Sea of dreams

Recently I was extremely lucky to work with the talented Lorna's Photography (http://www.lornasphotography.co.uk/) on her new Wonderland project, she is just fantastic at conceptual photography and always has fab ideas.
She helped me shoot one of mine too, will blog about that a bit later on.

Not only is she very talented but also extremely down to earth and genuinely lovely, she puts 100% into the execution of her shoots and for this particular one dragged a bed down to the beach, built it and dragged it back.

 

Now that's dedication!!!

There was the most hilarious moment as we walked back to the car, Lorna dragging the bed back and I was walking along in my fluffy bear eared onesie with batman hoodie to keep warm (see pic underneath) - a group of older folk, took one look at us and one said 'we won't ask!', another one said 'Oh, its a bed is it? Did you find it?!!' Yes, because of course we walked on the beach, thought ooh thats a nice bit of furniture, its missing an end but that doesn't matter and picked it up. I know we looked a little bit strange but really!

All in all though it was a really fun shoot and I have to thank Lorna for a great day, can't wait to see the rest :)

Lorna has blogged all about the concept behind 'Sea of Dreams' here:
http://lornasphotography.tumblr.com/post/80808459173/wonderland 
It's well worth checking out :)

Product review - models own nail polish - Speckled eggs in magpie green

I've used models own nail polishes a few times now, they have a great variety of colours and styles so there's always something that suits.

In the past while I've appreciated the quality of the tone and shine,  I've found that the polish flakes extremely quickly, sometimes in the space of a day.

Last night I road tested models own new Easter inspired 'speckled eggs' in green magpie,
The Polish is of a nice consistency, not too clarity or fluid and brushes on like a dream. I was impressed to find it dried very quickly too, taking only a few minutes to set. The minor drawback is the smell, sure everyone who uses nail polish will be familiar with the strong chemical smell it creates but I'm used to it and I found this to be a wee bit overpowering!

After 2 coats, my talons looked like this:

It's a really nice effect - obviously intended to resemble a birds egg but it has more of a mint choc chip resonance (not that that's a bad thing!)

It's nice as a Spring trend look, definitely perfect for easter or indeed any time you fancy something a bit different. However the model and creative in me sees the chance to do something reptilian or amphibious in appearance, I think it could make for a really interesting look. The cogs in my mind are turning!

Models own is available at Superdrugs and in the small independent bottle stores which are soooo cute!
*goes glassy eyed*

I however took advantage of the great deal they've got on their website at the moment with 6 polishes for £20 which considering they're normally 5-7 quid each is pretty good going.

Http://www.modelsownit.com

My Fall Will Be For You

So I decided I would start this blog to share my random thoughts and to explain a bit of my thought process behind my pictures, modelling style and processes.

I thought I would start with this recent collaboration with Iceni
(Http://www.purpleport.com/portfolio/iceni)
He does some marvellous work, I really recommend you check it out if you like conceptual photography and art.

The title comes from the lyrics in the Nightwish song 'Ghost Love Score' - it's a beautiful piece at an epic 10 minutes long, highly recommended http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYjIlHWBAVo

The actual concept is from personal experience, a few years ago I was suffering from depression and anxiety, I was in the wrong place with the wrong partner, sacked from a job unfairly (though now I see that its probably the best thing that happened to me), I lost all faith in myself and became entirely unhappy. I grew to hate myself, I didn't even like what I saw in the mirror.

Now when this happens, despite the fact your friends and family support you and ask if you are ok or need help, you grow so down in yourself that you close off to the love and support around you and feel that you are something of a burden to them.

This is how I felt until I met a person who made me see that life is what you make it and that its far too short to be with the wrong person or take a path that you're unhappy with. I realised that the only person that could stop me from falling into this spiral of negativity was myself. It wasn't going to be easy, I was going to have to be brave and plunge into the unknown to save myself. So one morning I woke up, I ended my 6 year relationship with 1 sentence and left immediately, I started to model again ( I previously wasn't 'allowed' to) and slowly I pulled myself back up to the surface.

I saved myself.