Today we’d like to introduce you to Will Overby.
Hi Will, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a photographer who enjoys creating images of people. My journey didn’t start that way though. In 2012 I bought my first DSLR camera. My beginning years consisted of exploring many genres. I’ve photographed everything you can think of just about except weddings. However, I did assist on one. Weddings were never my thing. I knew that going into photography.
I was always amazed with off camera lighting when it came to photographing people. So, I explored that and fell in love with my craft even more. What I love about that is you can turn a two-dimensional image into three dimensions and make your subject stand out. I then knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to become a beauty photographer. I shot beauty for social media campaigns and a couple of brands that can be found in Ulta Beauty and Costco. I’ve also been published in quite a few magazines. What I love about shooting beauty was the whole teamwork aspect about it. Building a team of hair stylists, makeup artists, wardrobe stylists, and of course models. It is just amazing when we all come together to reach a specific goal and that is to produce high production quality images.
After shooting beauty for a while, I stumbled across boudoir photography and said to myself what if I can bring the same team aspect of beauty photography to everyday women through boudoir photography. I mean who doesn’t want to be treated like a superstar for a day, right?
So now my main focus is boudoir photography. What I came to find that everyone is unique and there is never a dull experience when shooting boudoir. That is because everyone is different, and they have their own story. My clients range from women who just want to do a session like this to boost their confidence, women who have achieved a milestone in their lives, to women who simply just want gift these types of images to their significant other.
Whatever the reason is, all my clients get first-class experience with myself and my team. I walk them through my whole process. I’ve also partnered with a few local salons to help them prepare for their session. They can get services like lash extensions, brow tint and lamination, facials, & full body waxing. On their session day, I provide hair and makeup services.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has not been a smooth road. There has been a mountain of challenges along the way. In the beginning, it was building a general portfolio. Once I narrowed down what I wanted to do as a photographer, I had to build a specific portfolio to represent that. So that I can attract my ideal clients. The good thing about it is that we have tools to connect with others to build a solid portfolio. One of the struggles with shooting boudoir is that due to the nature of it being intimate portraiture, most of my clients opt out of having their images shared. That is totally fine with me because I respect their privacy. This is where my network with working with models have helped me build that portfolio.
Oh yea, one struggle that I had was transitioning from shooting out of my home to other locations. Thankfully, we are able to rent studio locations to work out of. However, this does have to factor into my cost of doing business. On the flip side, it enables me to provide my clients with 3 studio options without having to worry about a monthly overhead for three places for rent. My clients get to choose from 1 location in Riverside, CA and 2 locations in Los Angeles, CA
Another struggle that I had to overcome was actually organizing my photography services as an actual business. I’ve had to put systems and processes in place. I’ve also had to get the right contracts and figure out my pricing structure. These are all things that need to be figured out and once they are, you can focus on growth. Now that I think about it these weren’t really struggles. They can be considered building blocks.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Classy Boudoir Boutique is a luxury boudoir photography brand that services the busy woman who wants to take a break from her day-to-day routine. Our clients come to us to be refreshed with confidence and feel empowered.
We specialize in providing magazine-quality boudoir portraiture for the everyday woman. We are known for our customizable album collections that come with a cinematic teaser videos. We incorporate this video into our boudoir photo sessions.
What makes us proud is when our clients walk away with photos that remind them of how beautiful they are at whatever stage of life they are in when they come to us. Knowing that we were able to bring out their inner bombshell means the world to us.
We believe that every woman deserves to take a day to herself no matter how busy life may get.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I like best about Los Angeles is that it is not too far from the Inland Empire which is where I’m currently based. There are a lot of great places to go to and network with people. Of course, the least favorite thing is traffic.
I have also lived in Pasadena as well. What I loved about that city Old Town. The historical presence really sets the tone for the whole look and feel of the city. The nightlife was great there also. Often times my wife and I would just go out and take a stroll on Colorado Blvd.
Contact Info:
- Website: classyboudoirboutique.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/classyboudoirboutique
- Facebook: Facebook.com/classyboudoirboutique
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/classy-boudoir-boutique-rosena-ranch
Image Credits
Ms V, Ms. J, Ms. S, Ms.S, Ms.V, Ms.S
