Jay McLaughlin : Photographer

Tom Felton - Outtakes

2012-01-26T14:19:00.001Z

Was looking back through some old behind the scenes shots from last year, and came across these shots of Tom Felton. Hard to believe that this shoot was almost a year ago now!

At the time, Tom had just finished filming Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and the final instalment of the Harry Potter series was due out in the cinemas. Tom was great to shoot. Was just one of those times you forget it's work. We just chatted while I took photos. I've had a lot of emails asking for more of Tom, so here you go. Don't say I never give you anything!

Click "Read More" to see all the outtakes.

If you wanna see the rest of the shoot and editorial... click here.

Leni's Model Management 2012 Postcard - BTS Video

2012-01-25T12:49:00.000Z

Photographer: Jay McLaughlin
Make-up: Nina Robinson & Amy Brandon
Assistant Make-up: Melanie Meik
Shot by: James Hustler & Luke Clarke
Edit: James Hustler
Creative direction: Jennifer Sheppeck

WITH THANKS to Hasselblad studio & Monki (represented by IPR) as seen on Lauren and Valeriya.

The Clothes Whisperer @ D&Me / One Vintage

2012-01-25T12:31:00.003Z

Just before Christmas, myself and Kristin Knox (aka The Clothes Whisperer) teamed up with Amy Brandon and ran riot at vintage store D&Me in Kensington.

The idea behind this editorial is that of a little girl playing "dress up", albeit in some rather awesome and expensive vintage attire!

D&Me was an amazing location. The stunning clothes and endless supply of props (I never expected a location to have a ready supply of flamingoes!) all added to the styling of the shoot. It was also nice to be somewhere warm when all outside was cold and windy! It's definitely about time I got booked for a shoot in the Maldives I reckon! Anyway, I hope you like the images as much as we enjoyed shooting them. Expect to see a lot more collaborations between myself and the Clothes Whisperer in 2012!

Credits
Photographer: Jay McLaughlin
Model: Kristin Knox @ Premier (with Butters the Pom)
Makeup Artist: Amy Brandon
Styling: The Clothes Whisperer
Location: D&Me, 309 Brompton Road, London SW3 2DY

Kristin is wearing

One Vintage Hana Dress £790
One vintage Rupuzel Dress £1600, Eugenia Kim silver fox fur hat £665, Gryphon biker jacket £380, Vintage Chanel handbag £2900
One Vintage Krystal Dress £890
One Vintage Veronica Dress £920
YSL vintged gipsy dress £950, vintage Chanel handbag £2800
One Vintage oversized tutu £990, One Vintage Meredith tunic £1100
Bill Blass vintage skirt £660, One Vintage chiffon dress £350

You can see more on The Clothes Whisperer

Helmut Lang

2012-01-25T12:06:00.000Z

One of my images of the Clothes Whisperer has ended up on the Helmut Lang Journal.

Internet Presence

2012-01-22T15:29:00.000Z

We all have a website, it's a given, but what happens if your website goes down? This has just happened to me, through no fault of my own. My web host have managed to screw everything up during a server transfer and now I'm unable to gain FTP access to my webspace. Not ideal! I'm in the process of setting up with a new hosting company following the inability by my hosting provider to rectify the situation, but thats not the main problem. The main problem is that I currently have no website now, and that doesn't exactly help me get work.

So what happens if someone wants to find me? Well in the meantime, I've managed to put up a holding page, which is better than nothing, but it got me thinking about what if people want to see my work? I'm currently in a copyright infringement battle with someone via Facebook (they think my work is theirs, and I think differently), so I have minimal work on Facebook having had it removed via a DMCA infringement order. The only other work I have online is on my Photo Diary, which isn't really representative of my commercial work and how I make a living.

We all, at least we should, have backups of our work and data. Things go down, break, corrupt etc, so it's important to have safeguards to protect against any loss of business. So why don't we do the same with our websites? I'm not talking about a duplicate website. What I mean is a mini backup site with selected work and contact details that you can point people to in the event that something goes wrong with your host. It'll probably never get used, but right now, I'm regretting not having one.

People often talk about "professional cameras" and that's usually attributed to their size. I would argue that as professionals, it's more about having backups. Professional is about being able to complete the job even when equipment breaks or things go wrong. That might be because you had a spare camera or lens, or because you had the experience or knowledge to work around the problem. Either way, it's important to consider the various things that can go wrong and prevent you from doing your work, and then work out what you need to do to be able to carry on regardless.

2011 Retrospective Book

2012-01-06T11:40:00.002Z

As I mentioned in my 2011 Retrospective blog at the end of the year, I put together a book of all my favourite photos of the year (as I do every year). I use Blurb to get my books printed, and I have to say on this occasion they've really out done themselves!

I had a 25% discount voucher that needed to be used up by the end of 2011, so I submitted my order on the 31st December. I'm shocked that it's now the 6th of January, and I have the book in my hands. With a 2 day shipping service, that's a 4 day turnaround... over the new year period! Combined with the price, I really can't find any reason to go anywhere else!

Since I last had a book from Blurb, they've added a few new paper options that I thought I'd give a try. The new ProLine range adds some new paper stock and the option to choose the colour of your end sheets. I've always used Blurb's Premium paper option when ordering and been reasonably satisfied with it. The two new papers are much heavier and come in a pearl and uncoated finish. I gave the uncoated a go and I really like it. It's more matt than the premium paper I had last time and feels a lot more expensive. The images seem to show a lot more tonal range and the colours are reproduced pretty much exactly as they should be. I'll be interested to try the pearl finish at some point to compare a glossier look, but for now I'm happy.

Here's a few images...

Book Review : Helmut Newton

2012-01-05T15:04:00.000Z

Part of the Thames & Hudson 'Photofile' series, this Helmut Newton book is smaller than almost all my other photo books, but much like a cover, you shouldn't judge a book by its size either.

Sandwiched between an insightful introduction by none other than Karl Lagerfeld, and an interview by Helmut, on Helmut, this book is features 64 of his best works. I've blogged about Helmut Newton in the past, and this book has actually made me appreciate him even more. So many of his images could easily feature in fashion magazines today, with many of today's photographers taking cues from his ever changing style.

The interview itself gives a real insight into Newton's thought processes and approach to his work. It's always interesting to read how photographers create the images that they do, and how they go about the business of photography. Here are a couple of excerpts...

"I've always worked on commission and I'll keep doing so. With one slight difference over the last 15 years: I always work for others, but now I'm free to choose. That way there's no line between my personal work and what I sell."

"The people who use me have more money than I'll ever see. They are rich - they are industrial leaders, big companies, successful magazines. I don't feel sorry for them. But I also work for free sometimes. And it's just as much fun. I can do photos for magazines put out by young people who don't have enough money to pay the people who work for them. If they're doing something I think is interesting, and if I think I can help them out, then I do it for nothing."

I really recommend you pick up a copy of this book.
It's currently available on Amazon or Waterstones priced at £7.19

It's not about you / It's all about you

2012-01-03T14:39:00.001Z

As a photographer, I like to question everything. I like to understand how things work, why they are how they are, and how it affects what I do.

One of my latest ponderings really got me thinking, so I ran it past US based photographer Chase Jarvis for his opinion. Not only did he have his own take, but he also felt compelled to post the question on his blog. I found some of the comments really quite interesting, so thought I would pass on some of my own thoughts.

The question was simply...

“What’s more important as a photographer… to remove yourself from the photograph, or to make the photograph about you as a photographer?”

Firstly, as a fashion photographer, I shall be relating this mainly to shooting people/models, but the same could apply to a landscape, bride and groom or a product.

Viewpoint 1 : It's not about you

The most important thing in a photograph is the subject. It's the subject that inspires you, and the subject that is the starting point to the creative process. When someone views a portrait, they should say "she (or he, that, them etc) looks beautiful" rather than "that's an amazing photo of her". People will look past the image and see the subject if the photographer has made the image less about them, and more about who or what's beginning photographed. It's the subject that should come first.

When I first started as a professional photographer, I often questioned what it meant to be 'professional', and what people and, more importantly, clients expected. For a long time I overcompensated with gear and lighting. I would light virtually every scene in order to create a "look". The resulting images were actually more about me than my subject.

There are many occasions when you must absolutely remove yourself from an image. If you're trying to capture a moment or a scene that is nothing to do with you for example. To get too close to the subject or interact in some way would disrupt the integrity of the shot.

Annie Leibovitz is a photographer who researches her subjects with immense precision. This research can be anything from reading their biography, watching or looking at their work, to, when possible, watching them on a daily basis go about their life. She tries to capture a little piece of their soul within a photograph. The photographs she produces are not about her. They're about her subjects. When touring with the Rolling Stones, early in her career, Leibovitz got to a point where the band would ignore her as she wandered about capturing them with her camera. This meant that she was able to get right inside the band and photograph them in a way that is rarely seen. Another interesting fact is that she often doesn't talk to her subjects while shooting. She says, “I certainly can’t talk to people and take pictures at the same time. For one thing, I look through a viewfinder when I work.” By taking this approach, her subjects are being themselves, rather than who the photographer wants them to be. This was further emphasised when she photographed John Lennon and Yoko Ono, shortly before Lennon was shot. The pose was entirely John and Yoko's doing. Leibovitz recalls... "Then he curled up next to her and it was very, very strong. You couldn't help but feel that she was cold and he looked like he was clinging on to her. I think it was amazing to look at the first Polaroid and they were both very excited. John said, 'You've captured our relationship exactly'.

Removing yourself from the photograph enables you to capture the essence or soul of your subject.

Viewpoint 2 : It's all about you

When creating a photograph, you need to put your stamp on it. If you don't, someone else could easily produce the same image, and if they can do it cheaper, you might as well give up and go home. You want people to book you for how you do what you do, not because you were cheap and available. Your images should be easily identifiable as yours, whether it be by lighting style, subject choice or composition.

By interacting with a subject or scene, you're changing it from something any bystander could see, into something you have created and only you can capture. In 1957, Richard Avedon photographed the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson. The Windsors were very practiced at putting on happy faces for the camera and Avedon knew that. Since the Duke's abdication from the throne, the pair had been photographed many times and had got their posing and happy, smiling, camera faces well practiced. Avedon didn’t want that kind of standard photo of them though. He wanted to show a different side. A side that no one ever sees. He knew that the Windsors were avid dog lovers and would use this to his advantage. After getting the shot all set up, with the Duke and Duchess in position, he told a deliberate lie. He explained how on his way to meet them, his taxi had accidentally run over a dog in the street and killed it. The moment they heard this, their faces dropped, and Avedon clicked the shutter. The result was a shot completely unique to Richard Avedon. If he hadn't interacted with his subject and put a part of himself in the image, it would have been the same photograph as everyone else's.

Your photographs should be all about you. Only by imposing yourself on a subject can you create something unique to you.

Conclusion

So the way I see it, this is largely a question about confidence and ego.

Many photographers, especially at the beginning of their careers put far more effort into 'their style' through trying to be different, original and unique. Style is something that develops, changes and evolves over time. It shouldn't necessarily be a conscious thing. It should be the natural way you approach the photographic process.

Being a photographer is much more than knowing how to operate a camera, lighting or photoshop. Its about seeing, telling stories, engaging with a person, people or place. You need to put your subject first. Your subject is more important than you. If you disagree, maybe you should ask yourself why you chose that subject. If the photographer is the most important thing, why do we not only ever shoot self portraits? There are plenty of photographers out there with highly inflated egos. In their world, they are the star. They create the magic, and need to have their stamp on everything in order to tell everyone that it's their work, and they did it, and that they're the most important part of the process. They might be right... But I see things as more of a collaborative process. The vast majority of my work involves other people. Models, make up artists, assistants, stylists, designers all play their part. A model can inspire me in the way they move a certain way. A stylist can create a look which inspires the model to move in the way that inspires me. The designer created the clothes that the stylist put on the model, in order for her to move in a way that inspired me. Everyone plays their part, and I personally don't need my stamp on absolutely everything in order to make an image my own. It's about seeing what's in front of you and using it to capture the ideas that running through your head.

There's so much more to style than lighting setups and editing. Henri Cartier-Bresson, one of the greatest photographers who ever walked the streets of the world, never developed any of his own prints. His photographic style was based purely on what he did with the camera. Many of the magazines I work for have their own retouching departments, so I quickly learned that my style cannot be based on retouching, or photoshop "effects" if I want to continue to work commercially. Sometimes, there isn't time to work with extensive lighting setups, so my images need to be defined by more than how many flashes I've used. By taking all of these elements out of the process, a professional photographer then has to rely on the skill of knowing where to stand, pointing the camera in the right direction, and choosing when to click the shutter. This is the stuff that can't be copied. This is what makes your work unique and leaves your mark on the image.

The beauty about us as people, and not just as photographers, is that we're all different. We've led different lives and had different experiences. We're all inspired by different things. We approach everything we do in our own way, without even thinking consciously about it. Everything we've seen, done and experienced up until this point right now, will be affecting the choices and decisions we make from this point forward. The work I'm doing today is different to the work I did a week ago, and different to the work I'll do in 20 years time. So in reality, it's physically impossible to remove yourself totally from an image, because even the idea of creating that image at that moment in time is something unique to you.

So as Chase said in his response, you need to be "present" in the image, but you need to realise that it's not about you. By choosing to create that image, or shoot that subject, you're already putting your mark on it. By clicking the shutter at the moment it felt right for you, you made the image yours. The photograph is not about you, but by the very definition of you being the photographer who shot it, it's all about you.

2011 : A Retrospective

2011-12-30T16:57:00.005Z

So that's 2011 just about done and dusted, so as usual, everyone's looking back on what has often been a rubbish year of disappointments, and harping on about how much better 2012 is going to be, and how how it's going to be "their year"! I'm writing this having just finished my "2011 Book", which is now uploading to blurb.com. For those who don't know about my books, you can find out what I'm on about here. It's always interesting looking back at the previous 12 months, to see what you've achieved and where you are currently. I find it's a really good way of pushing and focussing yourself in the months to come.

2011 for me hasn't actually been all bad... In fact, a lot of it has been pretty good. Even some of the bad stuff has taught me a lot, which can only be a good thing.

For me, a lot of 2011 was about finding a direction. It's all very well being able to take a good photo, but part of being a successful photographer is knowing what you want to take photos of, and how. So on that basis I've been doing a lot of personal work in order to focus my book to show more of me, and my way of working. Of course, this is something that will never stop. A photographers style should never be a conscious thing. It should be the natural way he/she sees the world, and should change and evolve over time like any other artist.

So what else happened in 2011? Well I added to my celebrity portfolio with people like Tom Felton of Harry Potter fame, and the cast of Hollyoaks. I went to Fashion Weeks both in London and Paris, and had several magazine articles written about me and my work. I also had more work published in magazines around the world in places I've never been to haha. So all in all, quite positive really.

Of course I did learn some valuable lessons. Most importantly, I learned that there are some incredibly ruthless and selfish people out there that are determined to lie and cheat their way to the top at the expense of others. Thankfully, these people are in a minority, and it's just my bad luck to have come across a few of them. People keep telling me that karma exists, so we shall see if their approach pays dividends.

2011 has had its share of legal battles for me... which are still ongoing. I can be quite self righteous when I want to be. I'm currently in a legal battle over another photographer using my images to advertise his services, and I'm also involved in another wrangle over copyright of my work. I take my photographic career very seriously and won't have people infringe my rights as a photographer. I will always defend them to the end!

Looking forward to 2012, what's going to be happening? Well to be honest, I have no idea, and that's what makes it so exciting. I have an immense feeling of anticipation of amazing things about to happen, and it's this that spurs me on. My career goals and ambition are as focused as ever so next year will be a continuation on my journey. It's going to be hard work, I'll probably make mistakes, but it's going to be exciting.

So 2012... Let's get started, I'm ready for ya!

Hollyoaks for First Car Magazine

2011-11-24T14:27:00.021Z

The latest issue of First Car, a magazine aimed at young drivers is out today with an interview shoot I did for the cover with Rachel Shenton, Jorgie Porter and James Atherton on the set of Hollyoaks.

It was such a fun shoot and all three of them were great to work with, even if we only had an hour for both the shoot and interview.

It's always strange wandering around television sets, because nothing is arranged in the way you expect. Some buildings are just facades, others back onto or face buildings you thought were in an entirely different place. It's all the magic of television I spose! Haha.

First Car is out now

I ❤ Editorial for Olympus User Magazine

2011-10-26T16:50:00.024+01:00

Following my recent interview feature in Olympus User, I thought I might share the rest of the editorial I shot for it.

All the images were shot using my little Olympus PEN E-PL1, using the pop-up flash to light the models. The shoot was actually pretty last minute with about a days worth of planning, so a big thank you to Leni's for suppling the models, and Getting Shirty for making up the t-shirts at a moments notice! As you can probably tell from the images, the shoot was a laugh with everyone just messing around and having a good time.

Credits
Photographer: Jay McLaughlin
Models: Ashlee, Samira & Lisa M @ Leni's Model Management
T-Shirts: Getting Shirty
Location: London

Olympus User Interview

2011-10-17T14:31:00.000+01:00

The Autumn 2011 issue of Olympus User Magazine is out with an 6 page interview feature on yours truly, along with the cover image.

As many of you know, I use the E-PL1 as an everyday camera. I have it with me all the time, and in many ways it has replaced the camera in my iPhone. I recently started a Photo Diary to give me somewhere to put some of the images I shoot with it. I was chuffed to bits when I got a call from the editor of Olympus User, saying that he'd read in my article in Photo Professional magazine that I'm a lover of the small camera, and would I be interested in doing an interview with them.

The feature is really well written and I'm thoroughly pleased with it. As the magazine title suggests, it's mainly focussed around my use of the Olympus E-PL1 camera, and why I love it, but unlike a lot of photography magazines, it isn't solely interested in the equipment. I talk a lot about the actual act of taking photographs rather than the settings and techniques and lighting diagrams. Stuff that I think is far more important than what kind of camera you're holding and it's settings. It's the photographer who takes the picture, not the camera!

The cover image was shot specifically for the magazine using my Olympus, using a bunch of girls from Leni's Model Managaement. I also had a whole load of t-shirts printed by Getting Shirty, which really helped add to a fun days shooting!

Check it out while it's still in the shops, or subscribe to it online.
You can also see more of the images I shoot with my Olympus on my Photo Diary.

RIP Steve Jobs 1955-2011

2011-10-06T10:07:00.002+01:00

Bryce Aime SS12 'LIVE' Shoot @ LFW - BTS

2011-10-05T13:53:00.000+01:00

As promised, here are some shots from behind the scenes at the Bryce Aime SS12 'Live' shoot during London Fashion Week.

Shoot Credits
Photographer: Jay McLaughlin
Photographic Assistants: Kris Mitchell & Karl Gregory
Models: Klaudia & Sonia Żogała @ Cosmic & Kasia @ First
Head Makeup Artist: Valentina Creti
Makeup Team: AOFM Academy
Head Hair Stylist: Herman Ho
Hair Team: L'Oreal Professionnel
Styling: Sabina Emrit
Location: The May Fair Hotel
Behind the Scenes Videography: 8D Films / H&L Productions

Photo Credits: Florencia Da Valle, Hannah Jones & Davide Cossu

For the shoot images, check out my earlier blog!

Bryce Aime SS12 'LIVE' Shoot @ LFW

2011-09-30T12:19:00.000+01:00

Here are the images from the Bryce Aime 'Live' photoshoot I took part in during London Fashion Week. I'm used to working in front of people when I shoot, due to having make up artists and stylists and the like being on set, but this was the first time I'd had an actual "audience" in the room!

I attended Bryce Aime's AW11 show back in February, so was interested to see the evolution of his style from one collection to the next. I was to be shooting three show pieces for his SS12 collection.

Upon arrival at the hotel, we looked over the suite to come up with an action plan. We then had to descend into the bowels of the building to collect all the gear from the back entrance. Was cool to see the parts of the hotel that only staff or A-List celebrities see, although walking past the kitchen and seeing the amazing food they were preparing was a little bit too much of a tease!

The shoot had it's own challenges. The Penthouse suite of the May Fair Hotel, as expensive as it is, was never designed with photoshoots in mind. Space was an issue, as was making sure there were no wires or things to fall on anyone watching. Thankfully, my two assistants, Kris and Karl, were seriously on the ball so I could concentrate on the photo taking part.

Because this was all within the remit of a party, the actual photoshoot was only 45mins long, and in that time I needed to get enough images to satisfy the designer. Due to the space constraints, I was pretty much restricted to a single angle, with not much room for manoeuvre. I'll post the behind the scenes images in a separate blog so you can see what I had to work with. Anyway, the three models came in one at a time, before returning for shots of them together. Challenge number 2374639276 of the shoot was model direction. I'm used to photographing models who don't speak much English. That's pretty normal in the Fashion industry, but what makes it extra difficult is when it's in the middle of a party and there's a DJ playing loud music. We got there though, which is a testament to the professionalism of the models.

So no sooner had we got underway, the shoot was over and everything was packed away. Check out the rest of the images below. I learned a lot from this shoot. Would be fun to do more in the way of 'Live' shoots. Definitely gives a different buzz to the set compared to normal!

Credits Photographer: Jay McLaughlin
Photographic Assistants: Kris Mitchell & Karl Gregory
Models: Klaudia & Sonia Żogała @ Cosmic & Kasia @ First
Head Makeup Artist: Valentina Creti
Makeup Team: AOFM Academy
Head Hair Stylist: Herman Ho
Hair Team: L'Oreal Professionnel
Styling: Sabina Emrit
Location: The May Fair Hotel
Behind the Scenes Videography: 8D Films / H&L Productions

Clothing: Bryce Aime SS12 Show Pieces
Accessories: Cait, Merle O'Grady
Shoes: Miista, Paul & Joe

Special Thanks: Broncolor, Hasselblad UK, The Pro Centre, The May Fair Hotel, Gin No.3, Caroline Leaper, Natacha Malkin, Hannah Walsh, Hannah Jones, Bianca Bass & Laura Ironside.

London Fashion Week SS12

2011-09-13T14:42:00.000+01:00

I can't believe that 6 months have gone so quick, but London Fashion Week has come around again already! This season will be especially busy for me as not only have I got the shows to go to, but I've also got a few fashion week photography jobs to do during the week too.

As usual I shall be posting up my visual take on all that Fashion Week has to offer, both here and on my new Photo Diary. You can see what I got up to last season on my London Fashion Week AW11 Round-up blog.

Photo Diary

2011-09-10T17:51:00.000+01:00

Ok, so as was pointed out to me recently, I've been kinda slack with updating my blog. Truth is I've been a busy bee! Having said that, I do have about 10 half written blog posts that I just haven't found the time to finish writing. I'm hoping I'll get some time after London Fashion Week to sit down and finish at least a couple of them, but I can't promise! hahaha.

In the meantime, I've recently started a Photo Diary on Tumblr. I wanted somewhere I could quickly and easily post up photos from my day to day life, as well as the odd shoot image and some behind the scenes stuff. It'll be updated a lot more frequently than my blog and is a good way to keep up with what I'm up to, and where I've been. You can check it out at diary.jaymclaughlin.co.uk. I will apologise now for the amount of food shots! Lately I've been lucky to eat some pretty amazing meals, so if you're feeling peckish, you have been warned! haha

"Cinderella Sale" for U Magazine

2011-08-15T14:08:00.000+01:00

Did a shot for the August issue of U Magazine, for a feature on sale shopping.

The article was written and styled by Sabina Emrit. My image features the stunning Rose, from Leni's Model Management, with make up by Nina Robinson.

Fall into Colour for Access-Fashion.com - BTS

2011-08-13T12:54:00.024+01:00

I had a couple of people email saying they wanted to see more behind the scenes images, so here's some shots from the Fall into Colour shoot.

I always like to have fun on shoots, and Hanna is one of the best models to work with. It's great to have happy people on set. It helps keeps everyone's energy levels up, which is important, especially on long shoots.

I really wanted the Emmanuel Katsaros glasses!

Credits
Photographer: Jay McLaughlin
Model: Hanna H @ Leni's Model Management
Makeup Artist: Nina Robinson
Styling: Sabina Emrit
Location: London

Click here to see the full shoot

Fall into Colour for Access-Fashion.com

2011-08-08T15:06:00.044+01:00

Recent editorial shoot for Access-Fashion.com. A lot more colourful than I usually shoot, but I really love the look. Modelling for us was the gorgeous Hanna from Leni's Model Management, who is fast becoming one of my favourite models to work with.

Although lots of fun, this shoot wasn't without it's challenges. The location was pretty cramped, which made lighting it quite tricky, especially as it relied heavily on the use of gels. This all made angles difficult to get right, but we got there in the end, and managed to get through plenty of looks in a short space of time.

Credits
Photographer: Jay McLaughlin
Model: Hanna H @ Leni's Model Management
Makeup Artist: Nina Robinson
Styling: Sabina Emrit
Location: London

Hanna is wearing

Bora Aksu Corset, Stylists Own Dress
Bernard Chandran Dress, Vintage Blue Skirt, Emmanuel Katsaros Gloves
Bernard Chandran Dress, Vintage Blue Skirt, Emmanuel Katsaros Gloves
Bora Aksu Dress, Bernard Chandran Peplum
Ashley Isham Archive Dress, Ashley Isham Archive Top (worn as puff sleeves)
Bernard Chandran Jacket / Dress
Bernard Chandran Jacket / Dress
Beyond Retro Tutu (worn as neck piece), Emmanuel Katsaros Gloves, Emmanuel Katsaros Sunglasses
Beyond Retro Tutu (worn as neck piece), Emmanuel Katsaros Gloves, Emmanuel Katsaros Sunglasses

You can see more on Access Fashion

Brodies Portfolios

2011-07-30T11:58:00.000+01:00

How you present your work to potential clients can often be the difference between getting the job, or not. As we move further into a digital age of smartphones, iPads and other digital display devices, it's still the printed portfolio that a lot of clients want to see.

My old book was only a cheap one, and whilst it did the job on a technical level, I was never overly happy with it, so I thought I should probably invest in a new one.

I asked a couple of people for recommendations. I found it interesting that many people suggested the likes of Blurb for a printed book. Whilst I love the books from Blurb, and produce a yearly portfolio for myself using them, this is an entirely different kettle of fish. These books undoubtedly look great, especially for the money, but the whole point of a portfolio is that you can take it to show clients, and keep it as up to date as possible. Once a printed book is ordered, it's very often already out of date. With an album style book, not only can you keep it up to date relatively easily, but you can also tailor it for each individual meeting based on what your client is interested in seeing. Plus, a proper photographic print is far superior to a press printed book, and you want your work to look as good as possible, right? During a chat with Lara Jade, she said the only place to go was Brodies Portfolios, in Covent Garden. I went down there a couple of weeks later during a day of meetings in London, to see what they had to offer, and placed my order there and then.

I opted for 12x10" book in black leather to try and strike a decent balance between size and portability... after all, a portfolio is only a portfolio if it's portable! I also went with my name embossed both on the front of the book, and again on the inside flysheet.

I can't stress enough how good the quality is from Brodies. The leather oozes luxury and expense, and the metal binding posts inside are strong and study. The whole package makes for an extremely impressive statement when presenting to any potential client. All I need to do now is decide what images I want to put inside it!

Whilst I was at Brodies collecting my book, I had to take a couple of shots inside. There's something immensely cool about their premises. From the samples and leather swatches on the shelves, to the letter stamps and embossing machine, everything just feels traditional, and "proper".

Brodies Portfolios are located in Covent Garden...
17 Shorts Gardens,
Unit 3, 2nd Floor,
London WC2H 9AT

Tel: 0207 379 5755
brodie@brodiesportfolios.com or amanda@brodiesportfolios.com
http://www.brodiesportfolios.com

Opening Hours
Monday - Thursday 10:00 - 17:30
Friday 10:00 - 17:00
Saturday & Sunday CLOSED

Abbreviations

2011-07-26T11:30:00.000+01:00

I'm gonna have a little rant, but I need to get this off my chest. I hate this modern obsession with abbreviating everything. People are far too lazy these days. I understand that 10 years ago, mobile phones only had number keypads, and that it took ages to type out text, but now we have qwerty keyboards on everything, so it's just lazy and stupid. My two biggest gripes from people shortening "photographer" and "portfolio" to "tog" and "port" respectively.

Photographer comes from "photon" which is a light particle, and "grapher", which is someone who draws. As photographers, we are using light to create images. A tog is a unit of thermal measurement used i determining how warm a duvet is... I am not a duvet!

A folio is a collection of work, in a photographers case, his best photographs. A portfolio is a portable version of his folio. Calling it a "port" is stupid. Ships don't dock in my work!

Abbreviating words to things that no longer have the right meaning shows a lack of knowledge and understanding, as well as laziness. These are both traits that have never been good for making people want to work with you. I wrote a blog a while back on image and branding. The words we use are as important as the way we look, and how we portray ourselves. Stupid lazy people don't usually get very far in life. Don't give people the chance to make those assumptions about you.

How long before now is retro?

2011-07-10T12:23:00.000+01:00

I've been looking at a lot of the cool images that inspire me and trying to work out what it is about them that I like. As many of you know, I love a lot of the photography from some of the great fashion photographers like Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton. Due to the time these guys were working, a lot of their images have a really great retro vibe to them... something I'm seeing replicated a lot in the fashion mags today.

What I've been wondering though is, when will the mundane of today be the retro cool of tomorrow? Rather than searching out vintage looks and locations from 20 or 30 years ago, shouldn't I be shooting what's around me now? Or does it go deeper than just the look of the image, and that what we're really missing from modernity is the glamour and wonder from a bygone era?

So I suppose maybe I've answered my own question. Now might never be retro cool, because we're missing the thing that makes it cool. Alternatively, we might simply just like to look back with rose tinted glasses at years gone by, and only remember the good bits.

All images © copyright their respective photographers/owners

Workflow : U Magazine

2011-06-16T14:05:00.006+01:00

The majority of people see a photograph as a true and realistic depiction of a scene or person. What they might not be aware of is that it's actually an illusion. Real life is three dimensional. We can see distances due to having two eyes, which also allows us to determine whether things have depth or mass. A photograph is a two dimension interpretation of a three dimensional scene. To compensate, photographers use all manner of tricks to capture either the look and feel of real life, or to create a fantasy world. Either way, it's all an illusion.

Of course there are limits to what people will believe in an image. Everyone nowadays is sceptical about retouching and the body image that is portrayed in the media. That said, there are times when it's necessary to trick the audience in order to fulfil the brief laid out. I'm not talking about twisting facts, or being untruthful. There's a whole bunch of moral arguments involved in that. This is more about suggesting things within an image that are enough for the viewer to just accept it without question.

Ok, so I was commissioned to shoot an editorial for the June 2011 issue of U, a Jordanian fashion magazine. The concept for the shoot was simple, shoot 4 images, one for each of the major fashion capitals, London, Milan, New York and Paris to accompany an article on summer style. Sounds easy enough, right? Oh did I mention that due to time and budget constraints, the whole shoot needed to be done in a single day, and all in one location? Gotta love a challenge!

Ok, so how do you create the illusion of 4 completely different places within a day? Well being London based, I knew the "London" shot was going to be fairly simple to do, and I'd spent 9 days in Paris for Fashion Week in March, so had a good idea of what Paris looked like. I've never been to Milan or New York though, so I had my work cut out!

My saviour for this shoot comes in the form of Google Streetview on my iPad! Using a little bit of London knowlegde, some modern technology, and a coffee, I was able to come up with 4 locations which gave enough of a hint for people to accept what they saw.

Because we were going to be shooting all over London, I knew that a massive lighting setup was going to be unfeasible. Not only are the logistics of moving it from one place to another quickly a nightmare, but you don't want to be creating obstructions in the middle of London during a busy weekday! So in terms of equipment, I was travelling light...

Hasselblad H3DII-31 plus an extra battery
Sekonic L-358 Lightmeter (Yes I use one!)
Loads of Sandisk Memory Cards in Pelican 0940 hard cases
iPad with shot locations saved
iPhone
Billingham Bag

So everything was sorted. We had locations, styling, make-up (courtesy of Nina Robinson) and equipment.

So here's a little breakdown of each of the 4 shots...

LONDON

As I said, London was fairly easy. We wanted to go for somewhere instantly London, but also in a open enough space that we could get some sun and blue sky to go with the bright coloured look.

Tower Bridge is right next to the Mayor's office, which has some really nice open spaces on the south bank of the Thames. We actually shot this one last out of the four as the sun was going to be fairly low in the sky and give a night light on her face.

NEW YORK

The "New York" shot was fairly easy to do. Everyone knows that New York is a city with lots of shiny buildings, so I had a look on Google Streetview for big shiny buildings. For security reasons, you need a permit to photograph around Canary Wharf. Apparently, cameras are still a security threat! Haha. So I had a look around The City, and around the banking district. Lots of shiny buildings!

The style for the shot was loosely based on the DKNY SS11 advertising campaign, although I also wanted to make it a little more "New York" in terms of colouring. Of course one of the little problems with shooting it in London is that our cars don't look the same. So luckily, there was a large concrete barrier I was able to block out all the nearby cars with. It also had a yellow stripe running down it which helped the NYC vibe, because, yellow hints at the taxi's New York is famous for. Of course I couldn't resist a little bit of artistic licence, so I changed the colour of one of the cars in the background, just for added illusion.

MILAN

Milan was the hardest to sort. Having never been there, nor watched many Italian films or tv shows, I had little knowledge of what it actually looked like. Had it been Rome, or Venice, I'd have had a better idea. After some Googling, I found a few images of various buildings, some ornate, some modern. I also looked up various campaigns and editorials that had been shot in Milan for people like Versace and Dolce & Gabbana.

With a little searching, I stumbled upon this solution around the corner from our "New York" location. Ok so it may not have some of the ornate Italian renaissance statues that Milan might have, but it was good enough for us. I did have to remove the "City of London" crests from the bollards in post though. That probably would have given it away! Haha!

PARIS

This is my favourite from the entire shoot, and it was not only the first one we shot, but also the first location we came up with.

We shot it on Chelsea Embankment. It was the obvious choice for creating the look of Paris. Most Parisian architecture looks very "French". There wasn't really anywhere I could think of that really resembled the same sort of buildings, so I thought about the one thing London and Paris have in common, there's a river running through the middle of them! Of course, much of London's riverfront is flanked by the various landmarks with which it's made famous, so Chelsea's ornate street lighting and lush trees provided the perfect spot to create our own illusion of Paris.

The look and image were inspired by a film I'd watched only a couple of weeks beforehand - "Coco Before Chanel". I realise Chelsea doesn't have an Eiffel Tower of it's own, and the shot still looked Parisian without it, but it definitely added to the overall "look" we were aiming for.

Hopefully this has given you a little insight in the planning and thought processes I often go through before and during a shoot, and some of the challenges I come up against. As always, if there are any other of my images you'd like to know more about, email me@jaymclaughlin.co.uk.

Inspiration : Holly Webber

2011-06-09T17:48:00.000+01:00

Ok so, up until now, my "inspiration" blogs have been about photographers that inspire me. Well I was lucky to meet and shoot a truly inspirational person a couple of weeks ago. Holly Webber is one of those people you meet who has a true zest for life. She's happy and makes you smile.

So what makes her so inspirational? Well sure, she has the same trials and tribulations as any other 25 year old. In fact, as I write this, she's complaining of a cold, complete with "dripping nose". She has dreams of a house in the country, marriage and children. The kind of dreams anyone else might have. Unfortunately, in January 2010, Holly was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer, and it's now terminal.

If you met Holly, you seriously wouldn't have a clue what she's going through. Her energy and spirit are awesome. Everyone moans and complains about so many things in life. Well Holly has shown me just how precious life can be... make the most of it!

Holly was diagnosed about 18 months ago, and at the time, only told her family and her 3 best friends. In her words, she "found it really hard to communicate what I was feeling, because it was so drastically alien to 'normal' life". It was only after she was told her cancer was terminal that she decided to open up and try and share all the things she's feeling and going through. Things that none of us can really comprehend.

Holly's blog is a real insight into her life. There's all her happiness and excitement about the things she's doing, combined with heart wrenching pleas for another chance at life.

I've taken this blog entry to give a little glimpse into why Holly is a real inspiration to me.

Top 5 Ingredients that make Life Beautiful

Family
Friends
Nature
Music
Art
… but if it’s top 5, there is no room for cheese, cake or nintendo…essentials for me!
Let’s make it top 10…

Family
Friends
Nature
Music
Art
BEER (I almost forgot!)
Cheese
Cake
Nintendo
SUN - MOON - UNIVERSE - Brian Cox? er no. too far.
Rolf Harris :) (although without the sun, the moon and the universe as a whole there would be no life to have this discussion…)

So next time life deals you a bad hand, and you get in a grump, spare a thought for Holly - the most awesomest person I've met!

Check out her blog, "Passing Cloud" here.

Smiling and the Pursuit of Happiness

2011-06-09T11:40:00.000+01:00

I've been doing a lot of looking inward at myself lately, working out my various flaws and how I can achieve all the things I want to achieve. Last year I spent far too much time telling myself that life isn't fair, and complaining that I don't get the same breaks as other people. Well life isn't fair, deal with it. You can't always change the things around you, at least not instantly, but you can change yourself. One thing I noticed is that I'm often not "happy". That's not to say I'm always miserable, but more often than not, I'm just "ok"... which is fine. But I don't want to be just fine... I want to be happy! We all do, don't we?

Well surely if good things happen, they make you happy, so the key is to make good things happen. Well things aren't always gonna happen how you want them to, so that route is probably going to be a bit hit and miss. Plus, you keep hearing about all these lottery winners and the like who are miserable. Well that's not the outcome I'm looking for!

Happiness breeds happiness. Generally speaking (and there's always an exception, and some people just like to be miserable), we are drawn to happy people. It's one of the reasons we smile in family portraits. We like to see people smile, it makes us happy. We also mimic smiles subconsciously. If you go out into the street and smile at someone genuinely, the chances are they'll smile back.

Another awesome thing about smiling, is that you associate smiling with being happy, so the more you smile, the happier you will feel. Then when you smile at someone, you'll make them happy, because everyone likes to see smiling people. This in turn makes them smile back at you, which makes you even happier... Not least because you smiled at someone and they didn't think you were a weirdo! Haha.

Studies have shown that children smile far more than adults. Although, that's probably because they don't have as much crap going on in their lives to make them frown. Most parents with young children are usually happier because they spend more time around them and seeing them smile. Of course that all changes when they become teenagers and the smiling stops.

My point is, we can't always change the big things, but we can do small things which can start the ball rolling. People who smile are often seen to be more approachable. No one wants to talk to someone with a frown on. So if you're more approachable, you're far more likely to randomly get chatting to your next big client, date, friend, job etc... and those are all the things that make you really happy!

The Next Generation

2011-06-03T14:01:00.000+01:00

We always want to work with the best people we can. The people at the top. The ones you read about in books and magazines. Well unfortunately, a lot of the time they only come with big budgets, unless you happen to have a long standing relationship with them. However, everybody starts somewhere, and there's always a new generation of awesomeness on every horizon!

Danielle Ciullo needed a photographer to help out with her final project for her Fashion Promotion BA (Hons) at the University for the Creative Arts, which was where I studied back when it was the Surrey Institute of Art & Design, in Farnham.

I was recommended to Danielle by her sister Gabby, an awesome make-up artist I've worked with several times in the past. I was needed for 2 shoots, both had clear concepts and she knew exactly what she wanted from each shoot. The first was based on a Mondrian painting, and has actually sparked a personal project of mine whereby I plan to recreate various paintings photographically.

Anyway, last night was the opening of the degree show, and I was invited along to the private viewing. It's always nice to see my images printed up big on a wall, and Danielle's course tutors had selected 4 images from the students' projects to display at the entrance to the exhibition. It's the first time I've had my work in an exhibition since my own graduation. Something I might have to consider addressing.

Whilst at the exhibition I got the chance to look through the work and chat to the next generation of stylists, art directors and fashion PR's. These guys are all full of ideas and hungry for success. There are thousands of young talents out there graduating every year and showcasing their work in exhibitions. Don't miss your chance to work with the hot property of the future.

The UCA Fashion Promotion BA (Hons) Degree Show is on till Sunday 5th June at The OXO Tower Gallery, OXO Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, London SE1 9PB. Admission : Free

Danielle Ciullo with her display

People I Work With : Gabriella Ciullo

2011-06-03T13:15:00.000+01:00

Gabby's great to work with. Not only is she an awesome make-up artist, but she's also one of the happiest people I know and always has a smile on her face!

We're worked together on a range of shoots, and each time we create something different and new. It's this that makes things so exciting.

Studying at the London College of Fashion, Gabby has a degree in "Specialist Make-Up for Fashion and Editorial". This, combined with experience working with some of the country's top photographers makes her extremely versatile, both in skill and creativity.

Gabby and I first met at an industry networking night in mid 2010, but for one reason or another, didn't get to work together until early this year. Suffice it to say, we've made up for it since then, and will undoubtedly work on many more awesome projects in the very near future!

Gabby says...

Well for me the first thing is being able to get on with others, in this job you meet different people all the time, everyone wants to feel comfortable with each other and feel relaxed. There is nothing worse then going to a shoot and no one is able to get on and relate to each other... eek!

For whoever I'm doing makeup on I like to build up a trust and connection as fast as possible with the model or client. This is so important as makeup is actually a very intimate and personal thing. It's quite hard to put your trust in someone you don't know to make you look good.

With a photographer you have to be able to understand each other, so both your ideas can connect and translate into the image It's important because if there is no connection on the ideas you have, the images will never be great!

Photographers can either make or break your work! And vice versa with makeup-artists for photographers.

You can check out more of Gabby's work at the following links. I've also posted some of our work together below...

Facebook
Twitter

Inspiration : Helmut Newton

2011-05-18T16:43:00.000+01:00

Helmut Newton once said, "Some people`s photography is an art. Mine is not. If they happen to be exhibited in a gallery or a museum, that`s fine. But that`s not why I do them. I`m a gun for hire." To many people, Helmut Newton is the father of fashion photographer. He was there at the beginning, and it's his images that helped shape the way many of the people that followed.

Born Helmut Neustädter, in Berlin, shortly after the First World War, to an American mother and a Jewish Father, Helmut spent his early years living in an increasingly oppressive time. After being issued with a passport at the age of 18, he left for Singapore, where he began his career as a portrait photographer. During his time in Singapore, he was interned by the British authorities and taken to Australia. He gained Australian citizenship following the end of the war, and subsequently changed his name to "Newton".

Newton established his own studio. where he worked on fashion and theatre photography. This established a reputation, which resulted in a commission from British Vogue for an Australian feature in the magazine. In 1957, he left for Britain, having won himself a 12 month contract with Vogue. Before completing his contract, Newton moved to Paris where carried on working as a fashion photographer, shooting for a variety of magazines, most notably, French Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.

Helmut Newton is famed for his erotic, stylised images. Often he would shoot women nude, with fetishistic undertones. The important thing to realise, however, is that he would always portray women with a sense of power. Working throughout the nineties, Helmut was photographing at the height of the supermodel era, capturing the likes of Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and the like. He would always have a narrative within his images. They were always so much more than a simple photograph.

During the documentary, "Helmut By June", in which his wife records an intimate look at the man and his work, Helmut comes to the screen holding up his modern electronic camera and proclaims, "Everything is automatic! All I have to do is push the button. It's the camera that every amateur buys!". He then pauses, before pointing to his head and saying "It's all in there!". It's this idea that I think is lacking from so many photographers today. Sure it's important to know how your tools work, and how to get the best from them in any given situation, but essentially, all you need the camera to do is expose the image correctly. That's a technical thing. The creativity and art comes from pointing it in the right direction, making sure that what's in front of the camera is right. It's not about f stops and ISO's. It's about people, stories, and the ability to show people what it is that you see!

Helmut Newton died in 2004 in a car crash at his home in Southern California aged 83. He's buried in Berlin, next to Marlene Dietrich. If you haven't already, check out Helmut Newton's work, and look up the documentary on YouTube.

Ferrari Opus : The World's Most Expensive Book!

2011-05-15T14:45:00.000+01:00

I'm a massive fan of big photography books. There's something amazing about the printed image that the digital world has yet to re-create. At the écurie25 Silverstone launch, I was able to take a look at the world's most expensive book!

With it's diamanté crest adorning the front cover, and it's strictly limited sale to only 1 per country, the Ferrari Opus is yours for a mere $275,000! Thankfully, there are cheaper versions for the less extravagant amongst you, starting at a paltry £2,000.

So why so expensive? Well this is more than just a book. It's everything you could ever want to know about one of the world's most recognisable car manufacturers. With images from Ferrari's own archive as well as virtually unrestricted access to the companies staff, factory and records, this really is a Ferrari "Bible".

It's not small either! Measuring at 50x50cm and weighing 24kg, this is not the sort of book you'd want to take on the tube! Each book is personally signed by (depending on which version you buy) several Ferrari legends and comes inside a specially designed clamshell, pushing the total weight to 37kg!

This book is really epic. My favourite shot is one of Enzo Ferrari's desk, as it was left following his death in 1988, complete with reading glasses and fountain pen. There are so many awesome images in the Opus (over 2000) from throughout Ferrari's history. If you get the chance to see one, I recommend you do, whether you're a Ferrari fan or not.

The diamanté edition of the Opus is currently travelling the world with the Formula 1 calendar. An iPhone and iPad version are also available from the App store (at a slightly more reasonable price too!). For more information on the Ferrari Opus, check out their website.

Out : Écurie25 Launch

2011-05-15T13:49:00.000+01:00

There's no doubting that financially, times aren't what they once were. To most of us, supercars are the stuff of childhood dreams, being nothing more than a poster on a bedroom wall. Écurie25 is enabling that fantasy to become a bit more accessible.

As the longest established supercar club in the world, é25 gives it's members convenient access to some of the most desirable cars in the world. Based around a points system, members can take a car for the day, a weekend, or even longer, to allow you to live the dream at a fraction of the cost of owning a prestigious marque.

But there's so much more to é25 than just the ability to drive fancy cars. They organise events and get togethers, which can be anything from poker nights and golfing days, to the launch of a new supercar, or trips to see the Formula 1 Grand Prix!

Yesterday saw the launch of their new Silverstone based clubhouse. As the home of British motor racing, it seems only fitting that the club should have a base there. With a selection of stunning cars on show, the event had a real buzz about it. There was a hog roast, wine, beer and cocktails to keep peoples spirits up. A full size F1 car simulator was also the source of much entertainment as guests were invited to try their hand as a race driver.

So if you want to live the dream, and have access to some of the worlds most desirable cars, but don't yet have the millionaire bank balance to pay for them. écurie25 might be a viable alternative.

For more information on écurie25, visit their website

Everyday Essentials

2011-05-15T12:54:00.000+01:00

I get loads of emails asking about the gear I use on shoots whether it be camera, lighting or software, and how I use it on a job to create the image the client is after. Lately though, I've had a few people ask me about the stuff I take with me everywhere I go.

So on that basis I thought I'd take the a leaf from the fashion blogs' "what's in my bag" type posts and show you guys the stuff I tend to have with me at any given point in time and why.

I suppose as a photographer I should start with the camera. I think if you're going to call yourself a photographer, you should have a camera with you pretty much most of the time. Obviously, the cameras I use for work tend to be pretty big and heavy, so I use something a little smaller for day to day snap shots. The Olympus E-PL1 is an awesome little camera. It has all the functionality I need from a camera, and the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens is the perfect partner. I've customised my E-PL1 a little bit by way of a leather wrist strap from Gordy's camera straps, and added to the retro look with a cool leather skin on the front. The cool thing about a smaller camera is that they're unobtrusive. People change when they see a big camera. This is largely ignored. To go with the camera, I always have at least one extra SD card.

Yes, I admit it, I'm an Apple junkie! I currently have an iPhone 4 which I love. I also can't imagine life without my iPad. Funny that it's still something that no one really needs, and yet it's now an integral part of my life! To go with iPad, I also have the camera connection kit, so that if I need to get one of my Olympus images uploaded or emailed quickly I can do. For music, I have an iPod Shuffle. I could use my iPhone or iPad, but purely for battery purposes I wanted something separate. I never know what I wanna listen to anyway, so the Shuffle is the best option for me. Combined with a set of decent Sony headphones that completely block out the outside world, train/tube journeys are far more enjoyable!

Everything else is just the usual stuff. Business cards are essential! You never know who you might meet. I try and have some form of mints or gum to keep myself minty fresh. I go through sunglasses quite regularly. I'm favouring mirrored aviators at the moment. Before that I was big into Ray-Ban Wayfarers.

Being a man, I have the luxury of being able to put most of this stuff in pockets, however, the iPad and camera usually go into crossbody bag from Burberry.

I hope this answers a few of your wonderings... I never realised I carried around so much stuff!

Photo Professional Magazine Feature : 06/11

2011-05-05T11:52:00.000+01:00

For those out there who enjoyed reading about my workflow, like the shot I did of JP Omari jumping over Brighton Pier, you might want to grab yourself a copy of Photo Professional magazine. This month, there's a 5 page interview with me which talks about various shoots and how I go about my work. There's also some lighting diagrams to show how I've set up the shots.

Although I've been published many times before, in countries all over the world, this is the first time it's been a full on article about me, and what I do, so I was especially chuffed when they asked if they could use my image on the cover as well!

Photo Professional is on sale in all good newsagents, and the current issue is available throughout May 2011. RRP £4.50

"Soft, Smart, Casual" for Who's Jack? Magazine

2011-05-03T15:56:00.000+01:00

Editorial in the May 2011 issue of Who's Jack? Magazine.

Photographer : Jay McLaughlin
Model : Sadie @ Elite London
Make-Up & Hair : Patsy using Illamasqua
Styling : Aartthie Mahakuperan
Thanks : London Youth Support Trust, Hackney Centre

Technology moves on

2011-04-28T11:34:00.002+01:00

There's no doubt that modern digital cameras are advancing quicker and faster than film ever did, and amateur and novice camera users are able to generate stunning imagery with the tools available to them. All this gives rise to a question I keep getting asked over and over again... am I worried that some guy a few yards away can take amazing and technically perfect photographs with his phone? I mean this guy can just click a button and he's got 12+ Megapixels of the latest digital technology at his disposal. That's gotta be seriously worrying to a professional photographer right?

Well, in short, the answer is no, it's not worrying at all. For me, the advancements in camera technology are exciting! Sure, they've given a wider range of people access to tools that would be considered professional grade in terms of their output a few years back, but all this is doing is levelling the playing field. There's a lot more to creating a great image than the tool in your hand. It forces us professionals to be better... which surely can only be a good thing?

As professionals, we're not only being hired for our ability to create an image... we're being booked for being able to create a good or great image, over and over again, every time! Not only that, but we have to be able to convey a message or story in our images. We have to be able to do it quickly, professionally, within budget, and to an acceptable standard. That's what people are paying for.

Of course there are some people who are able to go beyond all that and create truly breathtaking photos that no one else could have conceived, and they're paid a premium for that. They're using the same tools, but it's how they see and think that makes them use them differently to the guy a few yards away.

We've all heard "oh your camera takes amazing photos", because that's how most people think. Well as I've said before (and I'm sure most people reading this already know), it's not the camera that takes the photos! The camera didn't decide to go to war zones and shoot public uprising. The camera didn't book a flight to Japan to capture the aftermath of a natural disaster. The camera didn't call up Kate Moss and tell her to come in to the studio for the latest Versace campaign. One day, the camera might be able to do all those things through some GPS Wifi enabled gizmo or other, but it's still going to be the person behind it has the idea and the vision to point it in the right direction at the right time and click the shutter.

If you're the sort of photographer that is worried about how great point and shoot cameras or phones are getting, then I would suggest you take a long hard look at yourself and what it is about your images that people are paying for. If you're just being booked for the quality your equipment, then you should be worried! The camera you use should be far less important than the thing you're trying to capture or the story you're trying to create. The camera is the brush, the typewriter, the hammer and chisel. It's not the one you started with, and there will be many more that follow. It's not what defines you as a photographer.

So when you see the guy a few yards away with his phone, don't ask yourself, "is he going to get a technically better photograph?" Ask yourself, "does he see how I see?" or "is he telling the story I'm telling?"

People I Work With : Leah Mabe

2011-04-25T12:23:00.003+01:00

Leah Mabe is an awesome make-up artist. Originally from Swansea, Leah studied make-up at the London College of Fashion and has already got a rapidly growing list of impressive clients including the likes of Elle and Jaeger. Leah has already established herself as a force to be reckoned with!

Leah and I share the same drive and goals. It's this that makes working together so good. We both want the same thing and we're always on the same wavelength, which makes our collaborations really exciting and fun.

I first became aware of Leah through her work with Lara Jade, and jumped at the chance to work with her when she approached me through Facebook. A few weeks later and we were sitting in Starbucks going through concepts and ideas. It was clear that we were going to create some great images. I've worked with Leah several times since then and every time we've created something different.

Here are a few of the images that Leah and I have created...

And here are a couple of shots of her in action...

To see more of Leah's work click on the links below...

Website
Facebook
Twitter

Out : Goodyear Blimp

2011-04-23T13:46:00.000+01:00

I need to start this blog by saying Twitter is awesome! If it wasn't for Twitter, yesterday would never have happened. It all started when I was watching England play Wales on the TV. At half time they showed a clip of the Goodyear Blimp and thanked them for all the aerial shots of the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. I've had a childhood obsession with Blimps ever since one flew over my house when I was around 5 or 6 years old. I also remember a school trip around the same sort of time to Cardington, Bedfordshire to where they build them. So after seeing one of the most widely recognised and iconic blimps on the tv I tweeted "Blimps are awesome! There should be more blimps in the sky!" I didn't expect Goodyear UK to respond to it offering me a trip in it!

So yesterday I headed down to Damyns Hall Aerodrome, near Upminster in Essex, along with a 50 megapixel H4D-50, courtesy of Hasselblad UK for my trip. I was so excited... Part of me still can't believe I went up in the Blimp. It was like a childhood dream, and it didn't disappoint!

Goodyear have gone all out on this promotional tour. Not only was there a departure lounge, complete with refreshments, but you're also given a really nice boarding pass, which all adds to the magic of the day. The flight was much smoother than I expected. Even the take off and landing were reasonably effortless. What I did find amusing was before we were able to head into London airspace we were told to hold position while we got clearance. This meant the blimp pitched forward so we were looking at the ground below momentarily. All part of the fun though. It was also amazing to hear all the air traffic conversations going on with the other aircraft in the area through the headsets we had on, and to hear other aeroplanes being told to watch out for us on their approach into London City Airport. Our trip in total lasted around an hour and a half, and took us right across London as far as Vauxhall Bridge, and then back along the River Thames so we could take in all the sights.

So what was it all in aid of? Well aside from the Goodyear Blimp being the most famous of all Blimps, and an amazing ambassador for the Goodyear Brand, it's part of a much bigger safety campaign being run by Goodyear.

Taken from their press release...

A poor understanding of The Highway Code is compromising road safety, a new survey has revealed.

Results from the poll of 5,000 motorists showed a large percentage failed to correctly answer a number of general knowledge and picture questions covering The Highway Code.  

The survey, commissioned by leading tyre manufacturer Goodyear, showed that 54% of drivers did not know to stop when a traffic light shone its red and amber lights together. 48% of those surveyed also didn’t know that the typical stopping distance for a car driving at 50mph is 53 metres or 13 car lengths. Nearly a fifth thought they could get away with 36 metres.

When asked what the no-overtaking road sign meant, a worrying 23% got it wrong and over 75% assumed that the 30mph minimum speed sign actually indicated the maximum speed allowed. However, while the results showed many drivers were out of touch with the road rules, 95% are under the illusion that their understanding of The Highway Code is either adequate or good and over 40% don’t believe that drivers should be re-tested.

“Understanding the rules of The Highway Code can significantly reduce road accidents,” said Eddy Geerdink, Goodyear’s marketing director. “Our survey shows that a number of drivers would fail their driving test based on this knowledge and at worst it could put the lives of fellow drivers at risk if they wrongly interpreted them in real motoring situations.”

“At Goodyear, we firmly believe that safety is a shared responsibility,” continued Eddy. “Through this commitment we look forward to sharing the results of this survey with the UK population by using the Goodyear Blimp to underline the importance of road safety.”

After the trip, we were treated to a very nice lunch (especially the desserts!) and were able to sit out in the sunshine while we watched the Blimp taking off and landing with other excited passengers. We also received a little pack featuring a pin badge, a flight certificate and a photo of ourselves in front of the Blimp before our flight. I was also given my own mini Blimp balloon, which is now floating around my studio, making me smile each time it drifts past.

I can't thank Goodyear enough for the chance to go up in the Blimp, and I'm still amazed at how this was all a result of a simple comment I made on Twitter! Anyone that doesn't see the value of social media needs some serious educating... who knows where you could end up... I ended up in the Goodyear Blimp over the streets of London!

Here are some super awesome, and very geeky facts about the Goodyear Blimp...

1 The first Goodyear blimp was built in 1917

2 Blimps called Spirit of Safety I and Spirit of Safety II will operate in the 2011 European Goodyear Safety Tour  

68,000 cubic feet of helium is needed to fly the Spirit of Safety Airships

20 European countries will be visited in the 2011 Goodyear Safety Tour

53mph is the Spirit of Safety Airship’s top speed.

79 years ago the Goodyear’s blimp, Volunteer, gave a local radio station a bird’s-eye view of the summer 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.  

1911 was the year Goodyear first started to produce airship envelopes. 

1955 was the first transcontinental telecast from a Goodyear Blimp when NBC televised the Tournament of Roses Parade in California.

1964’s James Bond film, Goldfinger – which starred Sean Connery – featured one of Goodyear’s blimps in the opening titles.

1976’s Black Sunday movie – which starred Robert Shaw - revolved around a plot to kill spectators in a terrorist act at the Super Bowl in Miami, Florida. Three Goodyear airships were used in the production  

10,000ft is the maximum pressure height of the Spirit of Safety Airships  

Specification of Goodyear Spirit of Safety I and II.
Manufacturer: American Blimp Corporation
Length: 128ft
Width/Height: 36ft (W) x 44ft (H)
Volume: 68,000 cubic feet of helium
Illumination: Special internal illumination system

  Cabin Specifications
Length: 8.8 ft
Width/Height: 5 ft (W) x 6.3ft (H)
Passengers: 3, plus pilot (maximum capacity 5)
Camera Capabilities: Gyro-stabilised camera mounting capabilities, providing an excellent platform for TV/Video photography.

Performance Specifications
Cruising Speed 32mph (28 knots)
Max speed: 53 mph (46 knots with favourable winds)
Power: Twin, 80 horsepower Limbach engines
Crew (incl ground staff): 13

For more information on Goodyear's Safety Tour visit Goodyear.
For more information on the Goodyear Blimp click here.

And here's some photos....

People I Work With

2011-04-19T18:56:00.001+01:00

One of the things I love about photography is all the amazing people you get to meet and work with. In the past 6 months I've met all sorts of people from box office film stars, to fashion icons and even a guy who creates art out of bubblegum on the street!

Of course, these are often short meetings, and are rarely more than a few hours long, sometimes only a few minutes. In contrast, I might spend all day with a photographic team, on repeated occasions, especially if we enjoy working together and creating cool images! It's these guys that are instrumental in creating the final images. Photography is a collaborative process, whether it be a massive team of people working on a big budget shoot, or a one on one with you and your subject. It's all about everyone involved working together to create something special. I nearly always work with make-up artists and stylists on shoots. They're often in the background, and get little more recognition than a small credit and a thank you. Well this morning, whilst waiting for a make-up artist to pop round for a meeting, I decided I was going to showcase a few of the people I work with, and put them in front of the camera. The resulting images will be posted on here along side some of the work we've done together. It's my way of giving something back for all the hard work they put in to making my photographs as good as they can be.

Nothing is Impossible

2011-04-16T16:08:00.002+01:00

I went for a meeting a couple of weeks ago at Saatchi & Saatchi about a shoot. On the way in I noticed this on the steps into the building... something I'd forgotten!

As creative people we're always reaching for our goals, but often disheartened and frustrated at not being where we want to be, or even that we're just not getting there quick enough! This is normal, in face it's healthy. It's what drives us and keeps us going! Just take some time every now and then to look back at where you've come from. It's only then that you'll realise how far you've travelled.

The important thing is to realise that "nothing is impossible" and if you really want something, you'll find a way to make it happen. Sure it might not happen straight away, and it might not be easy... but then hey, if it was easy, everyone would do it right? So keep at it, work hard, and you'll get there!

Imagine Fashion - Matchstick Girl

2011-04-16T15:27:00.000+01:00

Following my previous blog about Imagine Fashion, they have just released their second Fashion Film - Matchstick Girl.

Based around a single character, this short film follows the thoughts in the sub-concious mind of a girl as she stares into a series of lit matches and the images they create. As you would expect, there are all the big names in fashion being showcased, and the production level is once again stunning. I still love this new unique way of combining interactive media with fashion film and I can't wait to see the next instalment from Imagine Fashion!

Out : Felicities Bloggers Breakfast

2011-04-05T18:13:00.000+01:00

I love Felicities PR... Everytime they invite me to something, they always give me food!

Specialising in emerging brands, Felicites are passionate about the brands they represent. Everyone in the Flixchix team is motivated and friendly which helps to create an awesome feeling around the place.

Their "Bloggers Breakfast" is an awesome idea, not only because of the bacon baguettes, dinky donuts and fresh strawberries (although that helps), but it gives everyone the chance to network with each other whilst getting up close and personal with the new collections from Felicites' designers. I was lucky enough to see many of the garments while in Paris, but there were some I didn't get time to look at properly, so this was another opportunity to do so. There are some exciting things being pushed by Alison and her team at Felicities. I can't wait to shoot some of it!

Competitions

2011-04-04T16:38:00.001+01:00

Until recently, I've never been one for entering photographic competitions for the simple reason that any form of art is subjective. What one person likes, another person doesn't. A few years ago I entered a competition by accident and ended up winning. I had to attend a posh dinner wearing a suit, and go up on stage to collect my award from Philippa Forrester off the telly! hehe.

It was an amazing feeling to see one of my photos displayed floor to ceiling either side of the stage. I wish I'd got a photo of it, but I was too busy worrying about not tripping up the steps to the podium... it was like graduation all over again!

After becoming an award winner, I carried on as before, and didn't even consider entering another competition. I mean, I had actually only entered that one by accident, without realising my image was being judged! It wasn't until late last year, that I decided to make more of an effort and enter the prestigious Hasselblad Masters competition.

So why the change of heart? Well it wasn't a feeling that I could actually win it... I'm still very self deprecating in that respect. It was actually the realisation of what a competition can do for a project. Often as creative people it's very difficult when faced with the prospect of being able to do "anything" not to become over awed and end up doing nothing. More often than not, competitions have categories, themes and guidelines. This all helps to focus the mind and enable to channel your creativity in a specific direction, and therefore create rather than procrastinate.

I entered three categories... Fashion/Beauty, Editorial and Portrait. For the Fashion/Beauty and Editorial categories I just entered images from my book that fit the guidelines, but for the Portrait category I wanted to shoot something specific. I actually came up with an amazing idea, but due to time constraints and not being able to get the right people involved at short notice I wasn't going to be able to do the idea justice. I'm going to be revisiting the concept at some point though. Because I had to submit 5 images for each category I decided I was going to try and capture the "Life of Man".

Because of my love of Richard Avedon and his work, I chose to shoot the images in high contrast black and white. The hope was that this would accentuate the differences in age and highlight the wrinkles and body shapes in the older models. I also chose to shoot everyone topless from the waist up. The point of this was that I didn't want it to be based on their clothes. I wanted people to look at the people.

Casting the models was easier than I expected, purely because of Twitter and the photographic community. I was genuinely surprised at peoples willingness to participate, and I'm grateful to Mark Cox, Ben Goode, Tony Good, Terri Tibbles and Andrea Lane for their help.

So how did I do? Well not very well! I didn't even make the semi finals in any of the categories I entered. Without trying to sound too clichéd, it's actually the taking part that matters. Sure I would have loved to have won. It would have been awesome! But through entering I was able to start and finish a personal project that I might not have considered, had I not taken part in the competition. Personal projects are about doing what you want, rather than what the client expects. Competitions help you to focus on the project. They point you in a direction and then give you a deadline to finish by. So even if you don't get anywhere in the judging, the point is that you completed what you started. Of course there's always a chance you might win and have to go to a posh awards dinner... but that only happens if you enter!

Out : Dolce & Gabbana "Dress_me_up"

2011-04-01T14:37:00.000+01:00

It's interesting to see how different brands react to new things, and social media is still very much a new thing. Last night, Dolce & Gabbana hosted the second part of their "Dress_me_up" event, where they gathered some of the most current fashion bloggers of the day to dress the windows of their Bond Street store.

Designed to open the brand up to a younger audience, this was a really innovative way of getting people involved and creating a buzz around the store. It was great to see the likes of Sasha Wilkins, Bip Ling and the others running around creating their looks. All were different, and all had their own style about them. A great way to showcase the Dolce & Gabbana label. Loads of familiar fashion faces attended as well as the likes of Pixie Geldof and Alexandra Burke. Alas, Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't stop on his stroll down Bond Street... maybe next time Arnie?

You can check out all the bloggers websites below, and make sure you check out the Dolce & Gabbana Store in Old Bond Street to see the window displays!

Sasha Wilkins
Bip Ling
Marian Kihogo
Lois Waller
Carrie Harwood
Madison Rothery

Vintage Vogue

2011-03-25T16:35:00.002Z

Last year, one of my Twitter friends tweeted about getting her 'Birthday Vogue'. I thought this was an awesome idea for a present for my mum for Christmas, and while scouring the internet for vintage magazines, I stumbled across my own... December 1979. I thought it would be rude not to buy it!

I have a Vogue subscription so I'm always flicking through the pages, both for my interest in Fashion, but also because I love getting inspiration for shoots, and seeing the latest photographic trends, so it's interesting to see what was en-vogue (pun intended) over 30 years ago!

So what are the differences between then and now? Well aside from the change in size, the most striking difference is the price! Today's magazine costs £3.20 more than it's 1979 counterpart! It's also interesting to see that there's a lot less on the cover trying to "sell" the magazine's contents. I do like that the actual layout is pretty much unchanged with the same masthead at the top, with the price and issue date positioned to the lower left of it.

Once inside, everything looks a bit retro, like you'd expect. There's also far more obscure advertising compared to today, and obviously there wasn't the same regulations surrounding tobacco and alcohol advertisements. That said, a lot of the photographic styles in the advertising, and editorials would still work today, even if the fashions might not! haha.

One thing that is definitely a change in 21st Century Vogue is the section towards the rear of the magazine... "MEN in Vogue". As well as this section in the back of Vogue, Condé Nast used to produce a mens quarterly magazine with same title until the mid eighties when they decided that there weren't enough men interested in fashion.... shame.

I've found flicking through this copy of Vogue really quite interesting, and recommend buying your 'Birthday Vogue' if you ever come across one.

Imagine Fashion

2011-03-24T14:13:00.000Z

In the last few years, we've seen a massive change in the way fashion magazines use the internet. More and more, publications are moving away from just replicating their print based counterparts in favour of video and interactive content. Imagine Fashion is taking this a step further...

Combining fashion, beauty, music, art and commerce, Imagine Fashion brings together some of the biggest names in the industry as well as showcasing some of the best emerging talent.

The new interactive experience created by Imagine Fashion is centred around "Fashion Film", the first of which is directed by Italian photographer Francesco Carrozzini and features Boardwalk Empire star Paz de la Huerta, and looks from names such as Prada, Zac Posen, and Diane Von Furstenburg. The film is very dark and wreaks of glamour, but the this is more than just film. By rolling your mouse over the image you can find out about each product featured, whether it be a dress, some shoes, or even the lipstick. From there you can save the product to your favourites, share it on Facebook or Twitter, or even be taken to one of the online distributors to buy it... and all this from within an online streaming movie!

There are also articles, blogs, news, interviews, and breathtaking images, all inside a single online portal, and it looks just as awesome on the iPad and iPhone. Plus, if you share the movies on Facebook... it even takes all the interactivity with it!

Imagine Fashion is really pushing the boundaries of what's possible with todays technology, and this is clearly just the beginning... watch this space!

Out : More Tea Vicar?

2011-03-24T12:08:00.000Z

Tea is good... and there's nothing more British than a tea party in the afternoon! So when I got invited along to Teapod @ The Fashion & Textile Museum by London Bridge, I could hardly say no.

Teapod offer a range of tea blends to satisfy pretty much any tea craving. I went for the very manly "strong brew" which went down a treat! Not least because Felicities PR were also tempting us with an assortment of Teapod's amazing cakes, and their awesome homemade scones with clotted cream and jam!

Using only the very best loose leaf tea (none of this teabag nonsense!), and offering free Wifi to all customers makes Teapod an awesome place to do a spot of work whilst sipping on a proper brew.

Everyone invited really did have a very enjoyable afternoon, and I recommend all you tea lovers out there to take a trip to one of Teapods 3 London stores for some proper good honest tea!

Out : Paris Fashion Week AW11

2011-03-11T12:53:00.001Z

So a week after finishing all 6 days of London, I re-joined the fashion circus in Paris, for 9 days of shows and exhibitions. Unlike London though, where I was there purely to see the shows for myself, at Paris I was shooting for New York based magazine, The Dirty Durty Diary.

I've always said my worst nightmare job would be in the pit at a fashion show, and after 9 days of it my opinion hasn't changed much. Pit photographers are quite territorial, and mark out there position and defend it to the death haha! I'm just too placid and laid back to fight for position. Plus, most of the central positions will be taken at least an hour before the start of the show, so if you're doing lots of shows, you'll never get in the middle. Thankfully, I've always preferred to shoot models from low, so sitting on the floor at the front worked well for me anyway... although I did often end up with a sore arse!

This was my first time at Paris Fashion Week, and I naively expected it to be a similar sort of affair to it's London counterpart. London, like New York, is very press focussed and there's a great buzz around the shows, and Somerset House with street style photographers shooting the hundreds of fashionistas as they mill about outside. Conversely, Paris is very much focussed towards the buyers market, with much less time for press (and in some cases, no time at all!).

Another key difference is the sheer amount of distance between each show! The fashion A listers have the luxury of sponsored Mercedes' to ferry them about, but the rest of us have to either walk, or use the Paris Metro. After 9 days of dodging in between scooters and smart cars, and running up and down metro staircases, I now have calves of steel! Haha!

The week started badly. Due to the inept French postal service, we arrived at our apartment to an empty mailbox, rather than a wad of pretty invites. After a few phonecalls and some visits to PR agencies, our week soon filled up with appointments. I need to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to Thomas, Mesh, Olivier and Felina at Relative Mo who were absolutely awesome and helped to rescue what could have been a disaster!

Highlights of the week were going back stage before Zac Posen, meeting people like André Leon Talley, and Paul & Joe's epic anniversary show with my favourite model, Abbey Lee Kershaw, and then an awesome finale and concert from Jamiroquai! Massive thank you to Harriet at HPR for that one!

Because of it being more aimed at the buyers, Paris Fashion Week has a lot more designer exhibitions, and many of them showcase some amazing British designers. Was great to chat to Nicola from Beautiful Soul, Eugene Lin, KTZ and Analeena. Felicities PR were there too with some awesome light sensitive pieces from Rainbow Winters as well as Ada Zanditon, who's collection has one of the most amazing back stories I've ever heard!

From a photographic point of view, shooting catwalk shows presents very few real challenges. The most important part is making sure you have a good position to shoot from. Most of the bigger shows have amazing lighting and a massive bank of lights behind the pit to ensure that everything looks good. Once you've got your exposure settings sorted, all the remains is to click click click. For me, the most important thing about selecting a shot to send to a magazine is to make sure the models legs are in a pleasing position and that she's not blinking. Then repeat for every outfit of the collection.

Of course as I demonstrated at London Fashion Week, I usually prefer to shoot wider and in black and white, when I have no client to please, so I also had my trusty Olympus PEN with me to shoot some stuff for myself too!

So with Paris done and dusted, I'm now incredibly motivated and inspired. I made some great new contacts, and saw a lot of friendly faces. Over the next month or so I've got some exciting things to plan, and some awesome people to meet for coffee!

Out : LFW Round-Up

2011-02-24T17:19:00.000Z

So London Fashion Week AW11 is over. It's back to normality... whatever that is! This season was my first attending every day. In all I did 30+ shows over the 6 days, and I can tell you I really enjoyed my bed last night!

Those who have been following my blog all week will have seen in my LFW Precursor that I wanted to shoot Fashion Week from my point of view, showing some of the things that are often not seen by the outside world. So every night after I finished with the shows, I trekked back to my studio to edit my images and get them uploaded... I had some very long days!

So what has my week entailed? Well day 1 started for me with Prophetik at Vauxhall Fashion Scout. They opened with the usual live music, but this time with a performance from acclaimed violinist Analiza Ching. From there, my week involved a lot of running between the various show venues at Somerset House, Covent Garden and beyond!

Highlights for me were seeing one of my favourite models Abbey-Lee Kershaw walk for John Rocha and seeing Mulberry at Claridges. Stand-out looks for me were the big furry sleeves at Osman, or the large collars of Á la Disposition. On an amusing note, and following on from my earlier blog about branding and image, a style blogger stopped me yesterday to take my photo... Must have been the pinstripe suit or the purple shoes that did it!

One downside to having such a hectic week is the mess it's made in my office! What with invites, press releases, brochures and goody bags, I can now hardly see my sofa! Not complaining about the free stuff though! We always like free stuff! :)

If you haven't already, check out my photos from London Fashion Week...
Day #1, Day #2, Day #3, Day #4, Day #5, Day #6

Thanks need to go to Lois Waller, Bryan Morel, Felicities, Forward PR, Lynn Furge, Poppy Dinsey.

Next stop... Paris Fashion Week!

Out : LFW Day #6

2011-02-23T22:24:00.000Z