We recently connected with Laurie Cortez and have shared our conversation below.
Laurie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?
As with most creatives my love of art, beauty, and photography started at a young age. I was always doing makeovers on friends and family and then taking their photos so naturally I started working as a makeup artist while getting my degree in fashion design.
After moving to Los Angeles in 2000 I went full time as a makeup artist eventually adding brow shaping and eyelash extensions to my services. I have always loved making women feel good about themselves but I knew I couldn’t be hunched over doing lashes forever. In 2013 I started thinking of a new career path that would still be doing something creative and personally fulfilling. At the time I had been photographing as a hobby on the side, newborns, families, headshots, whatever I was asked to do, I did it!
One day, I was thinking about a time in the 80’s when I was a young girl visiting my aunt. She had a boudoir portrait of herself hanging over her bed. I remember thinking how cool it was that she had a beautiful, intimate image of herself that she was proud to display. Then it hit me, I could combine my love of photography, makeup, and styling, while making an impact on a woman’s self image on a way deeper level than what I had been doing!
I knew from personal experience and from working with women from all walks of life over the years, that so much of our value is placed on our physical appearance. Generations of women were not accurately represented in the media and what we grew up seeing were unrealistic, photoshopped bodies that all looked the same. That’s what we believed was normal and how we all needed to look. This has caused a lot of issues for women with self love, self worth, and poor body image. I knew that women needed the opportunity to see themselves in the same way they see women portrayed in the media but realistically and each in their own unique way.
I was onto something but I wasn’t sure if I would be any good… it takes a special skill to have a woman trust you and feel comfortable enough to strip down and let you photograph her!
I booked a hotel suite, rounded up my co-workers and a couple friends and photographed 6 boudoir session that day. My creative soul was on fire!
After that, I knew this was my calling. For the next year I learned all I could about being a professional photographer and practiced posing with whomever would let me photograph them. Then I got pregnant (after 4 years of trying) and decided it wasn’t the right time to make the switch professionally and that it would be easier to just continue doing lashes and brows.
Fast forward to 2018 after having my second daughter, I was feeling the tug at my heart that it was the time to make that change. However, this time it was different. This time I was a mom with two kids under 3 years old and still working. Self doubt started kicking in, It had been so long since I had photographed anything but my kids. Would I be any good still? Would I have the time? I immediately booked a studio for a day, rounded up a few volunteers again and reconfirmed to myself that YES, this is what I was meant to do, now more than ever!
I knew first hand how much women’s bodies and priorities change over time and through life experiences. I didn’t want to just take sexy photos of women to gift their significant others. I wanted to help women fall in love with themselves and help them heal from past traumas by exploring all sides of themselves without the fear of judgment or shame. I wanted to show them it was ok to own who they are and embrace every part of themselves and truly feel sexy. I wanted them to feel pampered and celebrated.
I spent the next year getting in as many practice sessions as I could, mastering lighting and posing, and making sure I had the best gear I could afford at the time. It was time to work out the logistics.
Now that I had two kids on top of my lash and brow clients, when was I going to find time to shoot? Where was I going to shoot? Should I provide wardrobe? Should I make the sessions all inclusive or have a session fee and collections as a separate purchase? Was I going to just give digitals or do in person sales and sell tangible products? If I do sell albums and wall art, what vendors should I use? I need to have samples of them to show, right? Could I work alone or would I have to hire an assistant? How were clients going to find me? How was I going to market myself? I needed to make a website, create socials, etc. As a photographer, did I need to collect sales tax? Oh, I need to get a business license too!
I’m a planner, and I’m very detailed so I needed to have a clear picture of what my business model would look like and have it set up prior to taking on paying clients. I’m not going to lie, It took me a long time and a few iterations to figure all that out.
The hardest part was figuring out my pricing and being confident with it. I wanted to provide a luxury experience that would make my client feel safe, pampered, and celebrated. This was not going to be an in and out service. I needed to build trust with each client in order to give them the best session possible. There would need to be a lot of client nurturing before, during, and after the session. Because of that, I really had to sit down and calculate how much time I’d be spending on each session (including all the time spent without a camera in my hand doing things like prep calls, set up, culling, editing, viewing and ordering appointments, designing and ordering albums, packaging products). Once I factored that in with all my hard costs, I knew what my total cost of doing business would be and was able to come up with an investment menu that would provide a sustainable living.
The last step for me to implement was to put it all down in writing. As a busy mom I was not going to have time to write the same emails and answer the same questions over and over. I came up with a very thorough set of canned emails including prep guides, wardrobe and shopping suggestions, and questionnaires. Having a great client workflow is a key factor when it comes to making sure my clients arrive informed and prepared on the day of their session.
After that it was just about having the confidence and courage to put my work out there.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Hi. I’m Laurie. I am a Judgement free, body positive photographer and makeup artist specializing in Boudoir.
A Boudoir Session with me is about more than just taking sexy pictures for your significant other, it’s a full day pampering experience. It’s about empowering my client to let go of negative self beliefs and see themselves from a new perspective while embracing all the things that make them beautiful and unique.
The whole process is a lot of fun but can also be a little scary or nerve racking for some. My clients love that I’m there for them every step of the way, whether its to chime in on a wardrobe option or an impromptu pep talk to ease their cold feet. By the time session day comes it’s like we are besties just hanging out playing dress up!
One of my favorite parts is the viewing and ordering appointment. The reactions I get from clients viewing their images for the first time range from silent disbelief to squeals of excitement to tears of joy. It is the most rewarding part of what I do. Documenting and celebrating their existence in a gorgeous custom album is the absolute icing on the cake!
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Reading “Profit First” by Mike Michalowicz was a game changer for me when It came to organizing the finance part of my business, which can be difficult for a lot of creatives. His method makes it so easy to not only set money aside for taxes and make sure I get paid, but I can easily see if there is money available to splurge on that fabulous robe for the client closet or if I need to put it off a bit longer.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Getting to show someone that they, themselves are a piece of art is the most rewarding. Knowing my clients will have these beautiful images of themselves for generations to come.
Contact Info:
- Website: LaZadehBoudoir.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lazadehboudoir/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaZadehBoudoir
Image Credits
La Zadeh Boudoir