I am currently returning on an epic 3 and a half hour train journey from Liverpool. I was delighted to give a talk with the legend John Davies for the opening of the LOOK12 festival. There’s a fantastic line up this weekend so if you are looking to escape this weekend I would highly recommend it: http://lookphotofestival.com/events/

OAO x

Jim and I naively planned the Walks workshop in March expecting a fresh spring stroll around Brighton, we were however; greeted with snow, hail and wind. After minor hesitation we postponed and fortunately opted for what was to be a balmy weekend in April.

The workshop is one I have ran before in Brighton and I’m overwhelmed to report it was a great success. Everyone really enjoyed the experience and reported that they had been challenged , gained confidence and developed their practice from the days tasks and discussions.

Jim as always was effortlessly organised and the diversity in participants allowed plenty of discussion and interest.Everyone had a different reason for attending and the combination of group support and time alone meant that by the time we hit the pub it was hard to leave…

In the afternoon we roamed alone and I decided to head more towards Portslade. I re traced an old path I frequently took when in Brighton after graduation. I used to ride my bike down past the beach huts and walk back photographing the residents and passers by.

This time the local skate park wooed me in and I met Max (pictured). The group were making the most of the rays and I felt nostalgic of my skating days.

I relished the time spent hanging out at various skate parks wearing Dickies jeans with strappy tops pretending to know how to grind. I was a tragically under confident aggressive skater . Despite loving it I simply shat myself when faced with the epic drop to the bottom of a quarter pipe. Instead I glided around casually avoiding ramps, carrying skate wax in my bag , enjoying the general atmosphere.

… perhaps Ill dust off those white Majestics..

Beauty spot = In Western society it’s a rarity to find an individual who genuinely loves everything about their bodies. We all have one or two things that we like. Perhaps love. Therefore the campaign aims to highlight these parts we do like and realise how we all see different beauty spots in each other ultimately raising self esteem. By supporting one another and having the discussion perhaps we can begin to have a healthier and more positive relationship with our bodies and re consider how we assess beauty.

31% of women describe themselves as average, compared to just 1% who describes them as beautiful.  

The test and a preflight consisted of shed loads of fun toys, various nibbles, mountains of tea and a bunch of lovely incredible volunteers to model. We decided to really experiment with the concept and see how many different ways we could deliver the beauty spot message

In the end the client opted for our ‘sheet’ idea.The style was to drape the women and unite them in one single sheet and show one genuine body part they loved to the camera.

On the shoot day, with minimal time needed in hair and make up we began shooting instantly. Photography is often a solitary practice but it’s always a team effort on a commission of this nature. I was lucky to have some fantastic people at hand. The thing that kept me going the most was Rhiannon and Alex’s 90′s hip hop and r’n’b playlist. As the shoot wrapped, the backstreet boys played us out…massive thanks to EVERYONE xx

You can read more about the campaign here: http://www.dove.co.uk/en/SocialMission/DoveBeautySpot/default.aspx

It sounds very eerie but now and again I try to recreate visions I have in my dreams. They are rarely literal reconstructions (as my memory is pretty shoddy). However, now and again I find myself half asleep scribbling the dissolving memories of a dream into the notepad beside my bed.

This one (again from my sister shoot) resulted from a weird dream / thought I had about mirrors. It reminds me of the film/ book by Alan Bennett called Geometry.

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Oooooo dear, this IS a late post…tsk tsk… however the excuse of being in Geneva with snail pace Internet is my saving grace. Barely viewing html gmail was a clear indicator that blog uploading would be a mission.

So as the rules state find two images attached. These are from an assignment from The Sunday Times printed in Feb. The feature focused on reality TV shows and questioned the affect it can have on children. Both as stars themselves or family members of participants.

This lovely young lad Danny bravely survived his mother’s performance and his laid back attitude to the whole scenario was inspiring. At an age where embarrassment can seem traumatic he reacted with a sense of humor, unfazed by any teasing. He saw the reality of the incident and it was a relief to see how he had maturely dealt with what could have been a horrible experience with such ease.

Jet lag has struck so I’ m off to the nest x

I seem to often end up injuring my sister when we embark on adventures….never on purpose. We either end up getting locked into places, running from aggressive strangers or climbing over fences and breaking ankles and toes.

 
It was for this reason that as we arrived at the nature reserve ; the look of caution and general mistrust on my sisters face was one I had anticipated . I hold a reputation of danger if she agrees to take a wander with myself and my camera.

 Somehow despite this I wooed her into a shoot last weekend. The sun was gorgeous and I had an idea of replicating a vision I had dreamt earlier that week. After a brief mission to Limehouse we were now kitted out with a strange shaped mirror as a prop.

 I found a spot I was particularly after which happened to be an overgrown corn field . At first she refused to climb in, complaining that there would be snakes amongst the reeds. After a slight debate with her Steve Irwin knowledge she finally climbed down the rusty ladder and delved between the leaves.

 I have to say my sister is a bit of a looker and did a great job

 After the shoot I decided to show my appreciation in a predictable childish gesture . As I trailed behind her  I decided to let out a childish squeal and scream “snake! snake!’

 To my joy she ran like a sissy with a genuine look of horror as she clambered up the steps to escape… ahhh sisterly love xx

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