As the owner and operator of the Jersey Shore-based wedding and portrait photography company, Wild Magnolia Photography, Brit Bott is no stranger to the ever-changing landscape of the photography industry.
From trendsetting beach weddings to more traditional affairs, Bott has seen it all and is ready to share her take on the newest and most exciting trends she’s seen while capturing couples on the most memorable day of their lives.
Q: Why did you decide to get into wedding photography?
A: Growing up, I loved how photography could impact people and document all of the major events in life, from the good to the bad.
My mom has a wall of family portraits, including wedding photographs from generations. When I spoke to her about her wedding photography experience, it opened my mind to wanting to do better for others.
[My parents’ wedding] photographer did not take a photograph of my parents together or my mom with her brothers. Hearing that made my heart sad because they’ve been married for over 40 years. The story of my parents’ wedding is a big motivator for why I wanted to focus on wedding photography. I hear all of these horror stories about bad wedding photography, and I want to provide my couples with the best experience possible.
Q: What has changed in the industry since you first started?
A: I think that the industry is always changing. However, one thing I noticed making a comeback is film. The photography industry started phasing out film cameras in the early 2000s and now here we are bringing film back, especially in the wedding industry.
Q: Tell me about the most unique wedding you’ve shot so far.
A: Every wedding is unique in its own way, so I can’t pinpoint one specific wedding. I’ve seen weddings where the couple is staying in the same house while getting ready and the bride sees the groom throughout the day, a wedding on a Christmas tree farm, [weddings at] haunted mansions, and even a McDonalds and a Hoffman’s Ice Cream truck with late-night ice cream.
Q: What are some current wedding trends that you love?
A: Wedding trends that I’ve been loving are the mix and match color bridesmaid dresses, more unique seating charts, bows, bright colors, beautiful flower arches and candid photos – especially the direct flash ones.
Q: Are there any older wedding trends that have started to make a comeback recently?
A: Definitely film, as mentioned earlier. I think disco balls are still a thing, and we will see more in 2024. Also, smaller cakes with piping that give a more retro look.
Q: What does the future of the wedding photography industry look like to you?
A: Great question! I think as we start seeing more [artificial intelligence] programs coming out, the expectation for turnaround times with wedding galleries will increase. People are educating themselves more on photography, which has made for some interesting conversations. And I think it’s really important for people to have an opinion when it comes to wedding photography. There are photos that they will have to look at for the rest of their lives.
Q: What do you love about being a wedding photographer?
A: I love getting to know couples, how they met and where life is taking them. There are billions of people in the world, and for two people to meet and decide they want to spend the rest of their lives together is pretty cool in my mind!
Q: Why do you think photography is such an important part of someone’s special day?
A: Photography has a different impact on each person. Photography on someone’s special day is so crucial because, for most people, it’s one day in their lives that they will never get to repeat, so they want to have all the little moments captured as perfectly as possible. Who can blame them?
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A Southeast Alaska Native artist is finding new fame this year after one of the largest coffee brands in the world picked up on her talents.
Alison Bremner, a multidisciplinary Tlingit artist from Juneau, is gaining new exposure this year with the reveal of Starbucks’ Artist Collaboration Series cups and tumblers. Bremner’s Indigenous art is part of the series, which showcases independent artists’ work from around the world.
Bremner’s work featured three unique designs on Starbucks cups, which were announced this week.
“It’s been such a joy to see them out, to see them used, like to see the reception that they’re getting,” Bremner said. “It’s just been fabulous.”
Bremner is the latest Alaska artist to have her Indigenous artwork prominently featured on a national scale, following up on Alaska Airlines planes and U.S. Post Office stamps inspired by fellow Juneau artist Crystal Worl. Worl’s artwork has also been used to create the behemoth mural adjacent to Anchorage’s City Hall.
The official launch date was Jan. 3, with the first media release coming Jan. 8, but Bremner said a fan post on social media with a photo of her cups helped them go viral on the internet.
“It had like, over 22,000 likes the last time I saw it, and so a lot of the stores in Alaska are already sold out,” she said.
Bremner said she’s even heard of folks in Lower 48 states like Texas and Florida wanting a piece of the merchandise sale.
“People found out about them kind of immediately, and I have heard of stores telling people that if you want to get those cups, you had to have been here at 5 a.m. when we opened,” she said.
“It’s been really cool to see just how ‘nationwide’ nationwide really is, and I like hearing from folks all over the country. It’s been really amazing.”
The artist collaboration series by Starbucks debuted in efforts to celebrate and elevate the “diverse voices and stories in its communities,” according to company officials. Starbucks said Bremner’s work is the fourth to be featured in the series.
Born and raised in Juneau, Bremner attributed her inspiration to do art to her parents — her father is from Yakutat and her mother is from the Seattle area — and two mentors whom she learned the art of formline from; David Robert Boxley and his brother David Albert Boxley. Both brothers are recognized Alaskan artists whom Bremner worked with as part of a four-year apprenticeship.
Since formline adheres to a rigid set of rules that defines its characteristics, Bremner said she personalizes her artwork by superimposing floral patterns into the spaces between lines.
She also appreciates the wider recognition that Tlingit art and Alaska Native styles on a broader level are getting, comparing the Southeast traditions to much more well-known Native American artwork in the Southwest United States.
“Formline isn’t quite there yet, which is like, a blessing in a sense where it doesn’t get appropriated on a wide scale,” she said. “But it’s been really wonderful to have something that’s so specialized to Alaska and the Northwest coast be shared all over.”
Bremner said Starbucks first took notice of her art about two years ago when the company’s Instagram account followed her own Instagram account. After initial discussions about collaborating, Bremner said months went by before Starbucks representatives reached out with the idea of using her designs on merchandise.
The ideas for all three designs began on paper, Bremner said, which she then transferred to the digital sphere, using computer programs to recreate her designs exactly.
From there, Starbucks creators were able to transfer that imagery onto a three-dimensional space, leading to the official debut of Bremner’s creative designs on a national level.
“It’s just a thrill to have mine showcased on such a massive scale.”
Copyright 2024 KTUU. All rights reserved.
Valley News – Upper Valley photography studio celebrates self-acceptance
Upper Valley photography studio celebrates self-acceptance
Les Bella Boudoir associate photographer Sarah McEnany adjusts Shelby Soulia’s position while photographing her at the studio in Claremont, N.H., on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. It was Soulia’s third visit to the studio for a photography session. (Valley News – Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Valley News photographs — Jennifer Hauck
Meghan Brown, owner of Hidden Gem Studio and Makeover by Meg, applies makeup on client Shelby Soulia, of Andover, Vt., before Soulia’s boudoir photography session on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Claremont, N.H. (Valley News – Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Les Bella Boudoir associate photographer Sarah McEnany, left, and owner Jess Kinson help client Shelby Soulia, of Andover, Vt., choose what she will wear for her photography session — her third at the studio — in Claremont, N.H., on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. (Valley News – Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Valley News photographs — Jennifer Hauck
Les Bella Boudoir offers numerous outfits for clients to choose from during their session at the studio in Claremont, N.H. (Valley News – Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Jess Kinson, owner of Les Bella Boudoir, left, helps client Shelby Soulia with an edit of her photographs following Soulia’s session at the studio in Claremont, N.H., on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. (Valley News – Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Les Bella Boudoir owner Jess Kinson, left, and associate photographer Sarah McEnany change one of the studio’s sets on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, in Claremont, N.H. Kinson and McEnany often create new scenes at the studio for their clients to be photographed in. (Valley News – Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
In a downtown Claremont hair salon, Shelby Soulia sat patiently in a chair while Meghan Brown delicately affixed false eyelashes to Soulia’s eyelids. Soulia has gotten used to wearing them for special occasions, even though, she said, they are like having “caterpillars on your face.”
Brown, the owner of Makeover by Meg, which is tucked behind the Opera House, styled Soulia’s long, ash blond hair in soft waves and then applied makeup, putting on a pink lip gloss and dusting on a light layer of powder. It’s Soulia’s third time there. When Brown is finished, Soulia scrutinizes herself in the mirror. “It looks so good, it’s so simple, it’s subtle,” Soulia said.
This is Soulia’s first stop. She reaches the next by leaving the salon, walking down the hallway and then climbing a steep set of stairs that bring her into the Opera House. From there she walks outside and down the street to Les Bella Boudoir, a business dedicated to boudoir photography that has been open since 2021 in a streetfront space on Opera House Square.
The front windows are frosted and tinted so that passers-by can’t peer inside.
The client, usually female, poses in an array of costumes — lingerie, silk robes, black leather — in an array of sets — chairs, bathtubs, beds — with an array of props — use your imagination.
The two women who run the business, Jess Kinson, the owner and photographer, and Sarah McEnany, an associate photographer, are both in their 30s. Kinson choreographs Soulia’s poses while McEnanay takes pictures of Soulia from different angles, using a Canon R6 camera.
Soulia cheerfully contorts her body into pretzel-like shapes, throws her hair back and waggles her legs this way and that. She is firm on what she likes and what she doesn’t, what she’ll do and what she won’t.
The light through the back windows on a gloomy winter day is soft and dim. The natural and artificial lighting, and the way Kinson and McEnany deploy them, pick out the curve of a shoulder or neck, an arch of the back, and the eyes and lips.
After an hour of posing and occasional laughter, Soulia, 29, puts her street clothes back on. She and McEnany do a first edit, pruning the initial crop of 222 photos down to 48, and then the final edit of 20. She is going to share the photos with her husband, Soulia said.
A Les Bella package, which includes hair and makeup by Brown, sets, clothing and props, starts at $600. Images are purchased separately. A package that includes photography starts at $2,500. Clients must be 18 or older.
Soulia, who lives in Andover, Vt., has done two prior sessions at Les Bella. It took a while to get up the “confidence and courage” to come to terms with physically (and mentally) revealing herself.
“People are very hypercritical,” she said. “But it’s really showing that everybody is different and beautiful in their own way. You’re not letting society write your narrative; you write your own. It’s going against the grain a little bit. You can feel empowered and beautiful and confident. I can feel good in that moment. It’s art. It’s more than just photos.”
Brown, who has had her own photos taken, said when she saw them, she was amazed: “I saw my photo and I was like, OK. OK.”
Kinson, who lives in Claremont, started out photographing weddings and high school graduates. But she became more interested in boudoir photography because she saw how women could be transformed by the process.
“There’s such a stigma of what women are supposed to look like,” she said. “Seeing how they felt made me feel better. … The whole point is to show that your body is good.”
Indeed, the vibe is not “creepy or pervy,” Kinson said. It’s rather wholesome: a combination of gym workout (point those toes, stretch your hamstrings!), Barbie movie-style girl power and the look of a mildly risqué pin-up calendar that does not exceed anything seen in films or TV. Signs on the wall set the tone: “The Future is Female,” “Break the Rules,” and, attributed to Coco Chanel, “Don’t be like the rest of them, darling.”
Soulia, Kinson and McEnany joke around throughout the hour-long photo shoot.
“We’re not afraid to be silly,” Kinson said, who encourages Soulia with the occasional cheer of “Gaw-geous!” as well as exhortations to lift, drop or clutch her buttocks.
A first-time client typically comes in “stiff and uncomfortable,” said Kinson. She and McEnany walk a first-timer through the process to make them feel more at ease.
Given the volatile nature of social media and potential for misuse, the Les Bella Facebook group of women (around 4,500, according to Kinson) who share their boudoir photos is private. Clients must sign contracts before being admitted to the group. It is women only, and you must be over 18. Screenshots are not permitted. Members can be kicked out for violation of the rules or for general rudeness. They have not had problems, said McEnany.
Kinson no longer posts on Instagram but does use TikTok to advertise. Without it, she said, she doubts they would have attracted customers from outside New Hampshire and Vermont. There are dozens of photographers and photography studios in New Hampshire and Vermont offering a boudoir option, and the business of boudoir seems to have increased in the past three years, Kinson wrote in an email.
Both Kinson and McEnany know that some people will not approve of what they do. But they view themselves as preaching self-acceptance in a world that judges women harshly on their appearance.
For that reason, Kinson added that she has thought about dropping the word “boudoir” in favor of calling what they do “empowerment or reinvigoration sessions.”
“If we focused on what others may think of the type of photography we do, we wouldn’t be able to provide such a raw, unapologetic experience for women. Women need to be encouraged to embrace their bodies and sexuality and not have it be about men or the ‘male gaze,’ ” McEnany wrote in an email.
Kinson echoed McEnany, writing in an email that women don’t need to dye their hair, lose weight or have plastic surgery to consider themselves desirable: “What we do is show women that despite maybe not feeling ‘perfect,’ they are still damn beautiful!”
More often than not, Kinson said, when women see the final results, they are “floored” and sometimes become emotional.
“You come in one person and go out a different person,” Kinson said.
Nicola Smith can be reached at mail@nicolasmith.org.
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One of the most appealing genres for photographers is black and white. Although we are long past the age of black and white being the only “real” medium of photography, there is still artistic appeal behind such images. In this article, I will share some of my favorite tips for better black and white images.
There are many photographers who simply turn their photos black and white and leave it at that. Some, unfamiliar with color grading, become black-and-white photographers because it is easier to grade such work – simply flip a switch. However, when you change your photo to black and white, a whole new world opens up. So much so that there are steps you need to take all the way from conceptualizing the image to how you export or print it. I often resort to black-and-white techniques when I am dissatisfied with the color harmony of my images. Much of my black-and-white processing is done in post-production. I find the idea of editing black-and-white images more intriguing than working with color. After all, you are working with a grayscale, and your edits need to be more intricate to show the full range of tones and ultimately convey meaning with your photography.
The joy of black-and-white photography is that you don’t need to think about color; rather, focus on patterns, shapes, and poses. This can be both a blessing and a curse, as you will need to learn to be colorblind on command. You need to see the world in grayscale. The best way to do this is to either use a mirrorless camera set to black-and-white mode or simply look for contrasting colors, differences in exposure, striking patterns, and ways to make the subject stand out. Good black-and-white images have relatively high contrast and use texture to express contrast. Remember, you can have contrast in many forms: light, texture, shape, and meaning. Seek contrasts around you and capture them in black and white. A good black and white image incorporates contrast in one way or another. 
A great way to enhance your black-and-white photography is by checking the images immediately in editing software. There are several ways to do this. If you are working on set with a team, grab your laptop, open Capture One, plug in your Tether Tools cable, and off you go. I have created some presets for myself and use those by default when I know that the final image will be shot in black and white. As you will see later on, tethering and using my own presets for black-and-white images allow me to craft the lighting in a way that fits the edit. It is almost like working backward. Many of my black-and-white techniques require extensive work in curves and layers, and often I am working with very unconventional lighting in strange places to get the look that I want. I simply use the preset as a starting point for later editing, but also as an indicator for the team on what to expect from a particular image. There are a lot of wild presets that I made. If you are interested, I might be sharing them at some point. 
Black and white images are great for editing and experimenting with various techniques. Because you are eliminating color, much of the pain of color grading is gone. You are working with grayscale. This calls for action in the curve sliders. Don’t be afraid to drag your curve points beyond what you would normally do. I tend to do most of the heavy work in the curves layer. The top and bottom points may be reversed to create a solarized effect. Then, you can go and work with the midtones and so on. Further, you can play around with the red, blue, and green channels to get more precision with your editing. I find those to be effective tools when converting a very vibrant image to black and white. An extra tip would be to turn the contrast slider all the way down and introduce the necessary contrast in curves and levels.
There are many great photographers from various time periods who originally used black and white. After all, being original is something we all should strive for. Familiarize yourself with how photographers such as Man Ray started black-and-white photography and how it was developed further. Dadaism is a great movement to explore. The combination of surreal motifs with stunning black and white is hard to replicate and is sure to give you new ideas. Going further in time, explore the works of greats such as Sally Mann and Helmut Newton. I would advise skipping Peter Lindbergh as his style is copied too much in the current landscape. Please, do not copy Lindbergh. A great name to be familiar with from the 90s and 00s is Steven Klein. As for current photographers shooting incredible blacks and whites, try Txema Yeste and Elizaveta Porodina.
To add to my editing tip with curves, I suggest trying sliders such as dehaze and tint. Capture One has a brilliant way of doing dehaze, which is not the same in Lightroom. I find that slider to be a great contrast reducer. Often, my black and white images are dehazed to show more detail in the shadows and turn the highlights down. I add contrast in curves, as has been said previously. Tint is another slider worth trying. Much black-and-white photography follows the same bluish tint, which is natural when simply switching the image to black and white. Tinting your work can be an interesting way to make the photo warmer or add an original look. You can experiment with tinting the shadows or the highlights only.
These are my five quick tips for getting better black-and-white images that will be more original and experimental. A common motif in many of my articles is, indeed, originality. Lastly, as a bonus tip, don’t forget to add grain for extra spice.
What are your favorite black-and-white techniques? Anything you like using? Share with us in the comments below!
