Crossdressers-Haven.com

Has anyone had their photo done by a studio or the like? I see all the great pictures, and having none of myself, I would like to get some done.

If you have, how did you find the one you used? Was it a good experience? Any tips, or lessons learned?

I've taken a couple of home pics but - barf! I would really like to get a couple of nice shots done.

Hi Toni,

If you go to www.austinsangels.com there you can get a very excellent makeover. It's on the east coast though.

Then there's a makeup artist in the Northern VA area named De.
http://hometown.aol.com/dawndollluvr/

On the West Coast you have a place in Denver and one in Las Vegas. I don't have the links to those, though.

With austinsangels I've been twice and both shoots were 8 hours. I was exhausted after both shoots and I wasn't allowed to eat anything because it would mess up the makeup.

Jamie taught me lots of things about posing and now when I see a model shoot I empathize with how hard it is. It's hard and you have to get a smile out. ouch!

I've been to De only once. She's got a packed calendar and she's does business out of town, but it was well worth the visit. She's so super duper nice and has mega experience with the TG'd community. She's also a model.

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask.

Beauty

Beauty:

Thanks for the info. Being in the Midwest (central) U.S., it is not that easy to get to some of the more friendly areas of the States either by ground or air. Denver, however, is within a day's drive, so I will check on that. Plus, I am very familiar with Denver - it is one of my favorite places in the U.S.

I plan on checking around locally - I'm sure I can find someone willing to work with a CD, only I expect it to be tough road to hoe.

Where is Austin Angels located? I couldn't find an address on their web site.

Julie

Hi Toni!
I have not had a makeover and photo shoot,,,,,yet :-) But would love to have one done by Jamie Austen like Beauty has.
I can tell you tho , that if you keep trying some pics at home you will find some looks that you like better than others. Its also a great way to practice poses, and different makeup styles.
I bet I erase 24 out of 30 pics I take , but after a while you should get several you are happy with.
My main trouble is I am runing out of backgrounds, so I think ahead and try to get creative with my home photos.
Good luck and have fun however & wherever you get to play model :-)
Cindy
http://www.cindy8082002.com

Julie Miller wrote:Where is Austin Angels located? I couldn't find an address on their web site.

Julie

Hi Julie,

It's located on the border of CT and Mass.

Beauty

Toni,

From what I have heard, Denver has a rather large TG community. Here the home page of Betty Arend, who used to live in Denver and might have some info for you.

If you want to look closer to home, I suggest Minneapolis/St. Paul. The town has a very large GLBT community and I would be suprised if there wasn't a TG-friendly place giving makeovers there.

Here in Reno, we have The Hidden Woman and Romantic Sensations (an upscale lingere/fetish store), both give makeovers.


hugs

Tara

Cindy:

Thanks for the encouragement. I have never been a great photographer. My best portraits are thumb people.

I'll march forward nevertheless!

Toni

Tara:

Thanks for all the info. I will certainly check out the Minneapolis area. I didn't realize there was a large GLBT community there.

I used to live out in the Denver area, but it is so hard for me to get out that way these days...

Toni

Cindy Barnes wrote:I bet I erase 24 out of 30 pics I take

Its par for the course. Professional photographers often only use 2 or 3 shots per roll of film.

one way to vary the background is to get it out of focus and you can use any backdrop . . . the ease of accomplishing this depends on the camera you have. Good luck!

Ok so this is one of my favorite subjects :-)
Alexandra, I waited a long time to get my digi camera, and after doing my homework I bought a Nikon CP995, its way smarter than I am, but at 4.0 mp it takes great photos, even on auto setting.
Not that Im an expert but I get the "hey Cindy, come get our pic please" at some of the Southern Belle events I go to :-) The 3 day event in January I took over 150 shots :-)
I see many girls take their pic with a sheet hanging behind them, and if the light is just right it can look ok, but usually it looks like your standing/sitting in front of a sheet *s* The other background I see often is the hotel door with checkout rules posted on it. I understand this is the only time many girls have to dress and or get out, but a little photo shop would take the hotel out of the pic :-)
Ok I will stop here, but as I may have said in my short bio/intro , taking my own pics, and posting them opened up this whole new world for me and is probably the main reason I made the step to getting out and meeting so many great new friends!
Cindy

Hi there,

I'm with you. I only use a few shots per kazillion pictures.

Beauty

Cindy & all:

Art Photography is my minor here in school, and one of the key things I've learned is to shot shot shot!

It does cost alot on film, but if you want a good photo, you're going to have to invest in it get the result you desire.

Most pro photographers take anywhere from 50-200 photographs for every one of the amazing shots they get that is of publishable quality.

hugs,


Tara

Cindy Barnes:

I think we own the exact same camera (Nikon Coolpix E995?) though mine is only 3.2 Megapixels maximum. Yes, the operator's manual is longer than "War & Peace", and also much harder to read. Still, with two years perseverence, and over 8000 images, I am getting the hang of it. It helps I shot 35mm with Nikon (7 lenses, three bodies) for about 24 years first. It also still amazed me how often just using "auto" seems to do just fine. But as you already know, it isn't the equipment that makes a photographer great.

Toni Divine:

I am NOT a professional, but I did take a college course in it, and I AM fairly experienced at photography. You would think perhaps we could get together and I could work the equipment for you. We are not that far from each other. Of course, the hard part really is looking your best, and there I would probably be of very little help to you. Food for thought anyway.

Hugs,

Bernice

Most of my pics, are done by my girlfriend. She`s a professional portrait photographer, so it works out quite well. I get free pictures done, and she gets to practice different angles, poses, and lighting techniques.

Hugzzzzz,
Geena