Hotel Indy

This being our forth shoot, and it being winter here in Melbourne, we needed a shooting location that was warm. When shooting lingerie it is particularly important for the model to be comfortable. So no better way to achieve this than to use a hotel room. They’re warm, furnished and generally provide several possible shooting locations throughout the suite or room.

It took a while to get equipment up there and set up and tested, while Indy considered her outfits for the shoot and we discussed shooting options. But after a few hours of shooting and experimenting with a variety of lighting styles and locations, we got some great shots. Below are a few images from the shoot:

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Cosplay with Jasmine in the studio

Another Cosplay shoot with the very versatile model Jasmine.  We first shot together 3 or 4 years ago doing a swimwear shoot at a beach along the Great Ocean Road.  Since then we have worked together on many projects including this Cosplay shoot, shot in our studio.  We had a ton of fun that day and hope that Jasmine finds time to return to modelling after having some time having a baby boy in 2013.  A few images of one of several character outfits covered on that day:

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Studio Cos Play with Jasmine
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Studio Cos Play with Jasmine
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Studio Cos Play with Jasmine
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Studio Cos Play with Jasmine
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Studio Cos Play with Jasmine

Carpe Diem Films – Carpe Noctum

Occasionally we find ourselves on a set neither filming nor photographing.  Noctum is a Jeff Osman of Carpe Diem Films personal project.  Jeff asked if for this shoot I would be the Lighting Director, to which I happily agreed.  Jeff is quite a visionary and often you’ll hear me say he’s on steroids as his ideas can often be closer to extreme than merely grand.  Jeff hired part of an old hotel building in Mornington, Victoria.  A team of makeup and hair artists, behind the scenes photographer and videographer, as well as a grip were assembled as part of Jeff’s production crew.  Last but not least was the talent, four gorgeous ladies.  And how could I forget the fifth member of the talent pool, Diesel our 10 foot long python.

We arrived on site around 7am and returned about 14 hours later.  A lot of the day was about setting up and resetting lights, smoke machines and the jib (camera crane).  Jeff was shooting with his RED, making use of a wide selection of lenses.  Our talent arrived around 9am and hair and makeup got underway for the next three to four hours.  A never ending supply of coffee and hot chocolates interweaved our breaks, which we took when there was any sign of downtime even if it was only for five to ten minutes.  Not everything was going to plan with our smoke machine causing fire alarms in the hotel to be set off.  We needed to change the way we used the machine to minimise setting off the alarm.  Fortunately the alarm was not remotely monitored and hotel staff were able to work around it.

Somewhere around lunch shooting began.  With time restrictions for the talent, shooting time was down to around four hours, which might seem adequate for this kind of 4 minute film but even just another couple of hours would have been more comfortable.  We had to modify the way some shots were done to speed up the process and Jeff didn’t end up getting to shoot several of the ideas he’d planned for.  With Diesel on set, it also took a little while to get use to a ten foot python being around.  After an hour everyone – well nearly everyone – was comfortable with handling Diesel.  With indoor temperatures comfortable for working, Diesel needed his own personal heater as he was getting cold and letting us know with his increased hisses.
With the day nearing an end we started the digital management of data.  With Jeff’s Red and our behind-the-scenes video and stills cameras, we collected just under half a terabyte of data, which we needed to ensure was backed up in two additional places.  It was a typical day, little time for rest and a lot of work.  Everyone on set worked well together even at the end of the day when your starting to feel tired.  All the camera, lighting and staging equipment worked as planned and all that’s left is to let you enjoy Carpe Noctum.

One Trick Pony Clothing – Part Three

A beautiful location and local to the heart of the One Trick Pony Clothing – the Ballarat Botanical Gardens.  It was a cold winter day with passing showers the last time we shot here, making the shoot a little uncomfortable for the models.  As the sun came and went we quickly tried to get our shots before heading back to Melbourne.  The gardens were a great location for these designs from One Trick Pony Clothing, if only the temperature had been a little warmer – but as we know, shooting outdoors brings many variables and we just have to work with what we have on the day.  Be sure to check out One Trick Pony Clothing and Sheridan’s amazing designs.

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One Trick Pony Clothing

 

 

 

 

 

NYATA Launch

Friday night in Geelong took us to the launch of fashion label NYATA. This new label is best described by the creator Amber Gwynn:

Nyata is a unique fashion label aimed at curvy women, created by Amber Gwynn, a plus size model for Life/Style Model Management. ‘Nyata’ standing for ‘real’ in Indonesian is aimed at real women with real curves. Nyata celebrates women in their original beauty and consistently aims to improve the positive representation of curvy women. It is a timeless and classic line with a modern edge, aimed at promoting confidence, allure and equality.

The night was well attended by friends and family of Amber, some who have been close supporters of her journey. For the NYATA models, this was all their first time and they were awesome to work with, vivacious and accomodating. They embraced the opportunity and looked like they thoroughly enjoyed being out there, showcasing the launch designs from NYATA.

Check out their web site for more details on the range and how to order. Here’s the video from the launch of NYATA:

 

 

Cosplay – Shego V Kim Impossible

Cosplay is awesome to shoot. (For those not in the know, cosplay is the dressing up or role play of a named character, according to Wikipedia, or better yet, check out this rather good doco on iTunes.)

For this particular shoot, model Cassandra Jane played the part of Shego (in the latex green) and model Genevieve Thomas played the part of Kim Impossible (the red head).  We wanted to shoot outdoors, so picked a suitable location, and aimed to make it an action scene, as the two characters are arch enemies. After several hours of makeup and preparation, we headed to the location. The weather – always a factor in outdoor shoots, but particularly important when one of the models is dressed in full latex – seemed to be holding up, and so we headed to the location, about a 25 min drive from the studio and a 5 min walk into the bush. I decided to take the Nikon CLS system using 3 x SB800 speedlites and the Nikon SU800 Commander for this shoot – ease of portability, having to carry everything myself, and being self powered, since forests don’t come with power outlets.

Due to the steep slope of the terrain it was difficult to get light stands to remain upright – I had no assistants with me on this occasion – and no sand bags on hand either. We managed to get quite a few good shots off, before twenty minutes into shooting the heaven’s opened and the rain started coming down. Between the camera equipment and the latex, it meant a quick pack up and run for the card, then back to the studio – but at least we got some shots in first.
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Shego v Kim Impossible
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Shego v Kim Impossible

One Trick Pony – Part Two: Swimwear

We have shown some of One Trick Pony’s Clothing before from our desert and rustic farm shoot in 2013.  However Sheridan also has a great range of swim wear.  Torquay is one of the amazing surf beaches along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria which offers some awesome shooting locations.  The weather conditions are not always favourable, with strong winds often making it difficult for models, lighting stands and your equipment.  But this was a most memorable shoot  – even with Sheridan having car trouble in the surf club’s car park, delaying our return by several hours while the RACV came to her rescue!
Apart from the minor car issue (and yes the car was sold shortly after), we have a great time shooting that day.  Sheridan makes unique and custom design swim wear for many of Australia’s top bikini models for shows around Australia, helping them standout and win titles.  Don’t for get to visit One Trick Pony Clothing and check out their latest swimwear offering
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One Trick Pony Clothing
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Marilyn Monroe Shoot

Another Code Red collaboration with Jeff Osman of Carpe Diem Films.  Again with a team of stylists, designers and hair and makeup shot at the Orchard Room, Red Spice restaurant  in Melbourne CBD.  Watch the credits to see everyone who was involved but our main lady was the lively Alia Milanio. Alia is a singer songwriter, performer and Marilyn Monroe impersonator.  Check her web site out for further details.

Again Jeff has outdone himself combining the performing talents of Alia with the amazing styling and backdrop we had to work with.  This project was shot within a day, making the pace of the shoot at times a little stressful. These projects are not possible without a team of dedicated professionals and our thanks go to everyone who was involved with the day. We decided because of the pace of the shoot to do all the stills using constant lighting using multiple banks of fluorescent lighting. This enabled Jeff and I to work together more seamlessly, not having to reset with strobes for the stills, but as always it can prove a little challenging to stop motion under these lighting conditions.  Enjoy the video as well as some of my favourite images from the shoot.

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Marilyn Monroe Shoot
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Marilyn Monroe Shoot

A Wedding Tarmac Style

A month or two back I had the opportunity to shoot this wedding with my good friend Jeff Osman from Carpe Diem Films.  When shooting the formal photos of a wedding, having a unusual or different location is always a bonus.  Being given access to an Airport Tarmac is a visual bonus, especially when there are vintage cars and planes involved.  We must thank Essendon Airport Security staff for being patient and accommodating while we conducted the shoot with the bridal party.  While we may have dodged pending thunder storms we couldn’t escape winds of 15 knots plus, making it a little uncomfortable for the bride and her veil and the bridesmaids’ dresses. But we secured the images nonetheless – a successful shoot!

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The Wedding of Gentiana & Harry
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The Wedding of Gentiana & Harry
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The Wedding of Gentiana & Harry

 

 

 

 

One Trick Pony Clothing – a three part series

One Trick Pony Clothing, based in Ballarat Victoria, is owned by the fabulous Sheridan Bovell.  As a mother, designer, DJ, model and business owner she has her hands full creating her amazing and affordable designs.  In 2013 we headed out to the Perry Sandhills, Wentworth NSW – just about 30 kms from Mildura – to shoot some of her latest creations.  The late afternoons had temperatures passing 35 degrees and the early mornings a chilly 10 degs celsius.  The flies, the flies and more flies… gggrrrrr what can I say.  Even the tropical strength aeroguard did little to keep them away.  We also found some dry scrub bush land along the river in Mildura on the way back to shoot some of her Bridal Couture. 

Our second location was a little closer to home – an old farm on the outskirts of Ballarat.  Thanks to Dave for allowing us to use his property and as the country folk like to do, bring us up to speed on the rich family history of the district.  Check out more of Sheridan’s amazing creations at http://www.onetrickponyclothing.com
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