Fly for your dreams - Jaime Pfister

I wanted to introduce to you to my friend Jamie Pfister from Fnkybee Photography! She's a professional photographer from Nashville, TN! I really like Jamie, not only because her work is rocking, but because she's out there hustling. The hustle has to be the hardest part to learn about the entire photographic process. You can learn lighting, posing, retouching, but in the end, if you don't hustle...well you're basically just going to be sitting at home.

Alot of people complain about this or that, and the truth is, and I hate to be so blunt, but it's YOU! Only you are in charge of you, and only you are in charge of your future. There are situations (as my dad would say, a problem has no solution) that are completely out of your control, and a lot of times they suck! But what you do have, and always will have in your control is how you handle them!

So stop complaining, get out there, start hussling and...

FLY FOR YOUR DREAMS

My name is Jamie Pfister. I am a wife to my best friend, a mother to two beautiful and crazy children, the owner/photographer at Fnkybee Photography, and also an Unknown Photographer. I live in Nashville, TN where everyday, at every turn you are inspired by the art, the people and the music. Iʼm 34 years old and just now flying towards my dream.

I have always had a spark inside of me for photography, but for most of my life it has stayed just that, a spark. I realized I had a love for photography at the age of 12 when I took my first good photo that I was so proud of. I never pursued photography because I was always told that my reality would be working in an office all my life, so there would be no time for anything that wouldnʼt benefit that. Life happened, I moved away, briefly worked in an office, I got married and had kids. In 2005 my sister and I lost our mother suddenly to Melanoma (let me take this opportunity to say wear your sunscreen and stay the hell out of tanning beds. Please and thank you) and I lost something within me when she left us. About 3 years after she passed away my husband gave me my first DSLR for Christmas, a Sony a300. I cannot begin to describe to you the feeling I felt when I held it in my hands. Something just felt right. I would take off during the day when the kids were in school and shoot. I would shoot the birds, the water, the landscape at the lake, random items, downtown Nashville, my husbandʼs drums and guitars. There was a feeling of peace when I would shoot, it was a feeling that I had not had since my mom passed away. It was nothing short of amazing. My once forgotten spark was starting to grow into a burning flame of obsession and passion. The more I would shoot the more positive feedback I would get fueling the fire within me. After a few more years and a new Canon the time was right to make something happen. My sister had turned her downtown warehouse loft into a studio and started building custom sets for shoots and I was ready to take the leap with her by my side...Fnkybee Photography was born. My sister and I are both finally doing what we love. The creativity that once sat dormant in us both is now alive and thriving.

I had an idea of what I wanted to shoot when I started this adventure. I shoot musicians, whether it be in studio, location or live. Every portrait I take must have an edgy urban feel to it. My style, I like to think is urban, edgy, bold, honest, unapologetic, and driven by capturing "the it" that everyone is after, all with an artsy feel.

With shooting Boudoir photography we have to get past a lot of nerves and self consciousness. One of the biggest hurdles with this is making the client comfortable. I make sure that they know this is a private shoot and that they are ore than welcome to bring a friend for added support and relaxation. As soon as the client walks through the door my main focus becomes making them feel comfortable in their surroundings and with us. I immediately start talking with them, cutting up, making them smile and ensuring them that being nervous is completely natural. We will even offer a mimosa to take a little edge off. This is an afternoon of pampering for the client and we want them to feel like a princess. We offer the option for hair and makeup by the very talented Nathalie Exposito from Pineapple Pinups to help pamper the girls. I always tell the client to bring as many pieces of wardrobe as they want. To start, we go through wardrobe to see what their favorite pieces are and what will shoot well and what wonʼt. We discuss any ideas they might have to ensure they are incorporated into the shoot. If they arenʼt sure what style of Boudoir they want or would like to see some examples, we always have our inspiration board up on the flat screen in the studio. We look at it together and I let them pick their favorites and throw out ideas to personalize each inspiration to the client. I want to know what they think their best features are and what they are not comfortable showing. If the shoot is for their significant other, I want to know what feature is the partnerʼs favorite so we can emphasize it in a few photos. We go over how conservative to how risque they want their shoot to be, I never want to push them in a direction that makes them uncomfortable. I always want to keep them involved in the decision making, it makes the shoot that much more personal. We try to mimic almost a store atmosphere in the studio in the sense of music and the vibe. If the client brought their ipod we will hook it up to the surround sound and if not we will make either a playlist or a station based around their favorite music. Music is an extraordinary tool for any type of shoot. It is one of the key elements that help relax the client.

We start the shoot with the client in their favorite piece of wardrobe. That way they are fully comfortable in what they are wearing and it helps ease them into being in front of the camera. For the first 10-15 minutes of the shoot I am always clicking away but still focusing on getting the client comfortable. I let them know that I have also done a Boudoir Shoot and I know first hand the nerves they are feeling and that it will pass soon. I always give them a sneak peak of the photos during the shoot to prove how beautiful and sexy they really do look and that does the trick every time! The exclamation that follows is usually “Is that me?!” Itʼs such cool thing to witness as they relax and become comfortable in front of the camera.

Another key element to keeping the client feeling great during their shoot is compliments. Every woman loves to hear how sexy and beautiful they look and I do this again and again throughout the entire shoot. I will snap a picture and take a peek and say “Wow! You look great, your eyes are stunning in this one!” or “Your legs look hot he/she is going to love this one!” To see the smile on their face when they hear these compliments comes through in the pictures and makes the end product that much more beautiful.

A Boudoir Shoot can last anywhere from an hour up to 3 or more depending on what package they purchased. I always try to work in as many wardrobe changes and sets as we can. Throughout the entire shoot I am asking their opinion on poses and sets ensuring they are always comfortable with what is taking place. Plus this makes the client feel that they are always involved.

What I didnʼt expect in all this was to fall in love with Boudoir Photography. When a few pinup shoots that I shot for Pineapple Pinups turned into a boudoir style shoot, I was left scratching my head thinking this wasnʼt in the plan! But I loved it! What I fell in love with the most was witnessing the women seeing themselves in the photos and hearing them say “I canʼt believe that is me! I look so beautiful!” Boudoir is now one of my favorite types of photography. There is honestly nothing better than hearing a woman say “I didnʼt know I could be that beautiful and sexy”. That is an amazing feeling. I believe that Boudoir photography allows a woman the escape to feel classically beautiful and sexy, as every woman should.

My sister, Lindsey is always by my side during every shoot and if the client chose to have hair and makeup, Nathalie is there as well to keep her looking perfect. Lindsey plays an important role throughout the entire shoot process assisting me as well as the client. She is my second pair of eyes when it comes to posing and details. Lindsey might see how a pose or set would work better or when a wardrobe needs an added touch like jewelry, gloves etc. They are both there for myself and the client making sure every detail is perfect from hair, to reapplying lip stick, to correct placement of wardrobe, hands and feet.

I always have ideas for each clientʼs shoot and I keep them outlined in my head. My goal with every shoot is to keep it as relaxed as possible and always keep the client involved in the decision making. If I ask them to try a pose or set and they arenʼt digging it, I want them comfortable enough to tell me and we will move on to the next because if they arenʼt comfortable it will always come through in the photo. Keeping the client laughing, smiling, feeling pampered and most of all involved is the key to keeping them relaxed.

Being able to capture a woman who has let her guard down and is feeling sexy is where the true emotion starts to project into the photographs. When you allow yourself to be mentally with the subject, you allow yourself to experience the feeling they are having. True emotion whether it be Boudoir or any other style of photography takes a photograph to another level. Emotion makes it truly raw. Emotion is a supplemental element to the photography game, it makes the image speak, it takes you there with the subject, it makes it real. To me this is amazing to capture.

My tip to you: Always be yourself and true to your style. Always keep the client involved in the decision making, always keep the vibe high and fun and always make the client feel like a princess. This is their day to feel special.

I am still new, I am still learning and figuring a lot out. I guess you could say that I donʼt want to do everything by the book. I am a rebellious person by nature, you tell me to go right and I will fight to go left. I am a self taught photographer and always learning, but yet always asking “who says?” when I read something that says it has to be done a certain way. I donʼt have the best camera, I donʼt have the best lights, but what I do have is the passion and the drive to do what I love. Being an unknown photographer may sound less than stellar to most. But after all, what must be known is how happy and scared but yet content I have become in all aspects of my life thanks to photography. It has lead me to where I am supposed to be.

Life is short, if you love something chase it or before you know it, it will be too late.

Fly for your dreams.

To check out more of Jamie's work, go to her website:

fnkybeephotography.com

And don't forget to follow her on:

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