Our Press Release~

Deborah Berard Photography is ready...
Is Columbia?

Liberating Columbia's women:
One Fierce Photograph at a time!!!

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Our New Website is ready!

New templates, new designs, new everything...

This website edit proved more difficult than others in the past. It seems that Blu had revamped some of their sites best features, but left others out; Others that are terribly needed for a spell check crazy like me. Without the ability to cut and paste your text content, and no spell check button available any longer, the process of final edits will take days. This would be about the time I hire an editor!

But for now most of the important information is visible and available to potential clients interested in hiring Deborah Berard Photography.

First shoot in new studio loft...

This afternoon was simply beautiful in Columbia, SC. The weather was a warm 83* with light winds and clear skies. Certainly not the rainy day that was earlier predicted, and we were all very pleased because I had a new baby girl traveling all the way from Sumter to have her pictures taken. She is 4 weeks old, so a little past my typical newborn age, and I really would have loved the studio to have been completely finished before anyone came over. But sometimes things like this can't wait and a newborn only looks like a newborn for a little while.

And although I only intend to post these two... I think they're pretty snicking cute!!!!

Tomorrow we have the U-haul for the day and all the large items are being moved, like the bed, the antique chair, and the chaise lounge. The painter comes on Tuesday, and I am fairly certain that by this time next week we will be open for business!!!

Wait for it... Waaaaaait for it!!!!

• A weeks time spent sitting on pins and needles thinking "Why haven't we heard back from anyone yet?"
• OR worse yet "What if they say NO for some freakish reason?"
  
• It was killing me.
• I'm thinking its now going on 3 tubs of Butterfinger Chunk Ice Cream by this point~

And then it came. The email asking if we could come down around 4 to sign the lease and pick up the keys!!! I was thrilled!!! I mean, Tom Cruise on Oprah's couch thrilled!!!!

So the morning that started with tears, and an uncertainty in the air, ended with a smile and two golden keys in my hands. I was relieved.

All in all I completely realize that this venture would never be possible without the complete financial, spiritual, and business guidance of my husband. I am truly blessed in so very many ways. So I hope that one day he steps back just a little and allows me a mistake or two. Because in all honesty, my biggest secret is....

"I WOULDN'T WANT TO DO IT WITHOUT HIM ANYWAY!"

Silent, but not lost~

It would surely seem that on my list of "priorities" that I should include on that list "Take time to Blog about what's going on"!

Swamped with responsibility, nauseous most of the time, needing more sleep, and so excited I could bust. Yep, that pretty much sums it all up for me at this moment. I am days away from getting the keys and I can't wait until I can make a post entitled "We're Home".

Until then, please know I have not forgotten you my sugar sweets. I am busy creating a playground just for YOU! (bicycle not included. Ok maybe?)

Believe me when I tell you, it will all be worth it in the end.

New Website almost ready!!!

Things have been pretty busy around here.

And although I won't share much else about it all with you now... very soon you are going to see some amazing things happening for us here at Deborah Berard Photography.

For now I will leave you with a little tease. The SPLASH page of my new site is just about finished. And I must tell you that I am loving the new - softer color palettes. Can't wait to tell you all about the big news!!!

Stay tuned~

Happy Thanksgiving 2011...

Its been quite the year... With so much to be thankful for as well. We are both healthy and trying to get better at staying that way. Eric is enjoying his new position at Shaw & I'm enjoying the discoveries of a new arena of the photography world at WINK. Tiffany has had no issues since her eyes were taken and is the healthiest 13 year old dog ever! Our new home is beautiful and I thank God daily for allowing me to live here. Our marriage is strong, and we have finally found our "comfort zones" with each other. Now it's getting fun! :)

With all our blessings it wasn't difficult to say that dinner prayer, thanking the man upstairs for blessing us with our lives together. For the adventures and the tears, the highs and the lows. For the opportunities and the learning experiences... we are truly grateful.

It was only Eric and I and the two dogs for dinner this year. It's tough when you're the new folks in town with no relatives that live close by. Next year will be a different story for sure!
I cooked everything from scratch and think I did pretty damn good! I had all the traditional Thanksgiving meal items, right down to the pumpkin pie. I was even able to serve it all on my new china. Thank you bb!!!

I miss my Nana & Grandpa at this time of the year. There are amazing recipes that I was supposed to get from her before she passed, I didn't. Now, all I can do is start my own family traditions in my food preparations. I hope she can see me from where she is now. I hope she can see that I was watching very intently all along. And I learned from the best. I hope I make her proud. Love you Nana!

Here's to a fabulous Thanksgiving!!!

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PREPARATIONS:
Top photo is stuffing prep
Left photo is me grinding my own fresh spices
Right photo is the cranberry-mandarin glaze prep




SIDES:
Top left is fresh green beans with sauteed Shallots and toasted almonds
Bottom left is rolled nut bread, sauteed mushroom & shallot stuffing
Right photo is coconut-marshmallow spiced sweet potatoes



SNACKS:
Top photo is Orange & creamed sherry blended with brown sugar and orange zest over walnuts. Let cool & caramelize.
Bottom photo is the old thanksgiving favorite, rice krispie treats!



Shrimp cocktail with creamy-spicy green onion dip...



THE BIRDS:
Cornish Game Hens with Cranberry-Orange Glaze with a side of spiced cranberry sauce with Chardonnay and orange zest...

WINK Magazine CURVY GIRL ISSUE... & I got the cover!

It's just been one of those days. The weather was amazing, my clothing looked and felt great, my Sida was able to stretch her legs on the 77 and still no tickets, I went to look at a possible studio space in an amazing building at an incredible rent, and the WINK Magazine CURVY GIRL Issue came out today! Oh, and did I mention that my images are splashed through out the entire publication-including the cover???!!!

Yes folks, it's just been one of those days... one of those AMAZING days! And I thank you "big man" upstairs for making it all come together so perfectly, and in exactly the perfect time.

Here's to many more!

Boudoir and empowering women...

Until today you may have come to my blog & website to view my work, read my posts, or simply get to know me a little better? And if you read a posting a few months back about a beautiful woman who hired me for a boudoir photo shoot as a surprise for her husband, today that post has been erased, and it makes me very sad to even have to write that fact. Let me explain just why...

When I decided to offer boudoir it came after a lot of thoughts, opinions and decision making. Not because of how I felt about it, but because of what others say about it. I've heard statements like "Its too personal." Or, " Im not comfortable taking those types of images." but what are "those types"? Nudes? Risqué? Pornographic? And those exact statements I suppose is what pushed me even further into the need to offer this style portraits? There is a difference between "Artistic Nudes" and "Pornographic" style photography.
Now let's not get all emotional about this statement because to many people, pornography can also be looked at in an artistic manner. But that is not exactly the look I am going for when I speak with a woman, or even a couple, in regards to the session they are about to purchase.
Boudoir, to me, is about empowerment. It's about stepping outside your comfort zone and embarking upon a journey of the soul. It's about forgetting those photoshop images we all admire in the magazines and no longer comparing ourselves with those women. Or men for that matter. Those images are not real. They have been manipulated to within a fraction of who that person really is. They are there to sell a product, to evoke an emotion, stir a fantasy. But it's not reality.
Now, with that said... I am not claiming that they are not beautiful. Or that I don't, or have not, done the same thing to my own images if that's what the client requests. But it's not where my heart is. Where my heart is, is to give back to women. To get them out of their box, if only for an afternoon. To allow them to feel beautiful no matter what their body type. What their size might be, hair color might be, breast size/waist size might be. And to aid them in seeing themselves in a whole new light. To appreciate those things that they seem to gravitate towards... Like their stretch marks. Or their butt dimples. And I say this because those are the things that are beautiful! Those stretch marks came from a new life that you and the man you love created. Those dimples show that you've lived. Those breast, that might not be as perky as they once were, fed another human being. So be proud!
In fact... Stand on a mountain top and shout it out to the world!!!! You are beautiful, you are amazing, and you are fearless! Embrace you... ALL of you. Put it on canvas or in a book. And believe me when I tell you just how beautiful you really are.

The client that inspired me to write this is blessed. I mean physically blessed. Photographing here was pure joy and extremely easy. Her body, her face, her emotions were very easy to capture in pictures. And there have been nothing but positive and, at times, envious feedback on them. And at first, she was proud of them too. But somewhere, over these last few months, those feelings of pride and empowerment have been over shadowed by questioning, skepticism, and ultimately fear of posting them online. So I respected her wishes and removed them. All of them. From any public viewing site they had been posted on. And I think it's a shame. Not because they are my images, and personally I am extremely proud of them. But because I feel that somewhere along the line she slipped back into believing what society would have her believe... To be less than confident about herself, and her body.


I never would publish an image without the clients permission, which I was given initially. On that same note, I will never keep those images up if, for whatever reason, a client changes their mind about that decision in the future. Even if legally I have the right to keep them there. It just wouldn't be the right thing to do. And that's not what I am all about.

So if you are reading this my dear client, I want you to know that yes I was hurt. And maybe a little angry at your decision to have them removed... But not for the reasons you may think. I'm hurt because it's just another woman who has conformed to society and it's warped ways. It's another woman who has, for whatever reason, questioned herself and her body. It's another woman who has listened to the opinions of others over her heart, and her soul. And in some small way you just gave up some of your power....

Boudoir is about empowerment. It's about loving ones self. It's what I strive so desperately to give to each and every woman who is on the fence about this style of imagery. And a little part of me just died today knowing that society has taken that away from someone yet again. The decision to do a boudoir shoot is a private one, and there are many reasons why a woman chooses to do it. Just don't allow your decisions to be over shadowed by others labels. Stand up! Be strong! Love yourself! And let's make a change in what society believes is right or wrong. It's your body, your decisions, your right.

Boudoir.... Where loving yourself becomes reality!