I wanted to share with you an image from the recent Nosferatu shoot that
has been accepted by the Vogue Italia editorial board. Needless to say I
am very pleased as this is not an easy thing to achieve. :) I am working hard on my work getting more of an editorial feel to it and for me this is a step forward in the right direction.
The following is the image as it appears on Vogue Italia with their logo on, it is a low-res image and I will publish a better quality one when I add the full blog post for this shoot.
Norwich based actress Melanie Manson as Lucy Westenra in a Nosferatu inspired shoot published on Vogue Italia 18.12.12
I wish you all a great start for 2013 and hope it will bring you happiness. x
Life has been busy and I need to catch up with my blogging! Lots to post and little time at the moment, which, is probably a good thing :)
I just wanted to show you a sneaky preview shot from my recent Nosferatu inspired shoot. I will go into what this is about in a longer blog post, I hope, but I need to give massive credit to my collaborators on this shoot. Their professionalism and level of talent and committment deserves a lot of praise, following my ideas through all through from the initial planning. It is great to work in sync and let ideas develop in all stages of a shoot.
Kudos for the fabulous vintage styled make up go to Hannah Melnyk Bohemian Love Story,
Gini Newton for costumes and period styling
Alex Helm and Melanie Manson, both fabulous actors, based in Norwich
Well, here is my first photograph from the set. I hope you like it and would love to read your comments...
Melanie Manson as Mina Harker in a Nosferatu inspired editorial shoot
I will post the rest of the images soon! Have a lovely weekend x
It's looking more winter than autumn out there today and I thought of fishing out work that will hopefully take your imagination somewhere warm and far away.
This is a project I had been wanting to do for a while. I wasn't sure I would get the mood that I wanted, from what is essentially a beach shoot, so I had a lot of thinking to do.
The beautiful Brazilian, Norwich based model, Amanda Santos, was the clear choice for my subject, her graceful curves flowing with the curves in the sand, and the angle of the sun creating the right amount of shadow to add definition to what would have been otherwise a flat image. There is a distinct air of bravery of the subject who seems to be fighting all that is happening around her but also a beauty and command which is somewhat surreal...
The final image was created by stitching a series of shots to be able to create the level of detail required.
Kudos go to Amanda for her patience in the blazing sun and to my friend Rainbo for the help with sculpturing the waves and sky.
Amanda Santos as a Siren photographed for an editorial shoot
I hope you like the final image .... and please do leave your comments ....
As you will have realised by looking at my work, my portraiture is not straightforward image shooting and I can create something for you that fits your personality and is totally original.
Please give me a call if you have any ideas you would like to take forward to create a stunning and totally individual set of images.
I recently had the opportunity to photograph the University College Suffolk building near the Waterfront in Ipswich, aptly named the Waterfront Building. The building can be described as bold but also contemporary and the graceful curves which circumscribe it somehow seem to extend upwards as well as outwards. Because of this illusion, images of the building taken from different aspects seem to merge into continuity.
I post processed the images with quite a grungy feel and underexposed the shots to get maximal detail in both the glass and the sky, the clouds adding interest to the reflections in the glass.
I enjoy shooting buildings as architecture has always been of interest to me - from the baroque to the modern there is always something to catch my attention and I am constantly observing buildings to see how they are changing with time, as social, economical and environmental factors leave their mark.
Hope you like this image set - do leave a comment at the end of the post if you find this work of interest. Thank you! :)
I only recently realised that I haven't yet blogged about this series, a wedding themed shoot for Norfolk's own Cancer Charity, Big C, a few months back . However today I will blog about one particular image I picked up this week. I occasionally look back at image sets and try and post process them again, when I am in a different mood.
I chose this image of Poppy Keith to look back at this time. I love the way her hair flies across her face, just like a poster for a manga book or film would, but with the soft curls giving a completely different effect, the door providing a narrative to add to the surprise and movement in her pose, whilst the colours of the foliage complement the scene and do not detract away from it.
'Bellezza in Fragrante' is beauty caught red-handed, which to me describes the image perfectly....
I hope you love it as much as I do :)
Contact me for commercial and fashion assignments as well as portrait photography, in Norfolk and Hertfordshire. I am always looking for exciting projects to work on. :)
I seriously don't know which of the two scenes I preferred, the pub landlord's face as he opened a box to find a signed 18x12 mounted print of a scene involving his business premises, with the pub patrons peering over each other's back to see what he was smiling at, or my son's big smile at watching the whole scene unfold and later telling me that the landlord's expression was priceless...
The pub landlord hadn't been expecting anything from me... he gave me permission to use his premises for a shoot and I promised I'd show him some finished work...
It is so nice to give people something extra, something they didn't pay for or request
I like to make people happy, it makes me happy - so I go a longer way than they expect. I always have something up my sleeve, something I have thought about after our first meeting, and something I work on during our shoot and often afterwards.
Then when we meet again to look at photos, there is that little something special, that extra service or add on they weren't expecting, not just the quality of the images, the special moments captured, the quality of the prints and products....
just because it's me and this is the way I do things , above and beyond... just so that I can see that delighted look on my client's face. Only then is my job done :)
This news is doing the rounds in the Wedding Photography world this week. Ex Wedding Photographer and Entrepreneur Gary Fong was sent information from a wedding photographer about clients threatening a 300k dollar lawsuit for, incredibly.... GOOD work. We normally read stories about photographers that have lost data, were thoroughly incompetent, or failed to deliver the goods, but this story is a warning for all photographers who take a nonchalant approach with clients.
Have a look at the video first:
I won't go into the technicalities about why this lawsuit may be quashed in court. The letter sent by the attorney seems highly unprofessional and I have no knowledge about the law in different US states. However the point to be made here is that you always treat a client, however nice, flattering or friendly as they see...as a client.
Many professional photographers who regularly blog, are afraid to say the truth about the industry. All their clients are gorgeous, fun to work with and their weddings are a joy to photograph. It doesn't take much to realise this is not the real world they are talking about. Some clients can be very difficult to work with, and this is not only in the wedding world. They could be any kind of client really.
The difficult bit is when clients are extra flattering about one's work. In the industry we've all been through this... lots of sweet talking that makes you feel weak at the knees and highly esteemed. Wow, you think.. why don't I have more of these clients? The aim is, of course, to get more out of you than you normally would, or should offer... hmm...
Of course there are the real nice people that are genuine and that you will love working with and for, but there are also the nasty ones who make your life hell, either before the shooting or afterwards.
For me this story is just a reminder not to forget the basis of a professional relationship, trust and honesty, and making sure all the paperwork is relevant, agreed to in all detail and that the contract is honoured in its' totality. If you can afford to, walk away from people who you're not sure of, that saves you hassle and problems that others can have... Well that's my policy anyway...
It
was about a year ago, that I got what I thought was a weird phone call
at the time. I was asked if I was available to photograph a film
production that was happening in Great Yarmouth. The line was very bad
and I didn't quite get all the details, though I did call the person
back to enquire for more information. I wasn't sure whether I was
scared or thrilled!!
I was informed Pacitti
Company were working on a short film for the cultural Olympiad and they
needed a photographer to shoot stills from the filming they were doing
locally. The weird thing is that they also needed someone to play the
part of a photographer using a large land camera (an old style wooden
camera that carried glass photographic plate and had bellows). Eek!
I'm not quite confident having a photo taken, so you can imagine what I
feel about being filmed!!
However, this was an opportunity too good to miss, so I accepted the assignment with some trepidation! :)
The
London 2012 Cultural Olympiad is the largest cultural celebration in
the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movement. On
Landguard Point' is the representation for the East of England and
reflects the director, Robert Pacitti's love for the coast of East
Anglia and in particular, Landguard Point, the last coastal defence
built in this part of the coast in 1639. You can read more about Robert's perspective on making the film here, together with links to the project's official website
I
turned up to the old skating rink in Great Yarmouth on the afternoon of
the shoot with a lot of concern regarding my attire. I had been asked
to discuss my choice of clothing for the filming with the team and I had
narrowed my choice down to a couple of outfits. The day being hot and
muggy made it easy to grab a frilly black warehouse dress that fitted
into the vintage theme.
The
skating rink was full of activity when I arrived, with the filming crew
all ready to roll, and all the participants practicing, his Worship the
Lord Mayor of Great Yarmouth, the naval cadets, Parkers Donkeyworld and
their handlers, Great Yarmouth Brass and TS Fearless, The Crystallette
Twirlers and me, still not sure what to expect.
The
instructions flowed quick and direct, I had to move into the scene at a
signalled point, vintage camera firmly in my grip, place it on the
marked spots, drape myself in a black cloth behind the view finder and
signal to the group that the shot was about to be taken. We practiced
three times, for what seemed like forever, and the firework that was due
to accompany my shooting action had to be aborted because it didn't
fire on demand (I was quite looking forward to that! Sigh)
Here
are some images I took that afternoon during the practice, however the
image that did make it to the film is bound by copyright and only
appears on the film :) It appears very bright as a photograph laid on a
desk, surrounded by objects that connect to the story. I am so, so
proud of that bit!! :)
We
were duly invited to the cast and contributing crew's premiere of 'On
Landguard Point' at the Corn Exchange in Ipswich two weeks ago, so we
very excitedly made our way down the coast to see what came out of this
teeny contribution....
I
took the opportunity to capture a few moments of the premiere, with
Robert Pacitti being interviewed on the red carpet, his introduction to
the project in the theatre and my second of fame in the film credits.
The images could not capture my excitement at seeing what came out of
the filming in Great Yarmouth and my delight that the vintage
photographer scene was retained as well as my image of the participants
on the day in another scene. :)
The
film in itself has some wonderful photography as well as a fascinating
insight in to the directors perspective on his much loved land of
origin. The film was filmed in the six counties that constitute the East
of England and offer different stories that all link together in a
loose but very artistic way. I must say I was very impressed to see
what Pacitti Company have achieved in this project and will be following
their future activities.
'On
Landguard Point' will be shown at the Latitude Festival near Southwold
next weekend, as well as some Theatres in the East so add it to your
calendar if you'd like to watch. :)
Meanwhile, if you are filming and are looking for a photographer to document the events and play a part in the filming, I may just be tempted! ;)
I'm so pleased with the outcome of this shoot I decided it just had to take precedence over lot of other projects I've been undertaking, all of which I'm proud of...
However, this shoot involves something very special for me and very 70's!
The concept of the shoot was around portraying the 70's a little differently to what we are seeing in magazines and vintage styled shoot. Less about the clothing but more about lifestyle. The 70's were a long and ever changing period stylistically so I clung on to the early period in terms of clothing, styling and image post processing. I allowed myself to be a little bit more playful this time with my image manipulation, using polaroid and holga style looks to create either a postcard style or kitsch look. I also wanted to recreate the look of motoring mags and car brochures of the period, stuff I happily thumbed though as a little one, from my dad's collection.
But what really made the shoot was the lovely Lotus Elan we were graciously allowed to use, thanks to Celia and Mark, a beautiful Sprint S4 drophead coupe in perfect condition. I made best use of the time available during make up and prep to drool over it, feel the lovely click of closing doors and glove box, and thumb through a perfect handbook.
I grew up looking forward to Sundays drives, and time in the Elan was spent on the tunnel behind my parents in the teeny space in the tunnel behind my parents, listening to the carbs rumbling as the wind blowed in my hair. So what better 70's recreation than to have models driving down the lovely Norfolk countryside in an Elan? Perfect!
Joy and Matthew were perfect models for the shoot, both in terms of the look, as well as for gelling well notwithstanding none of us had worked together before. Suzie Townsend recreated the 70's look for both of them, and which looked lovely on Joy's porcelain complexion. It was indeed a great team for a fun shoot.
Now for some images!
Paul took some video clips of me shooting- this is quite an uncharacteristic moment with me being quiet, rather than directing, but this allowed the models to engage in conversation and look more natural.
This is my favourite shot, with Joy and Matt appearing to panic as they come across a ford. In fact the water was just a few inches deep. The effect was achieved by shooting low, close to the water surface. I've followed the shot with a tiny clip which shows me trying to balance in the slimy water using a stepladder rather like a Zimmer :))
To have a look at the full set of images, have a look at my facebook business page, and do 'like' the page if you find the work interesting :)
If you want a portrait shoot that recreates a mood or a period of time do get in touch to discuss what we can offer. Creative projects are very important to me and you are guaranteed a fun experience as well as having a great project planning team and photography.
I will be having a stand at the Norfolk Show with Dead Good Designs (Stand 21, Avenue 7) and look forward to seeing you there. If you mention the password 'Lotus' to me you will get a 10% discount on orders taken during that week. ;)
It is a weekend and bank holidays
full of celebrations here in the UK.Queen Elizabeth has been on the throne for 60 years and her kingdom is
about to celebrate this wonderful diamond jubilee.
I have thought long and hard
about how to produce a personal tribute to the Queen mulling ideas for several
months.I thought about ways about
creating an image that the queen would be pleased with, that celebrates her
resilience, magnamity and wisdom.However,
for many reasons, I crossed off each and every idea I had.None of the models I thought of would look
like her, the clothing would not be regal enough and I had no stunning location
at hand to photograph in.Nothing would
be good enough to pass on to Her Majesty as a thank you and a sign of respect
from me.I am just able to say Thank You
in a virtual way and imagine I am paying respect to a Queen I admire and
respect.
Why should all this come from a
foreigner, I hear you say, and why specifically me?
Queen Elizabeth has always had a
very special tie with Malta.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh married on November 20, 1947,
and Malta is the only country outside the UK where they have lived.
Prince Philip served there with the Royal Navy between 1949 and
1951, during which period the Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) visited several
times, the longest visit being from November 1950 to February 1951.
They returned to the island in 1954, 1967, 1992 and 2005.
Her Majesty has been known to reminisce about lengthy stays as a
young Monarch in Malta and is said to cherish memories of being able to drive
around the Island quite freely. She is
also said to miss visiting Villa Portelli in Pieta’, her residence in the
Island.
Although there has always been a strong anti-colonial feeling
within the Maltese which ultimately led to the island becoming a republic, even
today there is a strong connection with the Queen, especially from the older
generation. It is within this environment
that I grew up as a child.
How does all this link up with me, you will ask!
In 2005 I was in the middle of a very difficult court case. I had separated from my husband after a breakdown of our marriage,
and had been granted legal separation and custody of our son. My financial situation was fraught and I was
looking at our future. My hope was to be
able to move to the UK with my son Matt, but under Maltese law it was very difficult
or nearly impossible to do so with a child.
In total I had gone through 6 lawyers, who were all happy to take my
money, but not to give me a positive outcome (this is before I engaged the 7th
and successful one!)
One day after school, the then 10 year old Matt bounded up to me and
suggested he wanted to speak to the Queen, I sort of ignored him, as you do
when one if faced with such statements.
He said he had a plan. The Queen
was due to visit, and his school, like others, was invited to an event
where, as is customary in foreign visits by Royals, she met with schoolchildren. He said he might be able to stand in a place
where he could ask her a favour. The
last thing I’d do to Matt was to dash his hopes so I gave him my blessing to do
what he wanted.
Matt came back from that event very upset, he said none of his
school mates were anywhere near to the Queen and he had really wanted to speak
to her.
I suggested he might want to write to her. She might not be the Queen of Malta anymore, but
maybe, as the head of the Commonwealth, it would be sort of OK to write to her.
Now anybody who knows Matt will appreciate that he does not like
to write to anybody, so seeing him scribble his pleas just made me feel so sad
that he had to go through this. No child
should ever have to plead!
A few weeks later, this letter drops through my postbox... it
bears the insignia ERII and I tremble....
I call Matt, who asks me for help with opening the letter....
How can it be that so many people I met with over the years to
move my case forward, notable people, members of the Parliament, government
employees who influenced local policy, often snubbed my requests and a Queen,
not even of my own country, takes the bother to read my son’s scribbles and
reply??!
She replied not once, but twice, after Matt updated her on
how we failed to make any progress...
The Queen’s reply per se obviously did nothing in itself to change
our legal position – Jack Straw was in no position to comment on individual cases,
and we were not under his remit really. However it gave us so much energy to drive the
whole thing through. Matt felt
empowered, and our lawyer felt that if Matt had the initiative to write like
that then he certainly had what it took to make himself heard clearly within a
Maltese court of Law, which he did, in a small but powerful voice.
I’m not sure if it is OK to refer to the Queen as Dear, but I will
do so now, reverentially.
Dear Queen, thank you for listening to the children. You are an example to individuals
both here and within the Commonwealth.
Thank you for being a kind mother.
Although I am mostly a people photographer, I have a passion for architechtural detail and I love to do long exposures. There is something magic about going out in near pitch dark with a camera and tripod and capturing light in a completely unusual and often unnatural looking manner.
Long exposures are images in which shutter speeds are very long, just because it takes a long time for the little available light to create a digital image. Because the duration of the exposure is too long to be safely hand held, you will need a tripod, and often a degree of patience and several layers of warm clothing.
The image I have for you today is a long exposure of the Vauxhall Bridge in Great Yarmouth, just by the Train station. In fact the bridge was designed to take railway locomotives back in the 19th century as well as provide a footpath for pedestrians. Unfortunately this beautiful bridge had fallen in disrepair, but is now being renovated, thanks to National Lottery Funding. This link gives some extra detail on the planned works.
This is my take on the Vauxhall Bridge at night, works are already in progress to the left hand side of the image, on the main bridge however I still managed to capture the character of the old bridge before it's blasted and painted back to glory.
For the techies, this is a 30 second exposure at 100ISO at F7.1. No additional lighting was used. Hope you like the image and look forward to your comments. I'm going to fish out a few long exposures from my archives as well as photograph new ones soon, so watch this space! :)
I met Carol Wilkinson a few months ago when we joined the Business Growth Group course at the UEA. The course was a very informative and helped me understand where my business was and determined where I wanted it to go in the near future. It also allowed me to meet a number of great business people who have insipired me and shared their expertise and knowledge with us all.
Carol runs a business called Get Bendy and teaches Yoga as well as runs vintage Airstream holidays for Yoga fantatics. She asked me to shoot some promotional images for her and I was very happy to oblige with some creative work... The shoot was held in two parts, indoors at the Pennoyer Centre in Pulham St Mary, and outdoors at Burlingham Hall.
As Carol is marketing Retro Yoga we looked at the Womens League of Health and Beauty for some inspiration and lo and behold Carol and the girls were ready on the day with some interesting poses for me to photograph.
Both shoots were lots of fun, though admittedly I enjoy outdoors work more ;) Burlingham Hall is ideal for some outdoors fun and the weather and the light were just right even though spring had only just sprung when we photographed this.
Have a look at the images and let me know what you think... I've started with my favourite! :)
By the way, this is my 100th blog post. Not bad for one who thought she wouldn't manage blogging :)
'Bridal with a twist' was a collaborative project I recently organised together with the help of two talented East Norfolk professionals. Patricja Szubska was the MUA for the shoot and Lynn Barrow is a floral stylist and NAFAS demonstrator. Both were really happy to take on my idea of creating two competely different looks loosely based on bridal wear.
I am always keen to produce work that is not easily classified. I had planned for this work to look as if it was something a creative bride could consider, but hopefully this set also reflects a fashion take on bridal. I'm also keen on demonstrating my versatility as a photographer and being able to produce sets of images that are totally different in look and feel within the same shoot.
It was also my first studio shoot, so I am particularly pleased it all went as per plan. Although I do not operate from a studio, and am technically a location photographer, I am all the while using studio techniques in a forever changing environment (which could be a client's home or office or out in the elements), and therefore the fact of shooting in studio was not too daunting for me as it is actually easier to shoot in a studio within a controlled environment.
The first look chosen was a darker look: we chose a gold skirt with bodice and dark red flowers and intense makeup made for a hollywood look, accentuated by rembrant lighting via a fresnel lens.
As suggested, the second look was completely different. A vintage early 70's gown was coupled with white flowers and tulle to create a much brighter look. Patricja went for a modern look in terms of make up, which really suited the model and fitted in with our plan. I photographed Justyna via two strobes with softboxes, one at 45 degrees to model right and the second strobe acting as a backlight, shooting via white tulle. The falloff of light from this second strobe made for a more interesting background.
Let me know which set you prefer and why, it will be interesting to see your point of view.... and comments are welcome! :)
I am preparing for a bigger shoot on the same theme in the next few weeks, and am on the lookout for suitably talented hairstylist to join my team. Get in touch if you would like to collaborate.
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