more strobistry....

A quick upload and sneaky peek today as an apology for to blog followers who may be wondering if I have stopped blogging... Being busy is a good thing, but it also means one has less time to post images with the hows and whys.  :s

Yesterday we packed our bags to photograph local costume maker Barry and his son Oliver. We had discussed the brief but we were unsure as to what Barry would pick out of many possibilities as the outfit to be photographed on the day.

That meant we had to create an editorial and choose a location on the fly.  I thought to delegate a part of this to my son Matt who is my assistant and is looking to become a game designer.  Part of his future role is to create scenarios for games so I gave him the challenge to come up with ideas for how to create a story with limited resources.  There is so much to creating an image that the viewer often doesn't get and part of it is creating the mood for the story the image is telling.  

My sneaky peek for today is an image of Oliver, dressed up as a confederate child.  The cornfield in nearby Burgh Castle could be anywhere in the US and the look he gives the camera is of steely determination, emphasized by the strong shadow on his nearest eye.  The image was photographed in full sun at 6pm and the strobes were used to create the particular lighting effect one behind my right shoulder and the other at 60 degrees to my left.

I hope you like this image and as usual I look forward to your comments.  If you would like to book an editorial styled photoshoot with me please email me on contact@antonellamuscatphotography.co.uk or give me a call on 07748 197522

Have a great week! x

Published on Vogue Italia

Dear all,

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

sneak preview Nosferatu shoot

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

Full post 'Bridal with a twist' shoot

'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.

In the meanwhile, hope you have a great week! x

photographing Matthew....

My son can be the most difficult subject to photograph, just because he is...  and it's my fault to a degree!

I've been poking SLR's at him since he was a baby, and as a child he was totally relaxed in front of a camera and happy to play, and not just literally.  However, apart from the fact that I now need to drag him away from World of Warcraft to shoot a decent location photograph of him, as any teen, he will now question the need to have a photograph taken.

As my shoots are growing in scale and complexity I often have Matt with me as an assistant (hopefully this helps him with his A-level photography).  This gives me the opportunity to do test shots on him.  Initially he wasn't too pleased to be involved in this, until he saw the images! :)

He is now pleased that I am able to photograph him in a different way, not as the giggly sweet curly headed boy, but as a more mature Matt, with a (as he calls it!) bad ass look.

I am pleased... pleased that I had more photos of Matt, and that I manage to get in a shot what he is really like, with that look in the eye that shows me he means business :)

Get in touch if you would like some "badass" images of yourself, or your teen ;)  I'm always up for any creative projects you may have in mind....

full post Kiki's shoot

Finding a bit of time to blog is always difficult but I must continue what I started and post a few more delectable images from Kiki's shoot, as it's been a couple of week's since I posted a sneak preview.  Kiki wanted a fashion style shoot in a derelict place.  Her choice of location turned out to be unavailable and I forwarded a link to an interesting garage pretty close by.  As a location photographer I am always on the look out for new and interesting places to shoot and this one had been on my radar for a while.

With lots of scope for different set ups and Kiki's massive wardrobe it wasn't difficult to come up with a few looks and we managed to squeeze in four looks in the time we had.  It was a dark overcast and cold day and the mercury never shifted beyond the 4C mark.

Here are some of my favourites from the day.  Let me know which are your faves! :)

Over the next few weeks I've got a few shoots lined up with fellow creatives I'm really looking forward to.  It's great when you collaborate with like minded professionals to come up with work that is different to what everybody else seems to be doing.    So excited by all of this!!!

Have a lovely weekend full of good things x

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

Sneak preview - eshoot R&L

Hello everybody! Just a short update to my blog this evening as I'm working through images taken at R&L's eshoot.  They're a truly wonderful couple, and a joy to work with.  The shoot was so much fun, with lots of laughter, and we are really looking forward to their wedding in a few weeks time!

Just one shot from this session, a little taster ... :)

Hope you like it and look forward to your comments!!

Will try and catch up with my blogging very soon... :)

Wish you all a good week!  x

Justine's model portfolio

Time goes by too quickly, and I'm not blogging as often as I'd like to... I have several sets of images I'd like to share with you but everything else seems to take precedence.

I've been working with Justine for the last couple of months; she is just starting out as a model and we have been working together on images for her portfolio.

She is terrifically easy to work with, and has a good work ethic.  She has never left me waiting, or cancelled at the last moment like others do, follows my directing, and understands what I want to achieve from the shoot.

I do look forward to working more with her, and have a few more shoots in the pipeline... the weather at the moment is perfect for some moody work I've got in mind :)

Meanwhile, have a look at the images we've produced....

 

If you're a model and would like to discuss a portfolio with us, drop us an email.  We can offer competitive rates and creative location work to add interest to your portfolio of images.   

Now logging off to prepare for a trip to attend to Mark Cleghorn's photoshop tour in the morning.  Will blog soon with more photographic goodness to look at... I promise :)