5. Make a conscious decision to do one thing this week that is good for you or your soul…  for example, lather yourself in a beautiful body butter or lotion, treat yourself to a manicure or massage, create something home made, eat your favourite food (guilt free). What ever you choose to do make sure to remind yourself that you deserve it and you’re doing it with love.

Imagine what we could do if we appreciated ourselves a little bit more

Imagine what we could do if we appreciated ourselves a little bit more…

Behind the Scenes of a Boudoir Shoot

If you’ve ever thought about doing a Boudoir Couture session, i’m sure you’re wondering what it’s like. Not knowing what to expect can be very daunting and until you do they shoot you don’t realise how easy it can actually be.

Boudoir Couture is all about how you feel and not what you wear, it’s created to make you feel empowered, feminine, beautiful and believe in your self. It’s part of a longer journey in self appreciation and one that is so much fun.

With that in mind, one of our lovely Boudoir clients gave us permission to shoot some behind the scenes footage of her session and now we can share that with you.

Click here —> Join our private, all female VIP Boudoir Couture group on Facebook to see the video in full

Behind the scenes of a Boudoir Couture photoshoot

 

 

Gaye Moore’s Business Headshot

So Gaye needed some images for her www.fookfifty.com website (#Fookfifty) and like any business headshot firstly you’ve got to find out what is the message you want to get across in your images. For Gaye it was professional, approachable and classical. We chatted about wardrobe to make sure we get the right look (block colours, no patterns).

Our makeup artists Alison of Wedding Heaven did a wonderful job on Gaye’s makeup, choosing products that are suitable for a more mature skin type. Here is the prescription she created for Gaye:

Makeup Prescription recommended by Alison

  • Vichy Dermalend Concealer
  • Dior Air Flash foundation 300
  • Mac Prep and Prime
  • Mac sheer lipstick, colour On Hold.

Your top Tips:

  1. Apply your concealer before your foundation for colour correction
  2. Only apply Dior Air Flash foundation up to top of cheekbone sprayed on to a stippling brush and gently applied.
  3. Apply under eye concealer colour 90 from Inglot under your eye.
  4. Use pink blush colour Dainty from Mac to add colour to your face.
  5. Finally use Mac Prep and Prime setting powder for ultimate finish.

We spent an hour capturing a number of images that are engaging and empowering, perfectly suitable for websites, social media and even printing. I adore the section below which was Gaye’s choice, a great selection that will last a few years.

  

Check out the gallery for more heashots here https://evabirdthistle.com/galleries/headshots/ 

Top Tips for your Boudoir Couture photoshoot

I was thinking recently about what top tips I could give clients on how to prepare for their Boudoir Couture shoot. There is of course all the usual stuff like:

  • drink loads of water
  • get loads of sleep
  • use loads of moisturiser

But if you’re a mad busy person (like me) them sometimes you forget or aren’t able to do some or all of the above.

We were in Dublin recently and I passed by one of my favourite stores, Lush, it’s one of those stores that you smell before you see it as you round the corner at the end of Grafton Street. Myself and his nibs popped in, he went straight for the Dragons Egg bath bomb as its one that gives him a relaxing buzz…. (weirdo).. I strolled through the store, inhaling the stunning sent and picking out my favourite purchases, such a relaxing buzz… (weirdo too)

A few days later as i was using said purchases i realised they are the perfect addition to your Boudoir preparation, but also for afterwards too. The two i want to pay particular attention to are Buffy & Angels on Bare Skin.

Now before i go any further… my skin is very sensitive (like myself 😛 ) and i’m prone to eczema, so there is a lot of body scrubs i can not use, actually most of them. So if i use something that gives amazing results and doesn’t aggravate my skin then i’m onto a winner! I also want to mention, in no way did Lush sway me with payment to write this but of course i would take any products as a thank you 😛

Buffy is a body scrub with a difference, it gently exfoliates while leaving a gorgeous silky feel to skin when dry, even after it’s first use. And if you’re in a hurry you don’t need to moisturise afterwards. So it saves time too, woohoo!

Angels on Bare Skin – of my good gawd, it’s truly like angels descended from heaven and gave you the gift of baby skin, wowzer! A gentle cleanser for your face that smells like you’ve stepped out of a spa.

All there products are made from Fresh ingredients and not tested on animals so you can cleanse and moisturise with confidence.

So from now on I’m going to recommend the above with my usual suspects:

  • drink loads of water
  • get loads of sleep
  • use loads of moisturiser
  • Scrub with buffy
  • Heavenly skin with Angels on Bear Skin

You can check out their website https://uk.lush.com or head to their shops in Cork or Dublin. I once did a Lush4Limerick campaign a few years back but still no sign of them, tis alright I love the annual trip to Cork.

Eva x

 

New Couture Studio

So February we started shooting in our new Couture studio in Annacotty. A few months ago i decided that I wanted to give clients more in their Couture experience but knew that the city was not the place for this. We began creating an environment that would be a little touch of luxury in a quiet location. Check out our video below for a steal peek…

 

 

Love is not just for Valentine’s Day

When I think of Valentine’s Day I think of smushy greeting cards, terrible poems and a dozen roses…. yuck! Why do we have to express love one day of the year? Why not every day? And where should our love begin… with ourselves of course!

So how can you express self appreciation? Start with giving yourself a compliment, think of something you really like about yourself and say it out loud. Right so, how about practising it every day… not so easy to remember is it, you’ll be great for the first few days and then you soon forget? So try this… get your phone out and put an alarm on your phone for an obscure time of day. And when it goes off, stop what you’re doing and give yourself a compliment, simple! The best Valentine gift you can give yourself this February is to start loving yourself first!

Char’s Boudoir Shoot

You may have read a post on Facebook recently about our lovely client Char, won Miss Photogenic at Miss Plus Size UK, I’m obviously biased cause I think she rocks it in front of the camera. Read what she had to say about her recent Boudoir Couture shoot.


What made you decide to do the Boudoir Couture session?

I’ve always been drawn to do a boudoir shoot. I wanted to do something where I felt sexy, empowered and  to embrace the curves I tried to hide for so many years. For years I looked at magazines and seen pictures of glamorous strong women who just embodied everything a woman should stand for and it just clicked one day that I was going to become if not try to be just like those women.

14207635_530434310489174_2269618812359799243_o

How did you feel before the Boudoir Couture session?

If I’m being completely honest, I wasn’t nervous. When you find a photographer who chats to you before the shoot and just makes you completely at ease there is actually nothing to be nervous about. Its taken a long time and I’m confidently happy in my own skin. I am human though and of course I have my off days, I look in the mirror sometimes and think I should try change things but no body is perfect and that is completely normal. I also thought if I turn up to this shoot nervous it’ll reflect in my photos and I didn’t want that. I choose to embrace it and that’s exactly what I did.

13639805_10154291670029085_2063204131_o

How did you feel after the Boudoir Couture session?

The shoot was so much fun and I honestly didn’t want it to end, and after it was finished I told myself this wouldn’t be the last boudior shoot I would do. I felt exactly how a woman should feel about herself – confident, sexy and most of all happy.

13646862_10154291670579085_1816872809_o

How did you feel when you saw your images?

I was speechless. I couldn’t believe the woman I was looking at was me. When you are having fun and happy it really shows in the pictures and it also helps to have a super talented photographer like Eva 🙂

14047255_524525277746744_4836068887977912259_o

What would you say to someone who is considering doing the Boudoir Couture session?

My advice would be not to be scared and go for it, even if your not 100% happy in your own skin, the boudoir experience will open your eyes and show you how beautiful you really are no matter what you shape, size or age. You will go home that evening with the biggest smile and a spring in your step. It is such an empowering feeling to stand in front of a camera and feel beautiful. Most women I know are so busy with their every day lives that they forget how to feel beautiful and sexy, and some have never felt that way at all. A boudoir shoot will make you feel all of that and more. One thing I will say is to never tell yourself that you’ll do one when you lose weight. Embrace the body you have and give it all you got.