Sacré-Coeur Paris Shoot

A few weeks ago (end of November...) I travelled to Paris and during my trip, really wanted to do a shoot outside in the cobbled streets or near a Parisian landmark. I had a number of ideas in my head however some were weather dependant...Firstly I love Paris AFTER it rains (not during!) as it creates this other worldly effect on the streets if you look beyond the fact that its wet and miserable! If it rained I was planning on playing with reflections and different textures as the glossy, water touched streets look fabulous as shown in many images in Paris during the 1920s. Unfortunatly it didn't rain so I slightly altered my ideas- heading more towards a pure fashion editorial style than abstractly composed as rain would have otherwise determined.

I was particularly inspired by Helmut Newton 'Le Smoking' and also an exhibition of work by surrealist photographer Andre Kertesz the previous day. The exhibition wasn't fashion related but elements of artistic composition and raw beauty were so clear that I couldn't help but to be inspired.

It wasn't organised in the same way as my regular shoots as I had no access to lighting, no makeup artist due to a cancellation and the model brought her own clothes in a similar style to how I explained. If you look at it like this it kind of makes it more of a portrait shoot but I had a great time shooting this series as they still retain an editorial effect.

I will admit though, the ISO (for all you camera boffs) was accidently set to auto (agggghhh) so even though I was choosing it manually, it selected an automatic setting which tended to be extremely high, causing a large amount of grain on the images. They have been salvaged and transformed from the originals but I had a hard time doing so- I didnt carry out all the usual checks I tend to do with more major shoots so I have certainly learnt my lesson!!

I recently saw an editorial online which was in an Elle magazine using the exact same location as this (with the lamppost and set of stairs). It is a perfect location as it captures the essence of Paris and the Sacré-Coeur yet is still quiet and away from the hustle and bustle right directly outside the building. Enjoy!

J'adore Dior

Having just been researching hair and makeup for pin up style shoots soon to come, I found myself stumbling across some amazing Dior makeup looks. Dior is one of my absolute favourite designers (John Galliano is genius) and each time they do a Couture show there is guaranteed to be an equally stunning theme of hair and makeup design.

Seeing such images sparked my initial love for makeup which started when I was at school- I was fascinated by it and had quite a few Dior palletes and lipglosses by the age of 14! Something drew me into the idea that you could create anything from a blank canvas so I literally spent hours applying and reapplying different looks.

There were quite a few specialist groups on myspace which had weekly makeup competitions and I entered ALL the time and even started my own group which was so much fun. I never did get quite as good as the images you are about to see but here are a selection of my all time favourite makeup looks by Dior which continue to inspire me. Its often the little details that count...Voila, C'est Belle!

Renaissance 'Angelic Portrait'

This is the second Renaissance themed Portrait shoot which I've shot since the beginning of my final year  photography assignment. I'm really pleased with the images and love the concept of the Python against the angelic otherworldly beauty (images shown below)...I wouldn't classify myself as the best photoshopper in the world so I get very frustrated sometimes when I want them to look as good as possible! These images in particular require top editing to maintain their painterly aesthetic and fashion edge, especially as they express an element of beauty photography.

Two images are shown below which I have spent a few hours editing and would love to hear some opinions and thoughts as to what you like about them/how they could improve. I'm perfectly happy with my photography in this shoot it's just the post production which sometimes needs revaluating.

I had such a brilliant team for this shoot including Karen Field and Natalie James (Hair and Makeup) and Lorna Redburn modelling who I hope you'll agree suits this look to perfection! One of the models didn't turn up for this shoot so we did both looks on Lorna (although only the 'angelic' look is shown below, the other to come soon!). I'm actually extremely pleased we made this decision as it shows an alter ego like dualism when displayed together which they will be at my exhibition next year. So...more images to come soon once I have further mastered the wonders of photoshop.

Im also having a few issues when uploading images here as they seem to increase contrast and darken so much from how they appear on my computer!

'Fashion in Motion' Stéphane Rolland @ V&A

Yesterday was the 'Fashion in Motion' catwalk show at the V&A showcasing a collection of Stéphane Rolland's beautiful couture designs. It was definitely my favourite out of the three I have seen at the V&A (the others being Erdem and Kenzo) probably because I looooove couture!

Every dress was carefully constructed with amazing materials and architectural shapes which was perfectly complimented by the MAC makeup artist team working their magic! If I'm totally honest I hadn't heard so much about Stéphane Rolland before but I was blown away by each one of looks down the catwalk. I particularly loved the jewel embellished tights and the sharp shoulder detail which stood out as key trademarks of his work which are sure to be copied soon!

Anyway, a 10/10 show and I wish I could put even more images up here as it was amazing!! I will put them all up on my facebook page (which there is be a link to on the right hand side of my blog)
Oh and the man himself showed his face when the show had finished- he looked like he had stepped out of a L'Oreal advert, his hair was SO glossy!

Proud Cabaret: Numero 2!

So... last Friday I went on my second visit to 'Proud Cabaret' where I got a little more arty and imaginative so that the images may reflect and convey a place of fantasy and escapism! Ooh lala. Using the combination of still life (of the venue) and performances it almost builds a narrative when the images are shown in a series.

Let me know what you think; if you have any ideas for my next visit please let me know- I love feedback :) On my next visit I plan to create a more abstract vision of the performances compared to the 'straight shots' that I have currently documented. This is so that when I create the book of final images they can be presented together (possibly on a double spread) to offer two alternate elements which convey different meaning!

P.S I love candles that smell of Christmas :)

 

 

  

Young Fashion Photographer of the Year- Finalist!

So ive been shortlisted as a finalist for 'Young Fashion Photographer of the Year' and I thought I should show everyone my entry as not many people actually know what it is! Hope you enjoy... Im not expecting to win (although it would be nice!) but its should be a great experience tomorrow at the live finals :)

Black and White Burlesque

I just couldnt help myself, Ive already posted colour images from this shoot but I just loooove black and white photography and couldnt resist. Im off to Proud Cabaret again on Friday so there will be some artistic pics of the venue too coming soon.

Ok I should go to bed now...