Growing businesses

Alexandra Burns BA LBIPP is Director and creator of FYEO Portraits, an innovative all female company offering sexy, modern, creative boudoir photography for women.

The company has enjoyed 100 per cent growth year on year since its launch in 2003, and the next stage in its development is for it to be internationally franchised. Later this year a second studio will open in Manchester.

Inspired by celebrity images published in magazines, Alexandra set the company up to offer women the opportunity to look as glamorous as the women pictured in the glossies.

Alexandra heads a team of six staff, all of whom are trained in the FYEO Portraits house style, a clever formula which is designed for the women we are, real women wanting beautiful, flattering portraits.

Clients include novelists, television personalities and women who are prepared to travel half way across the world to take part in the FYEO Portraits experience.

Alexandra graduated with a degree in photography from Manchester

Metropolitan University in 1995. After becoming a member of the

British Institute of Photography in 1996, she began her career as a

freelance photographer, working in the portraiture and wedding industry.

Alexandra, 32 lives in Oxford with her husband and two children.

In 2003 Alexandra established FYEO Portraits.

She said: "I wanted to create a unique photographic company that took professional, sexy, modern portraits of women. The business is aimed at women of any age and offers individual portraiture with a formula so successful that many travel internationally for the experience.

"FYEO Portraits is innovative because it has set a trend in modern

portraiture for women and achieved a bold move - offering creative

portraiture 'off the shelf' with an exciting new look never before

seen in the portraiture market place.


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As well as increasing her client base by word of mouth, Alex has enjoyed excellent media coverage including features in Marie Claire, Psychologies, The Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and radio. The reputation of her company has even spread to the US, and Paramount Televison comissioned a film for their Entertainment Tonight show.

Alex added:"We do seem to have captured people's imagination, and I have been very lucky with press coverage as there are some good strong angles for me to talk about. For example, it has become quite clear that men like curves! Finally common sense has prevailed, and women are allowed to be women again-boobs, bums and everything!

"This is something that the team at For Your Eyes Only Portraits TM have known for a long time.

There is a lot of media stuff going on about size 0 and thin being beautiful and trendy, and it is very competitive among celebrities to see who has put weight on and who hasn’t. We really don’t buy in to all that because the women who come to see us are generally normal, average gorgeous girls.

“Infact often we are asked which poses, accessories, lighting techniques and outfits will make girls look a bit curvier because they are worried about having no bum or boobs!”

Alexandra added: “We are always banging the drum for women to celebrate their curves and enjoy and love their body shape. The size 0 diet is not realistic and not healthy and finally it seems that the media and the general public are waking up to the fact.”

Alex's new Manchester studio will be opening later this year, and she is keen to point out the value of effective PR and media relations and their value to her business.

She added: "The business is a very new concept, and when we first started approaching the media it was quite slow and difficult to get them interested. Perseverance paid off and now I am asked to comment about various subjects on a regular basis.

"A good PR consultant is worth their weight in gold to any company. Another really good way to generate interest is to attend some good trade shows. That way you get to meet potential clients and have a brilliant opportunity to really explain your business, products and services to them."


For further information about For Your Eyes Only Portraits TM, visit www.foryoureyesonly.com





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