Kristen Wheeler invited me to a photo shoot for a Boudoir Bombshell calender. The shoot took place in Clermont which is way out on the west side of Orlando. Driving on 50 heading west there is still quite a bit of undeveloped land. Clermont is a quaint little old Florida town. the shoot took place in a small storefront business called Thyme of Day which offers yoga classes. When I knocked on the door, a boxer dog barked a few times and started spinning around in a circle. Kristen welcomed me and introduced me to an author who was at the shoot as research for a character in her book titled 3 Flavors. A character in that book is loosely based on her observations of Kristen. None of the models had arrived yet and Kristen was just starting to set up her backdrop. She suggested I get lunch at Cheeser’s Palace across the street and after hearing her descriptions of some of the menu items I decided that was a great idea.
While waiting for my order to arrive, Marcie, an actress I had met before at the Fringe walked in and ordered the 5 cheese grilled sandwich. She had just gotten back from Alaska and we chatted for a while about sea otters and the unspoiled beauty of the Alaska wilderness. Marcie was the first model to show up for the shoot and she got her sandwich to go. When I got back to the photo studio more models had arrived and they were sorting garter belts , nylons and staring to apply makeup. Brooke had been assigned the task of blowing up as many red white and blue balloons as she could. In the back room of the studio the women began to get into their costumes. Timarie, or T, began to began to work on Marcie’s hair. She used her curling iron to help establish the 1940’s look she was after. When Marcie saw the final results in a mirror she was delighted.
The first model to be shot was Chloe. She had never done a Boudoir photo shoot before so Kristen walked her through a quick introductory course. Kristen said, “Now say your vowels but enunciate and exaggerate how you use your lips, A E I O U.” The pursing of the lips on U made for a sultry Marilyn Monroe look and everyone laughed. Kristen had taken a number of shots of Cloe before Roz stepped in and asked Chloe if it was OK for her to remove her glasses.She pointed out that Chloe had beautiful eyes and they wanted to see them. Chloe was fine with that and the shoot continued. She then lay down on the floor and Kristen shot her from above. She held her legs in the air and announced, “O” for Kristen. Rosalind said, “Now push the girls together.” Chloe adjusted her bra with the desired effect. She said, “I have never been complimented so many times in one day.” It is true that she was told she was beautiful and a natural so many times it is hard to count. Dizzi, the boxer, is a bit of a ham and whenever she was let in the photo shoot room she would spin around and then find a spot where she was sure to be photographed or sketched.
Next up was Marcie who was dressed in a cute tight fitting sailors outfit. She was to represent July 4th and she stood in a sea of balloons. During her shoot all the other girls grabbed as many balloons as they could and they threw then up in the air letting them rain down on Marcie while the shutter clicked away. Dizzi, the boxer, was having a fit spinning in a tight circle and barking her head off. This was more excitement than any dog should be expected to handle. Marci is a pro and she knew how to play up the coy looks and come hither gazes. Whenever she would raise her left eyebrow, it bought about a round of laughter from everyone. The white backdrop behind Marcie will be replaced by an American flag for the calender.
Getting to sit in on a Boudoir photo shoot was very fun and there were so many other sketching opportunities. In late October or early November there will be a calender release party. I will keep you posted.
