wanda and mell bell rocking pinup style

Boudoir Versus Pinup Photography Part 1

Earlier this year,  we appeared on television on Lowcountry Live.  Twice! The first time, we talked about boudoir photography, what it is, and why you should do it. Then, we switched gears for the second appearance and talked about pinup photography.  Check out the videos below to find out more.

 

nothing but a blanket boudoir

Turn Up the Heat 2016 Boudoir Marathon

bridal boudoir veil
Summer is almost here, and the time is right… for mellBella’s Turn Up the Heat 2016 Boudoir Marathon!
Our annual summer Boudoir Photography Event will be held on July 23rd & 24th
 Save your pennies and mark your calendar for a unique unforgettable time with our photographers Wanda and Mell Bell.

Best. Gift. Ever! Let our female staff help you create a gift that only you can give your fiance/husband for your wedding, to celebrate reaching your goals or birthday, or just because you WANT to feel beautiful. No excuses. You CAN do this!

We are so excited to offer the Bombshell Package for $200 ($216 with tax).

Our Bombshell Package includes:

– An hour pampering by our expert hair and makeup artist from Sarah Pearson- Hair and Makeup Artistry
– An hour Private photoshoot in the mellBella Studio
– Private consultation & viewing session
– Champagne, little bites and sweet treatsLimited space available!

Book by 5/5/2016 & get $50 OFF the Bombshell Package!!!

 

mellBella Closet Shoes

Yes, we have a thing for shoes! As part of your mellBella experience, you can borrow some sexy shoes from our mellBella Closet. We have retro, sparkly, funky, and yes, even some Steve Madden shoes. What’s your size? We have numerous pairs in sizes 5½-11!!!

At your mellBella boudoir or pinup photography session, bring your favorite heels or boots, and then borrow a pair to change your look. Here’s just a few of the fabulous shoes that could you can borrow. And yes, we take shoe donations. So, if you have some shoes that you just can’t wear, let us know. In the meantime, stay sexy!

sparkly gold Steve Madden heels from Las Vegas black platform heels with a red corset back red and black platform heels with bows red mary jane pumps gold and black lace heels purple snakeskin textured heels silver sparkly heels blue funky platform heels black sparkly Steve Madden shoes mellbellacloset-0106

 

The Amore Book- Boudoir Album Crystal Glance Cover

The Amore Book – Boudoir Album

It has been such a journey to finally introduce our newest boudoir album. We ordered a few samples, and each time something wasn’t right. It had to be perfect, and she had to have just the right name. Finally, here she is…  The Amore Book!!!

The Amore Book- Boudoir Album Crystal Glance Cover

Elegant and chic. She travels to us all the way from Italy! She’s a one-of-a-kind, custom designed beauty. She features a gorgeous crystal glance cover and a sleek presentation box. It’s the perfect way to display and protect your album.  Obviously, our favorite colors are pink and black, but we have many more fabric or leather colors you can choose.  She comes with 30 thick pages on luxurious satin photographic paper, but we can always add more pages to include ALL the photos you love. She’s the perfect addition to the mellBella Boudoir Album family. That’s Amore! ‪

The Amore Book- Boudoir Album with box

The Amore Book- Boudoir Album binding Inside The Amore Book- Boudoir Album

simply sweet boudoir

Caroline’s Boudoir Story

Every woman has a story. We’re thankful to share Caroline’s Boudoir Journey in her own words with the photos we created together. We hope she will inspire you on your journey.
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“Princess. Diva. Super-model. I’ve been them all, if only for a few hours.

Here’s my story: I’m an overweight, thirty-something (coughcough) mother of two, and a boudoir photography session has been my goal for years. I told myself that I was going to get skinny, so that I could take some rockin’ photos for my husband—and myself!—to look back on. Barring reaching my goal weight (which hasn’t happened), I promised myself that I would do it for my ten-year wedding anniversary. I blinked, and here it is; we’re planning our anniversary celebration. So even though I’m not ideal (at all), I decided that it was time to bite the bullet and make an appointment with MellBella, the sister company of Richard Bell Photography, one of the premier wedding photography companies in the southeast.

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Here’s their story: Five years ago, two best friends conceived of this company in order to honor women. I’m going to paraphrase Mell herself here (and when she explained their motivations, she was so impassioned that she was tearing up a little): Women are under intense emotional strain. We’re often the primary caregivers. We’re often the primary house-keepers. We’re often working a job inside or outside the house. We’re expected to stay strong for our families while being told by social constructs and media images that we’re not good enough. Many of us have issues with the way we look, and know that we’re not the ideal.
 

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I know that I’m not the ideal; any photo that I share with my public not only represents an hour of hair, make-up, and wardrobe prep, but has probably been edited a bit too. In other words, at my very best, I’m still not ideal. MellBella took my not-ideal body and (yes, there was an hour of hair/make-up prep) made me feel ideal. That’s an incredibly empowering talent. I am still walking tall, knowing that I might be lounging in yoga pants and a ratty t-shirt today, but I can look like a magazine model with a little help.

 
One very efficient strategy Mell employed was flipping the camera around early on, to show me just one of the shots she’d taken of me. If the lady in the viewfinder of that camera hadn’t been wearing my birthmark on my arm, I wouldn’t have believed it was me. I looked… gorgeous. Sexy. Beautiful. Like I belonged in a magazine… and from that moment on, I was confident instead of awkward in my poses, because I’d seen how I could look.

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Boudoir photography is ostentatiously for men—we do it for our husbands and lovers, and MellBella offers discounts to wives of deployed military husbands—but that’s not the complete truth. We tell ourselves that, in order to justify the experience—justify the chance to feel like a princess for a few hours—but the experience is really for us. We don’t have to be scantily clad in these photos; I took several that are perfectly normal and I plan on hanging on my wall. Because while I plan on giving most of these photos to my husband, I’m also keeping some for myself. Thanks to this session, I not only feel better about myself, but I have a series of incredible photos that I can look back on in the years to come. Mell even told me that many women carry copies of these photos with them, to peek at when they need a pick-me-up. One glance at these, and I know that I would walk taller, prouder.

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Consider booking your session with MellBella—or any other women’s photographer—today, so that you can have this natural high I’m still feeling; the high of feeling like super model for an afternoon, and looking at photos of yourself and knowing that you’re a beautiful, sensual, confident woman, no matter what you feel like society is telling you about being good enough. I promise you that you won’t regret it.  MellBella Photography: Beauty at Every Age and Every Stage.”  ~Caroline ralesept1615-0113 ralesept1615-0090

Leap Into a New Look

Lowcountry Live’s Leap into a New Look Contest

Hi Ladies!

We’re partnering with the amazing crew at Lowcountry Live for the Leap into a New Look Contest. You can nominate yourself or someone you know for a total makeover.

Do you deserve a new look? Lowcountry Live is  accepting nominations for our Leap into a New Look Contest through February 17th!  Here’s What You win: Haircut, color, and style by Donnie Ray, One makeup application from Ooh Beautiful!, Gift cards to Apricot Lane North Charleston​ and  European Wax Center​, And a photo shoot by us at  MellBella Boudoir & PinUp Photography​ to show off your new look!  The total prize package is $1500!  Just click the link below to apply and tell us why you or someone you know deserves a head-to-toe makeover and pamper session:

http://abcnews4.com/station/contests/lowcountry-lives-leap-into-a-new-look