The Graveyard Shift

Not knowing what a location is like until you get there is sometimes a bad thing but with the Extra-Mural Cemetery in Brighton I had no such problem. Graves going back some 200 years. quirky perhaps manic organisation. spookiness amongst the trees. On a visit where the brief is to take photos then opportunities to explore are limited. My main focus was with new model Beth but sister Abi was there also. Abi and I have worked together before. So it was time to set about creating as many different looks and scenes was on. Disaster Struck! My most useful lens decided not to work with the camera. I was left to shoot only with my long telephoto and this proved very restrictive but I remained confident we could get some good images.
Later on I switched to my Lensbaby. This is a strange little lens/gadget which is totally manual and focus is done by pushing the bellows and creating some unusual effects. It is very hit and miss but a couple of images really worked.

Beth and Abi were great and this was my first location sister shoot. Everyone was happy but I feel I need to return to explore the full potential of the Extra-Mural Cemetery.

Helrazor Does Brighton

Helrazor

Funny how shoots stick in your mind. Working with Helen in Brighton was one of those days. April Fools Day. Freezing wind and plenty of laughs. The day started at Devil's Dyke. The guy in the car next to us in the Car Park was more intent on listening to his Reggae than anything else. A casual intro to our day with dramatic scenery and wind plus clouds. Glad I took a spare jumper as Helen needed to keep warm. Traffic following an accident hampered our journey to the next destination but we decided to press on. Rottingdean Windmill was the next destination. Helen braved the icy wind to work through a set resembling that of a retro movie star and looked the part. It was then on to Madeira Drive and the promenade steps. Possibly the most dramatic. Warmed by typical Cafe tea and Blueberry Muffins along with the obligatory Fruit Jellies we were ready to embrace the rather wild sea with a dazzle of colour! Last location of the day was Brighton Pier where photography is apparently not allowed. We carried on and onlookers asked questions and to keep them happy I told them we were shooting for Elle magazine. Tired and exhausted we made our way home. Helen the star. Me? Well! I tried hard. 

Mel and the Glamour!

Mel is determined and aiming for the top in the glamour world. Our fourth shoot together saw us a team with better understanding. She is rather a perfectionist and that in an area of modelling where this is vital. Although an evening shoot we both got stuck in and images flowed well.

We did end our shoot with something a little different and more artistic which is where I am at more. Lovely shoot....

Grafitti Grand

There are so many days which are memorable within my photographic career and this is obviously one of them. Rosie just has something and with our first location shoot together it was going to be a great day in Brighton. Graffiti was the main focus and I had been informed of various places. The weather threatened for a start but soon blew over. Our first graffiti was around the London Road where arguably the most classic sequence was taken. Having picked up the ultimate hoodie for a fiver the graffiti around the North Lanes took on an amazing series of shots. Of Rosie? Well her work and creativity could not have been better. It was then on to the Beach Huts..... What a fantastic day.

Spirals

Curving into endlessness above

Searching the soul for no answers

Dizzily waiting to create havoc

Disguises everything lost in the round

Boundaries seem incessant and free

They entice you ever upward

Beckoning “This is the way!”

All looks ever-inviting and safe

Your success depends on it

You are free to circulate

Given the skeleton key

That opens the avenues of life

Turning, turning giving opportunities

Opening every door in this heady corridor

There, spiralling and infinite are dreams

Ones never met or fulfilled

Captivation is all consuming

Then you discover your peril

The spiral of curvature was down

Down all the time menacingly

Your dreams buried deeper

Deeper than one can imagine


Pete Baldrey

Harley

Having known Harley since she was two years old it might seem an unusual situation for her to be in front of camera. This is just not the case. Harley is working hard to try and revive her modelling after a mall break and a short evening shoot was just what she needed. It was the first time we had worked one-to-one so it started slowly but then started to flow as Harley got used to everything again. Hard work and patience enabled us to have a successful evening!