Down By the Sea

After the shoot among the graves it was off to the beach. Brighton beach is far from sandy but nevertheless has character. There was enough wing to create atmosphere plus water Beth's eyes with the sun gleaming. Beth's confidence grew and with the sea rough enough to create breaking waves the location was great for what we needed. A lovely and pleasing shoot over we went for a warm well-deserved cup of tea at the beach volleyball centre. Great day.

A Time to Dance

When I do something different or something I do infrequently I really get a buzz. One of these times is working with Vicki on dance! We had lots to live up to after the previous two shoots. Having been beset with technical problems the hard work of jumping by Vicki was tripled. Make-up Artist Tass sat watching amazed as jump after jump failed on every crucial shot. Frustration crept into my  concentration but I held my patience. All through this Vicki in her exuberant way smiled and tried again and again. I have so much admiration for her obvious talent and look forward to our next project. Tass made her usual immaculate designs. We all finished exhausted but results were great 

Paula's Return

Having been eighteen months since Paula and I worked together. Paula always brings something new to our shoots and this was no exception. She arrived with some great clothes and different props. We had so much catching up to do also after her experience with a circus in Switzerland. We had four very different looks. All of which were so very much in contrast to each other. Fantastic day with the great enthusiasm of Paula. Lovely to see her so happy and full of radiance. 

Bluebell Beauty

Suddenly I noticed the Bluebells were about two weeks early. This meant plans with Katie needed to change and we include a Bluebell shoot in possibly the best Bluebell woods in the area. We got stuck into our studio shoot which in itself was exciting and dynamic. Lunch was pizza which is by far the most popular lunch amongst models. We then set off for nearby Ashen Copse. Because we hit the Bluebells early they were a really rich blue. They tend to go pinky later. Being slightly overcast I was able to capture the rich saturated colours. Clothes were essential in what they were and Katie's black and white dress lovely. We then used some wonderful Indian fabric which really complimented the colours of the woodland. Katie was brilliant and eased her way into the location reflecting calmness fitting with the beautiful surrounding. Exhausting day? Yes. But so, so worth it.

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.