admin

Irish Portrait

You may know by now, I adore emotive portraits and I love creating images that look like paintings. Niamh won a Couture Session competition and during the pre-session appointment I soon realised the style of shoot we would be creating.

She adores Irish fashion from the 20’s & 30’s and she loves medieval architecture, literature and art. But we didn’t want to create something that looked like a costume but rather influenced by all these elements.

The artist that came to mind was Lavery, his women were always emotive but also very strong. So with this in mind we created a selection of images that were in my opinion an “Irish Portrait”.

IMG_6054web

 

Please if you are looking for a portrait, ask me to shoot you like this. I would be in heaven!

Eva x

Business Headshot for a New Job

I have been shooting a lot of headshots recently for various business people & artists. Normally i get a call by someone needing a portrait quickly, something has cropped up and they need one asap. But i utterly recommend not leaving it until the last minute, go look at your profile today and make the decision does this image represent you, your business or the potential job you want.

Yesterday I was photographing Bobby O Connor, Chief Executive of Unijobs, and we discussed the importance of having a good headshot, not just for the self employed but also those who are looking for work. Here is what he told me:

The importance of a clear and professional image on social media sites such as Linked-in is not to be underestimated , particularly in the world of recruitment.  Recruiters all too often make snap judgements on candidates with the old saying that a picture tells a thousand words coming into play more often that one might expect.  Research has evidenced that society buys from the people it ‘likes’, hires the people we ‘like’, trusts the people we ‘like’ and in general makes the ‘like’ decision within seconds of seeing/meeting someone.  Getting your picture right to present yourself in the most appropriate manner is critical to achieving that first impression.  I personally was extremely pleased with my 30 minutes with  Eva Birdthistle Photography – it was simple and quick and the pictures she produced were excellent.

IMG_4339_web

Get in touch as soon as you can to make sure you get the images the best represent you.

Eva

First Wedding Trade Fair

Phew, what a weekend. I am catching up after my first Wedding Fair, it was an Ultimate Weddings Live event. It was very well organised fair with very helpful staff. I know the first year will always be a little more quieter than normal but i did have some wonderful couples, families and friends pop over to check out my work. The real test is how many of these will turn into clients, fingers crossed.

Ultimate Weddings Live2

I didn’t want to go with just a table which is what was on offer with the stand. So instead we up-cycled some old furniture from home (thanks Shona for letting me “borrow” your book case) a little black paint and a stunning purple chair, in love! And that little table with the Queen Ann legs… that was in my Mums bedroom when i was a child, love having her with me 🙂

Ultimate Weddings Live4

I wanted fresh flowers for the stand and Patricia from Ring O Roses supplied us with the perfect flowers that matched our red & purple highlights, so pretty.

Ultimate Weddings Live3

My favourite item is the gold frame with our beautiful Bride getting ready, I know not a typical framed image but i love the light and grace in this portrait.

Ultimate Weddings Live

On Saturday a lucky lady called Ciara was randomly chosen to experience a Couture Session Photoshoot live at the wedding fair. She was whisked away and treated to a makeup application by Alison & Marian and then a photoshoot to capture a gorgeous Couture image.

Ciara Before her makeover

Ciara Before her makeover

Ciara being treated to a makeup application

Ciara being treated to a makeup application

Ciara's Couture session portrait

Ciara’s Couture session portrait

Now its time to catch up with other work, but already planning my next event, can’t wait 🙂

Eva x

A letter from the past

Today something wonderful & weird happened to my Mum. As she was going through the bills she received during the week she found a letter from my Father….. hand written with no stamp…. my Dad passed away over 5 years ago so it was a little bit of a surprise. She has no idea how it found its way in between the bills which were sitting on her coffee table for a few days… And she would of noticed a letter there all this time…

As she reads out the letter to me over the phone i had tears in my eyes as it was like listening to his voice something i only dreamed of. He told her that he might not “come though” the operation and that he loves her and thier kids, and we would look after her…. We reckon he wrote this about 6 months before he passed away, nearly 6 years ago. We have no idea how this letter got there…

10562706_10153167378629085_3252654346315879431_o

So we’re going to stop thinking about how it go there and be just grateful that Dad some how was able to send her a message that he loves her and so proud of us all xxx

Strong, Beautiful, Unique!

crystal_edited-2

I want to make something very clear... Just like all women! We are strong, beautiful and unique! Please remember that….

I know there are times we don’t feel it or see it, we may feel tired and worn out but that is the very time we need to look after ourselves, be kind about how we feel (don’t give ourselves a hard time) be gentle and put ourselves first, i know a lot easier said than done. Strength comes from knowing what vulnerability feels like. 

Life does have its up and downs, but the great thing is we can choose to have more ups! Its all about how we see things. Don’t get me wrong, i have my moments but i try and work (hard) on being positive every day but it is so worth being able to choose to be happy. Happiness is real beauty, its written all over you.

What makes us unique is our own story, every woman i meet has a story to tell. We have emotional and physical scars that life has given us but these are our tiger stripes! These show us we have battled and survived.

It helps to have inspiring people around you too, look out for them, they are worth their weight in gold!

So please remember we are all strong, beautiful and unique, tell yourself, tell others xxx

Pet Portraits for Charity

During the week February 2nd – 9th both Shona and I photographed nearly 20 pets for two local Charities, Limerick SPCA & Limerick Feral Cats.

It was a challenging week, not just teaching Shona how to use the camera but also how to get the best out of your client, in this case, pets.

During the sessions, i could hear Shona every now and then say “Yes”, which was fantastic, no longer was she just blindly shooting but was waiting for the right moment and knew when she got it!

We managed to raise €520 for both charities, which you can imagine they were delighted with.

Mary from Limerick Feral Cats said the money will go towards neutering 6 cats, which Limerick SPCA plan to spend it on purchasing much needed hay for local horses.

Shona Birdthistle Mulligan_Limerick feral Cats_Limerick SPCA_WEB

L-R Back Row: Mary Mollica, Limerick Feral Cats. Shona Birdthistle Mulligan, Eva Birdthistle Photography. Geraldine Nardone, Limerick SPCA
L-R Front Row: Pam Skehan, Limerick SPCA. Con Horan, Limerick SPCA

 

What is Boudoir Photography?

What is Boudoir?

Boudoir historically means a woman’s bedroom or small private room. Hence why usually Boudoir Photography is set in a bedroom or hotel room. It also means many things to many people, some say its soft porn, others that it is cheap and maybe when you see a particular image they evoke that emotion.

What is Boudoir Photography to me?

But to me, Boudoir Photography should be feminine, beautiful, sensual, empowering and fearless and i strive to produce images that reflect this. At no time do i want my client to feel uncomfortable. That is why I go to great lengths to make her feel relaxed.
Boudoir Couture
Being a curvy woman, i completely understand when a client says she is conscious of her body. I have studied with the best photographers to learn how to pose women of all shapes and sizes. So before you come into the studio let me put your mind at ease, i will do everything to make you feel beautiful.
Bridal Boudoir Couture

So why do i shoot Boudoir?

Its simple really, I want woman to feel empowered! I know that sounds weird, I’m encouraging women to take their clothes off to feel strength. But its true, when you are brave enough to consider doing your own Boudoir shoot, you have already taken the first step. You will go through a range of emotions, being nervous and even feeling a little vulnerable, but by the time your session is over you will feel amazing. You will feel empowered from the fact that you actually did it! {high fives}. With results like that why wouldn’t i shoot Boudoir.
Beautiful Boudoir Photography

You with one little session have now redefined how you feel about yourself. You are feminine, you are sensual, you are beautiful, you are strong.

Now next time you look at one of our Boudoir Couture images, imagine how that woman now feels about herself, imagine you feeling that way too.

Boudoir Couture PhotoReel

As a child of the 1980’s I remember seeing a View-Master at a friends house for the first time. I thought it was the coolest thing i had every seen! It was like my very own private “still” movie. Through many hours of pestering and hounding, I persuaded my Mum to buy me one for my birthday along with extra reels of Disney movies. Oh how i loved it.

view-master

So when I found out that we can custom design these for our clients you can imagine my squeals of delight. I knew I just had to add it to our Boudoir Couture products list. Imagine your very own custom designed reel & viewer, a private slide show for you or your other half.  What a quirky retro toy for adults.

reel6

After your Boudoir Couture shoot we organise a viewing session to choose your images. The reel takes 7 images (one for each eye through the viewer) and the comes in 3 colours red, black and white, depending on your mood. So whether your images are fun, sexy or even bridal, its the perfect unusual gift.

Click on the video below to check out our latest PhotoReel

K’s Boudoir Couture Session

I am so lucky to have amazing clients who are such an inspiration. Have a read about K’s Boudoir Couture experience in her own words, this may inspire you too, Eva x

                                                                                                                                       

I always wanted to have a Boudoir Couture photo taken. I love Gok Won and always watched his programme ‘How to look good naked’. I have three children and thankfully never kept the ‘baby weight’ or got stretch marks, but lately because of exercise I feel fitter, feel better and think that for my age I don’t look bad. This was for me, a gift for me and DH (*darling husband).

IMG_9603-webThe weeks before my session I put a lot of thought into what to wear and how I wanted my image to be captured. I researched Boudoir Couture and fell in love with Pinterest! I surprised myself by having a lot of what I wanted to wear already, all I needed to buy was pearls and stockings. I even rang Eva about arranging to drop in my bag of what I was going to wear a few days before my session! As the day grew nearer I was excited about my session and so looked forward to the day. Then the day arrived, I was giggly but nervous. I wanted to do this, I was going to do this, I was going to enjoy doing this. I am extremely camera shy and don’t like getting my photo taken, so as a norm this was going to be completely out of my comfort zone. But from speaking to Eva on the phone and meeting her for my consultation I knew that once I got to her studio I would relax and would feel comfortable during my session.

After my session I felt Amazing!! My make up and hair were both done to perfection, exactly what I wanted. I was on a high, so empowered as a woman! I had just posed in lingerie for an hour being photographed and enjoyed every second. Given half a chance I would have gone back in a heart beat for another session!

To be honest, when I saw my images at first I didn’t recognise myself. I asked Eva, Is that Me? I looked so good. I looked sexy, curvy, womanly, gorgeous, comfortable in my own skin! Which is exactly what I wanted to look like.

The main thing I would say to that is be honest with yourself! Know what you want, how you want to look, and how you want to feel. Do your research. Speak to Eva. Listen to Eva. She will guide you. She is gifted. From the minute I spoke to her I felt comfortable and I knew I was going to enjoy my Boudoir Couture session. I am so so glad that I did this and would recommend it to all women. We don’t have to be 7ft tall and a size 0 to be beautiful. Have a session with Eva and you will see how beautiful you are.  I hope to go back for another session!
And can’t wait to give DH his gift xx

Boudoir Couture Experience

I asked a number of our recent Boudoir Couture clients to tell me in their own words what the Boudoir Couture experience was like, from the pre consultation right through to seeing their images. This is from Jillian.

                                                                             

I decided to do Boudoir when I’d seen another ladies shoot.  The pictures were amazingly sexy and as I haven’t felt like that since giving birth to my beautiful babies I then decided to do Boudoir shoot.

Boudoir Photography LimerickI was very nervous going in to do my pre consultation as I didn’t know what to expect.  Within minutes of meeting Eva I felt like I was meeting a friend and my nerves went . When I left the pre consultation I was nervous excited and off I went to buy my lovely undies. I couldnt wait to come home a try them on. I waited a whole week to do my shoot which was soooo long as I just wanted to do it. ( Eva ,that is the confidence you gave me)…

When I was doing my Boudoir shoot my confidence was growing and growing (yet again that was down to Eva). By the end of the Boudoir session I felt sexy, confident, emotional, excited only to mention a few. That evening I went home head held high. I had a few friends over and their comments to me was “You look stunning” and “there something different about you” ( These male and female friends didn’t know I had just done a Boudoir Couture session ). So I was buzzing all evening.

I was so excited to see my images when I first saw them I was ohh is that me. A few I was unsure of at first as I hate seeing myself in pictures. But when I went back through them I was oh I love them. I want them all. I keep looking at them. I decided to get an album for my husband as his Christmas present but I’m now considering the present is for Me.

If you are thinking for doing a Boudoir shoot, Stop thinking, “JUST DO IT”.  You won’t regret it. One thing I will say to you.  IT HAS TO BE WITH THE AMAZING EVA BIRDTHISTLE.  Very talented lady Xx