July Flower Updates

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We got some great images of the flowers this month, with one flower that looks more like it came out of a coral reef than anything that grows in a garden. Chris at the florist did tell me what it was called, but I sadly I cannot recall the name. In fact I have photographed it separately from various angles, because I can see it coming in use with a Digital Art picture I have in mind. So thanks then as always to Chris and Gail at Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours for their great help and suggestions. Thanks also to Amy for helping me take the pictures.

That's it for this month, be sure to come back in late august for a new crop of floral pics.

June Updates

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Thank you for dropping by my little corner of the web again.

It has been quite a busy month this month with a fashion shoot from Monalisa Moyo, a visit to my parents and shooting flowers in a couple of gardens. As well as the usual beautiful flowers provided by Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours.

This month I tried my hand at a bit of filming. Now I must point out that I know sweet F.A. About video, but it seems that that is a way to go and I wanted to give it a try with a 'Short' Behind the scenes video. It took a bit of working out and the results wont make Steven Spielberg sit up and think his days are numbered, but it was a first stab at it and I shall do more. Talking of future shoots I have a shoot coming up in July at the Boardroom Studio in Derby with a new model to me where we will be trying to do stuff in the style of French photographer Sarah Moon. Don miss that next month.

Enjoy the blog …..

Monalisa Moyo – Location Shoot 2

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This month was time again to work with my muse, good friend and fashion model Monalisa Moyo.

This time we went on another location shoot to Pleasley Vale with a very raw look and a dress hand made by Amy. I have attempted to give some of the pictures a very African location feel about them and I hope we all pulled it off. Monalisa came along with her lovely friend Sim who helped along with the shoot. So a thank you all around for Monalisa, Sim and Amy for her help and clothing design.


Flowers – 'The Garden' Update. - Dad's Garden 2022

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Flowers – 'The Garden' Update. Mike & Val Curtis Garden

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While having a break away I was pleased to be invited (well more I asked than invited!) to visit and photograph the garden of one of my fathers friends Mike and Val Curtis. Wow what a great little garden they have, so full of colour and life. The variety of plants was again different from the ones found in my father’s garden, so made an interesting contrast. Thanks then to Mike and Val for hosting Amy, Dad and While we took the pictures.

June Flower Updates

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I seriously screwed up this month … Instead of bringing you the Squared Black and White pictures, all I can offer is an apology. I simply forgot to take them. By the time I had realised my error the flowers had gone over so it was too late, Still we did manage to photograph some great flowers from our friends Chris Gail and Nina at Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours. So a very warm thanks to them for their help. You may note that the colour images are a bit on the blurred side.? This is not down to my poor eyesight but rather the Lensbay Velvet 85 I have been using and fallen in love with. It gives them a very dreamy, etherial look which I do like to experiment with.

So that's it for this month, please come back next month for more.

And so before I forget, thank you to Amy for all her help with the flowers, shoots and lovely hand made dress..

May Updates

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Welcome back to Lujon Rael online portfolio

As I sit here writing this months blog, I am thinking on ideas for future shoots and so far have come up with four ideas. It will be a chance to work again with some old favourites like Monalisa Moyo and some new faces both in the studio and on location. But talking of new faces, I got to work with the lovely Ukrainian model Maryna Sedin this month. She was awesome, but more about her and the shoot later.

As June is arriving, Amy and I are looking forward to visiting my parents for a few days and weather permitting, take some fresh images of the garden.

As well as to enjoy their company as well, better than looking at the same brick wall for a change.

On a sower note, has anybody tried getting in touch with the NHS recently? I received a snotty letter through the post telling me I have not contacted my local Podiatry service in a while and should do soon if I don't want to be referred back to my GP. Well this just is not true, as I tried and several occasions over several weeks to call them and they either say they are busy with an automated answering machine, or just don't pick up at all ! I have tried everything to get through just short of getting the Ouija board out and seeing if that works? Maybe I should cut off all my toes and send them to the hospital or better still serve them all up for tea like Harold the barrel? Oh well. I am sure I will survive.

Enjoy this months offerings and hopefully see you all again next month.

With or without my toes.

Maryna Sedin Fashion Photo Shoot

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This month I was to photograph the lovely Marie Jean Saxton model again, but it has had to be postponed due to being very heavy with child. So that left a vacancy and opportunity to work with a new model. Welcome then Maryna Sedin, who stepped forward to fill the vacancy … and she was amazing.

Taken at the Boardroom Studio, in Derby she came all the way up from London to star in the shoot. I pointed the camera at her after hair and makeup and she drop straight into poses. A true professional and brilliant. Have a look at the pictures and see for yourself. I should like to thank all involved, to Maryna for her modelling. To Shadrine at Ka'Vour Beauty. To Phil Lynam at The Boardroom Studio for all his help. To Chris, Nina and Gail at Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours for the gypsophila, To Karen and Carmen at Ma & Ma Fashions for the Chinese dress and costume jewellery. To Retoucher Sophia in Vietnam for her image enhancement and of course Amy for her assistance. X


May Flowers Update

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I got to try out my new Lensbaby Velvet 80 lens on the colour versions of this months flower pictures. I am quite pleased with the results. It gives some of the pictures a very dreamy look to them and fresh from the camera, so very little editing. Also this month Amy purchased some plastic flowers from some charity shops in town. I thought the plastic fantastic flowers would look horrendous, but they too look great. See if you can spot them?

Thanks as always to my friends at Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours to Chris, Gail and Nina. As well as a thank you to Amy for all her help,

We will be back next month with some new pictures for 'The Garden' section on the website, so come back for them

Bye x

April Updates

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Hello and welcome back to the Lujon Rael blog spot on the web.

Its been a quiet month really, with very little going on after the hectic of March. I was not going to do a fashion shoot this month, but the urge got the better of me and Monalisa Moyo was looking for something to do. So we did one. I purchased a new camera this month as my old Nikon D3X was getting tired, due to its ten years or more of loyal service. I don't get rid of my old cameras, that to me would be like selling your own granny for a few quid. I just retire them and keep them safe. And I have loads of old cameras to look after.

Anyway, I would like to thank Monalisa, Chris, Gail and Nina at Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours … as well as Amy for her loyal support.

Monalisa Moyo – Location Shoot

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We chose around the train / tram line for this photo shoot with Monalisa Moyo, keeping it clean and simple. I also wanted to try out my new camera = a sort of test drive – and it performed brilliantly. As did model Monalisa. We managed to get ourselves thrown off the tram area by some officious arsehole who just liked to play kill joy, tin pot Hitler. Oh well.

Please enjoy the photos.

April Flower Updates

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This month we have a few extras to show, along with the usual excellent selection I get from Brambles Florist. We also have an Amaryllis flower my parents gave me for this last Christmas and a twig full of blossom Amy picked out of the roadside. I have know idea what it is, but it photographs nicely. Thanks as always to my friends at Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours, Chris, Gail and Nina for there great help in bringing these images to you. Thanks also to Amy for her help.

March Updates

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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

Nicolie Campbell (with Monalisa Moyo) Fashion Shoot

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It was good to get back into the studio again with athlete and champion boxer Nicolie Campbell again. Its so hard to take a bad picture of this man. And on top of this shoot regular Monalisa Moyo came along as well to lend a helping hand … and arm … literally ! The images were all taken early on a Friday morning at The Boardroom Studio in Derby and I must mention a special thank you to studio owner Phil Lynam for creating some of the amazing lighting you can see on the pictures.

so a big shout out to Phil as well as Nicolie and the lovely Monalisa Moyo for her help.