A Personal Collection: Of Vivienne Westwood Shoes

A Personal Collection: Of Vivienne Westwood Shoes is an exhibition currently on show at the @Gallery at the Barnsley Civic. This show is an absolute must for anyone remotely interested in fashion and of course shoes. Everyone of the eighty plus pairs of shoes on display is a masterpiece in itself! The collection itself, spans several decades of the designer’s illustrious career! From seemingly simple black heels with auspicious spikes potruding from the rear to the infamous, incredibly high platforms that saw Naomi Campbell spilled on a Paris catwalk, there is certainly something on display to catch the interest of everyone.

The exhibition is a testament to all the talent that not only went into the shoes, but into the exhibition. Having seen the gallery many times, it has been completely transformed into an atmospheric temple to the footwear on display. The moody lighting, the photographs, the quotes on display and the video all stand to direct attention and emphasise the shoes themselves and each exquisite pair commands just as much attention as the rest! No small feat considering the sheer amount on display.  This exhibition is clearly a labour of love by the entire team at the Civic and even though I was involved in early stages, I can assure you the exhibit screams triumphantly of the work put into it!

I had the immense pleasure and honour of working to create the photographs for the publicity material for this exhibition and I must say, every pair of shoes I got to photograph is a wonder! Though I was working under the close and astute art direction of David Sinclair, the mastermind behind the exhibit, I was still granted enough creative freedom as to photograph the shoes as they spoke to me! I must say that the several months I put into this material are by far some of the most rewarding and genuinely satisfying that I have had yet! Though I won’t go into details about the work put into it in this post, I must reiterate the honour of being granted such a dream job!

The exhibition has been on display since May and only has a week left on show as it finishes this Saturday, the 17th of July! If it strikes your fancy, I wholly recommend paying a visit to the Civic before it finishes to take in this breathtaking display!

Also, The Civic have created a limited edition run of postcards to accompany the exhibition. The high quality set features ten of the images I created for the exhibit including the four above. If you’d like a set of these postcards but cannot make it to the exhibit, please let me know via the contact forms on the site and I can arrange a set for you. The set is £5 plus P&P.

Raynbow Studio

Every once in a while, an opportunity comes along that’s just irresistable. This opportunity came over a year ago when Raychel Perks of Raynbow Studio expressed to me her interest in trying some bodypaint. The experience was incredible, to say the absolute least, for everyone involved! The whole day was exciting and new and the results were just breathtaking. Of course, on the heels of such success, we absolutely had to do it again and then again and then yet again! This collaborative relationship between Raychel and I has not only made for an incredible collection of imagery but it’s built the foundation for a lot of great things to come.

Here’s a brief outline of some of the bodypaint specific work we’ve done since then.

The very first bodypaint session we did, involved a pair of concepts based around a Native American theme with Alexandra :

As well as a Cleopatra theme:

During our second session Raychel completely improvised an idea I had with ivy and then proceeded to turn Integra Fairbrook into a statue!

Our third bodypaint session with Rudigo saw Raychel take an aboriginal starting point and with a few twists and turns mould it into her own!

More recently, Raychel, again working with Integra Fairbrook, had the urge to convert her into a Na’vi from “Avatar”.

Very shortly after the Avatar incident, Raychel really wanted to try some UV bodypaint. We talked Madison Flint into the task and I must say it was rather spectacular to see in person!

Most recently, Kittiwake showed up for her bodypaint session with Ladybird fingernail polish! Some people might have considered that a mistake, considering the proximity of Raychel’s red paint!

In the end, over the past several months, we have immensely enjoyed making these images and I personally hope for a lot more to come. Though this post has focused on bodypaint, Raychel has done make-up on many occasions as well, but that might be a topic for another day!

What happens when you have 23 people taking a phot0 a day every day for 365? Well, you have the “NiceSmileSir” project!

Nice Smile Sir - Day 1

Personally, I have always been a bit frightened of the prospect of “365″ projects, but the idea of having 22 other people togo through it with convinced me! So here we are, already, on Day 12 and most everything seems to be going strong!

Nice Smile Sir - Day 6 - Violaceous Latex

The worst part of these sorts of projects is one of those tiny, niggling fears that makes you wonder if you can actually go through with it. However, the beauty of them and the ones undertaken by groups in particular is the sheer randomness that results! Don’t know what I’m saying? Just have a look at the Nice Smile Sir site! Like I said, it’s Day 12 and there’s already a huge assortment and variety ranging from completely random to the immaculately concieved. Colourful and dull. Just looking at the site, without clicking through to Flickr for the individual reveals, to me anyway, a wondrous menagerie of images!!

Nice Smile Sir - Day 10

Enough muttering and rambling! I do encourage you to bookmark the site and check back on the project at least every once in a while! I think even by the end of the first month, this project is going to have bloomed into something rather spectacular!

Portfolio Days With Raynbow Studio

I am pleased and rather excited to announce another collaborative effort between myself and the extremely talented Raychel Perks of Raynbow Studio. On Sunday the 21st of March and on Saturday the 27th we will be offering portfolio building  sessions at a discounted rate.

We are combining Raychel’s immensely talented creative Make-Up Artistry with my photography in order to provide high-quality portfolio images for both budding and experienced models. Whether your starting out or looking to update your existing portfolio, Raychel and I can provide the imagery you need.

The dates of this offer are limited to March 21st and 27th and there are a limited number of sessions available so book yours now!

Details include:

• Each 1 hour session include a 1/2 hour make-up and a 1/2 hour studio session.
• Make-up can be any style you choose. Go for something natural or pick something completely off the wall!
• Define what style of imagery you need for your portfolio. High Fashion? Beauty? Commercial? Glamour? Your portfolio, your needs, your choice!
• You will recieve 3 high quality images for your book.
• Each image will be fully retouched to a professional level.
• You will recieve full resolution files of each image, printable to 8″x12″ for print portfolio purposes.
• Images will also be provided at optimal web resolution for professional networkings sites and social media.
• Need more for your portfolio? Book consecutive sessions for multiple looks and images!

We are providing this offer at a discounted price of £40 (normally £75).

Remember, spaces are limited, so book your session now!

My Tattoo Project – So Far

Back at the end of September, I posted my open casting for people with tattoos to get involved with a project idea I had had spinning around my head for the longest of time. To be honest, I expected little interest, except maybe from some people I had worked with before. I really couldn’t have underestimated it more. The response from everyone has been utterly fabulous and in these short few months I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and photographing some of the most extraordinary and interesting people.

The project itself is far from over. I have a fair few shoots still lined up and I’m quite a way off from being finished with the concept myself, so hopefully, there will be a good many to come!

In the meantime, I figured it’s well beyond time I shared with everyone, who has expressed interest, a selection of the images so far produced in this endeavour!

I just want to, once again, express my complete and absolute appreciation to ever one of the wonderful people who have so far come to help me out with this project. You guys are brilliant!! Thank you!

Of course, if you’re tattooed and you like what you see here, well, you know where to find me!

Photoshoot: Tamara-Marie

Here, I present you with a shoot that had been a long, long time in the making! About a year and a half to be fairly precise!

Tamara-Marie and I had been discussing the prospect of a shoot since the early days of both our portfolios. Unfortunately, distance and other committments and the ilk frequently through a plethora of spanners, screwdrivers, hammers and anything else you can name into the works.

Eventually, we said enough was enough. We picked a few concepts, set a date and just went for it.

They say good things come to those who wait. This is certainly one instance where old adages prove theirselves with merit!

With but a handful of wigs and a few strong concepts, Tamara-Marie’s versatility and natural abilities really shone through throughout the shoot! In just three sets, we managed to get a wealth of variety and, in my opinion, some wonderfully graphic images. This, I gleefully admit, is all to the credit of such a wonderfully gifted and all over lovely model!

But of course, there is no proof in words, only in photos! Enjoy!

As always, thank you very kindly for your time! I do hope you enjoyed this set even half as much as I enjoyed making it!

Photoshoot: Kirsten

A few months back, I found myself testing with a relatively new young model named Kirsten. When she initially approached me, I knew straight away that her unique look was one that was needed in my portfolio. We discussed a broad range of ideas and came up with a few concepts and a general idea of style and left the rest to spontenaeity and fate. The results? Have a look!

In the end it was a productive shoot as I expected it to be and Kirsten is a wonderful model and a lovely person to boot! Here, I would normally say that I hope to work with Kirsten again, but as it happens we had our second shoot just the other week so you can expect a follow-up post to come soon!

It’s Magic – Monika

Back in January, I had the the wonderful pleasure of, again, working with the phenomenal Monika Godlewska.

The shoot, of Monika, itself was actually an afterthought of a shoot we were doing where Monika was acting as modeling coach and translator for a young Polish model, after which Monika stayed on so we could have our fourth collaboration for each of our respective portfolios.

Monika had previously told me about her “magic top hat” and this was a perfect opportunity to put it through its paces. We also decided that we could both use some more black and white images in our books, so most of the images were specifically taken with this in mind.

In the end, working with Monika, once again, yielded wonderful results and the energy, creativity and enthusiasm she brings to every shoot once again worked to a tremendous effect.

Monika Godlewska is represented by Glam Productions in Sheffield and Bond Models in Leeds.

Are We In For a Wave Of Viral Copyright Theft?

I know how much everyone who labours over creating their intellectual property loves hearing about the new ways the world is trying to rip us off, but I just couldn’t leave this one to pasture.

I’ve always been aware and concerned about how, to many, many people, Flickr is nothing more but the internet’s biggest “free” stock library. It’s the first stop for many upstart and amateur graphic designers, photoshop artists, bloggers and the teeming masses (who seek “pretty pictures”) looking for quality, quick and penniless imagery to use in their projects. It’s been a persistent problem for years and one that really hasn’t shown any sign of going away.

I have a sneaking suspicion that copyright theft on Flickr may have just gone viral.

I logged into Facebook this afternoon to find one of my acquantainces had posted a new note. It didn’t appear to be one of those stupid “25 Random Things” so I had a look. This is what I was greeted with (without the infringed upon photo because that would be perpetuating the problem):

The infringed upon image is HERE .

Personally, I am far more worried about this than the “Facebook TOS Scandal”. I know Facebook aren’t actually trying to use my images. I know that they’re only trying to protect themselves from sue-happy cretins.

What makes this so terrifying, is that the vast majority of Facebook users, many of whom will jump at this new “craze” have little understanding of copyright law nor do many of them care. A million blog posts and bulletins and tweets and what not can be sent out about this, but the people who will perpetuate the “note” are the exact ones who will not be reading any of those. It does not apply to them insofar as they know, so why should they? Much in the same fashion that the daily politics of Mozambique don’t apply to me, so I don’t read about them.

What can be done?

I, personally, don’t have the slightest clue.

I do honestly believe that the “mimic everything” culture of Facebook might just spiral this out of control and I do honestly believe that us creators of photographic imagery, particularly those of us who use Flickr, will very soon witness a case of VIRAL copyright theft.

Fan-frickin-tastic.

Original post on my other blog The Photographic Aspiration .

A few hours after my shoot with Rudigo , I was scheduled to have my fourth shoot with Helena .

Because we were working at quite the late hour, Helena only brought one outfit for a single set; but what an amazing outfit it was! Her simple black and white corset and a wonderful pair of black and white chequered stockings made for some exquisite and powerful graphic images that I am extremely proud to include in my portfolio!

Since we were shooting just the one set and we didn’t have the issues of wardrobe changes and the like, this was by far one of my most creative shoots to date, with lots of experimentation from both Helena and myself. Though it has hardly been a month since the last time Helena and I worked together, her advancement as a model was clearer than ever. Infinitely more comfortable in front of the camera, it was also very obvious she had been putting a lot of thought into her posing, resulting in a very natural set of images!

Needless to say, I hope to work with Helena again in the future to both continue making great photographs with her and to watch her progress as model!