Vivian’s Muse

This is a little late review about my experience with Vivian’s Muse, with the holidays and moving, but I didn’t want to not share this experience with people.
I decided back in the summer (2015) that for Christmas I wanted to get my boyfriend a gift he’ll never forget; boudoir photos of course! With research on Google and Unilocal,I found Vivian’s Muse and saw the numerous reviews all giving Julia 5 stars. I contacted Julia via email, and within a day or so she emailed me back while she was in Europe for business. We went back and forth for weeks about what he likes, what I like, what to expect, what to bring, hair, makeup, etc. I’m emailing a stranger I have never met about taking partially nude photos of me, and Julia (thru email) made me feel so relaxed and excited about the whole experience.
We setup a date and time for November 13^th, and I found her studio. The butterflies in my stomach were going crazy when I walked up to the red door of her studio. I was nervous and excited all at the same time. The nerves died down as soon as I walked up and was greeted with a huge smile by Julia. Julia has such a bubbly, outgoing personality, and you can’t help but just get excited when you meet her. She pumped me up for the shoot, and gave a quick rundown of what to expect. The photo shoot itself was just amazing! When we started I, of course, couldn’t help but giggle, give awkward looks, and ask «am I doing this right.» She coached me the whole time on looking sexy, and we got some great pictures of me giggling (which my boyfriend LOVES). When it was time to take the nude photos I kept my panties on and gave her a nervous look and she yelled (no seriously yelled) «C’mon girl, get naked!» We laughed and talked about our lives, and what my boyfriend would think, and how her fiancé thinks of boudoir photos, etc. Before I knew it we were done!
We went through the almost thousand photos taken, and narrowed it down to 20+ for a photo album and prints. I was drooling over myself! I couldn’t believe how beautiful they all turned out. I want the whole world to see my pictures! I had to give her a big hug before I left, because I was just so excited for everything, and I knew my boyfriend was going to love them! Which he does, and also he feels «someone has to see these. These are beautiful. I have to show someone!» Julia is an artist and I would recommend her work to anyone!
One FYI for future customers is she does get very busy (working with other clients and their work) and she may fall behind on getting your project fully done. She and I went back and forth for a few weeks before I received my digitals. I wouldn’t call this a complaint, she does own the busy and does all the work of the photos (Photoshop, layout, etc.) herself. This is more of an FYI.
One thing I may recommend to Vivian’s Muse;
There was a mix up with communication at the time of the proofs as to what I was actually going to receive. It’s understandable, I was in shock at how gorgeous everything turned out that I may have misinterpreted what was said. But, I would recommend either (A) having a list of what you offer available for customers to view whether on your site, or emailed to them. Or, (B) giving an itemized receipt to your customer so they may know what to expect.
Again, I would recommend Vivian’s Muse to anyone out there! This was an amazing experience, and such beautiful work was done! Do not hesitate; CALL HER NOW!

So I decided to get some pictures done before everything heads south. For those of you past 25, you know what I mean. I didn’t do it for the hubby, but for myself, my birthday was coming up, another year added to the many and it was time. I’m so glad I did!
Julia was great all the way around, from helping me find a place to get my hair done to helping with my makeup so it would look right for the photos. As for being uncomfortable about not having a whole lot of clothes on, it was not a problem. She makes you feel so comfortable, and no I don’t go walking around naked all the time, so that’s saying a lot.
If you want to feel beautiful and have it so one day you can look back and say, «Holy crap, that’s me, and I look hot!» Then go to Julia, she’s the best. She tells you how to sit or what looks good and what doesn’t. She’ll even get in the pose if you have no idea what to do. There is no pressure in taking more off or leaving everything on.
I took a drawerful and then some of things for her to choose from, she picked out four pieces of clothing and the shoes to go with them. Then the time came for me to take it all off, so glad I did. Eat your heart out Victoria’s Secret, the pictures were beautiful.

Had such an amazing experience! Christy made me feel so comfortable and beautiful during the photo shoot and took AMAZING pictures. She’s extremely talented. I never thought I could look like that! The prints I chose came out so great that I also had Julia (the owner) design a book of all my favorite photos. It’s INCREDIBLE! Each photo is beautifully edited and placed in a professional black-​cover book that I love!

When I initially decided to do this type of photo shoot, I was nervous. Didn’t know where to go who to ask and what kind of questions to ask. But I knew I wanted to do it… for myself… Boy am I glad I found Julia. She’s an amazing photographer and a ball of spunk full of excitement. I’ve never had someone I meant once make me feel comfortable as she did. She walked me through the entire process and I was so nervous but she made it fun, exciting, and exhilarating!!! The pictures I’ve seen of her work and of myself… COMPLETELY AMAZING! I always say… «Girl… That ain’t me!» The three plus hours I spent with her the day of my shoot was so much fun and I highly recommend it to anyone that wants to do a Boudoir shoot, to go to Julia. True professional I say ! AMAZING … DID I SAY AMAZING ! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR !?! CALL HER ALREADY YOU WONT REGRET IT!

A few hours with Julia was the best experience of my life. She is great! I had such a good time and I felt incredible. She does such beautiful work. Treat yourself to this experience. Do it for yourself or someone you want to impress, but do it. You are going to love the experience and Julia

Julia is amazing, beautiful, spiritual and I’d describe the shoot I had with her the same way. She made me feel comfortable in my own skin, literally. The photos were for me, celebrating 40 and growth. I’d recommend this experience for anyone who needs a little boost of self confidence or even if you don’t, you’ll have a great experience anyway you’ll remember for years to come.

Julia is Amazeballs!!! I had so much fun with her. I didn’t do a boudoir shoot for a man, I did it for me. I had been struggling with my weight for a few years, I would sign up for marathons thinking with the training I would loose the weight. When one day I thought I don’t want to run an F’ing marathon, the real reason I want to lose weight is to look good NAKED! So after researching nude photographers in Austin, I called Julia. within the first few minutes of chatting I felt like I was talking to a girlfriend. I booked an appointment like 9 months in advance, to give myself time to lose 30bls and get super sexy. The actual shoot day was so much fun, I pretty much just ran around the studio naked all day, I felt so comfortable with her. My photos are amazing as well. I will for sure be doing another shoot with her again. Every woman needs to have a day with Vivian’s Muse.

I wanted to do a shoot like this for years. I was just waiting to find the right photographer. I finally found Julia. She is the most spiritual soul you will meet. She cares about each and every photo she takes. She is truly an inspiration to work with. She will make you feel more comfortable than you ever imagined in front of a lens. I can’t wait to do another shoot with her. Her smile and her laugh are both infectious. You couldn’t go wrong using her as your photographer, director or wardrobe consultant. I guarantee you will gain a friend.

About six months ago I got it in my head I wanted to do a boudoir shoot. I am in no way a classic candidate — 57 years old, 6 feet tall, boy body, nobody’s idea of a pinup girl. Did my google searching for photographers in Houston and contacted about a dozen. Perhaps half responded they weren’t available, and half didn’t respond. However, one adorable young lady in Austin (3 hours away), Julia Vie of Vivian’s Muse, said she was very excited about shooting me! We exchanged several emails about the process and logistics and had an extended phone chat. My trepedation morphed into excitement and anticipation. Let’s do this!
The big day! Julia shot perhaps 400 photos in an hour or so, all the while offering instruction, incredible encouragement and showing me what she had captured in her viewfinder. All with a monster camera and first class professional lighting. We shot on the couch, on the stairway, in the window, on the bed.
Woah, so exhilerating! Nervousness was gone and my inner goddess had taken over. I’m not one for exaggeration but this was truly one of the best hours of my life.
Back the next morning to review and select proofs. Oh no, her computer jammed up, wasn’t happening. No problem in the digital age. We had more girly chat, comparing notes on all of the fun we had had the preceding day. A few days later the proofs arrived via email. I was blown away. OH MY! That cannot possibly be me. But… it is! Being a goddess, even for a short while, really gets in your head. And stays there. Who would have thought the idea of having a little fun by trying something different would turn into a life changing event? Thank you so very, very much Julia! And, girls, if you have any lingering doubts about treating yourself to this experience, all I can say is do not delay, call Julia today! Hugs, Michelle

Julia is an absolute genius. When you walk in, she is so incredibly welcoming and makes you feel immediately at ease. Her energy gets more excited than nervous about your shoot. She gets the perfect angles and uses amazing light techniques to get the best photos showing your sexiest sides. She’s so smiley and fun and you can tell she absolutely loves what she does — show the women the flawless sex appeal they all possess. I wouldn’t recommend anyone else. She is amazing and you will love her!!!

I am sexy! Three words I would have never used to describe myself… until I met Julia. She has a way of getting the sexy out of you and into that camera! I was pretty nervous before the shoot. But as soon as Julia opened that door and gave me a big hug, the nervousness melted away. She is so excited to get you in front of her lens and work her magic. Once we started, she kept telling me how beautiful I looked and how much my husband was going to LOVE the photos. After a few frames, she gave me a peek… DAMN! I look HOT! After that, I just went with it. She told me to lay here, put your hands there, stick out your butt… she definitely knows what she’s doing. Before I knew it, my time was up… but I was having so much fun!
I was able to sit with Julia and pick out the photos I wanted in my book. Then she showed me one of my pics that she did some quick touch ups to, so I could get an idea of what the finished photos would look like. Wow! Originally, I had planned to get a 4X6 Little Black Book. I bumped it up to a 10X10. (Eventually, after Julia sent me proofs of the photos we picked, I went for the 12X12 album and added extra photos!) I figured I should go BIG!
When I picked up the finished book, I was shocked! The book was incredible! I was so excited to give it to my husband for Christmas. When he opened it, all he could say was HOLY SHIT!!! He couldn’t believe I would do something like that for him. He LOVES it!
The whole experience with Vivian’s Muse was amazing. Julia is a phenomenal photographer! She is an artist who knows how to make women feel comfortable in their own skin… which translates into such beautiful photos. I am so glad I decided to do this. I would do it again in a heartbeat! But next time, more nudes! ;-)

As a special treat for my sweetheart, I took the brave step of purchasing a Groupon for a Vivian’s Muse photography package. I really had no idea what to expect, but once I saw the website, I was sold. At first, I couldn’t decide whether to have my guy accompany me to the shoot, but I did end up bringing him and I am so glad I did.
The whole experience was amazing, from the moment Julia Vie opened the door to her sumptuous studio, until we wrapped up and I re-​emerged from her plush bathroom/​dressing area in regular street clothes once again.
What happened in between was an extraordinary metamorphosis from the shy and modest girl I usually am when barely dressed before unfamiliar people to a sexy woman, confident in her own skin.
It was Julia who immediately put me at ease. She was so enthusiastic, complimentary, and spontaneous, that I could not help but to go along for the ride, without regrets. She has a remarkable ability to make her clients feel completely comfortable and beautiful.
When we left, I felt like I was walking on air and could hardly wait to see the proofs. When they did arrive in my inbox, we were not disappointed in the least. In fact, it was impossible to stick to the limited number of images included in the Groupon.
What I think I love most about both my photos and the whole experience is that Julia was able to capture a part of myself that even I don’t see very often, but who is undeniably and uniquely an essential part of me. I have felt much more confident and attractive since the shoot and I can’t wait to go back. What a gift she is to her lucky clients. I truly can’t recommend her highly enough.

What can I say? Boudoir photography is boudoir photography. What makes Vivian’s Muse awesome is Julia, the photographer. She makes a potentially UNCOMFORTABLE experience an awesome, natural, exciting one. I am generally a reserved person but this has always been something I thought would be fun. For multiple reasons, I took the «jump» this summer and couldn’t be happier. You don’t have to worry about looking great. Julia keeps an eye out for your best angles/​shots while making you feel beautiful and talking you through/​calming you down the whole thing. If you’ve ever considered a boudoir photoshoot, I’d definitely recommend calling Julia.

Need the perfect wedding present for your husband-​to-​be? That’s what I was looking for when I went for a session with Juila. I was struggling to find a unique and sexy gift that he would hold forever. Well, I found it.
Of course, I was nervous about be naked in front of a stranger, and I went in with the attitude that I would only do it with lingerie on. Somehow by the end of the session I was completely nude and completely comfortable.
Julia has a very warm, disarming charm. She has a fantastic studio with several different sets for staging. She works with both natural and studio lighting to get a variety of different looks. And more importantly, as a gifted photographer, she knows how to put you in positions that are both sexy and forgiving for any insecurities you may have about your own figure.
Be prepared to have a blast while you are there. My pictures came out amazing and I am so glad I did it!

Pssst! I have a secret. Come closer… put your ear right nexxxxt to my lips… ready…here it is… i’mshy.
!!!NOT!!!
I am really the Anti-​shy, especially about gettin nekkid, so it didn’t take a lot of encouraging from the super cute, enthusiastic, and complimentary Julia Vie to get me to take my clothes off for the camera. Funny, I’m actually a lot more nervous about pix of my face because anytime I try a «come hither» look, it just comes out looking mean, but she even made THAT look good.
Some backstory: I bought a Groupon for Vivians Muse back in Feb (right around Valentines). I bought this as a reward for my hubby who was practically killing himself dieting and working out (as was I actually) and I thought, in a couple months time, we would probably look better than we ever have. We actually took boudoir photos when we first married, 20+ years ago, and while that experience was fun and the pix great, it was a much more casual affair, shot in the photog’s house, in the claw foot tub in her back yard, in front of her fireplace, in the bed, etc. They were sexy, but not nearly of this professional quality (and apparently way before I learned about hedge trimming… ahem). So I thought it would be fun to take these pix 20 years later and compare. And btw, when I say «I bought a Groupon», what I mean is I distinctly remember buying one, getting excited about the idea, setting up the appt with Julia, etc but when it came down to appt time 4 months later, I had NO record of that Groupon. Nothing. In tears, I sent an email to her to cancel and she graciously said she would honor the Groupon price, which was $ 150 for a half hour session. I think she did that cause she was even more excited than me about doing a couples shoot. I don’t think she gets those often.
Trust. A half hour session (which really ours dragggged on for 45 minutes) goes by in a blurry, fury of direction, posing, contorting and costume changing. I had about 6 «outfits» (and by outfits, I mean bra, thong and heels) but we only got to use 2. I never knew models worked so hard! I was actually muscle sore a few days later from arching my back and sticking my ass out. There was a flurry of direction from Julia…“arch your back more! relax your shoulders but throw your chest out! get on your knees! roll over on your back! put your feet up on the headboard! etc” Basically a typical Fri nite for me :) Julia took over 700 shots! and would exclaim how sexy and beautiful we were thru the whole shoot, excitedly showing us some of the shots thru her camera viewfinder as we went along. She took some amazing shots, from the classic bordello sepia look of me draped over the velvet covered divan to the pix of us in front of the sheer curtained window, the sunlight making a halo around our angelic bodies.
When we went thru two outfits, she said we had time for one more and she didn’t even blink when I suggested nudes, so hubby and I got a few tasteful but hawt Rated X pix that we’ll charge a viewing fee for…
After all the fun, Julia touched up our best shots and sent them in a gallery to us. I then picked out my fave 12 and ordered a magazine made of those. I’ve always dreamed of being a Victoria’s Secret model and this magazine got me as close as I will ever come, complete with a centerfold layout (literally :) and my ass on the back cover. What woman doesn’t fantasize about that???
Julia not only takes great pix but she obviously loves what she’s doing. Every email I’ve gotten from her was filled with exclamation points and enthusiasm. She is a tiny bundle of energy with a huge smile and a lot of talent. I have dreams of having a girlz party with her, bringing wine, snacks and the appropriate music, all of us getting individual and maybe group shots for our honeys. She is located right down from the Rainey St bars, which would be a perfect ending to a photo shoot party.
I will definitely be looking her up when we decide to do this again in another 20 years time. 60 is sexy, right?

I’ve been thinking about doing a boudoir shoot for awhile and since my husband’s birthday is coming up I decided to book a shoot as a nice little birthday present for him (and for me). Like fellow Unilocalers, I was very nervous and felt extremely self-​conscious about the shoot especially since I’ve never done anything like this before but Julia really made me feel at ease.
I’m sure she does this to everyone but the whole time she made me feel really sexy and beautiful by telling me I had a great body, a pretty face and etc. which made me really come out of my shell. She showed me some shots throughout the session and they looked AMAZEBALLS even without photoshop or any type of retouching. Like I said, I’ve never done this before but she guided me every step of the way and showed me how to pose and what to look at.
I am so glad I did this and I’m definitely going to recommend this to my girlfriends or maybe even give it to them as a gift! I like every girl needs to do this once in her lifetime.

Julia was definitely meant for this business! She has an amazing eye for lighting, angle, and poses. Her photos are very elegant and completely tasteful.
I purchased a Groupon for a boudoir shoot with my first wedding anniversary in mind («paper» is the theme). I’ve never been a lingerie kind of gal, but my husband is, so I wanted to surprise him. Naturally I was feeling a little insecure and nervous when I first walked in, but Julia made me feel right at home. She was very reassuring, and directed me very carefully to get the most flattering angles. She even showed me some preview pictures on her camera as we were going along. With each one I saw, my insecurities continued to melt away. By the end I was workin’ it!
The digital files I got were masterfully retouched and high quality. My husband LOVED the photos and was so surprised and impressed that I had the guts to do it. I would definitely recommend Vivian’s Muse for a groom’s gift, anniversary, or for any woman that needs a self esteem boost!
You may ask, why is one star lacking? While I love Julia, I think she needs to hire an assistant. She keeps a crazy schedule, which unfortunately leads to communication breakdowns, mistakes, and missed deadlines. I needed my photos in time for my anniversary and repeatedly contacted her to remind her, only to learn that the files had been corrupted and the images lost. We scheduled a re-​shoot, and thankfully she was able to recover the photos beforehand, so I didn’t actually have to go back again. She did offer me some extra perks to make up for it, but I ended up in a frantic scramble to get my anniversary gift ready on time. I still recommend Vivian’s Muse, but be sure to book way ahead of time and be patient if there are bumps in the road.

I was SO excited to shoot with Vivian’s Muse! I had located her through a lot of internet searching when I found out my boyfriend was deploying to Afghanistan. I knew I wanted to give him something special to have there with him, but I also wanted to get some really sexy shots for myself. So I can look back when I’m old and wrinkly and think, hey! I did look good back then ;)
Women are all too hard on themselves. I do not think I’m in the best shape, or that attractive; but Julie is beyond talented. My photos were AMAZING and I could not be happier.
Do it ladies! you won’t regret it!

I feel more comfortable naked with Julia Vie than I do by myself. That says a lot.
I may be at a higher weight than I’d like at the moment, but I felt a thousand times sexier and more assured in one topless session at Vivian’s Muse than I have in the presence of a thousand reassuring guys.
If you think boudoir photography is not for you, just take a glance at their gallery, and you’ll reconsider. Sure, we have a thousand reasons not to, «I’m too fat, I’m too old, I’m too young, I have a zit, my boobs are all wonky…» Whatever. Just go. You’ll look and feel like a million bucks, and everyone should have a sexy photo session of themselves at least once in their lives.

AY-​YI-​YI. People, have you seen Julia’s work?
As soon as I get up the guts, I am booking a boudoir shoot with Vivian’s Muse /​Julia. Her portraits are all warm and luscious, and the girls look like they’re having a blast. You’ve gotta really feel comfortable around someone to strip down in front of them … period, but then have them wield a camera in your face? That’s some trust.
Her website has a wide gallery of gorgeous boudoir/​portrait photographs, from girls fully dressed to girls not-​at-​all dressed. And they all look STUNNING. Also, Julia has fun boudoir shoots around town, at places like Hotel St. Cecilia. I like to imagine these outings as champagne-​soaked affairs, and I know you do too; but I’m pretty sure Julia keeps it classy. In fact, I know she does.