Back To The Factory

Last week I went back to the old Spitfire factory in Swindon to do a shoot with Miss Lou Lou at Spitfire Studio. I met Lou at Swindon station at the agrees time and the drive to the studio only took a few minutes. 

 

After a quick chat to discuss the shoot and a cup of coffee, the lights were set up and I had determined what the exposure was and we set off on our shoot. Lou started off in one of the studio's own outfits and we did a few variations on that theme before a quick change and we then went on to use some more of the studio's props which included a microphone and feather boa!

After doing the Karaoke set we moved on to do some shots specifically for a competition on Purple Port involving a hat, did a few variations and also used one or two more of the studio props, before doing some nudes on the studio's very comfortable new chair.

Photographer: Me (Mugshots-UK)
Model: Miss Lou Lou
Studio: Spitfire Studio

Photographer and Model Networking: Purple Port

First Shoot In A While

Being unemployed means that I have very limited funds available to do photo shoots, the cost of hiring a model and a studio can be quite expensive so when I recently got a refund on my electricity bill and a rebate from the tax man I could put some of that money towards a shoot with S_Olivia at Spitfire Studios near Swindon.

S_Olivia was holding a studio day and I had booked the last few hours available for that day and arrived with plenty of time due to my having to pick up one or two items. While waiting for my time slot I read an article about a squadron I served on in Germany when I was in the Royal Air Force, which might be worthy of a Blog entry some time.

At the appointed time I went into the studio and set up the lighting, while chatting to S_Olivia about what ideas I wanted to pursue for the shoot. We started with a nude set and changed her hair styling a couple of times as well as trying out some more unusual posing ideas.

 

We later did some shots that involved some of the items of clothing she brought with her and I also introduced a Bowler hat and an unusual Pool Ball handled Swagger Stick in a few of the shots. The final set involved more nudity and a slight change in the lighting set-up.

 

 

Photographer: Me (Mugshots-UK)

Model: S_Olivia
Studio: Spitfire Studio

View my full portfolio on PurplePort.com

Photoshop Fun

As I mentioned in my last Blog, I intended to do some digital manipulation on a couple of the images and I have at last got around to doing the work in Photoshop.

The first one is inspired by a scene from a 1986 Ken Russell film Gothic where the camera zooms in to the nipple of a bared female breast and an eye opens where the nipple is.

It was not as easy as I had first thought it would be and my first attempt was most unsatisfactory, this one is still not as good as I would like, but is much improved on my first attempt

The next idea was originally based on the Leonardo da Vinci drawing of the Vitruvian Man, but I seem to have produced something more akin to the Hindu Goddess Durga.

Oh well, back to the drawing board and we'll see what my warped mind comes up with next time.

Many thanks to S_Olivia for her patience on this shoot.

An Hour In The Spitfire Factory

I am not currently doing much photography at the moment, so when I had opportunity to spend an hour with S_Olivia on a studio day, I did not need to be asked twice! The studio opened in the last year and is located in what was once an aircraft factory where Spitfires were built many years ago. The factory is now a complex of business units hence the name of Spitfire Studio.

By today's standards an hour is not a long time for a photo shoot so I had to be fairly well organised by my standards, and I brought a minimal amount of props with me and asked for most of the shoot to be nude, this kept time out from shooting to a minimum. I was making something of a rod for my own back as I am intending to do a lot of post production work in Photoshop with some digital manipulations which I will post at a later date.

Photographer: Me (Mugshots-UK)
Model: S_Olivia
Studio: Spitfire Studio

View my full portfolio on PurplePort.com

Have Been Quiet Lately

Things have been quiet lately, being unemployed means that there is little money to pay for studios and models, so i have to take full advantage of any opportunities that may occur from time to time.

Such an opportunity arose recently when Spitfire Studios in Swindon had an open evening, and suggested that photographers bring their cameras with them as there would be a couple of models and make-up artists in attendance. On the evening I was joined by Fire's Secret, who lives close by, as she wanted to find out how to get to the studio as she had not been there before.

At the studio there were quite a few people there who are members of WASP (Wiltshire and Swindon Photography), a facebook group for photographers, models, make-up artists and stylists in the Wiltshire and Swindon area, so it was a good opportunity to network with fellow creative people.

I took the opportunity to take a few photos of Fire's Secret and Cherry Blossom Coats, as well as having a chat with many of those who attended. All in all an entertaining evening.

You can see more of my work on my web site or on my Purple Port portfolio.
I can recommend Purple Port as a good site to network with photographers, models, make-up artists, stylists and studios. It is friendly, easy to use and you can join here.

A New Colour Scheme

I had not worked with S_Olivia for three months and when we arranged a shoot for the end of August I was not aware that she had changed the colour of her hair, she is now sporting red hair.

We had a short shoot in my garden and I wanted to see if I could capture some new portraits that showed her new hair colour. Some of the images actually worked better as black and white due to my camera giving me some strong colour casts in the shadow areas, but I have found a way of correcting this problem so I will probably re-process some of the affected images at some point.

Some of the shots featured some new wardrobe items, including a long dress that will need to be adjusted, as it was too long for her even when she wore her high heels. We also did some nude and topless shots as well, including an attempt at some bodyscapes that did not work too well in daylight, I will have to try again sometime in a studio.

You can see more of my work at my Mugshots-UK web site or on my Purple Port portfolio.