Bella Almost Bare

 

Bella and I had been discussing a few implied nude themes. The sort that showed enough to be suggestive and sensual but within the boundaries of what would be acceptable to family and friends were they seen in the public domain. She and I often say an air of suggestion and sensuality is harder to capture, but more pleasing than gratuitous nudity. We had discussed a theme ranging from the “Sunday morning” white blouse and lingerie to something closer to the matrix and then some bolder implied nudes using flowers. I had expressed a desire to capture a mix of colour and monochrome. Bella has very even skin tone which helps, but the contrast was further accentuated by using contrasting pale white lingerie. 

Vintage Visions on a Wintry Day

It had been a while since Krystal, and I’d caught up and we both fancied a change from the day to day. She posed a vintage theme of lingerie; dresses and we’d even toyed with the idea of derelict buildings as a backdrop. Ultimately, and for several reasons, we elected to shoot from her home. Good thing too, given the torrential rains.  

 

Thankfully, her home had a reasonable amount of natural light and I’d brought flashgun, soft box, portable lighting, low light prime lenses, and reflector. I shot several frames outside, from her summer house in the drizzle. Thankfully, I had the A6300 body which has some weather sealing- shot at F1.8 with a Viltrox prime lens.  The other option is sheltering beneath a smaller umbrella and shooting. However, depending on the shutter speed and other settings, it runs the risk of some camera shake, resulting in blur. 

  

Indoors, given the low cloud, I alternated between the 6300 mounted on a tripod and the A6000 with prime lens and Godox flashgun. Coffee, breaks, chat- general and business the two hours flew by. Doesn’t it always when fun’s involved. I loaded up the car and headed back to post -process our chosen favourites.

 

Elodie

Elodie and I had been discussing a shoot back in 2020, then the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns struck. I received an email message from her at the end of January asking if we could shoot. After a little back n’ forth we agreed a mutually convenient Sunday in February.  

I was intrigued as to what drew her to me and my work specifically. Elodie replied saying she liked the way I could go from capturing “cheeky” images to very formal portraiture. We agreed on a mix of fashion and lingerie and shot from her home.  

I’d had to postpone a shoot with a young, aspiring male model a fortnight earlier (due to a major crash involving a flipped HGV), so was determined to make the journey to Peterborough. Despite flooded roads and lots of standing water, I made it to her home in good time. That’s Michael-speak for 40 minutes early.  

I’d always prefer to be an hour early rather than two minutes late. I’d brought a reflector, flashgun, and portable LED light but thankfully, with 1.4 prime lenses, large windows, and a break in the cloud, it was often possible to shoot using natural light. 

Darcy

 

Darcy is a plus-size model, returning to the industry after a break. She caught my attention having posted a casting on a networking site. I tend to make my approach and if my style of work appeals, the model and I will discuss themes and date(s) from there. Darcy was keen on some headshots, portraits, and autumnal/winter fashion and the close of October seemed the best fit.  

I hadn’t been to Southend on Sea since the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns struck.  Changeable weather also requires lots of forward planning and I was a little disheartened to discover the heavens opening along the A127- I'd been scouring the online forecasts and all suggested dry until at least1300hrs and we were shooting outdoors for two hours- from 11 onward.  

Despite some initial drizzle, the weather held, and the cloudy skies added further mood to the images. The beach and deserted beach huts were an obvious, though very welcome backdrop, ditto some of the shuttered, seasonal vendors nearby. Darcy was originally spotted at a car show on the South Coast and helped by an interest in classic cars, things developed from there.  

She has a degree in Graphic Design and secured work in this field, post-graduation. In common with a lot of models, she’s had a few challenges too, and testament to her character that she’d overcome them and kept a warm, positive outlook. I thoroughly enjoyed our shoot and would happily work with her again. These images were taken using the faithful A6000 and A6300 tag team coupled with 33mm 1.4 and 60mm 2.8 prime lenses.    

Risk it for The Rust...Jaywick and Krystal J

It had been a few years since I’d been to Jaywick and a few months since I’d shot with Krystal. I received a “Coming out to play?” email and fancied catching up. She’d had a challenging period in her life and wanted to shoot in part, as a creative distraction, a means of working through things. A philosophy, or mindset that resonates with me.

Jaywick is often presented as one of the most deprived areas in the UK and it’s certainly been starved of investment over the years. However, while romanticising poverty and deprivation is misguided, a palpable sense of community permeated.  

We started in a field, worked our way through to Jaywick Sands and some of the side streets. No one interfered or gave any cause for concern. Much of this is about being somewhere with a purpose, owning your space, and thus communicating that you have a right to be there.

In my experience, it’s also about being respectful and interacting graciously with those around you, while not courting attention. Arguably strong sunlight was our biggest challenge. I shot these with the A6000 and 33mm 1.8 and the A6300 with Sigma 60mm 2.8 (set to f 3.2 for most of these). 

 

Matinee’ with Michelle

Almost two years since I’d last worked with Michelle, so I was rather pleased she’d got in touch.  I’d also gone through a familiar, but frustrating phase of unreliable models-ghosting and cancelations being the key issues. This is something I’m finding increasingly common with aspiring or novice models, and why I tend to be very discerning.  

I am still happy to work with new models and those returning to the industry, but ask searching questions to evaluate the probability of cancellations etc. Sometimes there are genuine reasons and circumstances beyond their control, and I can empathise with these. 

 

Radio silence is not a good sign, but I’ve developed a sixth sense for these things. Professional models seldom cancel, in the same fashion a professional photographer will ensure they’ve brought the right kit along and tested everything beforehand. Michelle comes from a professional glamour-orientated modelling background and is also pursuing an acting career in parallel.  

I’d toyed with various themes, but the wintry weather precluded an outdoor shoot with a horse, or Shetland pony, so I decided we’d go for something boudoir/lifestyle based with a bit of deep monochrome. Hence the emphasis on black lingerie.    

Michelle needs little direction but is equally receptive to this. Professional models are very self-aware and know their bodies very well- poses which flatter, those which don’t and may tactfully refuse an instruction, if the proposal isn’t going to work aesthetically.

 

For example, posing a model with b cup breasts on all fours- say a suggestive lingerie/boudoir shoot might work. Posing a model with A D cup bust this way would look ridiculous, borderline degrading. Similarly, though many may not be qualified makeup artists or hairdressers, they are competent and know how to apply/create complementary colours and styling.   

We chatted about the business and more casual stuff. People will often confide some very deep personal stuff during shoots, and I’m often flattered some feel comfortable enough to do so. However, not something I engage in. We chatted business, equines, osteopaths and our mutual fondness for Ford’s MK1 KA-I'm on my third, hers had a much higher internal specification but we agreed the little cars are very characterful and handle surprisingly well.  

I shot this set using natural light with the similarly faithful Sony A6000 and 6300 bodies sporting Viltrox 23 and 33mm prime (1.4) lenses. I had the urge to bring my recently acquired Fuji XT100 and 35mm1.8 but hadn’t reached the point where the fuji felt like an extension of my right hand. It should be obvious, but never attend a commercial shoot with unfamiliar, let alone untested equipment. Same goes for many other things- motor/cycle racing and other competitive events being cases in point.