One And Two

It doesn't seem possible that we're already a month into 2011. I mean, honestly; did I sleep through half of it? It feels as if the middle just evaporated, and the first part barely registered. There should still be discounted Chocolate Santas on the shelves, not Easter Bunnies and Valentines Day boxes.

There was a definite mark where the holidays were over. We were so quiet, still sleeping in a little later than we should have been and I found myself editing in my pyjamas safe in the knowledge than no one would come and visit us. And then suddenly, it was as if everyone woke up from their post-Christmas sugar coma at the same time. Our phone was ringing off the hook with people wanting to hire the studio for their shoots and it was nice as you could hear the resolve and urgency in people's voices. They had ideas and visions which they absolutely had to capture, and it's always inspiring to see that. It's one of the nice things about meeting so many other photographers and their teams; it forces me to push myself forward and keep working hard to keep up!

It's been an interesting month; not quite the kick start to the year that I had hoped for with dashes to A&E, human irritants and photography theft, but it seems to have settled down now, and we can start again. Happy New, erm, February! Stress is a funny thing though; it digs at you, pulls you down, drags your subconscious through a carwash, and then gives you a kick to sort things out. So as difficult on all sides as January has been, it's also been amazing creatively. Yay for work and distraction going hand in hand!

It started with me finally sitting down and setting out mood boards for shoots that clients had requested, and ideas which I had in my mind.

It helps to focus my ideas, explain concepts to the model and make-up artist, and generally just reign myself in. With one of the shoots, I need an actual reference point as it's a homage to an iconic image for a lovely friend, and strangely, something which has led onto another idea and a possible collaboration of I can plot out the ideas properly.

I think it's probably safe to say that the first part of January was a massive edit-catch-up-fest. I finally got the photos finished for the lovely Bettie Wishes, and I am looking forward to seeing the final version; the one where it's tattooed onto her husband!

Bettie Wishes

Bettie Wishes

I also managed to finally finish the photos for the delightful Kat Kolinski of Katy And The Happiness, and with the softer finish along with her already vintage styling, she looks like she's just stepped out of a 1940s postcards with her beautiful reproduction garments.

Kat Kollinski

Kat Kollinski

Kat Kollinski

 I've not just been sat in my pyjamas editing and tea drinking though. Honest. First shoot of the year was with everyones always inappropriate vaudeville villain Mister Joe Black.

Mister Joe Black

Mister Joe Black

Mister Joe Black

Mister Joe Black

Mister Joe Black

Mister Joe Black

Mister Joe Black

And then there was the headshot of the handsome Geoff Carr; the boss, the boyfriend and most importantly, bringer of tea.

Geoff Carr

Then there was the explosion of glitter which heralded the arrival of my darling Binky from Pearls and Swine. The model for the shoot was burlesque artist Darkteaser, and with her giant fans and nipple pasties being shaken around in my direction. I've not had a chance to work on the photos yet, but here is a taster of what will almost certainly be my next blog post.

Darkteaser

The other wonderful thing which happened this month was meeting ReeRee Rocket, and her group of Wonderful Women Minding Our Own Business. WWMOOB is such a wonderful idea; a group of female business owners, entrepreneurs and women with ideas meeting together for wine, cake and creativity. I was honoured to hold it in the studio this month, and it's amazing how inspired you feel coming away from the meeting, but also, it served as an incredibly way to make friends and create contacts. ReeRee herself is launching an exciting range of make-up under the brand Rockalily, and I'm very much looking forward to shooting the promo photos next month. All you fans of red pouts and rockabilly should go check out her blog and stay informed, as this woman is going to take over the world one smile at a a time.

I'd also like to say thank you so much for the positive response on my last post; it's refreshing to know that I'm not alone in feeling this frustration, and I hope that somehow we can move forward and make a change. A rant is no good if it's not followed by an action. We'll have to wait and see what happens next.