May Flower Updates

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There is a very grassy feel to the flower images this month. Something I have never photographed before, so a welcome first. The two grasses we have, one is quite dainty and etherial looking while the second looks like a phallic symbol with a brewers droop. But it makes for some interest pictures. Thanks then to Chris and the ladies at The Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours. For helping me. As well as a shout out for my wife Amy, for her help and input on the shoot day.

Thats it for this month. Be sure to drop by at the end of June for another update.

Bye for now X

April Updates and a dirty rotten, lowlife scoundrel

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Welcome back to my little corner of the web.

It has been an eventful month this month with a model not bothering to turn up for the shoot. I don't wish to waste too much print time on this person as I hate scammers and fraudsters in general. The model in question I had the great misfortune of crossing paths with is Kay Carter from Manchester. She contacted me through Instagram and I had deep miss giving about this model long before the shoot, but gave her the benefit of the doubt. After all I had paid her a deposit (one she has to this day not refunded!) and everything seemed legit. So come the day she never turned up putting The studio out my makeup artist as well as myself. So my senses were correct all along. I smelled a rat and had to take it on the chin. It is my opinion that this model )who is on IG as @thatmoel_kay and PP as #Cataleya) is a practised liar and a fraudster. Keep her downwind at all times and better still give her the finger !

With the best will in the world these things happen. It was not the first time I have had a 'No Show' and I am sure it will not be the last, its just a shame when it happens. On top of which, and more than money is the time wasted by all the other people involved bringing these shoots together, Apologies to Phil Lynam and Shadrine at Kavour Beauty.

On a more positive note I got to work with Mercybongo again on a shoot a few days ago (results still in editing stage) as well as lovely new model to me Iyisha Rose. So this month has not been a complete write off. As always respect to the Boardroom Studio and Kavour Beauty for all their wonderful help. Hope you enjoy the blog this month. Lots to see …..

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.


Commercial Update

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A couple of pictures to through in this month that were commercial. All good stuff especially if you like cheesecake which I do. Thanks to all involved.

Iyisha Rose - First Shoot

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This month I was / had planned to do an improve shoot with Marie Jean Saxton at the Boardroom Studio in Derby. Sadly she was not all with it and gave her apologies that she could not make it on the day. A professional model (take note Kay Carter!) we had enough time to find a replacement model. It was only a two hour shoot with no makeup artist. Just the model, Amy and myself. With the valuable help from studio owner Phil Lynam he saved the day and pushed the lovely Iyisha Rose our way. She was brilliant. Such a great natural woman who looked great in front of the camera. The theme of the shoot was really to test out a few looks with different lens filters so most if not all the pictures are blurred. By design rather than an accident. The filters used were a UV filter smeared in vasoline. Another filter used was a Tiffen Black Pro Mist ¼ and a Lensbaby Velvet 28 Lens, all to good effect. Also in the galley are some oddly coloured images that were taken using an old digital camera, chipped to do only Infared shots. The results are odd. This might be best used on landscape.

I would love to work again with this great model and give her the full works, the four hour shoot special complete with Shadrine the makeup artist. So watch this space and thank you to all involved in this shoot.

Project – 'Abstract' Update

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A little Abstract to help the day go on. I captured on film forks with shadows, Amy's glasses and the inside of her Bosch washing machine ! Everyday items you might otherwise ignore (except the washing machine after all who goes around sticking their heads in one of them?). Thank you for my assistant Amy working the lighting for these captures.

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.

April Flower Update

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Its Tulip month this month at the Brambles Florist and I got my hands on a few lovelies to photograph. Added to them are a few snaps of the huge red tulips from Mercybongo and Carls garden they cut for the photo shoot that will appear in next months blog update, So all round another productive month on the flowers front. Thanks then to Chris and the ladies at Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours for all their invaluable help. Thank you also to Amy for all her help.

T hats it for the time being, I hope you enjoyed it and see you again in May 2023.

March Updates, its happy birthday Dad. Also a warm thank you and a sweet sayonara for the passing away of Mr. Sakamoto.

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Welcome back to the Lujon Rael Portfolio blog for this month, and its been quite a busy month with another two shoots in the studio under my belt. But more of that in a bit. This month also sees my father turn twenty one again (?), or so he likes to tell us. We know he is really about a hundred and three, but we won’t let him in on the fact that we know. Joking aside, its wishing you a happy birthday and glad you like your 'Pooping Puppies' Jigsaw (it is a thousand piece jigsaw featuring one hundred and one dogs of all breeds having a shit ! I kid you not See Here).I knew that would be just up his street and preferably down wind so he cant smell the doggy does. Happy birthday Dad, love you.

On a sadder note, I caught the BBC News 24 coverage of the passing of one of my favourite musicians and influencers. The celebrated Japanese pianist and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. He had been battling cancer for sometime, but it finally claimed his life. His music has been an inspiration to me for decades, ever since I purchased a copy of the Yellow Magic Orchestra first vinyl LP in Northamptons ‘Our Price’ record store.. To this day his music often appears in my slideshows, right here on this blog. Ryuichi Sakamoto acted in as well as scored the music to,films including 'Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence' and 'The Last Emperor.' He also created beautiful musical scores for many other films, 'Wuthering Heights,' 'The Sheltering Sky' and more recently 'The Revenant,’ to name but a few. I was privileged to see him on tour once at the Hammersmith Odeon (Eventim Apollo its now called I think?) in London, which was a thrill and the art work and front covers of his records I have tried to emulate in my photography. Here below are two such images, pastiches on 'The Thousand Knives of Ryuichi Sakamoto' and 'Sweet Revenge' front covers. I hope I did them justice?

So its thank you and a sweet sayonara to Mr Sakamoto, you left us with the beautiful sound track of your life.

So yes we managed to fill two commitments in this month with shoots down at The Boardroom Studio. Firstly with Boxer and athlete Nicolie Campbell then a second shoot with two Asian models, Supple Suki and Yoo Yoo. Both were great shoots and went well, but I owe a huge thanks to those who assist me. To Shadrine at Kavour Beauty, my makeup artist who pulled out all the stops for these two sessions. She was brilliant, just look at her work on ll three models starting with Nicole Campbells tribal look. Spot on. Thank you also to Phil Lynam at the Boardroom Studio for his invaluable input and lighting suggestions on the day. And a big thank you also to my wife Amy for being there to assist me and make all the food.

More shoots coming this month in April with a new model to me, Kay Carter and the second coming of Miss Mercybongo…. Bring hem on !

Enjoy this months blog x

Nicolie Campbell Tribal Shoot Specials

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Here are just a few extra special to wet your appetite from our shoot with boxer Nicolie Campbell on the Tribal set.

Nicolie Campbell Tribal Shoot

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This was all the brain child of my friend, athlete and champion boxer Nicolie Campbell. He asked if we could manage to do a tribal shoot. So I thought about it, asked what Shadrine thought (she literally jumped at me with excitement!) and so put the wheels in motion. The makeup was all done by Shadrine with great skill and the spear was a genuine African spear from Ebay. I think it went well and love the results. What do you think? So thanks then to Nicolie, to Shadrine. To Phil at the studio and Amy for her help on the day.

Asian model Supple Suki second look in a two girl shoot with Yoo Yoo this time.. Solo Images

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It is always good to see Suki back in the studio and has she got some moves. This is her second shoot with me and the team at the Boardroom Studio, but this time we twinned her up with a second Asian model Yoo Yoo. She is a popular model with fitting in shoots and acrobatics around the pole. So we are really lucky to get her. Certain times of the year she is away working abroad, teaching her moves to other acrobatic nimble student. And its just nice to see her again. She is so sweet and came up to me after the shoot and said what an honour it was working together again. Nearly made me cry! I was quite touched. So enjoy her solo images.


Asian models Supple Suki and Yoo Yoo together.

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Both Suki and Yoo Yoo together for this segment of the shoot. Thankfully we had a time when both models crossed over while having their makeup done by Shadrine, so were able to feature together. I really do believe they compliment each other and look good. I am thinking strongly about getting them back together again later in the year for another double shoot again.


Asian model Yoo Yoo first look in a two girl shoot with Supple Suki. Solo Images.

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Yoo Yoo came all the way up from London to do this shoot with me at the studio and I am glad she did. She first contacted me through a model/photographers web site asking about bookings and possible shoot. A native of China, she was great and really worked well with Suki, but these are her solo images. Thanks then to Yoo Yoo for coming all that way, I hope it was worth it and look forward to a second shoot sometime in Autumn time.


March Flower Updates

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We had another great selection of flowers to snap from our friends at The Brmbles Florist and Flowers To Yours. Including a lily that stunk the house out … in a nice way of course. I know the month has come to an end when I take flower images and a visit to the florist on the final friday of the month. Thanks then to Chris and his staff at The Bramble Florist and Flowers To Yours. A shout also to my wife Amy for her assistance on the shoot.

Thats it for this month, be sure to drop by at the end of April for more. X