Seeing as it was cold and winter and almost Christmas what better way to spend a day than doing some gymnastics around the centre of Rugby. I hasten to say that it was not me doing the gymnastics!
Shania was my willing subject and has been for many years a gymnast and is also an instructor, so there was no worries that she would not be able to provide some amazing images.
As you can see we created some amazing images….surprisingly though not one of the shoppers complained – most simply smiled or commented how amazing she was. I think the face of the small child walking past sums it all up !!
Saturday the 1st of July saw the racecourse at Leicester hosting a vintage festival with a swathe of stalls, entertainment and cars to see. Staff and members of the public embraced this and were dressed in period clothing from the 1950’s.
Those brave enough were able to learn dance moves and strut their stuff in the dance tent accompanied by live music. For others it was an opportunity to bask in the gorgeous sunshine and remember a bygone age.
Recently I spent some time in London covering some of the off schedule shows at London Fashion Week 2013.
I took along on the last day one of my regular models to do some street images I had been wanting to capture for a while. I love the area around brick lane due to it not only being the heart of london fashion but also because of the diversity of the surroundings.
Indeed while we were there we saw two other shoots taking place!
Obviously shooting in Urban areas comes with its own unique problems. There were the builders who drove past us 3 times to ask for directions….the abandoned house which obviously wasn’t when the owner opened the door or the 20 french school kids who wanted to watch our shoot taking place!
All images taken by Paul Hastie, Vision of You, a Coventry based photographer.
Our lovely model for the day was Jodi.
Brick Lane served as our location for these shots, a complete contrast to the mean streets of Coventry and I feel they appear Italian for some reason? What do you think?
A number of things have all conspired, yes conspired – not inspired, me to attempt this shoot.
There has been lots of talk about how we should, as photographers or other creatives, adapt with the times and embrace new technologies. To an extent, I would agree, but we as a society risk loosing so much of our heritage in the blind pursuit of modernism. If we look around us at the the landscape and it’s architecture we see castle’s and manor houses that are hundreds of years old but are still functional and impressive. Admit it, all of us at one time have wanted to live in a castle! Compare this to the buildings of the last century, these were build to meet a need, often quickly built and embracing new technologies (mmm concrete – so sexy…) Which one of these designs has lasted better I ask you?
Now look at our transport systems…which looks better steam or electric trains? Which would you rather travel on – now be realistic, if you are on a commute to work it is going to be the electric train. However this doesn’t mean we should discard the old technology but we accept that each has it place.
With shooting pictures there is a huge fight to have the latest, fastest, biggest mega-pixel camera we can, People sell kidneys and distant relatives to always keep up with the latest trend. We now have camera’s that can take pictures in almost pitch darkness and boast sensors of 18 or more mega pixels that can record a gazillion colours (shame our eyes cannot isn’t it?).
Look back through pictures that have defined history for us, they are shot on 35mm camera’s or the bulkier Medium Format or even Large Format field camera’s. Am I advocating that we all step back to this technology? Not at all, but we should perhaps look at the images we create. So we can now create an image the size of a small house with eye watering sharpness and a veritable rainbow of colours, the question is do we need to? Surely we need to consider the QUALITY of the image we create, not it’s technical quality but its aesthetic qualities, does it work as an image? will people see it and understand what you are trying to achieve?
Pin up Model, kit car
So when I shoot the pin up shoot I will be using a vintage car, I may shoot some of it on film, I will shoot most of it using the Canon 5d2 as it allows me to instantly see what I am doing and also is more cost effective. I will be lighting it using modern flashes / strobes. Do I want a technically perfect image from it? Not really, I want the viewer to look at it and think nice car, gorgeous model – rather than them remarking on the wide gamut of images, the fact you can zoom in and see the eye lashes on my model……..it’s not about the finer details it is about the whole image. It is a reminder of the 1950’s as they never were…..yes I am creating a fantasy but I also want to create a reality that almost was…..
This years Clothes Show Live ran from the 3rd to the 7th December and included the Dance Show 2011. Fashion and Dance have always seemed to be common partners through the ages and this years show showed that it was still true today.
The show hosted a number of celebrities ranging from Holly Oaks to Towie (The Only Way Is Essex) and designs from most of the major high street brands. Remember this is a show for the people rather than the High Couture of say London Fashion Week. That’s not to say the quality of items was in any way less, all the big names were represented and dotted around the stalls there was some amazingly talented designers. Amongst the College and University stands there was a small offering from recent graduates, which included one that particularly caught my eye and that was gunsmoke and lavender which I can easily see becoming a brand to be reckoned with.
The mainstage show, sponsored by Suzuki, is one of the largest catwalk shows I have ever witnessed, I am reluctant to call it a show as it is really a production, with different sets, themes and dance to illustrate the clothing being presented.
Kimberley Wyatt, who most will recognise from the Pussy Cat Dolls appeared with her new band ‘Her Majesty and the Wolves’ and I have to admit put on a great show and I did like her music. She also appeared very sweet at the earlier press call.
Celebrity Big Brother Finalist
Bride is again Martha Hussey, husband is wearing Trivedi
Clothes Show Live 2011 looks to continue building on the success of previous events. This year sees it partnering with the Dance Show and between them will have something to offer every Fashionista out there whether they are 6 or 60 plus!
The official website is a buzz with events and information and is well worth checking back on a regular basis as they keep adding more and more content. The recent shock departure of ‘The Risk’ from the X-factor has been to the Clothes Shows advantage and they will be playing on the Sunday.
When you are walking round it is worth keeping an eye on the crowd as quite often you can spot celebrities and stars wandering around meeting fans and taking in the unique atmosphere.
One of the most exciting things is the main stage catwalk show, here your senses are assaulted by the amazing clothes, the dance routines and accompanying music. How they manage to change clothes so quickly, dance and make it all look effortless is beyond me! I’ve seen a lot of shows and these have yet to be beaten – each year seems to better than the one before.
Have had the pleasure of covering Clothes Show Live in Birmingham for the last few years (OK so it’s maybe more than a few now!) and it is the highlight of my fashion show year. The main arena show is breath-takingly well rehearsed and flawless in presentation. 2010 was the first time I have missed it but seeing as I was recovering from surgery it is allowable. My surgery was on first day (thank you NHS)!
