Nicolie Campbell – 'Paint It Black' Seventh Shoot

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I hooked up with champion boxer, Nicolie Campbell for our seventh shoot together and he was looking good after his recent fight. We were at The Boardroom Studio and used nearly all natural light for this session to some great results. He never fails to take a bad picture and always looks good. There are plans now to do a 'Tribal' look shoot next year before his next fight. So I am looking forward to that and will have to do my home work to think on some ideas and concepts.

Please enjoy the pictures?

Aasiya Azeemali – First Shoot

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Aasiya is a new model to me who contacted me through Instagram. A point to add here is that she is the first model to contact me through this platform that was an actual human and not a BOT created by a computer or a scammer in anyway, which makes a refreshing change on top of which she was lovely. She arranged to meet up with me and brought her Mum with her and we went out shooting in a few locations in town. Aasiya is a Muslim model and a hijab wearer, which was another first for me and we got some great pictures together.

I have asked if Aasiya would like to be my first model back in a February shoot next year at The Boardroom Studio on Derby with Shadrine my makeup artist from Kavour Beauty? She has agreed, so all looks good to go on that front.

I hope you enjoy our work together?

Project – 'Lujon Fressonique' Update

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I have added a few more this month from the flowers selection we got from the Brambles Florist to the Lujon Fressoniue gallery. I know this is not to every ones taste as the images are rather dark, but I will go with it some more as I like the outcome. In December I have the added bonus of some fashion shoot extras that I shall be taking in the studio as well as the flowers. So don't miss that.


November Flowers Update

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I am really pleased with this months flower gallery, the Brambles Florist staff came up with an even greater selection of flowers this month. A dried thorn plant that photographed wonderfully and a deep red gerbera. Now I know I have done gerberas before on many occasions but this was a double gerbera and a beautiful deep red. Amy placed it against a deep green background and it worked out with the opposite colour theory. Have a look at this months selection and see. So thanks as always to Chris at Flowers To Yours and his staff at the Brambles Florist for their help. Not forgetting a mention to Amy for all of her assistance.

See you all next month for a festive season offering. X

October Updates and a warm farewell to Uncle .... a life worth remembering

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Welcome back to Lujon Rael Portfolio this month.


We aim to please our viewers and friends, but must start this month off with some sad news of the passing of a dear Uncle. Ly Va Sinh (or Uncle as we affectionately refereed to him) passed away earlier this month with his family by his bedside when the end finally came. Originally from North Vietnam, he came with all of his family to the UK via Hong Kong back in the late 1970's. Which was no mean feet on a boat as they did then. Anyone old enough to remember the late 1970' and early 1980's would be aware of the 'Boat People' fleeing to safety back then. My wife included on that same boat as Uncle.

He was the mayor of his town in Vietnam and was always welcoming to Amy and myself whenever we would be in his house. Uncle had a warm smile that lit up his face when he was pleased about something and he also possessed a good sense of humour. I can remember once Uncle offering me some Chinese Rice Wine. I knocked the whole glass down straight and he paused to see my reaction. It was like having a red hot poker in your throat and Uncle thought it was so amusing to watch me flap my arms about like a demented chicken in a clumsy attempt to cool my mouth down. On another occasion Uncle laughed enthusiastically when I put some orange peel in my mouth cut to make them look like monkeys teeth. So what I am saying here is that Uncle was a very good and loving man. He leaves behind a very large extended family of several generations and all of whom love him and miss him. But he is with his beloved late wife and in a much better place now I believe. And in no more pain. The martial arts star Bruce Lee once said 'To reach true immortality, you must first lead a life worth remembering.' I think that applies here and it is no glib statement to say that Amy and I will both miss him. But we will remember him … and so I would like to dedicate this months blog to the memory of Uncle Ly Va Sinh.

For Uncle and the Ly family ... the love of the loved ... Safe journey home x

In other business, I had a great shoot this last month with Marie Jean Saxton at the Boardroom Studio in Derby, that went well. The results of which can be seen below, I am at loggerheads with Clinic 8 of my local Hospital again as they called me in for an appointment at 9am Sunday morning, only to be told they had cancelled it weeks ago and had not got around to telling me. They had also booked me in for an appointment today to have dye washed through my veins. Something I did not know about as nobody discussed it with me. This appointment was then cancelled later that day in a phone call from the hospital. They apologised as it was a mistake and they did not infact need to do this invasive procedure. Which was just as well. Because after yesterdays debacle, I had already made up my mind I was not going to turn up anyway, so there !

Clinic 8, a place where dreams do come true !

Hope you enjoy this months blog.

Commercial Update

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I have been steadily getting bits and bobs together to build up my commercial section of the website. This entails a lot of watching short reels on Instagram about product photography and how to do it. So far so good. It is actually more fun that you might think, as well as the fact the unlike models product does need a fag break or paying. Here is a small offering for this month with thanks to Amy and Ebay.

Still Life Update

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Here is something I have not done in a while.... Still life !

I read an article in the British Journal Of Photography magazine and admired the accompanying images of some very model take of still life. Spartan and colourful presentation in simplicity. So Amy and I set about recreating a few in our table top studio. I would not say they are good as the images in the article, but they come a close second and worth a look.

Marie Jean Saxton Second Fashion Shoot

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had planned to work with this months model a second time and the shoot was going ahead earlier this year – but then she got pregnant. Thankfully she is back now, and looking in great shape for this fashion shoot taken at The Boardroom Studio in Derby. Its always a joy and privileged to work with creatives like Marie and Shadrine my makeup artist. It makes all the difference to the shoot. So I hope the pictures speak for themselves. Thanks to Marie Jean Saxton for modelling. To Shadrine at Ka'Vour Beauty for all her hair and makeup work and to Phil Lynam at the brilliant Boardroom Studio for his valuable help and advice.

Project – 'Lujon Fressonique' Update

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Work in progress here of this new project and this time with some added Fashion captures from the Marie Jean Saxton shoot. Them mixed with some more flower snaps all using the plastic fantastic home made pinhole lens. Blurred to perfection.

October Flower Updates

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Now that the weather has cooled down a bit its far easier to work in the home studio without poring with sweat all day long and generally making life uncomfortable. So I went to the Brambles Florist this last Friday to get some flowers for inspiration and capture and as always they did not let me down. So a warm thanks to Chris and the ladies at the Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours for providing me with an interesting selection. A thank you also to Amy for her help on the day of shooting.

See you all next month x


September Updates

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Hello and welcome back to Lujon Rael Portfolio blog, I do hope you are all in good health.

Starting this months blog of on a positive note, Amy and I managed to do a long planned shoot in Nottingham Train Station one Wednesday afternoon this last month.

Everything went to plan – EVERYTHING !!!!

No late arrivals, no awkward travel passengers or station staff and we managed to do all the hair makeup and shooting within the two hour maximum we promised the station manager. And it was fun. Have a look over the results below and see for yourself what makeup artist Shadrine and two models Monalisa Moyo and Fern Thompson did together.

On a less positive note, Amy and I were due to travel down to see my parents and for me to accompany my Father to a long awaited concert with guitarist Steve Hackett at the Royal Derogate Theatre in Northampton. Sadly it turned out when we arrived at Nottingham Train Station that a student somewhere between Nottingham and London had decided to play the Mondo Death game of Student Verses Train with a predictable outcome and to a full on gory effect. Now while there are no right way to kill yourself … as its all bad and all sad ..,, but this very selfish way of removing yourself from the human gene pool has huge ramifications for lots of other innocent people. Obviously the friends and family of the student, but then there is the driver and staff of the train also. The passengers onboard the train and what ever plans they had being lost in this act of self destruction. The emergency services staff called out to attend the scene and the poor persons who had to clean all the blood and guts of the track. And to myself who could not get down to see my parents and attend the concert. My dad sat alone with a spare seat next to him that I should have taken, watching the show. But then I suppose its like what John Lennon once said that 'Life is what happens to you when your busy making plans.'

Still on a lighter note, be sure to come back next month as we have a shoot in the fabulous Boardroom Studio in Derby featuring the return of stunning Marie Jean Saxton.

Please enjoy this months picture offerings. x

Monalisa Moyo – Nottingham Train Station Shoot.

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This was the only shoot we managed to do this month, but it was one I had longed to do. We got special permission from the boss of Nottingham Train Station to use a part of his station away from all the trains So thanks to him and to Shadrine who popped along to do the makeup for both models. Monalisa Moyo was first up with a short set and looking great in the very expensive 'Ballet Boots' I purchased from Amazon. Monalisa complained that they were impossible to stand up in and you can get a sense of that from the pictures. Yet they make for an interesting shoot. Monalisa was joined by a lovely model I had never worked with named Fern Thompson who came a distance for this shoot and I was very grateful for her being there.

Together they worked well. I hope you like the set?


Monalisa Moyo and Fern Thompson – Nottingham Train Station Shoot.

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Both melanin lovelys together on set. Thank you for Shadrine from Kavour for her makeup and Amy for helping with the lighting.

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.


*NEW* Project – 'Lujon Fressonique'

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So I have started a new project that will be a mixture of flowers and fashion together

I was inspired by a great photographer on Instagram called Andrew Turner ( check out his page on Instagram at @andrewtuner_art ) who had made his own lens out of cannibalising an old Kodak Box Brownie camera, a body cap and some sticky tape. He very generously helped me create my own , the lens is essentially a pin hole lens at its crudest but can make some interesting blurred images. I then researched a French way of developing in old chemicals a style that is called Fresson. The family in Paris keep it a tightly guarded secret just how they do it, but after a few attempts I found a way to give a similar look in Photoshop, Yes its not quiet the same but its a start. I took some pictures of a few flowers that are all heavy on harsh shadows which can be seen here as well as plan to shoot fashion images using the lens and technique at my October shoot in Derby.

So I would like to say a big thanks to photographer Andrew Turner and Amy for helping make the lens. I know they images might not be to everyone's taste, but I hope you enjoy them.

September Flower Updates

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We have a bumper month of flowers this month as along with the regular fresh bunch of lovely flora from the Brambles Florist. We also have some others that I photographed from months before and saved as extras that I am now cashing in. As always it was great to see my friend Chris at the shop and catch up with him, as well as get something new to shoot. Check out the Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours online for a great selection of product that is environmentally friendly and pure quality. So thank you to Chris and staff and Amy for helping me on the day.


August Updates

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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