English Mustard

This shoot was a work in progress, one of those things that just bubble over while your day dreaming and thinking of things you could do, and then you stop, and start drawing and adding colour and thinking 'what can I cut/buy/borrow to make this work like that?' I gave myself a budget of £40 for the whole shoot and went over about £11 (generator..) I think it is quite dangerous not having a budget, well for me anyway!

First of all, I found out my model, the stunning Hannah Cooper was only in town for one day, the bank holiday Monday, I got a confirmation from Hannah on the Friday night that she could definitely do it, so I had to organise the shoot and buy everything for it on the Saturday....

Marked with an X (I already had)

Wire                                                 Blue spray paint 

Sieve x                                             Ivy

make-up x                                        Extension lead x
Blue chalk                                       Make Dress
Pins x                                               Hair Doughnut 
Hair spray x                                    Hair pins
Smoke machine x                           Jewellery 
Arch                                                Ghost chair with arms x 

Flash guns x                                   pocket wizards x

Camera x                                         Tripod x
Glasses                                            tape

boob tape!                                      Scissors x

So as you can imagine, I was a tad busy, as well as having a shoot to do on the Saturday too.

The dress was a broken Karen Millen which had been stained with oil, so I cut down the front and folded the sides back, I then added about 15 metres of blue and black fabric, the blue was a very light chiffon, I wanted it to catch the wind. In the picture > 

This is my lovely dress before it got ruined (sorry Mrs Millen!)

Obviously I had to pull the waist in a lot for Hannah, attached the new fabric under the lip of the skirt, and pulled it up to meet the section on the right of the hip. 

This was my sketch for the shoot..

I bought the arch from a garden store, it was only 

£4.90, and then picked all the Ivy from my mother in laws garden and the surrounding fields the morning of the shoot (at 6.30am -commitment!). I had found the location the Friday eve and figured out were the sun would be, I was then very happy to hear that my lovely friend/photographic assistant Kelsie Low could help out (she is amazing) and my gorgeous Fiancé Mr Colin Ginn offered his muscles up to drag the generator (and heavy stuff) across a field. And provide some skirt throwing on a very windy day! which I cant imagine was too much trouble for him!

Morning of...

Hannah met me at my studio at 1.30pm and I did her hair and make up (I would naturally, have the very talented Natasha Pearson on the hair but the Jammy thing was in Rhodes) so I used a big big Doughnut wrapped her hair round it then added more padding in a pair of tights to get her hair higher, I then curled the lot over the top. I knew Hannah was going to wear glasses - her own, so just did some pink blush all over and then eye-liner flick. Hannah applied the pink lipstick (Rimmel- heart breaker). Then I literally sewed her into the dress. which took about 25 mins.. 

At location

We sieved blue chalk all over the floor and dress 

Built the arch

Wove the ivy through it and sprayed blue 

set up the shot 

added Hannah!

Had a great time!!!

 Model. Hannah Cooper

Assistants. Kelsie Low & Colin Ginn

Photography. Hair & MUA Becky Long

I think Hannah looks like Vivienne Westwood's dream dolly, I love the contrasting colours and am glad I kept with the theme. I called the shoot English Mustard because she was in a rape seed field, and the rape seed looks remarkably like mustard.  It's funny because this was never meant to be a 'big' shoot but it just snowballed :) but I am glad it did.

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Maternity shoot

Today I did a beautiful shoot with the lovely Toni, she is 6 months pregnant and has the cutest smile, in the world!

I wanted to do something a bit more like my fashion work, a bit of set building all for one final picture.
For some reason I always prefer to have one 'perfect' shot form a shoot, much like the English mustard shoot I did with Miss Cooper, Which I need to Blog about, Sorry! You work everything to a point for one picture. Hours of planning and sorting all for one shot, seems a bit silly to some people, but I think that a shot stands a world away if its the only one, It think its treasured more. I loved doing this, and really like the tones in it, it is very Magenta and warm, it took quite a bit of colour correction as we were in a bath tub and the cool walls did nothing for her peachy skin, although the flowers helped.

As per usual, I used my 50mm 1.4 (my bokehlishious lens)  and also used a diffuser (big round white thing that diffuses light) and natural light (the sun ;)

The gorgeous Toni was in the bath with water, to keep the ivy floating, I used blossom and a couple of Gerbs ( Toni's favourite flower) it took about 45 minutes to set up, 25 mins to do hair and make-up, about an hour to pick and then 25 mins to shoot whilst prodding and picking at her hair and the flowers.

I would just like to say Thank you to Toni for being so patient and Beautiful. X 

Bowie

I am so sorry guys, I have completley neglected you since christmas, but I have 3 miniute video of the Hair for 'Bowie' with the beautiful Miss Hartley and the always incredible Natasha Pearson on Hair.

We all got together and wanted to do a very sleek sexy look, I also have aquired some brand new gels (which I then went on to melt on the studio lights, whoops) The Bowie exhibition is currently on at the V&A so we thought we would take advantage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBoD5fZaFJQ&feature=youtu.be

These are the final shots, which we all love.

Model. Paige Hartley 

Hair. Natasha Pearson

Photography. Becky Long

 

Model. Paige Hartley 

Hair. Natasha Pearson

Photography. Becky Long

 Model. Paige Hartley 

Hair. Natasha Pearson

Photography. Becky Long

Dewy Skin

This entire shoot was to try and do a set make up for dewy skin, I wanted a glowing, youthful, sexy look, my model (Robyn) is only 17 so the youth thing was already sorted but, there you go.

All I did was cover her T zone in illuminating serum from L'Oreal, then went over her eyes, cheek bones and cupids bow with L'Oreal Highlighter pen, added night time moisturiser from Olay all over. Padded over her eyes with 'permanent taupe' from Maybelline. Then added MAC Opulash Optimum Black Mascara and topped off her lips with a colour sensation- Maybelline again, (orange/blush) colour. This is the most important bit! I covered her eyes up to her eyebrows in HAIR SERUM. this is why it has that very shiny wet look over her lids. It does not fall in the creases like vaseline does- for shoot only, dont get this stuff in your eyes! All base was applied with hands.

 Up close of Robyns eye

 I will add, I put A LOT of moisturiser on Robyn.

Her Hair was spritzed with a little bit of hair spray and tousled.

 Model. Robyn Wiggins

MUA.Becky Long

Photography. Becky Long

 Model. Robyn Wiggins

MUA.Becky Long

Photography. Becky Long

Thank you to the gorgeous Miss Wiggins x

Stuck in first.

It's just of those days when you want to be out shooting, but no beautiful girls are throwing themselves at you! I can not wait until my Popsys back in the studio!! It has been an uncomfortably long time since she has been on the other side of the glass, when she comes back I will be buying a tube of no more nails. We have a few amazing shoots planned over Christmas and I am very excited!!

Babble

I think that everything happens for a reason, sometimes a problem seems so difficult that the belief in a blocked path controls your ability to change a negative struggle into a positive notion. I am very lucky that I have good friends, and when I get stuck, I try and imagine what they would say, and failing that, ask. Using your ability and your strengths to your advantage is something wonderful, you will never make a fortune dreaming and then falling short of your wishes. The best thing you can do is make use of the opportunities you have been gifted as these are the only gifts you will ever receive that are genuinely free. I have been told the only way to get any we're in life is 'it's not what you know, it's who you know' and to a great extent, the best things happen when your in the right place at the right time. An opportunity will only arrive with change and chance, a beautiful path is set ahead, but only with a positive outlook can you enjoy the journey.


"I bargained with Life for a penny,
And Life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty store.
For Life is a just employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.
I worked for a menial's hire,
Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would have willingly paid."

-Jessie B. Rittenhouse

Maternity Shoot

This is a shoot I did for a young gorgeous couple, they said I could do what ever I wanted but they would like something a bit different.

I had such a lovely time taking their pictures I did quite forget I was on a job! Jemma and Simon were brilliant, and I wish them every happiness in January with their little bonnie boy!

 

I love this shot, I like how simple it is, the twinkling lights in the background and the look on Simons face, also the scan is adorable.

 

It's a BOY! 

 

Since my first maternity shoot I have always done silouhettes, I think they are classy, sensual and fresh, they allways work beautifully and show off how big your tummy really is. 

I have done a similar shot to this before, but I think it looks really different with the lights and the warm skin tones, I have all ways asked mummy's to be to wear jeans, I just love the skin against the denim, and having the buttons undone.

 Once again, Thank you to Jemma and Simon for being so much fun, I can't wait to take some of your baby boy x