Friday 30 July 2010

My man

This is the last of the photoshoots that I've done in the last few weeks as I'll be running a friend's studio next week, but don't worry, there will be more as I have a fun-packed week of shoots again starting from 9th August. In fact, I have so many shoots that I'm not sure how I'm going to fit in shooting, editing the photos, blogging, Flickring and normal work. It's all good fun though!

Tonight's blog photos are of my man because he very kindly agreed to pose for me so that I could get a bit more experience shooting men as shoots with men don't come up very often.

Shoot: John


John 1

The sun was just beginning to set when we took this photo and I honestly didn't think the clouds would become dramatic at all but as we started to drive home, they were going just going pink. Serves me right for not dressing up enough to cope with shooting at the top of a cliff in the wind! If you look carefully, you can just make out the pier in the background - that's what I tell myself anyway.



John 2

I originally discounted this shelter when I couldn't quite get the pose right, even though we'd originally thought about shooting here, however as it began to get darker, I decided to give it another go and managed to get a few good ones. This ended up being my favourite photo from the shoot.



John 3

The sky had to be boosted a little in post production to bring it back to the colours that were actually there when the shot was taken. This was John's favourite photo from the shoot but I think he looks good in all of them. We ended up entering this one into a photographic competition and even if it doesn't win, it's still a winner with me!

As I said before, I might be quiet for a little while as I really want to post more pics rather than just blog about nonsense so I will start again after my next shoot. In the meantime, if you want to book me for a shoot, then just let me know.



Thursday 29 July 2010

This time it's Sammy

Oops got carried away last night, ended up shooting and then editing the photos until 11pm so completely forgot to upload the last of the recent photo shoots...that does also mean however that I have another one to post now too. Honestly, it never ends!

This shoot is of another new model called Sammy and so far she's had more hits on my Flickr account than anyone else. I have a feeling that this might have something to do with the 'cowgirl' and 'cowboy boots' tags that her photos have but people also seem to be enjoying them as well.

Shoot three: Sammy





Sammy 1

This is the first shot that we took and so far it's been the most popular photograph on Flickr - it must be the very short shorts and cowboy boots! Upton Country Park, near Poole, was a great location so hats off to Sammy for choosing it.





Sammy 2Align Left

It was another hot, sunny day but there was plenty of shade to take refuge under and allow for some lovely pictures. The strong sun did mean that a pretty pattern caused by the brim of the hat gave some added interest across Sammy's face. It also gave some slashes of highlights to her blonde hair.





Sammy 3

This photo was Sammy's personal favourite and although we were in the full sun, it did create some great shadows. The gardens here were beautiful and Sammy described this walled walkway as being like Alice in Wonderland and I think she was right.




Sammy 4

Well this was my favourite photo of the shoot and to think we almost missed this tree entirely! I spotted it as we walked from the Alice in Wonderland garden and it was hiding behind several others. I love the gnarly, ivy-covered trunk and because we were in total shade, with just a little sunlight filtering through the leaves of the trees, the light was very beautiful. We were both squealing with delight when we reviewed these shots after taking them.

I hope you've enjoyed reading these posts and looking at some of the photos from the shoots. Last night's shoot was of my other half, who kindly posed for me as the sun was beginning to set, and I shall be blogging about those very soon!

Tuesday 27 July 2010

New photo shoots cont

Well I might have only just got back from seeing a model about a photoshoot in the next couple of weeks but as promised, I'm writing the second part of my blog detailing the recent photo shoots that I've had building some new models' portfolios.

Second shoot: Jak

He was a little nervous but took direction well and came up with ideas too. This was one of the first pictures that we took and although I liked the grey steely wall, I decided to pep it up a bit afterwards so added this nice cool blue wash to it.





As we were shooting on an industrial estate in Christchurch, there were very few places to get in the shade and the sun was very strong during the shoot. We did manage to take refuge under some trees and it created some beautiful dappled light across Zak and the concrete block.

Another concrete block shot - there were a lot of them to pose against! I liked this one because of the flare and slightly washed out look that was caused as a result.



I thought I'd put my favourite shot at the end today, rather than the beginning. Jak gave a nice strong thoughtful look in this one. We had to be careful not to wake up the lorry driver who was trying to get some sleep in the cab although I'm sure he wouldn't have minded being woken up for arts sake, would he?

Tomorrow I shall be uploading some photos from another girly shoot and I'm going to struggle to upload just a few because there were so many that came out so well. I shall be brutal!

Monday 26 July 2010

It's been a while

Oh dear, it's been a long time since I last logged in however that means it's been good for me as I've been working long hours shooting portfolios for several new models and editing the photographs. I'll upload some of the photos from the last few shoots over the coming days for your enjoyment!

Shoot number one: Rachael

Rachael 1

This was my favourite photo from the shoot because I love the bleached hair and the slightly moody look. We shot these in full sun on an old RAF base and it was very, very hot. The dragonflies were out in full force as well, which kept me entertained during outfit changes.


Rachael 2

Most of the shots we did were in more of a portrait style however this was one of the few fashion-style images. The location was fabulous, with smears of paint all over the walls and it was totally overgrown. The object that Rachael is holding on to is actually a window frame that had been knocked out.



Rachael 3

Poor Rachael had to put up with looking straight into the sun for this picture and although her eyes are closed because of this, I like the sultry, mysterious look that this gives. She has a fabulous look in any case so it was fairly easy to create beautiful photos of her.

Rachael 4

This photograph is a perfect illustration of just how flattering the light underneath a tree can be. I had to work with a tripod, a slow shutter speed and Rachael had to keep very still in order to capture it but it was worth it. We also had to wait for the light to return from behind a cloud in order to create the interesting slash of light across her face.

Rachael 4

I couldn't resist adding this shot at the end because I think Rachael's eyes are quite haunting - perhaps because she was worried about the cobwebs behind her head! We shot this from the side of the building that was in the shade so we had some beautiful light to work with and I love the slightly rusty gate and broken concrete.

I hope you've enjoyed these photographs and I'll be adding some of the shots from my other shoots over the next few days. In the meantime, if you've loved these photographs, why not book me to come and shoot you? Whether you're an aspiring model looking to build a portfolio, want a portrait for fun or a special occasion or you want to surprise your other half with a sexy Boudoir album, go to my contact page and get in touch.



Monday 5 July 2010

Business planning

Business planning is such fun, don't you think? Well no, not really. I know that the likes of Damien Lovegrove and Julia Boggio get their kicks from writing their business plans and tweaking their spreadsheets but I have to say that I don't particularly enjoy it. I find it about as interesting as team building events - and they just send me to sleep.

The business plan is a crucial piece of the jigsaw however if you want to be successful. Trying to work out where you need to go and what you need to do is near-on impossible without it. You just end up floundering because you lack focus and ultimately, you will fail so despite my lack of motivation, I have been planning my little socks off - to the point where I feel like I have run a marathon. It's surprising how much time it takes too because it's taken me several days already. Once it's complete however, I'll then be able to put my action steps (or my road map) in for the coming weeks and months so that I can then get back to taking photographs, safe in the knowledge that I know where I'm going.

As for the coming week, well I've got several models booked for some fashion images in this lovely weather we're having so watch this space!