beauty

Digital Art – Update

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These four digital art images are of Munira Model taken at our second shoot with her (more below). The original versions were blurred because I screwed up and used the wrong lens on the camera. Still not the end of the world when you can do some digital manage on them and make them look reasonable again. I know I am giving the game away here, but you only learn by your mistakes.

Munira Model on her second shoot with us

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We were more than happy to get back in the studio the amazing Indian beauty Munira for a second shoot. In this shoot she was asked to wear a pair of the ballet boots. These boots are great to photograph as they add style and lift to the model, but impossible to walk in. Why anyone would want to wear them out for a night is beyond me ? But they do look great.

Munira is such a great model to work with. She is always both punctual and polite and throws herself into the project. I am planning on getting her back for a third shoot in August and to do the Christmas slot with Mercybongo. Thanks then to all there at the shoot, to Shadrine at Kavour Beauty. Phil Lynam at The Boardroom in Derby. A thanks also to Amy for her help and food.

There are also some behind the scenes shots from this shoot featuring Munira, Shadrine and Amy.


Still Life – Update

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We have been doing a few still life jobs this month, all in different styles of finish.

Many of them are bulbs with a lot of root search out for water and a home. Others are dried flowers and odd things like past it sell by date vegetables, gone to seed/ Fresh fruit for rotting veg as the punk band The Dead Kennedys once sang about it, but it would be nice to see one day, one of these images hanging from a gallery wall … I would be happy to make do with an outdoor privy … its a start.

Model Mercybongo Sixth Shoot, 1920's Vibe

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ts Mercy time again.!!!!

This lovely model is now on her sixth shoot with us, with still more to come

She is a great model and so enjoyable to be around. Permanently positive and happy she makes working with her so easy. So on this shoot we have a bit of a 1920s 'flapper' look going on/ Black and golden dress on a yellow background to highlight the gold. Mercy looks the part. We also have some sporty type pictures with a hula-hoop. Those images have a Leni Riefenstahl feel to them I am not saying I agree with her politics (far from it), or the unpleasant company she kept. Rather her strong images of statuesque German Olympic sports personnel/ She was and still is, a controversial photographer, but she was good at what work she produced. That said it was not my intention to produce that kind of image, rather it just happened and turned out that way.

We also created some dreamy effect pictures using a Vaseline smeared UV filter on the lens and Mercy wrapped in a white mesh material.. I am happy with the results we obtained, even with the more tongue in cheek 'Cowgirl' styled pictures, just for the fun of it. So thank you Mercybongo for being a true star. Thanks also to Shadrine at Kavour Beauty. Phil Lynam at The Boardroom Studio in Derby and to Carl and Amy for their help on the day

We shall see you again soon Mercy x

Model Gallery for Lydia Clifford's Second Shoot

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Here was a shoot date with Zoe Birtwhistle in mind, sadly she was not ready with her hats that she was to model in so we have had to postpone till a later date. But not all was lost. The amazing Lydia Clifford stepped in to take the strain and so we did our four hour session with her. We have worked with Lydia before so I knew I could trust her. Her work ethic is a good one as is her time keeping and shear knowledge of her job. True to form she was brilliant and here are the results. One of the costumes was an orange pair of trousers with an orange t-shirt with the words 'RIOT' across her chest. She is also holding a bull horn as well for effect. Another look is based on an old picture I saw in a Hollywood magazine of actress and dancer Ann Margret wearing a black roll neck jumper and black tights. It was a fashion look that I thought was hood and have wanted to shoot in that style for a long time. Finally doing it with Lydia.

So thank you then to our model Lydia Clifford. Our makeup artist Shadrine at Kavour Beauty. Phil Lynam at The Boardroom Studio in Derby and my dear wife Amy for all their hard work.

Still Life – Update

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A few still life pictures for you all. I was inspired by something I viewed on Instagram of a still life using pears. I could not stop going back to it and studying the way it looked, light, angle, grain and colour. So then I wanted to do one for myself only better if I can? Here is the result thrown in with a few Still Life Daffodils I did also, but will only use one of them in the Still Life gallery (the blurred one)y. Please enjoy.

Xenia Model Shoot at Zavod Studio

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This is our second shoot with Xenia Model and this time on her patch. We hired Xenia at her own studio in Sheffield, Zavod Studio. This being the second shoot of two Cities and two studios in one day. It exhausted me out, but worth it.

There are some specials for this part of the days work, but sadly at the time of publishing this blog for November, they were still not edited. I shall have to show you them with Izzt Holidays specials next month.

So thanks to all there. Xenia model. Amy and Shadrine from Kavour Beauty for her sterling work on makeup.

Also here is wishing Xenia a great wedding day this coming Saturday. All the best sweetheart x

Marie Jean Saxton – Third Shoot

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Welcoming back the lovely Marie Jean Saxton for this unplanned two hour shoot at the Boardroom Studio in Derby this month. Most of the images were deliberately blurred and for another web site, but there was enough clear (normal ones) to go to print here on my site. It was lovely to work with Marie again in this simple stripped down, no thrills shoot.

Still Life Update

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In the closing days of April we did a great shoot with the amazing Mercybongo who we last shot in December. She is so keen we had to get her back. She cut some tulips from her garden on the day and brought them along for the shoot. They were so joyous and bright that I had to take their pictures when we got home. So as a bonus I have captured them as a Still life set as well as the standard flowers update. Mercybongos pictures are still being edited as we speak, so should be available in Mays update.


Project – 'Landscapes' Update

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Some little beauties this month for you on this project I would love to do more on given the chance. I have a confession to make … these images are not new. They were taken about twenty years ago somewhere north of Chesterfield in Derbyshire. They have been kicking around on my hard drives all this time, with me not knowing what to do with them. Well I finally put them into use and edited them. I hope it saws worth the wait.

Aasiya Azeemali Second Shoot

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First shoot back in the studio after the new year break and a chance to do some serious portrait stuff with Aasiya Azeemali again. I had promised her a second shoot, with it a full makeup job as well. The lovely Aasiya has such a beautiful smooth completion it is hard to put a foot wrong and instead of seeing a hijab wearing model as a problem to photograph, but rather a challenge. Makeup was provided by Shadrine at Kavour Beauty and studio / lighting by Phil Lynam at The Boardroom Studio in Derby. Amy was on hand as always to help me. Big thanks to all involved on that day.


Fern Thompson – Nottingham Train Station Shoot

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Fern was great to work with and a true professional. Pregnant at the time of shooting, she turned up on time and was great. We did have an accident with the ballet boots when the heels dropped of, but that was more to do with the cheep and nasty way they were made than to Ferns moves on set. Like Monalisa, she found it near impossible to stand up let alone walk in them, but they make a great picture.

So thanks to Fern for all her hard work and hope to see you again in the New Year.


'Good Times' Model fashion shoot with Monalisa Moyo

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This shoot actually happened at the very close of September, but was too late to feature on last months blog update. So here it is, the 'Good Times' Fashion shoot with Monalisa Moyo at the St. James Hotel Nottingham.

It was a great shoot, one I had longed to do that went ahead in the grandest of location and not without a little drama. It was a tale of mis communication and time keeping, but hey everyone turned up and we got the job done in style. Hair and makeup was provided by Shadrine at Kavour Beauty and she did brilliantly helping the lovely Monolisa Moyo look even more stunning. So thanks to both Shadrine and Monalisa for the great day and a thanks also to Amy for assisting me and keeping me company in the plush surroundings.

I hope you enjoy the results?