new jersey

Jamie

Jamie

A mother of four, two of them twins.

A fierce woman pursuing a career that courageously helps women.

A woman so open, so honest, she carries self assuredness with her as she enters the room.

A woman not without insecurities, but a woman that has learned how to challenge the nasty voice in her head and take control.

A woman that still needed to be reminded that she is powerful beyond measure, despite the roadblocks life has thrown at her.

A woman that needed to be reminded that she is a force to be reckoned with, capable of overcoming the most challenging moments in her life.

A woman that needed to know there was still a spark inside her. A spark that never left, she just couldn’t see it.

THIS woman. Beautiful. Impactful. Powerful. Brilliant.

“The twins took a lot out of me. I haven’t felt like myself in a long time. Not even the outside version of myself. I’ve accepted the changes their pregnancy made to me and have embraced, but I’ve been missing that spark. I saw it today, it’s still there. I just had to find it.”
— Jamie

Photo by Christie Caiola

Welcome To My World....

Hello, hello. I’m Christie, the hand behind the trigger and the voice behind the brand.

Welcome to my world and ultimately the entire contents of my brain. What I share here is authentically me, I don’t have much of a choice to be honest, I only have one speed.

I am an artist, but that’s only part of it. I’m obsessed with the depths of the human experience– the journey a person goes on in their lifetime, partly a physical journey and partly a journey of the mind. Unraveling insecurities, concepts of the world around them, perceptions of experiences and the process within.

This art, photography, is the vessel. It’s the way I am able to open my mind and reveal what’s inside. It’s a gift I never take for granted. This gift, the ability to literally show you what I see, is something I believe only a photographer has. Perhaps a skilled artist can as well, but when I pick up that camera I am literally and physically able to capture what my mind sees when I see you. I use lighting to capture an emotion that isn’t a tangible element. Every single detail is for that purpose, to use the tangible to capture the intangible.

There’s so much more to you than your insecurities. There’s so much more to you than the things that have bogged you down, suffocating you and lying to you. The darkness of our minds knows no bounds, it will fester and take hold until you feel like you have lost control. If this gift can have even a fraction of an impact on such things, I will continue until I can no longer hold my camera.

I hope you are relentless in your pursuit of healing. Whatever you are healing from; trauma, self doubt, insecurities, anxiety, depression… I hope you seek victory. I hope I get to meet you on that journey and share in your stories along the way.

And.

I hope I get to capture such a bold and courageous woman.

The Number One Reason Women DON'T Book A Boudoir Session

I did a poll a little while ago asking women what stops them from booking a session. Can you guess what the number one response was?

The number one thing stopping women from booking a session was that they felt like they had to lose weight first.

I’m sure you’re not shocked, to be honest I wasn’t really either. But no matter how common a response, it will never not be gut wrenching to hear.

Why do you only feel worthy of capturing, preserving, and celebrating yourself when you’re at some ideological weight or cultural beauty standard? When you get to the end of your life will you think “Thank god I don’t have any pictures of myself in my 30’s since I didn’t fit the beauty standard I’ve locked on to in my head”?

I hope if that is the only reason you have avoided me this long that you will dig up that thought process out of the dark crevices it resides and pull it all apart. Unravel it piece by piece until it has no more hold on you. 

If neglected, these thoughts, like weeds in a garden, grow like vines that thrive on the insidious influence of the world around you. They are so persistent they begin to strangle the beautiful flowers you’ve spent your life toiling over until self hatred and shame is all that is left.

But not for you. You will destroy these thoughts at the roots. You will dig them up and clear your heart and soul from the burden it has placed upon you your entire life.

And at the end, you will see your hard work— a beautiful garden of self assuredness and confidence. Thriving in a mind full of peace rather than self aggression and settling into self love. Now, you can spend the rest of your life in gentleness and kindness towards yourself and in turn giving hope to others around you struggling with their own deceitful weeds.

Then, if the end result of your hard work leads you to me, I will be waiting for you at the end of such a seemingly impossible task. I will meet you with grace and humility, knowing the war you just fought was a difficult and strenuous battle. One that some will go their whole lives and never claim victory over, despite a lifetime trying.


My return to society post covid! + A little intro for the new comers

I’M BACKKKKKK!!!!

Woof, guys. It has been a bit. I took a little camping vacation with my family and it truly was amazing. It was such an incredible opportunity to disconnect and refresh, I came home SO excited to get back to work.

BUT THEN… exactly ONE DAY after we got back home, I came down with Covid, that son of a bitch.

Queue up throwing me off entirely (on top of a few very miserable days in bed), my whole family testing positive (both symptomatic and asymptomatic) and ruining some really great plans we had. Needless to say it has been a rough week + both physically and mentally.

If you know me (and if you don’t, I’m about to do a little intro) you know that I am in a constant state of self awareness. I am challenging my thoughts, I want to be the best version of myself that I can be and playing victim and making excuses for myself just isn’t the way.

So I’m back, grateful for time with family even the time we spent sick and quarantined. We played board games and had epic movie nights together and worked extremely hard to find some light in an otherwise dark time.

As for me, I have noticed an influx of new followers around here and I’m so grateful you’ve decided to come on this journey with me and all the women I work with and empower.

I was an agency represented makeup artist in NYC, working with brands, magazines and celebrities that I merely dreamed of when I first stepped foot into that world. But then something happened, I absorbed all of this knowledge, the lighting, the posing, the retouching… I knew I could play a bigger role. And to be honest, I knew it wasn’t in that industry.

I wanted to bring that editorial atmosphere to everyday women, the ones that admire the models and celebrities in magazines that seem so far out of reach. Only it’s really not that far out of reach afterall. With beautiful hair and makeup, great lighting and high quality editing, you can get that experience for yourself. 

Apart from the technicalities, the experience isn’t only (or even mostly) about the superficial. What I do is really special (if I do say so myself). There’s no other job in the world that allows a person to take EXACTLY what they see before them and physically SHOW it to another person. From my eyes to yours, I want to show you what I see in you. Spoiler alert, it’s very different from the harsh eyes you are looking at yourself with. 

Please, give me an opportunity to show you how special, radiant and beautiful you are. 

Boudoir Photography vs Intimate Portraiture: What's the Difference???

Boudoir Photographer orrrr? 

So I am naturally lumped into the Boudoir photography category because I’m not sure there’s really another widely known category that I fall into (fine art nude? portraiture?). But of course, I’d say there are some notable differences between my work (that I’ve affectionately named Intimate Portraiture) and the more straightforward Boudoir Photography. There are also some pretty clear similarities so I figured it was a good opportunity to get to expand a little on the differences and similarities of boudoir photography and intimate portraiture. 

First, I’ll outline a few differences (of course there’s always exceptions to the rule, this is just a loose collection of thoughts).

Intimate portraiture

  • Pulls inspiration from the editorial and fine art nude world. It is more studio focused and often uses artificial lighting to create a mood and sculpt the body. 

  • Wardrobe is simple, effortless, “casual sexy”

  • The editing process is a bit more extensive than with boudoir photography, so while I provide the gallery to my clients the same day, their final images have a longer turnaround time.

Boudoir photography 

  • Is mostly natural light and in an atmosphere that feels a bit more “lifestyle” in nature. 

  • Wardrobe is usually more ornate, lacey and “overtly sexy”

  • Same day turnaround


Similarities

First the biggest one– both intimate portraiture and boudoir photography are an absolute empowering experience. Whether a woman sets out to do a boudoir photoshoot for her husband/partner as her motivation for booking the shoot, it is clear that the real gift was to herself all along. That is identical to how my clients feel after an intimate portraiture session as well. All of my clients leave empowered with a new sense of self.

Second, well this one is obvious. We both shoot various forms of undress/nudity. The tactics, lighting, even atmosphere may be different but you better believe you’ll be almost nude (or fully nude) in both experiences. We all love the body in all its shapes, forms and sizes and squeal inside (and outside) when you start feelin’ yourself!

Third, we all generally encourage our clients to print their images in beautiful heirloom albums. I think it is just the most beautiful way to display such an intimate and vulnerable collection of images of yourself and usually all boudoir photographers feel the same. 


In both cases it’s a full experience. Hair and makeup, wardrobe, the photoshoot, the album. From start to finish, you’re a queen for a day and you get more than just images out of it– you get a whole once in a lifetime experience (or maybe not just ONCE since I’ve had many clients come back again and again!).

What it comes down to at the end of the day is you and your overall style. Most of my clients come to me because they share the same love of subtlety as I do. If you’re drawn to a less obvious approach to sexuality, it’s usually me you’ll be contacting. 

If you are drawn to more traditional boudoir, you’re better off seeing some of my friends.

Katie at KB Boudoir. www.kbboudoir.com

Brianne at Satin Dauls Boudoir. www.satindaulsboudoir.com

Firas at Boudoir by FJ. www.boudoirbyfj.com

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Not into full glam, lace and come hither poses??? ME NEITHER!

Not into full glam, lace and come hither poses? Feel sexy in a plain white tee and a pair of Calvin Kleins? Meeee, too!

I started my brand because I absolutely love capturing women. There is no doubt that women have incredible power and strength in all aspects, but embracing our sexuality elevates us into a realm of confidence that few get to experience let alone truly enjoy.

I feel the most confident and sexy when it feels like I’m not even trying. When I can just simply exist as I am rather than trying to BE some version or caricature of a sexual being. For some, they DO find that confidence in lace and heels and come hither poses… for me it couldn’t be further from that. 

A plain white tee and some Calvin Klein bottoms, hair that is mussed just so and a look that says “Oh, am I not wearing pants? Huh, didn’t notice ;)”. 

And while we’re on the subject, I just LOVE when the makeup doesn’t take center stage, but instead enhances your beauty in such a way that it’s barely even notable. I want someone to look at you and say, “Wow, YOU look amazing,” and not “Wow, your MAKEUP looks amazing.” You know what I mean?

It’s all part of the greater story we’re telling through photography and you’re the main character. If this is a story based on who you are, why would we dress you up in a way you’d never dress or in makeup you’d never wear?

When you step into my studio, it’s about capturing you. The beautiful complexities that are within you. The fierce and the fun and the silly and the strong and the emotional and the elegant. It’s not about trying to copy an idea or a version of what you’re expected to be… it’s just simply about you.

Simply. Effortlessly. You.

Celebrating the big session giveaway winner!

My beautiful giveaway winner came in yesterday and WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW. @sam_amerman absolutely crushed it, did she not??!

The whole session we focused on embracing the soft with the bold as we always do but it was really at the forefront of our minds.

Sometimes the wardrobe is just as important as everything else. This pink sweater felt so soft and delicate yet her tattoos and confidence add to the dimension and depth that is femininity in itself.

We are complex, we are bold and we are soft, we are strong, we are emotional, we are loving, we set boundaries. These things can all exist at once and all I ever want to do is capture all the complexities that live inside you.

When you book a boudoir session, take all of these things into account when shopping for your wardrobe. What pieces bring out the different parts of you? The texture of a sweater against the smoothness of your skin, the pale pink color subtly living in cohesion with your skin’s undertones and yet in contrast with your long, dark hair. Each outfit helps us tell the story of who you are.

Each woman enters my studio at a different place in her self love journey. Some are at the beginning, stumbling on baby deer legs into a future where they can finally embrace who they are. Some come to me towards the end, celebrating the laborious journey of learning to love themselves and actually sitting in the truth that they are worthy. Wherever you’re at in your journey, that’s where I meet you. This session either sheds light on a piece of you that has been living in the dark for too long or it confirms that what you’ve been working towards all along is worth celebrating.


“Ahh I did it!”

“One of the best experiences of my whole life!” - Sam A.