Boudoir Photography in Myrtle Beach

There is an image that popped in up when you registered “boudoir”.

What did it look like? How did it feel to think about boudoir photography? Why’d it feel that way?

Was it a lingerie clad model perfectly styled lounging in a chaise or was it a raw emotional image of someone just like you in their home? How do you connect to this? Does it make you feel intimidated or curious about this personal and intimate style of photography?

Boudoir photography is defined as intimate, romantic, and sometimes erotic images of its subjects in a bedroom or private dressing room environment. It’s primarily intended for the private enjoyment of the subject and his or her romantic partners. What can’t be described, by the definition, is the experience it offers a lady to feel beautiful and comfortable in her own skin. During a shoot, a lady is embracing herself in that exact moment for all she is and will continue to become. I believe for someone who hasn’t been exposed to this type of environment, it’s harder to understand the mental depth we explore as photographers and the empowerment felt by our ladies.

This beauty goes beyond an image and a fleeting moment. When women come to our studio for a boudoir session, I want them to want this for themselves. It’s the most personalized gift you will ever give someone, whether that is your significant other or betroth, but especially when it is to yourself. Embrace who you are and where you are in life, cherish your accomplishments, flaunt your sexy self and fall in love with all your features.

I dare you to try something new whether that be a workshop or a personalized diva date. I dare you to accept yourself because you are a work of art, pose in ways you’ve always wondered about, and see how the camera reflects the confidence you’ll find.

Our personalized sessions are offered in our Myrtle Beach studio or the location of your choice (including outdoor locations). We offer a selection of gift print and album packages or simply a private weblink for your viewing pleasure. Want some ideas to spark your imagination? Visit our Pinterest board!

bridal boudoir in sexy lingerie laying on a bed

young model laying on a chaise for a boudoir photo in black lace lingerie

female holding a blanket to cover herself for an intimate boudoir portrait in her bedroom

Bridal boudoir portrait covered with a veil wearing sexy white panties

black stocking and high heels on a wire framed bed for an intimate boudoir photo

Black lace sexy underwear and garter belt boudoir

 

Contact us for the full details!

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Art: Why does it matter?

A good piece of art can be the “spine” of its chosen viewers. It can select, provoke, inspire, nurture, and excite its audience.  

I’ve read art referenced as, “…a necessary escape and refuge of the mind from the chaos and trouble-ridden world.” I’m not too sure I like that description. It leans towards locking art into a recreational activity from reality. 

“The arts matter because we matter, and our stories matter. We are moving miracles, walking creators engaging in a cosmic dance. The art we express is timeless.” –Mohammed Sheriff

I like how Mary Boone explains it, “I don’t really believe that art is escapist. I believe that art provides a sensory experience that, on the contrary, can be restorative… What one needs is the curiosity and the desire to truly see and feel. To perhaps be a bit uncomfortable as you learn to decipher how different art works make you feel, but to learn that on the other side of that discomfort lies pleasure – the pleasure of discovering a work that “speaks” to you, or the pleasure that comes from simply gazing at something beautiful.”

So, why should you care about it? 

Well, let’s look at some fun facts:

  • -Arts improve individual well-being. 63 percent of the population believe the arts “lift me beyond everyday experiences,” 64 percent feel the arts give them “pure pleasure to experience and participate in,” and 73 percent say the arts are a “positive experience in a troubled world.”
  • -The arts unify communities. 67 percent of Americans believe “the arts unify our communities regardless of age, race, and ethnicity” and 62 percent agree that the arts “help me understand other cultures better”-a perspective observed across all demographic and economic categories.
  • -Access to art is linked to better health, safety, and education in lower-income neighborhoods.
  • -Art Therapy shows promise as a means of treating hard-to-treat symptoms of combat-related PTSD, such as avoidance and emotional numbing, while also addressing the underlying psychological situation that gives rise to these symptoms.

 

One of the most valuable form of stress reduction and relaxation is the enjoyment or practice of art.” To me, it sounds like the beginning of a solution to long term problems. That’s the hurdle advocates face, the misunderstanding of long term importance because of short term ideology. It matters because of the emotions it invokes.

Emotions and intentions are what anchor art to us. 

“The arts matter because they extend our lives. I’m not talking about years added–though certain artists, through their creations, can claim a type of immortality. Rather, the arts allow us fully to inhabit other personalities, perspectives, and states of perception. The arts thus elongate human experience. And while it can’t be displayed on a standard chronology, who’s to say this qualitative increase in life doesn’t translate to a quantitative one?” – Sunil Iyengar

So, would you like more art in your life? Talk to me, how would you do it? Will you venture down to your local art walk and bring your friends? Would you finally go, take that yoga or dance class you’ve always wanted to try? Could you rent out a studio space to photograph the composition in your head?

Dare to see that there is more to you, that is the art of your originality.

To see more of my art work please visit www.bwfineartphotography.com

playing around with art shots

 

e3 Studios: Architectural Photography

#Cameraliftinglife: e3 Studios

 

Founded in 2008, e3 Studios is a woman-owned business that has dazzled the Grand Strand with their style and class. Haven’t heard of them? Well, I guarantee you have seen their work with their interdisciplinary design in the local and interior architecture and interior design services. Their vision and mission are forces to be reckoned with. Not only do e3 Studios understand the technical details of building designs in relation to its space, but the reason the buildings are being built in the first place – for people. All of our business offices and spaces are for people to work in, for people to have comfort in, for people to be inspired by, and for people to be taken into tranquil settings. 

I have had the pleasure of documenting this year’s completed projects and laughing with Erin Blalock and Ashley Goheen. These two women rock e3 Studios and I love capturing their bubbly personalities and friendship, especially when Erin limits Ashley’s caffeine consumption! Some of my favorite memories include the girls lifestyle shoots. I call them my little “goofball kids” because they were just super fun, giggly and had a hard time keeping a straight face. Remember I said that architecture is in my blood? Well, it comes from my Father, a self-employed Architect for the past 40 years. Walking up to meet them, the jokes would start and they’d get me every time. I’d be teased that if my dad came to work for them, they’d double their profit just because of his accent! You know? They possibly could because even I jive with their sense of style and color theme choices. I can really relate to e3 studios, and I can see their commercial color schemes in my home. Not to mention, my assistant has begged for a few of their pieces as well – specifically their rainbow lounger and glass sculpture designs.

I am thrilled and fortunate to have met this dynamic team. Building their business on passion and dedication, these two ladies are remarkable!.
Check out their awesome new website designed by The Brandon Agency in Myrtle Beach to see tons of my commercial and lifestyle photography.

 

Carl Kerridge is a location and destination photographer based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He specializes in lifestyle, commercial, and event photography. He is passionate about the fine art and photojournalistic aspects of photography. Traveling in and out of the United States, Carl has dedicated the past 15 years to studying/experimenting with the craft, teaching educational workshops, and advocating art for a global awareness. To learn more, visit his Website, follow him on Instagram or connect with him on Facebook.

 

e3 Studios, professional portraits, lifestyle portraits, woman-owned business, entrepreneurs, interior designs Commercial photography for The Brandon Agency, Interior Design by e-3 Studios e3 Studios, professional photography, Brandon Agency, entrepreneurs, interior designs, floor layout Commercial photography of the Interior design at Co Sushi's restaurant in Market Common, Myrtle Beach, SC Lifestyle photography at Co Sushi, main seating area at lunch Commercial photography of the main entrance hall at Coastal Club, interior designs, by e3 studios Relaxation area with color furniture at Coastal Club in Myrtle Beach, interior design by e3 studios Commercial photography of the white furniture, hair salon at Dolce Lusso Spa in Myrtle Beach, SC Lifestyle photography of the reception at Hotel Blue for e3 studios in Myrtle Beach, SC Commercial photography of the colorful bar at Locko Gecko in Myrtle Beach, SC Lifestyle photography of the reception at Hotel Blue for e3 studios in Myrtle Beach, SC Lifestyle Photography of keyboard and coffee mug reflected in computer screen for e3 studios Commercial photography of a classroom interior design by e3 studios at Myrtle Beach Elementry School Lifestyle photography of the games area at 710 Bowling Alley, interior designs by e3 studios Commercial photography of the bowling lanes and furniture at 710 Bowling Alley, interior design by e3 studios Lifestyle photography of the front entrance room at Dolce Lusso Spa, Market Common, interior design by e3 studios

Creation of Refraction

 So, what does it really take to create an art series?

 

It’s the night before my new art series titled ‘Refraction’ launches at SeaBlue. So I thought for this blog, I would write about the experience of creating a body of work.

This series has probably taken longer for me to create than any other in the past. To date, this marks my fourth series of personal art work since my first in 2004. SO why did it take so long?…Well, the last four years of my life have been quite a journey. At the beginning of 2011, I moved to Colorado with my now beautiful wife, Jessica, for her job. I left behind a photography business I spent ten years building for a new chapter and loved every minute of life in the Rockies. As our relationship progressed, I knew if we were to marry and have children (we now have a two-year-old boy) that we would need our family around us. We moved back to South Carolina after two short years away. During that time away, I returned to some of my roots. I took advantage of living in Denver and attended film workshops, enjoyed browsing through galleries and even submitted work for portfolio reviews. I was inspired by the amount of art and talent that surrounded me there and I enjoyed my down time soaking it in. It had been my goal when we moved there, to change pace and possibly start fresh as an artist selling prints to galleries. Unfortunately, without great contacts plus the need for models to create work, I soon realized that was a lofty goal in a short time frame. I learnt that good things come to those who patiently plan and execute for when the time is right, which brings us right back to the time at hand.

The first inspiration for the series ‘Refraction’ came at dinner with my wife about two years ago over a glass of wine. I have always liked lighting, and over my dining room table I have spotlights that create small cones of light controlled by a dimmer. As I held up the almost empty wine glass, I noticed the patterns it created on the hardwood table. I spontaneously started to swirl the glass, moving it closer then further away from the table…the patterns moved and danced before my eyes! An idea formed –

What would happen if I silhouetted a shape in those patterns? What would happen if I shot through the glass to see the beauty of form beyond?

 

I have always been fascinated with nudes as an art form, going back to the original masters of sculpture and film photography. It appealed to me as a truly creative form of expression. Nothing against painting still life, flowers, and marsh scenes but I knew that just wasn’t for me. From an early age, I took interest in Irving Penn, Herb Ritts, Richard Avedon, Edward Weston and the like, ordering copies of The Pirelli Calendar when my friends in High School were first discovering Playboy and Penthouse. I was engrossed by their use of the human form, their use of light and shadow that sculpted a body. They made their creations objective and innocent in its nudity. It was art, and as a young lad probably the one thing that inspired me more than anything to pick up a camera.

After first discovering that I could look through glassware and see shapes and patterns, I continued by forming a plan. I needed the camera, I needed the film, the models, the space to shoot in and the lab to develop and print my new masterpieces.  For the camera, possibly the easiest of all the choices, I choose the Fuji 680 GXiii which I bought from a photo lab owner only a year or so before. The camera offered me unparalleled quality for macro photography, and with it I choose Kodak Tri-X film because it is known for its contrast, wide exposure latitude, and classic grain structure. Next, I needed glassware. After raiding my own collection of wine and shot glasses, I soon realized I would need more so I sought out consignments shops, stopped by yard sales and borrowed what I could from one of my main clients, SeaBlue Restaurant.

I wanted to create a series that reflected diversity with the abstract nature of shooting macro through glassware. I knew I had to mix a variety of models in age, ethnicity and body shape.

 

Now if I lived in a big city this might be easy to come by, but I live in Myrtle Beach. Announcing an art show that is focused on nude photography doesn’t exactly have the phone ringing off the hook. So, I placed a few casting calls on Model Mayhem, started to mention it to models and friends that I have worked with before, and posted on Facebook. Soon enough, I had a list of 10 women and one guy who were willing to give it a shot. The studio space I have currently is co-shared and available to me two days a week, so I scheduled my shoots around client work (that paid the bills) and models’ schedules. I always considered this as independent work that couldn’t take away from my personal life, I am a father and a husband first. Quite a balancing act, as you can see.

Starting in the spring of this year, I bought a new sketch book, as I prefer to draw out my ideas on paper as a draft stage, and soon enough I had 20-30 ideas! However, I had no idea if they were even going to be possible until I stepped into the studio, film loaded and a model to test them on. That began earlier this summer.

With a few willing models and a digital camera, we tested the principles of light passing through glassware, refracting as if it were through one transparent medium and bending in nature. Fast forward six months and I now sit writing this with over one hundred hours of time invested, along with several thousand dollars, a collection of eleven images hand printed in the darkroom, and framed ready for a public viewing tomorrow night.

 

Am I nervous about how the series will be reviewed? YES.

Am I relieved to have completed a series or work that I have meticulously planned and executed? Hell YES.

Am I proud to say this is possibly my best work to date? Absolutely YES… and yet I am still on edge, anticipating the questions about how, why and what exactly I was trying to bring into being.

To answer a few of those questions, I created the series by returning to the roots of photography, using a manual film based macro camera to follow in the footsteps of those whose art I adore. I created the series for myself, not selfishly or for the reason that I wanted to see lots of naked chicks (yeah I really get asked that a lot). I craved the opportunity to challenge myself, to push my own boundaries and the skills I have learned over the past fifteen years as a photography studio owner. I wanted to step into the world of creation and impose my ideas on it. And what did I design?

This art series is a body of abstract work challenging the viewer to experience the perspective of another being. A perspective loaded with constraints of my upbringing, my path, my journey through life; yet liberated from the structure that society has placed on viewing the human form.

I could not have even considered this project without the undying support of my wife, my heart is with you always. To Ken and Tracy, owners of SeaBlue, for your confidence to support this series from concept, through sketches to an evening of fine food, wine and great company, cheers. To my art collectors and friends for showing up, buying tickets and collecting my art work that keeps the dream alive. And finally to all the models that placed their bodies in my careful hands, allowing me to sculpt them with light and reflect back a vision that is truly mine and mine alone, I thank you all.

To end, I would like to quote one of my all time favorite singers, Freddy Mercury, “The show must go on.” To me, this means to never give up on your dreams and always follow the illuminated path, even if it is not the easiest option.

Cheers,
Carl Kerridge

P.S. – A new website for just my fine art will be coming soon, look for more details and stay up to date with me on Facebookfor those that can’t attend the show, here’s a sneak peak of one of my favorites titled “Round the Rim.”

bw fine art, fine art photography, nude photo, abstract art, film photogrpaher