sneaky peek from yesterday's shoot

I haven't eaten properly for two days, and feeling slightly sick now... but must post this for you guys to see before I log off for the day :)

Part one of an ongoing project, held yesterday in a local studio that is not normally available for commercial use ;)  Pretty chuffed with the results it having been my first shoot in a studio and having fashion and photography students around! :)  Can I say I was a bit tense yesterday morning!!

Be back with more this week, promise! :)

Would love to hear from you so please add your comments below! :)

Sneak Preview shoot with Kiki

I know, I know!  It's been absolutely ages since I've blogged regularly! Although I've been really busy and have lots to blog about I just can't find the time or inclination to post as often as I should do.

Just wanted to show you what sort of work I'm up to lately.... :)

Blog update soon.... x

the INSIDE OUT and proud! photo art project

Just cutting and pasting a  press release that should find it's way to the local press in the next few days.  Will be blogging about the project more in depth soon! :)

LOCAL TALENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PROJECT

Great Yarmouth photographer Antonella Muscat and Norwich film maker Michelle Savage (Shelly Telly) are joining forces in local group action focussing on the LGBT community, for the International ‘INSIDE OUT’ project.

INSIDE OUT is a large scale participatory art project that transforms messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work.  Everyone is challenged to use black and white photographic portraits to discover, reveal and share the untold stories and images of people around the world.  These images are made into posters and sent back to the groups to be exhibited in their own communities.  These exhibitions will be documented, archived and viewable virtually.

Antonella and Michelle met whilst during a Business Growth Programme at the UEA and decided to collaborate artistically on the project after Antonella spotted the call for participation via TED.com.  “‘INSIDE OUT and proud!’, are looking for individuals in the LGBT  community who are willing to participate in the project by having their photo taken”, said Michelle.  “The resulting images will be turned into posters that will be displayed during the LBGT History Month in February.”

Individuals interested in participating in the project are asked to contact Antonella Muscat on 07748 197522, by Friday 13^th January, for further details, or by joining the ‘INSIDE OUT and proud!’ group page on Facebook.

Hillside Animal Sanctuary

Ever since I picked up my very scruffy mutt Robbie, from rescue kennels almost three years ago, I have become more sensitive to the needs of animals needing care and also the individuals and organisations who care for these lovely creatures. Robbie was abandoned because he was too old, too scruffy and the wrong size but I love him to bits because he is just that, a bit gruff and a bit difficult but fantastic for us.  I cannot imagine why there are people who look at the aesthetics of a pet, and not at the love they can give...

I was early to a photoshoot in West Runton yesterday, when I drove down the beaten track in the search for somewhere quiet for a catchup with reading.  It was lovely and sunny but very cold, so the plan was for me to sit in the car and pick up a book I had started.

Unknowingly I had driven to the Hillside animal sanctuary, I place I had not even heard of before.  I came across wide open fields with wild horses and cows, and the sound of barking in the distance.  It was incredibly beautiful and serene, with the low sun shining through the horses manes and lighting up the grass.  I still feel so moved by scenes like this, after five and a half years of living in Norfolk, coming from a country where animals are not treated well and they do not have the space to roam and the care they find here.

I mananged to take a few photos of the highland cows and wild horses, moving quietly as not to disrupt them.  It was so peaceful and not the place for me to interfere.  Hopefully I will be back there when they have their open days, and take some more photos, and in the meanwhile I hope you like what I have already photographed there.

If you want to donate to the Hillside Animal Sanctuary or adopt one of their animals, or maybe a looking for your next canine companion - you can have a look at their work here :)

Have a lovely weekend! x

Preview post Queenie's shoot

A quick preview post tonight, from one of the photo shoots I've most enjoyed recently.  The opportunity arose to photograph Rachel Duffield, who works as a freelance Queen Elizabeth I.  A fantastic opportunity really, as Rachel has a strong background in Drama and an in-depth knowledge of things Elizabethan, as well as it being a  rare opportunity to photograph somebody in this role.  Rachel impersonates ER I during educational sessions in schools but also uses the tactile element of her fantastic costumes in sessions for the visually challenged during 'touch tours'.

The shoot was a lot of fun, and we spent the greater part of an afternoon in the beautiful St Mary's Church, in Great Witchingham, Norfolk.  The church was built in the thirteenth century, though contains influences from other periods, and I hope only the sharp eyed will be able to spot differences in the building which would not be pertinent to the Tudor age.

My focus was to portray the majesty of Elizabeth the First, as well as use the church background to shoot images which demonstrated the strength of the Queen's faith.  I always take my shoots seriously, so I did not fail to do my part of reading on the Queen's life and also revisit Cate Blanchett's 'Elizabeth' and the BBC serial 'The Virgin Queen' with Anne-Marie Duff.

Rachel herself was the font for all knowledge on Queen Bess's clothing and lifestyle and I came back from the shoot much informed about life in that period.

So just one photograph for today, a taster, as I continue to post-process the rest the set, which I will blog in full about, soon!  Hope you like it!

A big, big thank you for the shoot goes to Cassie and Selwyn Tillett for help in making this shoot possible and for access to the Church.  Rachel's blog about her wonderful work as Queen Bess is here.

have a wonderful week x

Full post photoshoot with Zaira...

It was only supposed to be a test shoot with budding model Zaira and Millie Rose, a fantastic MUA who recently got in touch with me via my website.  However after three hours of work, which left us all a bit fazed, and some post processing has left me with a good number of photos I am really pleased with.  :)

Although Zaira is new to modelling I found her really easy to work with, and she followed my instructions well.  She is a very pretty model (can I say she resembles Chelsy Davy in some shots?!) and I am sure these images will boost her portfolio no end.

I'm really finding it difficult to choose which images to add to this posting, so it will be slightly longer than my usual blog posts :)

From the technical point of view I solely used natural as well as reflected light in the first set of images and a video light in the set of images in the library (the moodier images).  I used my trusty 50mm 1.4 (I rarely use anything else!!) on my Nikon D700 and shot in Manual in apertures of between F2 to F4.  ISO was between 200 and 3200.

The shoot flowed a treat apart from having to help a pigeon!!  The pigeon flew in through one of the narrow apertures in an open window, and thanks to Zaira's mum and aunt's prompt supply of a coat, we managed to wrap and safely get the pigeon out of the window. Phew!  I had never handled a live pigeon before!!

Many thanks go to Millie Rose who patiently worked before and during the shoot to make sure the make up was perfect.  I will be definitely be working with her again on other projects in the future....

And now for the photos...

Quick posting... important update... :)

Just a quick post to let you know that the link from the previous post to my new website was'nt working.

It's all fixed now!! :)

So just click on to this text, to view my new website! :)

Many thanks to Paul for spotting this! :)

Shoot for the Inspire Discovery Centre

A few weeks back I was asked to shoot a series of images which will go into the Inspire Discovery Centre's new website.  My brief was to photograph the team on their stand at a recent B2B Exhibition organised by the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, as well as photograph some of their activities and stands on a busy day.

The Inspire Discovery Centre is a wonderful place to visit if you have young kids and you live in or around Norwich.  Inspire's aim is to stimulate curiosity and interest in science and technology, and must I say this 42 year old found plenty to study and think about during the photoshoot and it's the sort of place where both kids and their parents can join into an activity that is both fun and a learning opportunity.  The Centre is housed in one of Norwich's finest mediaeval churches and provides an interesting setting as well as a huge floor space for activities. 

I start off this set with a picture of Shell and her team at Inspire with their business partners at the B2B. These include Inspired Change, Pink Connect and Repro Arts, along with other organisations that are helping Inspire Discovery keep going.  Unfortunately these are difficult times for the centre, and they are having to scale down their budgets in these difficult times.  It would be really sad to see the centre close down because it is a really special environment for parents who want to introduce a science biased learning environment to their young ones.  Inspire Discovery have a link to their donations website so as to enable people to donate whatever they can towards the cause.  Please donate generously if you can as it is an investment towards the local future generation.

I hope my images best illustrate Shell's team's hard work and the facilities of this Centre and in some small way generate more interest in what they do. From the photographic point of view, the challenge in this shoot was the poor lighting in the church, which was compounded by the fact that the shoot was held on an extremely gray and rainy day.  Gladly the low light capabilities in my D700 never fail to amaze me as well as the great performance of my trusty 50mm 1.4 which gives the best results possible in such conditions.

For now best of luck Inspired Discovery!! Hope the new year brings you the long term funding which will secure your future!

* the meaning of life *

Dear Friends,

 

I just wanted to share with you a lovely video I came across on Facebook, found on a page called Sante et Beaute pour tous (apologies for the missing accents but I can't locate them on my laptop)!

Some lovely thoughts about the meaning of life, a subject which has made me wonder and think hard, especially in particularly difficult times I have been through.

I moved on when I learnt to accept myself and to love myself first and foremost, as you cannot be strong and offer love and support to others if you are not strong and self assured in yourself before everything else.  

I came to the UK nearly five years ago with a number of boxes of books, some clothing, my dear son and some precious court papers, and virtually no money, but with a job in hand.  Where I am today is a combination of tenacity, very hard work and an assurance in my own heart that things would be better than they ever were... and when you have very little in life, you start to appreciate the best things in life, the loveliest and the most basic, the ones that light our lives and give it meaning.  As I browsed this link on FB, I realised that what came to me as a realisation after a tortuous life experience, may something others may still need to come to...

I hope you will find this little clip as wonderful as I do :)

In the meantime, Goodnight ... x

The winners of my free photography portfolio opportunity for businesses

It's been a manically busy week with exhibitions and business networking but I now have some time to update you with the latest stuff....

I just wanted to announce the winners of my free business portfolio offer:

These are...

Jane Pennington - Stone Me   
http://www.stone-me.co.uk/

Sue Huckle - Posh Plants
http://www.poshplants.com/

Elaine Martin- Silver Clay Designs
http://www.silverclaydesigns.com/

I am delighted to be working with these three businesses and to develop a portfolio that will help their marketing campaign.

Over the next few weeks you will see evidence of their campaigns developing with an introduction to these businesses and how I will work to create images to their brief.

More updates very soon!!! :)
  

full post Suzie Lindesay's Octopus Designs photoshoot

I must hang my head down in shame and apologise! 'Mea Culpa'!!!  48 posts in 18 months is inexcusable... I so need to blog more.  I'm always working on my images yet I don't find the time to blog about what I shoot, what planning for shoots I'm doing, what equipment I'm buying.  I need to blog more!

First thing I'm picking up with is the full post for the Suzie Lindesay's knitwear shoot.  I've chosen some of the best images from about a thousand shot that afternoon.  The shoot needed to satisfy the following requirements:

- provide fashion style images for Suzie's new business

- provide portfolio images for my two models, Charlotte and Kiki

- add to my portfolio of fashion and marketing work

- provide portfolio work for Helen's MUA business 

These complex requirements mean a lot of planning goes on before the shoot and the actual shoot evolved in a way to make the shoot fun, provide a variance of work that will satisfy all of the requirements, and demands excellent time management and people management skills.

The outcome is what you see below :)

Big thanks go to:  Charlotte and Kiki, both excellent models I look forward to working with again soon, Helen for the MUA work and my partner Paul for shooting supporting videos and keeping up with my frequent requests to help move equipment out of shot. Thank you all!

I am exhibiting in two Christmas events this week.  Will blog about this tomorrow! Promise! :)

Meanwhile I hope you like the images and as usual look forward to your comments!    x