Queen of the Night

Both of these photo sets are ones which I've been sitting on for a very long time. After being messed around by two different publications, I can finally show them as they were certainly some of the more interesting concepts shot this year, and definitely some of the most dramatic.

Shot across the Spring and Summer, but with the darker season's gothic sensibilities at their heart, these photos show that the lady certainly is a vamp.

Model: Natalie Booth

Hair and Make-Up: Sarah Frasca.

Model: Ortance Allar.

Make-Up: Sarah Frasca.

Hair: Gergana Madzharova.

Clothing: Andy Andreou at Angels.

Velvet Goldmine

Once again, I'm going back to my usual boring stories of how I love meeting people as a part of my job. Sometimes people come and go, and then there are other moments where your brain is just like "Woah, stop everything. Stop. This person is AWESOME!" This was my reaction upon meeting Jasmine Alexander, amazing mistress of precious metals and dazzling jewels.

I was asked to shoot her for Diva Magazine a year or so ago. It was my first commissioned portrait by them, so was suitably nervous already. And the more research I did, the more in awe of her work I became. I was utterly terrified by the time it came to meet her, which lasted all of thirty seconds once she was inside my studio. A mass of curles sat on top of a face I'd come to know as jetlagged and excited - both which seem to work in tandem as her default setting.

We ended up shooting this:

Diva, December 2010 Issue.

We also got an amazing portrait of her partner in crime, Casper. Easily the cutest creature to ever drool in front of my lens.

The photo felt like a turning point somehow, as it went from being my first proper request from a magazine, to appearing in bits and pieces of high-brow press such as L'Officiel Russia and later, the L'Officiel Paris website.

The end of Summer brought with it some exciting news, and I found myself shooting a new portrait in her Old Street studio. The image was to accompany a piece amongst the prestegious pages of La Monde, and we were both dying to tell everyone what was going on.

The chosen shot combined a rock and roll spirit , showcasing both her work and the person behind the work perfectly.

We did shoot some others on the roof overlooking beautiful East London with the last shards of Summer sunlight being chased away by Autumnal breezes.

View her work at www.jasminealexander.com

Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell

There is a huge difference between the headshot and the portrait. A headshot is something which gives people a blank canvas to project onto, whilst a portrait captures the very essence of the subject at hand. Both are interesting studies in human nature; the nerves, the twitches, the wry smiles - and both offer an interesting insight into the person standing infront of your camera lens, with contact sheets often giving away more than a diary or cv ever could.

As I've said many a time before, the best part of my job is stumbling across these people. Although I've kept back a few sets of images for their own posts (Jasmine Alexander for Le Monde, Phil Bowman for New Empress, Chrys Columbine and Beatrix Von Bourbon for Rockalily), these are some of my favourite portraits shot over the last few months...

Model: Dancer and model, Ryan Featherstone.
Location: North London.

Model: Friend, photographer and music journalist, Tom Perry.
Location: Bow, East London and Alley Cat.

Models: Staff from New Empress Magazine.
Location: North London.

Models: Binky Buxotica of Pearls and Swine, and artist and DJ Trafford Parsons.
Location: Leeds.

Model: Vintage minx, Natalie Booth.
Location: North London.
MUA and Hair: Heyday Honey.

That's all for now, but there are many more shoots to post and preview when I get a chance! ♥