I was given a Kelly Moore Bag for my birthday this year. It was the coral colour from the Posey Range.

Such an awesome product, really fashionable and carries my kit safely. There are so many compartments to carry and hide my cards. 

Grab yours here... http://www.kellymoorebag.com/




[latest beauty test]

 It's been forever since this blog was updated.
 I've had quite a manic few months. Shooting, editing non stop, testing when I have a spare few hours.. and generally running round trying to do 10 things at once. Women can multi-task!

I managed to squeeze in this brilliant test one bank holiday with the lovely Beth (MU) & Carole (model). Its surprising what you can create with a little imagination, and simple clothing, accessories.
We decided on 3 looks.
1. A natural beauty look.
2. A tribal look with plenty of bright colours.
3. A smokey eye look - a bit more fashionable with body suits, leather and fringing.

I've decided to upload the natural looks and last look as these were my favourites. 
And recently found out they will be published in July Issue of Lifestyle Monthly Magazine for Cheshire & Merseyside. Good News! ;) 

www.dotmoxee.com



Clear out week..

I booked a week holiday this week to clear out my flat - the one that I've just moved into. Yep, its already really messy since I've had to move out of my studio too so its full of all sorts of junk now. I took a trip to a local charity shop - think it was the RSPCA and handed over 2 massive bags full of my stuff. The women looked like they'd struck gold. Eyes lit up and everything! Those cats & dogs best be getting 5 star treatment!!

I've been meaning to plan in more tests recently, however a couple of weeks ago my beloved canon 50d decided to die on me. Well, not totally die just really annoy me. It was the day after the last test I did and I was changing lens and realised it wouldn't come off the camera. I had tried everything I could possibly think of to try fix it.. I spoke to my the suppliers who was warranty was under and a local canon repair shop who advised it could be the lens doing the problem and cost me a lot to repair. In the end. My step dad's sander did the job. Hurrah! pretty funny story.
50mm 1.8 is dead but camera is still going strong.

Onto my next test shoot.. here are the ideas.







Rid of the Ordinary

How amazing are these sets for Lady Gaga's photoshoot with Mario Testino?
I love how the set builders have incorporated elements of wildlife and nature within a large manor house. The costume is also extraordinary, making her as grand as the sets themselves.


I really like the look of simple backgrounds in these shots by using coloured sheets, cloth and small furniture or props to create the look of a room. Photographer, Annie Leibovitz (image above) uses some really similar simple set ups and creates a real sense of place in every one of her images. They are so inspirational.

Theres a new piece of furniture in my flat, a mini chase lounge. Its gold painted with dull vintage green fabric. I think would be perfect for using during portraits. I might think about using a similar background and draping fabric.. market hunt it is!

From a recent shoot.. started re-editing some of the shots today.

Photography & Editing - Me
Model -Bex
Makeup/Hair - Abi


 



Perfect Fantasy

More fantasy inspired displays..

I can't imagine the amount of work gone into these sets but they are stunning.

The Peter Pan display is a winner for me. The lighting is perfect,  almost with the right amount of darkness and looks almost like something from a movie set.

I've come to realise that displaying and merchandising is very similar to placement of objects and people in Photography. There is always an equal balance of subjects when you look at something you want to shoot. You can see in these displays that there has been careful planning and placement to make sure everything balances and the customer looks at the right things and not for too long.










Holidays are coming

Christmas is one of the best times of year to catch all the amazing displays in town. I try to visit Manchester as much as I can during this season. The atmosphere is great, people rushing, people stop wearing their flip-flops and start wearing ear muffs! and those Christmas Markets :)

Well I trawled through the net looking for some of the displays.. I'd like to see how some of the retailers have tackled their displays at this time of year, whats similar and whether some are more experimental than others.. 

Next, Gap, John Lewis, Selfrides and Topshop are just some I found.. Topshop is one of my favs.