updates

February Updates, welcome to all the new stuff and a sad farewell to a friend, remembering Patricia Nyajeka

A warm welcome back to my little piece on the web

Apologies for the lateness of writing this blog, I should have done it yesterday but had been in the studio in Derby working with singer Alexis Victoria Hall so by the time we got back home, both Amy and I were exhausted. This month just gone has been a busy one with shoots and family stuff to do like the funeral of my beloved Aunt Jane in Northampton. My uncle and cousins and greater family gave Aunt Jane a good send off. It was not a morbid affair as some funerals can be and I learned a lot about my aunt that I did not know before. There was a tear jerker moment when the song 'The way we were' by Barbara Streisand played over the ceremony. And when the curtains closed around the coffin, all I could think to say was 'Goodbye Aunt Jane … and thank you x.

Hats when it hits you that you will never see her again.

Aunt Jane in our memories.

February also witness the cruel hand of fate fall on another friend of mine, Patricia Nyajeka.

Patricia was the mother of a lovely model I used to work with on many projects called Lorna Nyajeka. I got to know Pat as we called her, through Lorna, whom she was very proud of. She was born in what was then Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe in Africa, She was a good women and was only one month younger than me. She asked me once to design a flyer to publicize a class reunion in a hall of all of her friends from home which I was glad to do. I even got to photograph the event and meet the good people there. It was a very friendly event, full of warm African hospitality in an English country house. Good memories. Life does not seem fair sometimes, its very arbitrary and often cruet

so then you have to take the bad times to hold dear the good times. But its never easy in reality. My thoughts are with her family and those she loved.

A few weeks ago we got to work again with the flaming redhead Lydia Clifford at the Boardroom Studio in Derby and dot some great stuff. Sadly the second model Zoe Birtwhistle could not make the shoot which was a shame. Maybe again at some future date? So a huge thank you to all there. Lydia, Shadrine from Kavour Beauty. Phil Lynam and of course Amy.

This March has already started on a good foot with a shoot yesterday featuring awesome singer Alexis Victoria Hall in Derby and will be followed by two more shoots, one with the lovely Mercybongo and a third with male model Lee Henshaw on location. So keeping us busy.

So I would like to say a big thank you to my parents for putting us both up for the night, as well as their company at the funeral.

See you all in March for another update and I hope, plenty to view.

Do take care of yourselves and enjoy this months blog x.

August Updates

Welcome back to the Lujon Rael Portfolio blog. I hope you are all safe and in good health.

Let me start this month of with some birthday mentions. Firstly a happy birthday to my wife Amy who is still a young looking fifty something. Luv ya' x A happy birthday also to both Monalisa Moyo and Tyler Dyce who are both 29 respectively. Have a great day each ladies … dont get too hammered !

We haven't been going far this month as the weather has been so very warm, and I do not do well in the sweltering heat. Still Amy and I did manage to do a shoot at The Boardroom Studio with a new model to me. The lovely Supple Suki.

On a more sombre note, my vision is diminishing further, with my right eye now that gives me site like I am looking through the bottom of a dirty milk bottle. But you learn to live with it, and make the best of the hand God has dealt me. It still does not stop me from taking photographs, it is just that reading has become more of a challenge.

Looking forward to September we have a two model photo shoot on location in Nottingham Train Station. The shoot features my old friend Monalisa Moyo and a new model to me from Manchester Fern Thompson. So looking forward to that.

Thank you then to all involved with this months output and hope you enjoy the blog x


July Updates

Welcome back to this months (late) blog update.

Its been a slow month this month, with only one shoot under my belt, but then in parts this month has been too hot to do anything. I am old enough to remember the legendary, sweltering Summer of 1976 and that seemed to go on forever. I also keep telling myself that it was the Summer of 'Jaws' at the cinema and Queens 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was top of the charts. And all of which is wrong … that was infact the previous year in 1975 !. Oh well, whats in a year ! Dates, times and events distort and fade as you grow older.

Well done to the England Women's Football team for thrashing the Germans. Its a sad shame that our Prime minister Boris Johnson couldn't bring himself away from crying in his saucer of milk to drop down to Trafalgar Square and personally thank them for their victory. He only live around the corner from them ?

Enough politics …. Enjoy this months offering. x

March Updates

Welcome back to the Lujon Rael blog update for March.

Its been a busy month with two fashion shoots and a visit to a local beauty spot to see if there is any good places to shoot. The World is still in a shitty way with Wars and conflict, lies and deceitfulness, yet things still go on and the Sun sets and rises again in the morning. We are never going to put all things right, and this is not the forum to try, but you can only do your bit to make it a slightly better place if you can make someone happy. So I would like to give a shout out to my friend Mark who I know drops by from time to time to see what I am up to on the blog. Thanks my friend.

Then thanks also to all those that help bring these pictures into being. Chris, Wendy and Nina at The Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours. To Phil Lynam at The Boardroom Studio in Derby and Shadrine at Kavour Beauty.

A mention also to Amy for all her love and support.

I hope you enjoy this months updates. x

April Updates

Thank you for coming back to the Lujon Rael monthly blog, the April 2021 edition.

Its been a bit of a busy month with the COVID restrictions being lifted ever so slightly and I have managed to get in two model shoots I have also been digging through the vaults to find any old stuff that might be worth looking at in the 'Projects' section of the site. I came across some random landscape images I had done ages ago, mostly on print film and eventually scanned onto digital. I have also found some old architectural pictures from the vaults that I have used. On the subject of architecture, I have renamed the 'X00 Multiplies' gallery to a new more user friendly title of 'Architectural Metaphor.' People were having a problem pronouncing the first title, this new title has more of a ring to it I think.

With regards the two fashion shoots, I was fortunate enough to have great weather and luck to work with two amazing new models Shay Holden and Moyolistic. One on location in Nottingham and the other at the Boardroom Studio in Derby. Check out the results. I haven't got much planned for May besides a fashion shoot with a male model and drummer named Karl who I am looking forward to working with. Fingers crossed for the weather and good health.

I still have been unable to make up my mind with regards to my retirement, made all that harder with the contact I had with my dearest old friend and excellent model Monalisa Moyo after so long. We plan to do an 'Albert Watson' high fashion inspired shoot in the July time in a hotel penthouse if we can. So something to aim and look forward to..

T hats it for this months round up, I hope you enjoy the work below.


February Updates

Welcome back to the blog and its the end of February already. My how the time flies by when your doing bugger all ? Since a type of way out of this Covid-19 imprisonment is coming to an end I can start to plan a way back for more new shoots starting in about the middle of April I hope. If it goes ahead, we shall be proud to show you all a new model who goes by the sweet name of ‘Moyondafoluwa’ A very pretty melanin beauty, and someone I am very much looking forward to working with.

Anyway before then please enjoy this months offerings of work from the home studio and a look back (not in anger!).

Thanks x