Drop Outs and Cancellations

The second of my fashion tests planned for 2010 involved 2 models this time. We originally found a great looking model who was fairly local to my studio, but a week before the shoot she contacted us to say she had broken up with her boyfriend and as such couldn't make the shoot because she'd been crying too much! That was definitely a new excuse for me! We managed to find a replacement, but she then cancelled the day before the shoot! We weren't feeling overly optimistic of finding a replacement at such late notice, but we managed to find Claire Randle and Nicola Paul.

I was particularly excited for this shoot because Hasselblad UK had lent me one of their baby H3DII-31 cameras for the day so I could really get to grips with it. It was a long day, but we got some great images and had a lot of fun with our 2 replacement models! Check out the video below and make sure you leave a comment to let me know what you think.

Sin City Revisited!

Back in September 2008 I blogged about doing a "Sin City" style shoot. Well after seeing Cheryl Cole on the cover of the latest Q Magazine, Gemma Newman asked if I could do something similar.

I quite enjoy the challenge of recreating specific looks. Don't get me wrong, I love the freedom of doing what I like, but it's sometimes good to have certain style to aim for. In this case, not only did I want to recreate the look of the film, but also better my previous attempt!



As well as doing some Sin City images, we also got some other sets done in the 2-3 hours we had shooting...

Cat Trentham

Before now, I'd never shot a redhead, so I was excited to have Cat Trentham in the studio. Cat's a fitness and beauty model who also does quite a lot of commercial work. We had a great shoot and got some cool images that are very different to her normal look.







And just to prove that she's a fitness model....



I know I wouldn't mess with her!!! haha

Ana Tanaka

Last week I got to spend a couple of hours shooting an awesome new singer called Ana Tanaka. She's set to take the charts by storm next year. Not only does she have an amazing voice... (check out her videos here!), but she's also stunning and has quite possibly the smallest waist I've ever shot!

Rachel Louise

Thirteen months on from the first time I shot Rachel, I had the pleasure of shooting her again in my studio. We had a great shoot and managed to get through several looks in a short space of time, whilst having lots of fun!

Gemma Massey

Had a visit at the studio on Tuesday from Gemma Massey on her way to her TV presenting job. Would have been rude not to get a few shots of her! ;)

Cecilie Harris

Fellow photographer Cecilie Harris popped into the studio on Sunday for some photo fun!

It's always interesting shooting photographers, because generally we don't like having our photos taken. Cecilie is great fun though so shooting her was easy and we got some great shots!

At some point I'm hoping she returns the favour! ;)

Studio Build Out

Put together a quick video of the new studio build out process...

First Shoot of 2010

Yesterday saw my first shoot for 2010. Paige Robbins came down to the studio to work on her portfolio. Was a great fun day and we got some cool images.









...and finally, here's a fun shot showing off her bendyness! Haha

First & Last

I'm sitting here writing this feeling throughly ill and have been feeling so for the past couple of days. Anyway, yesterday was my first shoot in my new studio and my last shoot of the decade!

It had been booked for a while and despite how I felt, I wasn't going to cancel. I had the pleasure of shooting Vanessa from 'The Fuel Girls'. We had a great day and got some cool images. We're hoping to work together a lot over the next few months!

New Studio

Signed the lease on a new studio yesterday. Quite excited to get in there and start shooting. The lower floor has really nice shooting space that is perfect for shooting people in. There's also a mezzanine level that will be used for editing and client meetings.

Based just outside London, it's got good train links from both London and Birmingham and easy to get to by car, and has decent parking.

There's a few little bits and pieces it needs before I can start taking bookings in it, but they should all be sorted by January.

SHOWstudio

For the last few days I've been watching legendary fashion photographer Nick Knight shooting his '100 Portraits' project for ID Magazine. How have I done this? They're streaming the shoots live over the internet from Somerset House in London! Nick has been shooting a wide range of people from Lady Gaga, to Boy George and Jedward. Watching other people shoot is always a great way to learn, or reaffirm that what you do is right. They've got multiple cameras so you can see both the studio setup, and the final images as they come up on the tethered computer screen.

To see the stream, click here.

Nikki Lee & Fifi Russo

A few weeks ago I enjoyed spending a grey friday with Nikki Lee and Fifi Russo in a studio I use from time to time. We wanted to try out a few things and get some shots that have a different edge to them.

Our first setup was based around a teddy bear's picnic and involved a hamper, toys and proper homemade jam sandwiches that Fifi couldn't stop eating throughout the shoot! hehe

I would have liked a blue sky to add to the vibrancy of the shots, but when have we ever been able to plan for the British summer?




The main setup for the day was based on the film Sin City. We shot this on green chromakey as that was how the film was shot and used a 5 light setup with both models being heavily backlit to create the dynamic look of the film. Once shot, the green was substituted and the rain added in photoshop.