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

*The Look of Love*

My plan for blog postings has gone amok this month as I've just been too busy, in a good way.  Marketing is taking up a lot more of my time and I continue to refine work on my website and my portfolio.  I've also recently attended the SWPP convention in London and been to some interesting masterclasses, made some good contacts and been thinking about new ways in which to market my business.

In the meanwhile work has also been done towards the launch of East Nofolk WiRE and my presentation for the South Norfolk WiRE Meeting about 'marketing in photography'... I must stop coming up with excuses and just BLOG MORE  :)

Just as Valentine's Day is round the corner I must tell you about my photoshoot for lovers, coming up on the 6th of February.  Just as Valentine's is a celebration of love and happy bliss, this photoshoot will capture the moments of love in a quirky, emotional and personal way, inspired by the love the couples bring with them on the day :)

We will be strolling on the banks of the River Wensum creating a fun atmosphere for couples to enjoy, so that moments of intensity and happiness are captured.  My good friend and fab MUA Helen Dickenson will be doing a makeover for the ladies and the couples will be greeted with a complementary drink, followed by a 30 minute photoshoot.  You will get 5 high res images on disc, and all images will be on a password protected online portfolio for you to view and share with friends and family... all this for £45

Contact me if you are interested as soon as you can, on 07748 197522, to avoid disappointment, as places are filling in quick! :)

Speak soon!

Ethereal

e·the·re·al

1.

light, airy, or tenuous: an ethereal world created through the poetic imagination.

2.

extremely delicate or refined: ethereal beauty.

3.

heavenly or celestial: gone to his ethereal home.

Not a word that is commonly used in the English language, but commonly used in Italian to describe someone who is strikingly beautiful - bellezza eterea 

If you are interested in my work, why not give me a call to discuss a photo shoot?

A portrait session is a wonderful gift for a loved one, or maybe even, a treat to oneself.   All my packages include a free consultation so that all details of the photoshoot are discussed and the details planned.  It also gives me the opportunity to get to know my client so that I can really get the best out of them during their shoot. 

Gift vouchers are also available.  
Contact me for further information - 
contact@antonellamuscatphotography.co.uk
07748 197522

Look forward to hearing from you!

sneak preview: Justyna & Elvjs's photoshoot

Just a quick upload from yesterdays' shoot with Justyna and Elvjs.  The weather was'nt great, and it was cold and murky, and we got great light just when the couple left and I was packing my stuff back in the car, but whoa!!... it was a FUN shoot...  if only it wasn't so damp I would have got them down to the ground for grass level shots :)

I took the opportunity to practice a few techniques I learnt during the SWPP masterclass with the great Jerry Ghionis last January... it is great when you can elicit a great expression by giving the right commands... but more of that in the rest of the album I'm preparing for Justyna... :)

For now I leave you with one of the first images shot yesterday...

Hope you like my work and look forward to the comments

Antonella

Baby Ollies' first photoshoot

I had the opportunity to shoot the gorgeous 19 day old Baby Ollie at home last week. It was my first shoot with my new Nikon D700 and I was a little apprehensive about being in control of the full frame beast initially, but the D700 is a joy to use and I was into the swing of things pretty quickly, capturing images of Ollie in natural light. 

Ollie seemed fairly content during the session, but he needed lots of breaks for feeding, which gave me the opportunity to try different shots out, with both his mum and dad and on his own.

Photographing newborns is always a challenge. Often they don't smile for long, move about when you're about to press the shutter, and turn very red when they cry.... but capturing the moments when they are serene and content certainly pays off with images that the parents will treasure for ever.

The following are some of my favourite photos of the day.  I hope you like them and look forward to your comments as usual.

Many thanks to Keiley and Jamie for allowing me to share these photos with you.

In the meanwhile I look forward to the opportunity to photograph Ollie with his parents again when he is a bit older.

the Adelaide's Cape photoshoot

I started the year with all good intentions - lots of blogging to show you what I'm shooting, but then life is busy and I end up with posting only sporadically.

I must show you this set I shot a couple of weeks ago in Norwich with folk band Adelaide's Cape.  Sam and Hannah got in touch with me via their manager Lauren after having seen some of my gig work.   My brief was to shoot images of both Sam and Hannah together but also some with Sam alone as he needs images to promote his solo work.  We shot the set in Norwich as that was the most convenient location for both of them due to their tight schedules and I made sure that the location, as pretty as it was, did not influence so much the colourful folky mood I wanted to introduce into the work.  It was such a cold day and it was'nt easy to get Sam to get his hands out of his pockets... :)

Now, let's let the images do the talking.... :)

Hope you like the set.  I look forward to your comments!  You can add them directly to the blog or if you like my work , follow me on facebook or on twitter

See ya! :)

Photoshoot with Axel Loughrey

Quick posting today with a couple of preview shots from a shoot with Axel Loughrey.  Twas cold and moved through different locations quickly as we shot on the icy streets in Norwich.

Hope you like the images and look forward to your feedback.

Have a good week everybody!