Retro Lovely

A few weeks back, Stacey from Atomic Cheesecake Studios let me know that one of the photos from my shoot was chosen to run in Retro Lovely's second issue that will be in print at the end of June.  [I was so excited...  excited to the point of not wanting to work that day.  =)]  Retro Lovely is a new magazine showcasing classy pin-up style photography.  It's not just one artist, one photographer or one style of pin-up...  It's a collaboration of styles (cheesecake, burlesque, atomic, deco, cabaret, etc) by a multitude of photographers (the pin-up syndicate) creating a work that wows as it did back in the era of Elvgren.  It's seductive but not raunchy...  It reminds you of times past when to be sexy was just the act of showing a little leg rather than being nude.  It takes you back to a time when curves were sexy and desired.  The models in this publication range from professional pin-up artists to that of the ordinary girl.  Stacey in particular focuses her services towards the ordinary mother, daughter, wife who wants to be transformed for a day into a vixen of the 40's pin-up.

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So I'm sure you're all wondering how I came around to getting Pin-up photos taken...

Well...  Josh and I ventured out to Baltimore last fall to get some retro pin-up photos for his 30th birthday.  When I originally planned to do the cheesecake session, it was to be a surprise.  Not for his birthday but for his redeployment to Iraq.  This way he could have some well done, classy, girly posters to stare at on his hooch wall instead of some raunchy rag pin-up.  ;)  Luckily for him and I, his medical discharge for his TBI (traumatic brain injury) came through before deployment.  So instead the photos became a birthday gift.

I knew I would enjoy the shoot but it turned out that Josh was far more excited than I.  Stacey will agree.  (If any of you are considering such a shoot...  and are planning on visiting Atomic Cheesecake.  Be sure to bring the Mr.  as his jaw will drop to the floor when he sees you transformed into a goddess.)  We arrived at her studio early Saturday morning and the first thing she had me do was to choose outfits.  As it was a birthday gift, I passed on the role of decision maker to Josh.  He was in such bliss to watch the outfit changes as stacey pulled out more lingerie, swimsuits and costumes in my size.  And when she mentioned a german beer girl costume, he nearly fell over in excitement.  =)

After playing dress up, Stacey went to work putting hot rollers in my hair... exceptionally healthy hair.  (The more damaged your hair is, the better it holds a curl.)  Luckily for me Stacey is a pro and knew just how to hold my poker straight hair all in place.  As the curls set in place, she began to transform me into a knockout.  I couldn't stop smiling as she painted my face... the more she painted, the bigger my smile got.

Then we got down to the posing and photographs.  I had practiced my pin-up faces at home but poses, as with most ordinary girls, were not my thing.  This didn't matter because Stacey worked miracles in directing me which way to move and position.  She told me exactly when I was slouching, when I needed to pop my chest and where to place my hands.  In doing so, we got so many great shots...  to the point that just about every picture she took was perfect!  And the entire time... Josh's jaw was on the floor.  =)

At the end of the session, she gave us a disk of the raw images to take home.  Our mission was to choose the 9 photos we wanted adjusted (aka... she photoshops out the lights and in the cases where you didn't so something flattering, she can suck in your gut.  lol!).  We left her house in amazement and giddy to view all the pictures.  I kept the rockabilly makeup and hair in place as I loved the barrel curls and how dolled up I looked.  This of course led to many looks while stopping at rest stops and to playing with the camera while having an adventure with cold cream after arriving home.

 

After such an amazing adventure and now publication of one of my photographs, I have just one question to ask you...  Are you up for a little primping and posing to get your mate a really amazing gift?  

****All photographs marked with the Atomic Cheesecake symbol were taken by Stacey and the others were taken by my hunny.  And as I was one of the first to want to do a sexy scientist, I brought my own lab coat and all the wicked cool antique lab glass.****