Press kits

So, I've been looking at putting together press kits to, you know, get myself noticed/some kind of paid employment!

I'm going to include a cd full of images of things I've made - not the stuff I already have, not that there's ANYTHING wrong with the photography, more that the images aren't perfect due to the way the shoot had to happen. So here's my plan:

Re-shoot the garments over the summer as both a look book and some still life shots.

Hammer on the door of any and all local/free papers until somebody gives me even half a column inch and I have some kind of press.

Use my, not inconsiderate, skills at making me look better in writing than I am without lying - v handy for cv's as some of my friends will agree! - to put together a covering letter to let the press know what an awesome person they've been overlooking! This will include a couple of influences, what I've done outside college and where I'm moving forward in the future.

Carry a folder with me at all times containing the information - you never know who you are going to run into.

Then I'm going to

NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK

I'm not above cashing in on my friends contacts so if any of you reading this has any contacts/advise on the above I'll take any meetings and or criticism you want to give me!

As always MWAH MWAH!

DXX

PS you never know I might do Project Runway after my third year!

So, not all photographers are flakes

but a heck of a lot of students are! Lucky for me Aiden isn't, he's an ND student at Mid-Cheshire doing photography and bailed my arse out after YET ANOTHER PHOTOGRAPHER LET ME DOWN!

This hasn't been a totally fun experience - can you tell? ;)

Anyway, Aiden found time in his busy schedule today to get some pictures for me here they are.

Purple drop sleeve dress:

This isn't the shot I'm going to use but I really like it, I like the disheveled feel it's got like she's just got in from a club.

I'm going to use one of these three shots for the brief, but I'm too tired to think which one right now so if you've got any ideas let me know!

I like this dress - which may surprise you, seeing as I designed and made it! - it's VERY short, not show the good china short but getting close. I'd love to pair it with something like this on the runway:

But with the look and feel of the collection it wouldn't look right :( My inner goth rock chick is still alive and well and waiting for Ian Astbury to take me away from all this!

Double collar purple shirt (A.K.A. that damned shirt from hell):

Back view

Front views

This shirt was AWFUL to make, but I can make them easily now - hence the name.

And last but not least the wrap over shirt:

They all need a little TLC from Photoshop and believe it or not they WERE all ironed.

I learned when you are shooting using mannequins:

Pack out the mannequin so it acts like a human being and has boobs etc.
Take a steamer to the shoot as every single crease will show on the camera.
Pay for photographers - that way you can get them to actually do the shoot.

You have no idea how grateful I am to Aiden for this today, he is a star!

Please let me know what you think in the comments, all constructive criticism is MORE than welcome!

Mwah mwah!

dxx

Photography Pl Photographers I like

I warn you now this is not for the arty speak allergic as there are lots of times I get all poncy throughout this blog!

I thought before I got any ideas about a photo shoot I’d see what photographers I like and why. I kind of keep a list – it’s HUGE!

Matthew Rolston http://www.matthewrolston.com/

Charlize Theron

I like his images as they aren’t posey, the women look strong and the images have fun in them.

Francesco Carrozzini http://www.francescocarrozzini.com/

Tyra Banks

He likes to shoot in black and white and his pictures have are really intimate and have a nice graphic quality.

Mario Testino http://www.mariotestino.com/

January Jones

I first came across him through the Versace Accesories Spring 2011 campaign. I like the defined images. He doesn’t always use black and white but his images are always interesting to look at.

David Bailey http://www.david-bailey.co.uk/David_Bailey.html

Jeans Shrimpton New York 1962 – it would be rude not to

Who doesn’t love David Bailey’s stuff? He takes photo’s most photographers would lose a limb to take.

Annie Leibovitz

Shoot for Disney Parks, celebrities as Disney characters 2011

She may not be very good with her finances but man, can she take a photo. There’s always something a bit dark in her work and I like a subtle twist.

Rankin http://rankin.co.uk/

David Bowie

I don’t love everything he does but every now and then he produces and image that stops me in my tracks like the one above.  It is ugly beautiful.

Steven Meisel

Madonna for the Like a Virgin cover shoot

His photo’s always look like they captured something that was only there for a moment and have a fragile quality to them.

Sølve Sundsbø http://www.solvesundsbo.info/

Models shot for Vogue

Somehow he always brings a dance feel to all his subjects.

Enrique Badulescu http://www.enriquebadulescu.com/

Heather Marks in La Repubblica Velvet

He’s got a young edgy feel to his work without ever letting the models look like victims.

Ellen Von Unwerth http://www.ellenvonunwerth.com/blank

Faye Dinsmore

There is always such a sense of joy about her pictures.

Peter Lindbergh http://www.peterlindbergh.com/

Shoot for the January 1990 cover of Vogue, the supermodels

I have actually tried to find pictures that aren’t black and white but I can’t! I love his work he captures the zeitgeist of the time in each frame.

Helmut Newton http://www.helmutnewton.com/

Vogue shoot sometime in the 60’s

You may have noticed the only recurring themes are the women don’t look weak and the photography is mostly black and white. I love Helmut Newton, his women (unlike Guy Bourdin) look like active participants and it’s up to the viewer to put them in a dominant or submissive role.

Erwin Blumenfeld

Vogue cover

He did things with film that people find difficult with digital techniques today – watch Rankin trying to recreate this photo with Heidi Klum! A technical and creative genius.

Herb Ritts

Madonna, Tokyo, 1987

Always fun and quirky images.

Richard Avedon http://www.richardavedon.com/

Dovima with elephants, evening dress by Dior, Cirque d'Hiver, August 1955

Innovative captivating pictures that bring surreal into reality.

Robert Capa

Omaha Beach D-Day Landing

He captures the torture that Omaha and Utah beach must have been for the landings perfectly.

Martin Waugh http://www.liquidsculpture.com/

Water Drop

Most famous for his pictures of water drops, they are beautiful.

Dorothea Lange

1936, Migrant Mother, Florence Owens Thompson

Most famous for her pictures of migrant workers, she manages to capture something in each person that is unique to them.

Zoriah Miller http://www.zoriah.com/

Famous for his humanitarian and war photo journalism, his pictures have often made me cry.

Agatha A Nitecka

Courtney Johansson

She always brings an ethereal and feminine element to the photo whilst showing women as being strong.

Moni Haworth http://www.johnnysbird.com/

Unknown

Edgy, raw, strong photographs

Cecil Beaton

Twiggy

Innovative ways of taking pictures of fashion.

Mari Sarai http://www.marisarai.com/

Unknown

Always rock and roll, sometimes naked.

Perou http://www.perou.co.uk/

Helen Mirren for Esquire magazine.

Possibly my favourite photographer ever, not afraid to take risks, only ever retouches skin tone, takes women and makes them look more beautiful than ever. Also, thoroughly nice chap.

Nothing really stands out as a theme, I think I’m too old to be stuck on one particular style and it’s no secret that my favourite photographer is Perou. His shots are clean and well thought out, so I thought I’d email him with my concept to find out what I should do. Emails here – isn’t he fantastic! He answered on a Saturday evening himself! I may swoon!

Guys, if any of you know the origins of the unknown shots - or I got any wrong - please let me know in the comments.

Mwah mwah!

dxx

Photoshoot Pl Hair

Again  with the whole not an actual plan thing cos it keeps falling apart - I thought models were supposed to be flakes NOT photographers!

The model I’m using has a definite hairstyle that you really can’t do very much with:

Her name is Jess and this sentence is a link to her Facebook page 

I’ve looked at hair in general, I do not like the mermaid hair over one shoulder look favoured by so many on the red carpet:

Frieda Pinto in Prada

Brooke Shields in J Mendel

There is of course an exception to every rule and this is it:

Matt Smith and Daisy Lowe (Lowe in a Jexika gown)

The catwalk trends for A/W 2012/13 were:

Side parting Anne Klein A/W 2012/13

Low Ponytail Ralph Lauren A/W 2012/13

Straight hair DKNY A/W 2012/13

Messy hair Joseph Altuzarra A/W 2012/13

Dip dyed hair Jean Paul Gautier A/W 2012/13 – also seen in reverse at other shows

Retro hair Lemoniez A/W 2012/13

I like sleek but not severe, the side parting and a low ponytail. I like them because they are simple to achieve and can be altered to fit any models hair. So that’s what I’d be going with if my model Jess didn’t have such distinctive hair – I mean how fabulous and fierce is she, why mess about with that????

Mwah mwah!

dxx

Photoshoot Pl Make up

it would be a plan but it seems I can only get so far with it until it all goes crashing down around my ankles so for now it's just a pl - quelle surprise!

Make up for photo shoot

As much as I love this:

Fan Bingbing
Vogue China June 2012 – Beauty
Editorial: “Diva Fan-tasy”
Photographer: David Slijper
Fashion Editor/Stylist: Ida Wang, Tina Chai
Makeup Artist: Lisa Houghton

It’s not the look my collection needs, it needs clean and should be easily fit into a busy lifestyle with the ability to turn into an evening look easily as that is what my muse needs.

So more like this - yes I luv Fan Bingbing:

Which can become this easily:

Nicole Kidman in Lanvin

So there are 3 looks for the various outfits which can be scaled up through the shoot:

Barely there for the work out outfit – who actually works out with a full face of make up on?

Scarlett Johannson for Dolce & Gabbana

Love this Dolce & Gabanna Spring 2010 ad (not sure who the model is – if you know please tell me!), it’s fresh, clean and healthy looking.

Laura Robson Adidas Ad date unknown, she looks healthy and fresh faced, it’s a recurring theme.

So that’s decided then, clean make up, mascara, foundation, blush, lip gloss, maybe a little highlighter to give some fresh faced shine.

For the day look a simple make up which can be added to to translate into an evening look, although obviously NOT the hair:

Katherine Heigle out and about in LA.

Or this:

Natalie Portman in Dior in Paris – she could smile!

For the evening look a strong lip with a nude eye, this was a strong look on the Autum/Winter 2012/13 catwalk which translated across from the catwalk to the red carpet:

I think this was a look from the Diane Von Furstenberg Autumn/Winter 2012/13 collection

It would be easy for her to do and would work with the garments.

So that’s the make-up decided then!

Mwah mwah!

dxx