Braced

   A few weeks ago an Italian model, Shivabel, approached me with a handful of ideas, which I thought would fit in well with the aesthetics of my work.

The shoot itself was almost a complete disaster, as I had recently sold my old lights, and in an attempt to buy new ones, realised that they would not arrive till a few weeks time. Thankfully I managed to purchase some from Calumet in Euston. Unfortunately I underestimated how heavy they would be, and almost killed myself dragging them home. 

Bowens Gemini 400 set, not HUGE but definitely enough for my mini studio.

For the shoot Shivabel had made an amazing neck brace, embellished with gems. We styled it with lace and pastels for a surreal Victoriana look. We also worked with a great MUA Ezme Thomas, who used a subtle style with muted colours so as not to overpower the brace. The model has amazing, huge eyes that are just so right for this kind of idea. 

As always I love to hear feedback!

 

 

 We also took a few shots with Apatico's bonnet!

Vera Icon

   A few months ago, artist Vera Icon contacted me; she was about to visit London, and wanted to secure a paid shoot with me. Usually when I am contacted for paid work, it is from girls who have no strong or unique interests, let alone any developed ideas, therefore I was very glad when I realised just what concepts Vera was looking to work with. After hearing her ideas, we worked together to work out exactly what we wanted to do (which is an example of what I will do with all my paid shoots). 

A brief description of the shoot ideas from Vera:

The parallels and differences of 2 powerful women: Mother Mary and Queen Elizabeth. Both revered, but one bows to a higher power, while others bow to HER as the highest power.

The styling, hair and makeup was a joint effort, and all of the clothing (and some accessories) in the regal photographs are by Vivienne Westwood. As usual, all photography and retouching is by myself. 

Sideshow: Alligator Girl

 An ongoing project I have been working on for the past year references common "characters" that one could see in the early American sideshows/circus (you can see the previous shots here  and here). I'm hoping to eventually include the whole set in a book, or at least as a set of prints.

This week, I present the alligator girl in all her glory!

There was only one model I could imagine using for this shoot; the striking Helene Atsuko. Many thanks also to Sammm Agnew for making her suitably scaly!

 You can read a little more about the REAL alligator-skinned marvels over here.

We also played around with a darker style!

I Do Declare!

Some of you may remember the set of self portraits I shot for milliner Apatico, which also featured a beautiful dress by I Do Declare. Although I don't consider myself fitting for most Lolita clothing, I am in love with everything that I Do Declare designs. Research makes all the difference when one is looking to create something unique, and Kelsey's interest in history really comes across in her work. 

She was kind enough to send a few pieces for me to shoot, so here is another set of self portraits featuring I Do Declare! 

 (Brushes are from Dracovina-Stock, the hat is from New Look, surprisingly!)

Frozen Ukrainian Bride

 

Yesterday the rather chameleonic Yume Ninja came over to my humble abode for a quick shoot and some damn good food. Although based in Los Angeles, Yume and her partner are visiting the UK over the Christmas season. We had planned to shoot more, including teaming up with Sohui, however snow and fail had left poor Sohui stuck at a bus stop twiddling her thumbs. 

I have, for some time, been very interested in the work of Paolo Roversi, particularly when in combination with the genius of John Galliano. Working predominantly with polaroid film, natural lighting and a technique of using long exposures with Mag-Lite flashlights to pick out his subjects creates a otherworldly effect that has become his trademark. Roversi is particularly inspiring when considering his popularity within the fashion industry; although a very traditional and artistic photographer, he has worked with the most "fabulous" names within the "fiercest" magazines. It fills me with joy to see work such as his, and similar photographers, rather than those concerned purely with modernity. 

 

In order to obtain a similar, surreal effect using digital photography, I used a lensbaby composer on my 5D MkII. The lensbaby allows the photographer to select a particular point of focus and blur other points, which is great for this kind of style and experimentation. Yume styled herself, and did her own fantastic makeup; which was all inspired by John Galliano's Frozen Ukrainian Brides, which has to be one of my most adored collections ever..

I do love feedback on my work, so feel free to leave a comment!