Boutwell Studio

25 Things You Don't Know About Me (let's chat at WPPI!)

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:52:28 -0800

The big photo convention season is quickly approaching and I am getting so excited about meeting new friends and catching up with old ones! One thing that always bums me out after convention season is how many emails I get from people who were too shy to come up and introduce themselves to me (believe it or not, some people are under the impression that I am one of the cool kids. lol.) I thought it would be fun to sort of break the ice ahead of time and give you all a little glimpse of who I am (definitely not a cool kid!), so we have something to talk about in Vegas.

I am (embarrassingly) addicted to US Weekly and always love their "25 Things You Don't Know About Me" features, so I thought I'd make a little list for myself.

1. I am addicted to Burt's Bees lip balm.
2. I love Gin, but it makes me a crazy woman, so I don't drink it anymore.
3. "24" is one of my favorite shows, but it really bothers me that Jack Bauer has never, in 8 seasons, eaten or taken a drink of water. I am now obsessed with Jack's nutritional intake.
4. My parents bred Australian Shepherds when I was growing up and we always had at least 7 or 8 dogs.
5. Kids called me "Chenin the Dog Girl" in school :(
6. I met my husband, Doug, in middle school. He was the best friend of my boyfriend at the time (woopsies.)
7. It took me 3 years to convince Doug that he was in love with me. I think he finally just gave up.
8. My son is named after the artist, Maxfield Parrish, and the famous Chicago Cub, Ernie Banks.
9. I secretly hope Maxfield grows up to be a dork.
10. I refuse to eat American cheese, because, in the 6th grade, a bully put it in my hair. (Told you I am not a cool kid.)
11. My grandfather was a photographer and used to let me play in his darkroom when I was little.
12. If there was plastic surgery for shortness, I would do it.
13. I am currently eating an Atomic Fireball for the first time in 20 years. It's spicy as hell.
14. I am sort of just making this stuff up so I have something to blog (don't judge. you do it too.)
15. I love Cat Stevens' music but right now I am listening to Ice Cube's "Amerikkka's Most Wanted."
16. I am an enigma.
17. My favorite book is "Franny and Zooey," by J.D. Salinger.
18. I love champagne and dark beer.
19. My heart has stopped on more than one occasion.
20. I am a sushi snob.
21. My first car was a 1987 Mazda RX-7, which I crashed at least 3 times. One time, I hit a Samoan lady with it and she almost kicked my ass
22. I have an irrational fear of birds. I am disgusted by their feet (which is why the bird in my logo has none) and I am convinced that they carry disgusting germs.
23. I am a germaphobe.
24. I am not a rock star.
25. I sometimes wish I was a bank robber, because I want to scale walls in a tight black suit.

So that's it.... 25 things you don't know about me.

I will be posting later this week with my speaking schedule at WPPI! Hope to see you there!

delightfully,
Chenin

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Orange County Engagement Photographer - Nicole & Steve

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:32:10 -0800

Nicole, Steve and I had a great time exploring the old train station in Santa Ana last week. This couple has a great easy-going and laid-back personality and some crazy good chemistry. It was a total blast shooting this engagement session. Here are a couple favorites from their session -

To Nicole and Steve: So looking forward to your big day!

delightfully,
Chenin
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Maxfield is One! (a peek at his robot party, plus a little note to him)

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:28:14 -0800

I cannot believe that my sweet Maxfield is one year old! It's cliche to say, but it seems like yesterday that Doug and I were leaving from the hospital (in a pouring rainstorm, I might add) to take our little one home. And now I am posting about his first birthday. All I can really say is "wow."

On Sunday, Doug and I had our closest friends and family to our home to celebrate Max's birthday. From the time that he was born, I knew I wanted to throw Maxfield a robot birthday party. Something about robots says "all boy" to me and I thought it would be fun, without being too baby-ish (which I am always trying to avoid.)

I spent the last two months making every last detail of this party. Every time I sat down to make paper bunting, or a happy birthday sign, or robot party garland, I wondered how the heck I found the time. But the truth is, I had so much fun dreaming up projects and making them happen. I am not sure who had more fun - me or Max (ok, let's be honest... I did!)

Some of my fun crafts, including the invitations, bunting and his birthday sign (which I hope to re-use), that I made. I think my favorite project was the flower vases, which I made out of recycled glass jars and dryer ducting. We also had a Make-Your-Own-Robot Station, where kids (and adults, it turns out....) could choose a blank paper robot and decorate him.

Grace from Sweet Gems totally blew us away with this adorable cake. I am so grateful that she went with the robot theme and totally ran with it. We had Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots for the kids to play and each child got to take one of these paper robot boxes home, which were filled with stickers, wind up robots and Pop Rocks.

And, lastly, a couple of photos of Max with his own little cake. He was trepidatious at first (which probably had to do with the 40 cameras pointed at him!), but he got in to it after a while.
(Special thanks to Uncle Becker for taking these shots, so mommy could watch and enjoy!)

And now, pardon me, while I leave a little something here for Maxfield, in hopes that he will one day get to read his Mommy's blog....

Dear Maxfield,
You are truly the light of my life. You make me smile, you make me laugh, you make me remember to take deep breaths and count to 10, you make me stop and listen and enjoy little slivers of time like never before. You make me appreciate the big things and savor the little things. You make me love your daddy and your grandmas and your grandpas like never before. Simply put, you grew my heart.

Happy birthday sweet boy.

I love you.

Even when you're naughty. (Which is almost always.)

delightfully,
Chenin

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Orange County Photography Workshop, StyleLab 2!

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:46:30 -0800

After the great success of last month's StyleLab Workshop with The Wedding Chicks, we have decided to do another workshop in May!

*THE DETAILS*

Founded by Chenin Boutwell (www.boutwellstudio.com) and The Wedding Chicks (www.weddingchicks.com), The StyleLab is a one day photography workshop, designed to help wedding photographers identify and cultivate their unique style and brand.

The Wedding Chicks, Amy and Jocey, will discuss trends in wedding photography, as well as general trends in advertising and publicizing in the wedding world. As editors of one of the most highly trafficked and well-known bridal blogs in the country, The Wedding Chicks will discuss topics such as:

*the general market trend toward online advertising and the "demise" of the traditional bridal magazine
*guidelines for submitting to blogs and magazines
*Search-Engine Optimization (SEO)
*tips and tricks for getting your work published
*getting the most out of your online advertising

Chenin Boutwell (that's me!), owner of Boutwell Studio and co-founder of Totally Rad Actions, has been in the wedding business for 8 years, catering to a high-end and highly-stylish clientele. In 2009, her work was published in two major books on wedding photography, as well as numerous magazines and bridal blogs. Chenin will discuss topics such as:

*developing a strong brand that gets you noticed (by brides AND editors)
*identifying your target market (i.e., how to book the brides you want!)
*how to shoot details, with an eye toward editorial publication
*how to shoot magazine-worthy portraits
*advertising vs. publicizing (hint: publicizing is cheaper AND it works better!)
*workflow: how to deliver to your clients AND the editors in a timely manner
*networking

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO SIGN UP, VISIT:
WWW.STYLELABWORKSHOP.COM

delightfully,
Chenin

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Orange County Wedding Photographer, A Pink Bridal Shower

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:30:30 -0800

I am thrilled that I can finally share this lovely bridal shower that I had the opportunity to shoot last month. Jeannie Savage, planner extraordinaire and a dear friend, threw this darling shower for her bestie, Grace. It was a flawless day, filled with lots of cupcakes, pink flowers and all things super-girly. Grace's shower was featured today on Style Me Pretty (thanks Abbie!) and now I can share the images with you all! Enjoy!

delightfully,
Chenin

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Photo Workflow for Moms, plus Maxfield!

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:18:54 -0800

A while back, the lovely Davina Fear did a nice interview with me for her Women in Business Series. She was particularly interested in how I juggle my workflow with a (now walking!!!!) baby in the house. I give detailed, day-by-day instructions for making it happen RIGHT HERE!

And since no mommy post is complete without a cute pic of the wee one, here's Maxfield on his new swing!

Photography: Omakase Style

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:17:15 -0800

For years now, my husband and I have frequented Sushi Wasabi, a tiny strip-mall sushi restaurant in what can only be described as the "wrong side of the tracks." It is 30 miles from our house and the decor leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, the only decor being a big sign above the sushi bar that reads "TRUST ME." But we go, year after year, because it is the best damn sushi in the world.

So what makes Sushi Wasabi so good? What makes it good is the hard-core dedication of it's chef, Katsu, to doing his own thing. Although conjuring scenes from Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi," Katsu is 100% dedicated to serving only the best sushi. There is no menu, there is no edamame, there are no Sexy Ninja rolls.... heck, Katsu won't even let you take your order to go. Everything at Sushi Wasabi is served Omakase Style, which means that the Chef feeds you whatever he/she wants until you're full. Omakase is the antithesis of choice.

I have often visited Katsu and looked around to notice that this little restaurant is packed to the gills (pun intended.) There is always a ton of people waiting for Katsu to work his magic, despite the lack of loud music, neon cocktails and ridiculously-named sushi rolls. Let's just say that Katsu's business is booming, and he didn't have to make a single compromise to do it. Methinks there is a business lesson here....

As photographers, we do our best work when we are given total trust from our clients. But how many of us are asking for it? Do you have the guts to be like Katsu and ask "TRUST ME?" I do. And, admittedly, not all clients honor my request; some clients take a look at the proverbial "menu" and walk out of my "sushi bar." But you can bet that the clients who take a chance - who let me do my thing - leave very, very full.

delightfully,
Chenin

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Orange County Portrait Photographer, The Ladies of Details, Details

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:48:14 -0800

Last Sunday, I had the unique opportunity of styling and photographing a shoot for 16 lovely women! The ladies at Details, Details are top-notch when it comes to design and service, so I really wanted to knock it out of the park for them.

The inspiration for my shoot was a sort of Parisian Flea Market, with a little touch of whimsy and an homage to my love of all things hills, grass and green. Jeannie was kind enough to give me carte blanche with the look and feel of the session and scoured flea markets for weeks looking for awesome props. Ultimately, it took her flea-market finds, half of the furniture from my studio, some borrowed trunks from a friend, and some actual pieces from my own home to make this happen.

Having never done anything on this scale before, I was a little taken aback at how many people it takes to make something like this happen! We had 3 men moving furniture, a hair and makeup team working their magic and, of course, the models and myself.

After a ton of worrying about the light, when it finally came time to shoot, the sun peeked behind the clouds and created the most perfect light a girl could ask for. Here are a couple favorites from the shoot -

To Jeannie and the Ladies of Details, Details: Thank you for such a wonderful opportunity! I had a blast!

delightfully,
Chenin

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Chenin Boutwell Workshop, StyleLab Recap

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:01:55 -0800

It's Monday and I can finally share my images from The StyleLab! I think it's safe to say that the workshop was a great success. The Wedding Chicks, Doug and I received rave reviews from the attendees and everyone seemed to walk away with some knowledge and inspiration. It truly was a great time and I am really looking forward to doing it again soon.

This workshop simply could not have happened without the generosity of a lot of vendors. These people donated their time, creativity and handiwork to make the first StyleLab an amazing event. I will be indebted to them forever and ever....

Styled By: Angel Swanson of Events of Love & Splendor

Floral Design: The Treasured Petal

Stationary: Wiley Valentine

Rentals: Classic Party Rentals

Dress Designer: Joan Shum

Makeup & Hair: All Made Up Team

Deserts & Goodies: Vanilla Bakeshop

Venue: Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club

And a special thanks to Amy and Jocey at The Wedding Chicks for being my partners in crime through this whole crazy thing. I was always the kid in school that got stuck doing everyone's homework and it was so, so nice to have these gals do (more!) than their part! Love you girls :)

EMAIL US TO BE NOTIFIED OF FUTURE STYLELAB WORKSHOPS

And now, for some photos! Surprisingly, even though it poured rain and I was soaking wet, I have a lot of photos I really love.... so bear with me as I share a TON of piccies :)

EMAIL US TO BE NOTIFIED OF FUTURE STYLELAB WORKSHOPS

I also wanted to take a minute and thank the many photo vendors that provided meals, giveaways, samples and all sorts of goodies for the attendees. I feel so lucky to work with the following amazing companies -

My Funky Camera - for the cutest camera straps on the planet!
Shootsac - for great lens bags and awesome laptop bags
ProDPI - the best photo lab a girl could ask for (thanks for welcoming me with open arms!)
Colorati - for all of their RAW processing goodness
Finao Albums - the best albums in the world
Totally Rad Actions - awesome Photoshop actions, filters and pre-sets

And to the StyleLab Class of 2010: Thanks for taking a chance on a new workshop, for coming with open arms, minds and smiles, and for braving wind, rain and cold to come hear us talk. Giant hugs from the OC :)

delightfully,
Chenin
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On Rockstars, Tornadoes, and the Power of Positive Thinking

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:25:40 -0800

I've had a chance to dry off, rest a bit, and reflect on this week's StyleLab. It's been 2 years since I've taught a workshop and I forgot how much I love this feeling. The feeling that not only did I teach a fabulous group of photographers, but I learned from a fabulous group of photographers. If I knew of some fabulously eloquent quote about learning from one's students, I would insert it here (alas, I don't, but perhaps I will do a little research and edit this one day.)

For some time now, I've hesitated to teach another workshop. Mostly because I loathe the term "rockstar photographer," and I am decidedly uncomfortable standing in front of a room and discussing my "genius," (of which I am totally lacking.) But I do LOVE to teach, and I LOVE to make friends, and I LOVE to create with other artists.

I've also hesitated to teach a workshop in Orange County, because they are plentiful in this neck of the woods. Trust me Internet: I have cursed my geographic location on more than one occasion. But Orange County *is* a lovely place to visit. There's Disneyland, the (in)famous Laguna Beach and, of course, our consistently beautiful weather.

So you can imagine my chagrin when I tuned to the weather channel a few days back, only to find out that Orange County was bracing for record rainfall. Right during the StyleLab. But SoCal threatens to rain all the time and never acts on it's threats, so I ordered a tent as a back-up and thought nothing of it again.

That is, until Tuesday morning when I watched the incredible Angel Swanson and Kristen Brancaleone wade through mud and run through torrential rain to set up what turned out to be an amazing tablescape. And when it came time to take my 20 students outdoors to photograph Angel and Kristen's handiwork, it rained and it rained and it rained some more. Then came thunder and lightening and hurricane-force winds. And finally, when CNN announced a tornado warning, I decided that is simply wasn't safe to be standing, ankle-deep in water, with nothing but a metal tent to shelter us from said tornado.

It turns out that my positive-thinking about the forecast, and my blind trust of SoCal's reputation for weather, bit me in the proverbial ass. But instead of crying on my Nikon (which I admittedly wanted to do), I looked around and noticed how much fun we were having. Angel and Kristen were smiling ear-to-ear, Jocey and Amy were laughing their asses off and the students were happily rocking their garbage-bag-ponchos. I really couldn't help but smile. And it was right then that I decided to take a page from Angel and Kristen's book and *think positive.* After all, when else do you get a chance to photograph something beautiful, make 20 new friends, and witness a history-making storm all in one day? It was a fabulous day indeed.

I will post lots more photos on Monday, including a list of the amazing vendors that made this happen. But for now, here's a quick sneak peek of a shoot I will never forget-

If you would like to be notified about future (and, hopefully, drier) workshops, email us - stylelab@me.com.

delightfully,
Chenin

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Things To Do: The Life of a Photographer Mom

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:51:20 -0800

Doug, my husband and partner in crime, made an interesting blog post about his desk and what it says about him and his life. It got me to thinking about what fills our lives and time and how we keep it all straight. Many people ask me how I balance it all; wifedom, motherhood, my business and my friendships keep me very busy. The answer: Apple Things.

Things allows me to keep track of my to-dos, prioritize projects, assign projects to my intern (Hi Christine!) and set due dates. It is a very useful piece of software. But it also pretty much sums up my life. Have a look -

Really, where else can you see "sign up for infant CPR" next to "make a sample album for Jeannie?" Or "order business cards" right above "make a living will?" At times, I wonder why I always feel so busy and so frazzled and then I stop, and breathe, and look at my Things list. There's a lot to do when you're a photographer and a mom and a wife and a wanna-be Martha. I'm a busy girl, but Things sure does help.

delightfully,
Chenin

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Orange County Engagement Photographer, Totally Rad Recipe

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:20:37 -0800

It's been a while since I shared a recipe of my blog, so I thought it was about time. Here's how I cooked up this image from my latest engagement session -

First, the before image -

The Totally Rad recipe:
-Claire-ify @ 40%
-P.O.S. Lens (with Blurred Edges at 30%, Highlight Flare turned off, and Overall Levels Tweak at 40%)
-Lux (soft) @ 40%
-Cut Like a Razor Blade

And the After image:

There you have it! All actions are part of the Totally Rad Actions: The Revenge set.

Food for Thought...

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:04:31 -0800

From our bulletin board at home.... (shot poorly with an iPhone)

This little quote (above) really resonates with me. In our efforts as artists to be "different" are we forgetting to be authentic?

Just a little mid-week food for thought.... would love to hear everyone's opinions....

delightfully,
Chenin

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Did somebody say "chocolate?"

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:43:22 -0800

Every year at Christmas, I like to send a little something to the wonderful people who support my business and my photography. So when I met Diana Phillips, a crazy mad-scientist-meets-graphic-artist-meets-chocolate-queen, I knew we had to collaborate on a project together. And when I emailed her, proposing that she make me my own couture collection of truffles and allow me to design the packaging, I thought for sure she would say "thanks, but you're crazy." Much to my excitement, Diana was game for working with me and so my 2-month long custom chocolate project was born....

The packaging: homemade papers in cream, ivory, blush and light blue, hand-sewn by Diana herself, and made in to a beautiful box. The chocolate themselves were wrapped in more hand-made paper and topped with a custom made menu/thank-you-card/holiday-card. The box was wrapped in velvet ribbon, a bit of twine (ya'll know how much I love my twine!) and topped with one-of-a-kind cabochons and brooches.

The chocolates: dark chocolate truffles in the shape of tiny flowers, filled with amazing flavors like Lilac, Lavender and Violette. Yumm.

It was an amazing project to work on and I had a blast trying my hand at the art of packaging. And, of course, chocolate-eating ;)

delightfully,
Chenin

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Ladera Ranch Newborn Photography, Welcome Gabrielle!

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:25:18 -0800

This little sweetheart was born on New Year's Day and sure likes to party! We had a heck of time getting her to go to sleep, but managed to catch a few photos of those sweet, sleepy newborn baby moments.

delightfully,
Chenin

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