India Hobson Photography

NEW YEAR, NEW BLOG

2011-01-01T20:17:00.002Z

Personal Epiphanies

2010-12-27T08:53:00.014Z

I chose not to post anything of Christmas, but instead have decided to take the opportunity of the year end to reflect; I've never been one for resolutions and making promises that are pointless... But this year everything has come together right at the end - and so I can begin 2011 with a feeling of stability and confidence.

I have chosen to post my year in pictures - minus the ones that I can't release yet of course, which is forever annoying but thats what makes it in the end! Its not in chronological order, but there is a little sense to it...

My dissertation played a huge part in the start to my year, and has accompanied me throughout my travels and I'm constantly building on my notes - 'in pursuit of liquid gold' was the title.

So from handmade books to self-publishing: With Both Hands in the Wind is still available... and I shall be returning to handmade pieces this year - limited edition.

A handful of the tearsheets that I gathered...

Coitus Magazine (online edition)
Emeric Jones

Glossy Magazine, Issue 6
Rachel T and Tess from Industry People. Make-up by Rebecca Anderton & Ruth Marcella, styled by Poppy Warwicker.

Oh Comely, Issue 2 cover and portraits
Kate Vanhinsbergh

And of course a huge date in my diary - my degree show opening. The event you work towards for 3 years and something that means more to every art student than graduation; a night of drinking, schmoozing and overheating for anyone that attended mine!

I worked with boys:

Shown here: Tom Hallsworth, Paul Scott & Max Cocking. With thanks to Amy Guthrie, Elbie Van Eden, Luci Ellis and Zac Marshall.

and some high class ladies:

Yaelle.co.uk - Make-up and hair by Sophie Ashworth

Helena Garcia of Candy Candy Jewellery

Brothers,

The Clarke Family

Made new friends,

Andy Golpys with Made By Shape

Mark Nichols music

Shot in AMAZING locations,

and with some gorgeous designers.

Helen Williams at Boss wearing designs by Poppy Warwicker-le-Breton.

Gorgeous Russians,

Anna Smirnova at Profile

Went backstage.

J W Anderson

Met some new faces,

Fran Sedgewick with Talent.Net
And worked with artistic peoples.

Jewellery pieces by Cailline Lea, model is Ana and hair/make-up by Andrea Perry-Bevan.

Jen at Nemisis for Adorn Magazine.

There were more boys...

Aaron Vernon at D1
Tom Hallsworth at Talent.Net

Jordan Eggar at Boss

And gorgeous girls,

Sophia Price at Profile

Scarlet Duggan

Emilia L, styled by Helen Yoon

Sara Wilson - self-styled with hair and make-up by Jodie Smith

Sam Morris at AMCK

Rebecca Maeve Manley

Natasha Musson at D1, styled by Louise Litchfield with hair and make-up by Sandra Bermingham

Michael Baptiste, assisted by Jak Spedding

Matthew Whitehouse and Joaquin West at D1, styled by Laura Thomas (assisted by Rebecca Neary) with grooming by Alice Birchmore

More new faces,

Lewis Holland Clarke at Talent.Net
Laurie Calvert at MOT

Worked with old friends - that are very close to me,

Katy Cee and her deads

Heather Nelson at Maverick

Coloured nipples with Josie Denton and Rebecca Anderton,

And woollen headpieces from Natalie Green - modeled by Katie Higgins, with hair & make-up from Laura Gingell
Frankie at Boss with make-up by Shell Sullivan and styled by Lauren Moore

Daisy Pettinger at Boss, styled by Laura Thomas with hair and make-up from Jodie Smith

And back came the boys again - Max Cocking at Premier with grooming by Benny Hancock

and the ever-so-charming Hauke (premier also)

and Conrad Clarke at Talent.net

Phil Ellis, styled by Lora Avedian with grooming from Jodie Smith

Becky with hair and make-up by Bridget Mandy-Taylor

My two beautiful and long-standing friends,

Annie Vischer
and Jayne Read - who was also a bride.

Amie who spent the morning with me and rolled in the sunshine.

And also Alex Cameron - who did the same.

This year I have found so much, in myself and in others - through self portraiture...

and self portraiture...

There are so many people to thank - and I can't name them all, but I have a small list that has to be said...

Lee Joseph Elliott
Sarah Patel
Michael Carroll
Claudette Martin
Ian Cole
James Lightbown
Cecilie Harris
Jodie Smith
Tom Bright
Joseph Story
Des Tan

Premier Model Management
M and P Models
AMCK Models
FM Agency
D1 Models
Models 1
Storm Agency
Next Model Management
Elite Model Management
Profile Models
Boss Models
Maverick Models
Nemesis Agency
S1 Artspace
Urban Splash

Here's to 2011, south-facing balconies, models-a-plenty and being true to yourself.
x

Zac Marshall

2010-12-26T16:36:00.001Z

An editorial that I shot a while ago...

Production: Amy Guthrie
Styling: Luci Ellis working with Zac Marshall
Grooming: Elbie Van Eeden
Models: Paul Scott at D1, Max Cocking at Premier & Tom Hallsworth at theTalent.Net
With thanks to the Zabludowicz Collection

January/February

2010-12-19T15:19:00.002Z

I have to apologise for the complete lack of posting and general online disappearance lately - I have been preparing to move house, preparing to move into a studio space and I'm now on the other side unpacking and in that horrible limbo when I'm waiting to get internet connected... And so as a result I am left feeling hideously rude and out of the loop and have 'shoot withdrawal' to the max!

Of course this only means that throughout January and February I will be THROWING myself into making work and will be shooting as much as I possibly can... I have alot of personal work planned - including a project with Cecilie Harris working with an epic number of male models, an ongoing still life piece and as usual my intensive drive to 'pimp' my portfolio and take my work to another level...

So... I am now opening my doors to model testing - I am offering a rate of £60 for 2 hours which is half my standard rate to agency models... I won't promise a million looks but I will tailor each shoot to the area of your book that needs attention; and of course my ethereal style always sneaks its way in... I only ask for a small fee because I need to cover costs of renting my workspace and all that comes with it!

If you are interested in booking a slot please get in touch via email at indiahobson@googlemail.com and I will get back to you with availability as soon as I can - if you can provide your free dates then we'll already be 1 step closer!

Unless I don't get another opportunity to sneak into Wetherspoons to borrow internet then have a good Christmas, New Year and all other kind of festive time...

India x

Yaelle.co.uk

2010-12-05T16:39:00.007Z

A long long time ago I was contacted by Yaelle Caplan, a fashion and print designer, as she had a vision in her head of beaches and pools and hot hot ladies wearing her designs... I met her whilst photographing the 2009 Manchester School of Art Ba (Hons) Fashion courses' yearly 'catalogue' which indexes 1 outfit for each of the individual students in their final year to take to Graduate Fashion Week amongst other things. Yaelle's gorgeous silk maxi dress was chosen as part of the small selection to be photographed by Mary McCartney as shown above on the beautiful Leah Weller.

Since graduating Yaelle has since designed a stunning range of printed silk scarves that feature glorious bright and colourful images of Baboushka (Russian dolls) and all hold the special embellishment of a miniature doll or Yaelle's signature charm 'hand' symbol.

From our multiple meetings over the past year that Yaelle has been busy doing her research and making sure that she has the BEST quality in all areas of her scarves - a stylist of mine even hand stitches the charm attachment in order to make sure they're just perfect!

Anyway.. to the images! As the debut range would be released in time for Christmas we had to think cold and British (we will be shooting the summer collection in Nice and Monaco) and pray for no rain. Luckily the weather was kind and we set up camp in the local Botanical gardens which offered a simple, formal and 'typically English' set. It also offered me alot of running around and strange looks from the public but I'm used to that...

The wonderfully talented Sophie Ashworth did an excellent job of the make-up and hair for each of the 3 girls and my lone male model - Sophie is currently looking to test, assist and work with anyone based in London so if you're in need of a great make-up artist please let me know!

Yaelle herself giving the girls (her sister here!) a last check before shooting starts...

The couple we had been waiting to find all day... They were both more than happy to help us and I think they were perfect for the job!

ps. Anyone that wants to buy me a special gift this Christmas... the scarf worn below is my favourite of the entire collection ;-)

It was important that the colours remain bright, with an emphasis on luxury and that there be a feeling of 'elite' within the images... Other than that I was given free reign really - which is always a mixture of good and bad in my opinion!

Below is a selection of the final shots, many more can be seen on Yaelle's website, where you can also get in touch with her and get your hands on the beautiful scarves themselves - perfect gifts for stylish ladies, women and girls wanting to add a touch of colour and class to their wardrobe!

I also have to apologise for a distinct lack of posting - I've been supremely busy with a number of things:
-a commission for the Dean of the Manchester School of Art, with the Designer's Republic
-a shoot for Article Magazine with UrbanSplash and MAY68
-a 12 boy shoot for Carbon Copy Magazine with AMCK, FM, Next, M&P and Oxygen models
-being interviewed and accepted as a new member of the S1 Artspace
-proposing (and having approved) a fashion editorial for a national magazine
-joining the team at Made by SHAPE (blog post coming soon about that)
-a portrait commission

Hopefully I have now (mostly) caught up with alot of work and can focus on organising my portfolio and seeing what needs 'pimping' so expect a lot more testing over the next few months - especially as i'll have my sparkly new studio set up and fingers crossed a new apartment too!

India x

Mark Nichols Music

2010-11-12T20:11:00.000Z

I recently shot with Mark Nichols to provide him with something other than 'live' shots to use for his music promotion.
His music is sooooo chilled out and has such a gorgeous sound that it makes you feel like you already know the words when you hear him play - so far i've been to a few of his gigs and that made it really easy for me to plan my shoot with him. He's a typical surfer - blonde hair, constant tan and rarely steps out of his flip-flops but I know him to be a longboarder that makes use of the city's empty car parks and smooth streets... So came the obvious idea of putting the two aspects of his life together.

We shot in two locations right at the very end of the day and at first I was worried that I might lose all the light and have nothing special to take home with me... The second location really saved me - and I got all giddy and excited as I do when a shoot suddenly turns around and promises me goodness! We were losing light quite quickly - even though I had my lastolite in the hands of my trusty assistant Lee (who also shot some behind the scenes footage) but the magic happened soon enough just as it got really dark... In my case the floodlights of the rooftop that we were on really made the shots. The only clue I'll give here is to say the word 'balance'.

Anyway... his selection are posted on his facebook page - where you can find links to all of his music and please please listen and if you like it then 'like' his page too... Also, its the only real way to find out if you think I did a good job of his photographs!

As I mentioned earlier, Lee assisted me that day and shot some of myself and mark working together - and the video is so beautifully edited and smooth it makes me want to bring him on every shoot!

So if you want to know how I work, what I look like and to get a little more information then have a look at this!

All in all a good day - and I'm so glad that I didn't give in to the cold and I dragged everyone up onto that roof... Plus we got a private gig on a gorgeous night.
Thank you to Mark of course, and Lee - and Matt too.

India

Folk Editorial

2010-11-08T19:09:00.005Z

At the moment, as most of you know, I'm working my socks off and running around all over the place to get some money together and upgrade all my kit - and my living situation, so I've not arranged any tests until last week... Normally of course I'm shooting for next season rather than getting all wrapped up in fur and heavy fabrics but as I didn't want to try and submit this anywhere I thought that I'd test a stylist and get all warm and cosy...

It was a whirlwind shoot as I had 2 meetings to get to (and my train on the way there was delayed enormously making me almost an hour late) but I'm happy with the results and I hope that the rest of the team are too.

I had my lights with me and set 1 up to the right of me (as the sun was behind on the left) and for a while I messed around using the flash as I thought i'd go for something a little cleaner:

As much as I like the depth that came from using it I did my usual trick of switching off my trigger 'just to see' knowing full well that I'd prefer it on constant. And of course my instincts are what I rely on throughout all of my work - if my heart isn't in it then it's hard to get excited! So once again I traded in the safety and reliability of flash - as well as sharpness and stillness, for a battle with the sun behind the blinds and my constant light. More soul in my opinion. And apart from the fact that I gave them both slightly different treatments in post I think that when I mix my light temperatures I get such a better range of colours:

Beyond those reasons for choosing constant over flash I also love that my post-production is often a 3 stage process rather than 6 million; edit (selection,) colour tweaks and then a quick clean up of blemishes in PS if needs be. I am not any kind of a retoucher.
And so to the pictures...
You'll see them all very soon!
There is also a teaser selection of images on my website.

India x

Miss Francesca

2010-11-07T17:13:00.003Z

A few weeks ago I shot with TheTalent.Net's new face Francesca and I thought i'd show a selection of the images - I always enjoy working with new faces as I think it's really good to be able to show the development from the first shot to the last as both the model warms up as do I.

Jodie was in charge of hair and make-up and we managed a huge number of different shots in a short space of time - we started off with a natural look and then adapted it slightly, working with hair up and down to give a bit of variation to the shots.

When I'm testing with a model specifically for an agency I steer clear of working to an editorial story and hope to get the model used to being in front of the camera - although it might not be their debut being photographed it is their first time with me.

I generally aim to get at least one 'sexed up' shot - something that will stand out in their book or on the agency website beyond natural shots that the model tends to get plenty of at the beginning of building their book - it also gives clients a chance to see potential within the model.

Francesca is a fantastic girl - beyond having eyes that look like glass, a slender figure and a really warming smile, she has the greatest personality... Being scouted in the street and whisked up by an agent like TheTalent.Net might go to any other 16 year old's head but not this one - she's hardworking, focused and really seems to take it all in her stride. Me like.

More posts to come this week with the release of new images featuring Mark Nichols music and a recent test shoot with 2 gorgeous brunettes...

India

Christmas Goodies

2010-10-25T19:49:00.002+01:00

Christmas has begun its slow wander into our lives and is creeping up on us a little more everyday - and so comes the panic of gift-buying! Today I took a really exciting small commission from a lovely lady that wants to create something special for her husband - obviously its photographic and I have quite a wide brief but it is essentially a creative portrait of her. I'll be getting her all dolled up with a professional make-up artist and we'll be making something personal for her husband!

I'd like to put out there to anyone that considers me to be 'a fashion photographer,' not so - I happen to work in the fashion industry and I the tool I use is a camera, but essentially I count myself as some sort of visual artist. I create.

A recent client of mine hired me to photograph her in her wedding dress that she is considering selling - again she decided that she wanted some eccentric make-up and we danced in her local park to get some images that would let her mind consider the dress well and truly 'used' before she sell it.

So ladies and gents, what I'm saying is that I am inspired by so many things and I work not only in fashion but in PEOPLE. I'm also inviting all of you that think you might enjoy a group photoshoot with your friends or siblings as a gift to your parents, or a cheeky something for your other half - or even to commission me to photograph a given subject for your wall; i'm open to accepting this kind of work.

I apply myself 100% to all work, whether paid or not - and offer a range of choices when you ask me for a quote and if you provide me with your budget then I can let you know what that is likely to get you! All image work (CD, DVD) from me comes wrapped up all beautiful in its own little gift package, or alternatively I can provide prints for you.

Obviously, if anyone wants to skip the photographs and donate to the 'India is moving out' fund then feel free to throw winning lottery tickets in my direction... They will be greatly appreciated!
India

Inspiration

2010-10-24T16:13:00.006+01:00

So, I wrote this about 4 hours ago and it took forever to sort out and then I mess it up by logging out at some point thus losing all the goodness - so I have had to re-write it all, therefore if it isn't quite as witty and informative as you'd hope then that was definitely in the lost blog post.
So, second time around...
A blog reader of mine has asked for a little more insight into the process of a shoot and all that jazz and as alot of my recent work is intended for publication I have used an older piece of work to show you all from start to finish - obviously only from my perspective.

The work is from the fashion issue of Supplementaire that was released earlier this year. If you don't know it by now then shame on you - the editor has since set up a specialist menswear magazine that is taking the world by storm and set for big big things... I know this because I work on the layouts of the magazine and get to see it before anybody else!

Firstly I discussed the content and general style of the feature to ensure that we were both happy, I got the go-ahead and he sent me the details of some models to use - this is because he oversees the casting for the magazines.

The team:
Model: Mark Lavelle at D1 models
Styling: Krishan Parmar
Grooming: Shell Sullivan

I like to keep 'teams' as small as possible to bring a level of intimacy.

I sent Krishan a few guidelines and ideas for the styling, which were along the lines of those below - I suggested simple and clean styling that we could liven up with accessories.
I have a thing for putting things on boys heads; crowns, garlands, hats - anything. And my friend Lora Avedian (we've worked together on a few things) sent me this image by Nicolas Ripoll of a boy with a paper hat. I used this as my main inspiration point. Beyond 1 or 2 images that I send to a stylist, I rarely try to imagine what the work will look like. The reason for this is that I like to invite chance and to basically 'see what happens' when you put a certain model in a certain light in certain clothes - it seems to work too. That way i'm never disappointed because I have some big idea... Its organic and true.

I liked the softness of the Jean-Paul Gaultier ads, and also an editorial in Dazed and Confused that used a lot of J W Anderson pieces - a designer that inspires me hugely.

Anyway, shooting. I organised the location through a contact I made a while ago and have since become very good friends with... He has been a star and so so supportive of me and I really appreciate all of his help and hospitality.

In terms of grooming I always ask for coverage and a base, perhaps the odd defining of eyebrows etc but I stress that I don't like my boys to look like they have make-up on - its just not to my personal taste, Shell was excellent at this and is always a pleasure to work with.

Krishan brought the entire Damian Marquez collection that featured bright colours and odd textures, and to accompany the clothing he had created a selection of paper hats, boats and even threaded paper laces into a pair of shoes... Gorgeous.

At first the sun was really strong and sent blocks of unmanageable light into the room so we stayed away.
I stuck to available window light and used the subtle fluorescent strip lights also. This is probably a hugely understated lighting method - and one of my favourites.

The shoot was quite easy, quick and rather quiet. I am very confident when I shoot boys and know when I have 'the shot' and so move on fast, often getting a wide variety of different styles by changing light and angle and whatnot. I used the location as much as possible by working with glass and reflection - sometimes obscuring Mark's face and defocusing too.

This is the final contact sheet that I sent to the editor and I awaited his response.
An important thing to know (whether a designer lending pieces, make-up artist or model) is that regardless of whether your shoot is commissioned or not IT IS NOT A GUARANTEE THAT THE STORY WILL MAKE THE FINAL CUT. Pull letter or not, the editor has the final word and if he/she feels that the story/artwork isn't relevant or fails to meet the desired standard then they can scrap it!
Anyway, thankfully he said yes, and selected the images he liked best.

A few of the final images:

And how they appeared in the magazine:

I hope that gave you a little insight.

I use my tumblr to post 5 inspirational things a day - but I thought i'd put a few links on here too to keep a few of you happy... They're all in my bookmarks folder and I check on them regularly to provide me with a different view on things, I love them all for different reasons.

Andrew Kuykendall
Alex Sainsbury
Amira Fritz
Tyrone Lebon
Eirik Slyngstad
Victoria Stevens
and
Beth Evans.

India x

Love to Live

2010-10-21T10:30:00.003+01:00

I was lucky enough to be given some new lenses a few weeks ago and its still sinking in that I have them - they are yet to feel like mine as I didn't spend those weeks researching them and aiming towards them... I love them and am so gracious that that person (a family member) did such a beautiful thing for me.
I am so lucky to work with amazing people and those that I work with on a regular basis have such big and open hearts and I truly love them and appreciate their support so I wanted to say a thank you to them should they read this.

I use photography as a method of escapism for a number of things, none of which i'm happy to share but trust that as long as I'm creating work then i'm focused in the right place. Image-making brings so much to my life and I can't imagine doing anything else - I want to grow and progress and play as much as I can with my time. For those that know me, especially through university, I am incredibly good at managing my time and getting the most out of a single day - that is because I feel like I need to use it all in case it gets cut short. I love life, I love living and I love doing something with it. I refuse to be defined by my circumstances.

I'm a sensible person, yet still a dreamer and sometimes the two combine - I have never felt the need to travel until now and even then my idea of travelling is not really to go far and wide but to stay grounded and explore Europe - with work in mind of course.
I am held back by a few things, mainly financial; although the fundamental things can't be bent out of shape with money, it would go a long way in changing certain factors in my life that would make it more bearable.

I have so much inside me that I want to shoot and I know I have far to go - and I have no idea whether I will be able to take my ideas forward but i sincerely hope so.
I like to earn my place and have so far worked and paid for everything I own and that is how i intend to continue.

Thank you for reading, for googling me, for looking through my website, for following me on twitter - for any or 1 or all of those things, it really makes me proud and warm inside to know that you like my work... I put my heart into it and so it's comforting to know that it has a place in some of yours.

"A beauty is not a need but an ecstasy.
It is not a mouth thirsting nor an empty hand stretched forth,
But rather a heart inflamed and a soul enchanted."
(Speaking of Beauty)
The Prophet Kahlil Gibran

India x

Lewis

2010-10-18T17:25:00.003+01:00

Last week I shot with a guy that i've wanted to work with for a long time... Lewis. We did a couple of basic shots and then did a small loosely-linked editorial with grooming using MAC by Janeane Hodgson and styling/accessories design by Natalie Green.

The shot below is my favourite shot of the whole day and the very first one that I took.

The rest of the images will follow soon...
India

Saturday Project

2010-10-16T18:50:00.002+01:00

Slightly odd post subject - not exactly photography, well not at all actually but i'm very proud so I wanted to share!
I'm addicted to these shoes, and have the same in black as well as camel and they're the comfiest and most amazing shoes ever - I have a moral objection to wearing heels to work in... and then came the wedge! I have shot a wedding in these and my feet didn't even mention tiredness to me and more recently they've become my studio shoes - I used to take my shoes off to shoot in but recently i've wanted a little extra height to play with for headshots and this seems to be the answer.
Anyway, I wanted to make them a little more wearable during the day and so I set out to make some attachments for them...

Finished attachment below complete with dodgy machine stitching - the needle broke so i had to take a detour to secure the velcro!

And the finished shoe with removable goodness.

Open:

Closed:
Bizarre but I love them so thought i'd show everyone. I shall now commence wearing them around the house as I have almost no social life to apply them to but I don't mind!

India x

Running In Heels, More Boys and Autumn Cleaning

2010-10-13T20:52:00.004+01:00

Last month I took a trip down to London to shoot this female editorial... It has been released on the Running in Heels website HERE.
I'm showing a different image selection so you can see a few more and because I like so many of them! The team were excellent:
Styling and Production: Gemma Lacey at Models1
Hair and Make-Up: Enzo Volpe at Models1
Model: Anna at Profile

The studio (ha!) was right next to Carolyn Massey and I was dying to sneak in and a) steal some gorgeous clothes and b) take some boys!

The above dress was one of my favourite pieces that Gemma brought - Marc Jacobs I believe. Yum.

I also shot a couple of Polaroids (courtesy of Matthew Davenport) one of which can be seen on my tidied WEBSITE.

I have a few more of those to show but will hold them back for now... Just because i'm a tease.

I've kept myself busy recently and so I thought i'd share some of the results. The below images are from a test set up entirely by the stylist Natalie Green.
Make-up by Laura Gingell.
Model is Katie Higgins.
Massive thanks to Natalie Green for styling and sourcing the location - and also to Rob for my lift home and fantastic entertainment!
The clothing is by Rebecca Roberts.

I kind of wish i'd have had my new lenses when I shot this but then I could say that for most of my work now that I have some beauties in my kit...

The last of my news today is that i've had a massive clean-up and sort out of everything online, mainly because its quite confusing for the user ie you, but also because I get lost sometimes as to what i'm putting where! Fingers crossed i'm having my website redesigned and redeveloped so it should all be consolidated into one place...

So:
FOR MY PORTFOLIO, BOOKINGS AND INFORMATION
my website - indiahobsonphotography.co.uk

FOR YOUR 5-A-DAY PHOTO INSPIRATION
my tumblr - indiahobson.tumblr.com

FOR BEHIND THE SCENES, CASTINGS AND OTHER BITS
my facebook page

FOR DAY TO DAY UPDATES
my twitter - twitter.com/indiahobson

Thank you all for reading, following and whatnot - please 'like' me on facebook, 'follow' me on tumblr and twitter and if not, be happy!

India

Boys Boys Boys

2010-09-29T18:45:00.005+01:00

Been quiet on here for a while; i've been concentrating on a variety of things to do with my work as a business but also as a creative process. I've not been shooting a huge amount but instead focusing on getting QUALITY over quantity and making connections in the right places (hopefully.)
I thought that this post might be a good place to share some information directed towards those people that email me or send me facebook messages of praise and such like. Firstly i'd like to thank each and every one for that - it really touches me that you read and view my work and take the time to let me know you like it. I make work for me and that will never change - but to know that someone else takes enjoyment in it brings me smiles.
Those that ask about assisting me; I am a 5'6" slim build female and thus my carrying abilities are somewhat limited, as are my 'high-up-reaching' skills and not having a car means that I use public transport almost all of the time... So i've spent my whole practicing history on my own playing with light and thus have pretty much found out ways of being self-sufficient in my working method. I have almost perfected my kit transportation device (aka suitcase) to be able to take what I need to most places and as I work often with available light or in a studio I rarely need a hand. So basically in terms of assisting experience I couldn't really offer much to be honest - reflector holding is boring in my experience and there's not a great deal that you can learn from it on set with me. I'm not afraid of someone 'stealing' my methods etc as I have confidence with light and you can't teach that - thats not to say that i'm an expert because i'm far from it, but I can trust that should I leave my lights behind, as I did later in this post, I can maximise my options and get some truly beautiful results from a fluorescent bulb and a dull grey sky. Anyway, all i'm saying is that please don't be offended if I say that I don't need assistance - I genuinely don't need it, unless I ask!
If it's lighting tips etc you want to learn then i'm beginning to consider the idea of teaching on a more regular basis so please if this would interest you send me a message to indiahobson@googlemail.com

Right, to the interesting things... Boys.

I shot Tom for a menswear magazine recently and felt that I could get more from him so arranged another shoot on a test basis along with styling from Natalie Green and grooming by Laura Gingell. The location was kindly offered to me by photographer Andy Haworth and I took him up on his offer...
A behind the scenes shot to show you the lighting set-up and one of the final shots from the same set-up.
Obviously the final image has been desaturated quite alot but you can still just about see the difference in temperature of the light as the spot is warm and the daylight cold. This is my favourite way of shooting as the colours I can produce are just endless and thats where my magic is I think.

Along the way I shot a couple of Polaroids on my seemingly co-operative land 104 (it goes through phases of working and not.) And this shot is a bit 'old school' for me in that it's got a slight crucifix edge to it - something that I'll be bringing well and truly back into my work.
The film is courtesy of Matthew Davenport and I still have a few more packs left to work with so excited to get more shot - and show you a few more that I already have done.

And another shot as we took a break from the more editorial set-ups. Again you can see the warm light slightly hitting his face on the right.
I still have a lot to show from this day but hopefully it'll be picked up by someone and I can present it as I'd like.

Last weekend I went down to London to shoot for a magazine but made the most of my time and shot a few of the Premier boys... because somebody has to.
Grooming by Benny Hancock and wardrobe assistance from Luci Ellis.
First is Caspar.

Next is Hauke, who escaped back to Hamburg the next day but was amazing for me.

And then Max Cocking - who you might remember from a backstage shot from another magazine shoot earlier this year.

And last but not least is Conrad Clarke of Talent.net.
Again I have many more images of these guys but will post them another time...

They were shot at Clic La Mode studio in Woolwich and I fell in love with the place... Especially the floor.

India x

Into the Water

2010-09-09T11:12:00.005+01:00

Here's a behind the scenes from a male editorial a few weeks ago, its my 'angry child face' and i've been practicing it for a while now... almost got it down I think.
That day I was particularly giddy and most likely left an odd impression on Matthew and Joaquin's mind - i'm usually rather quiet when shooting so as not to excite anyone too much, sounds silly but I like everyone to feel like they could fall asleep at any point from cosy goodness.

For those of you that follow me on twitter (thank you - and if you don't then you're missing out on alot of odd things) anyway those that do will know that I recently took a week off and went camping on the Yorkshire coast.
I shot a few rolls whilst I was there and these are a couple of outtakes from playing on the beach...

The cliffs were mainly clay so we managed to climb up and down them a few times and because not many others dared to we had the beach to ourselves pretty much all the time - the only downside was the MOD signs everywhere warning us of explosives on the beach that might go off (it used to be a live testing site.) But we survived so all was good.

I think thats me trying to be an amazonian goddess. ^^^ Standard.
And here's lee all wet suited up as the sun disappears. Love this picture.

The last one is just a random shot of my dads kayak. Priddy.

I have a busy few weeks ahead with meetings tomorrow, train journeys, 3 shoots at the weekend, more train journeys and meetings on Monday and 2 shoots on Tuesday. Then maybe i'll have a little rest before LFW starts - still to finalise my plans but I also have 2 magazine shoots to fit in at the same time... Eek.

On a final note i'd like to thank the kind blog reader that sent me a gift of instant film to shoot with - I shall be putting it to use this weekend so you'll all get to see the results - and will do a blog post of my favourite pieces of his work too.

India

ps. don't forget my book:
WITH BOTH HANDS IN THE WIND - the blurb bookstore
x x x

Me Me Me

2010-09-02T23:32:00.003+01:00

I'd intended to do some playing for a while to get out my lights and generally mess about so this morning I did... Although I forgot about the lights and got distracted with the window instead!
Its always hit and miss when I get in front of my camera - sometimes i'm happy and sometimes it just doesn't work, but I always approach it in the same way I do to all my other work; I have no preconception of what my final images will look, but I start with the light and work out what I want to do and go from there. I move quite quickly into different compositions and try to produce a variety - I rarely take more than 20 shots (when I shoot a full 12 page editorial I take around 70 pictures, which is low compared to most.)
The first image below is todays assistant who mainly helped me to focus the camera - obviously he stepped out of the shots with me in. I also use a remote which can be seen in some of the shots...

The lighting below is really simple; large window directly in front of me (north facing, so not direct sunlight) and a desk lamp to my right. I left the glare from the lamp in the frame as I quite like it. And yes the 'wrong' eye is in focus but who cares?!
For the next one I switched the lamp off - and increased the darks in lr. This image is rather deceptive I think - I don't think it looks like natural light. Odd.

The next few I thought i'd show you the stages of post production... Basically its quite minimal - and always is!
The first image is the raw file so straight from camera.

The next step is to open it in lightroom and play with exposure and colours - this time I pulled some of the detail out by adding some fill. I also adjusted the white balance and added a very slight tone to the highlights.

Finally in photoshop I cropped slightly and used shadow/highlight to bring out some more contrast and detail in the darker areas... and then used colour balance for the blue tones and upped saturation slightly. And yes its only in focus on some of the hair.

Next raw file...

I only adjusted the white balance here.
Then finally in photoshop I found a colour that I liked. And used curves to boost the brightness...So a geeky post from me but hopefully for anyone that doesn't understand or care for that kind of detail you might enjoy the pictures!

India x

The Deer Park

2010-08-29T23:27:00.005+01:00

And another one - I was going to save it for another day but I couldn't resist... Again, if you click on each image they'll isolate then one more click to blow them up biggerererer.

Miss Daisy

2010-08-29T22:10:00.006+01:00

I thought i'd share an editorial I shot a while back - I have major shoot withdrawal at the moment so have taken it upon myself to shuffle about my portfolio and make room for new work... So i'm testing in the North (Sheffield and Manchester) at the moment. Looking for both male and female models - experience and represented preferred but for the right face I can make exceptions. Stylists and make-up artists too.
I get millions of offers of assistance so shall be calling upon a few of them to become lastolite masters for me and general posse members. If anyone can give me ANY help in terms of locations - indoor and outdoor, generic spaces and places with character and always for free!
You're all amazingly supportive so thank you for reading...

I leave you with pictures (ps if you click on them and then again you can see them as big as your screen):

Thank you,
India x

With Both Hands in the Wind

2010-08-26T15:46:00.008+01:00

Above is the softcover version of my new book that I have released using the self publish project Blurb. I intend to work on a lot more projects similar to this in the future as I find it a great release from fashion work - and I don't need anyone else around to shoot for them...
Jayne Julia Read wrote a beautiful introduction for this and I owe her so much for saying such positive and touching words.
Creative Boom (an online magazine for creatives) wrote me a special feature in honour of my release and that can be read HERE.

Below is a sample of one of the pages that isn't seen in the book preview on Blurb:

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1540093

The above page spread doesn't appear exactly like this in the final book - but I quite like it here so thought i'd share...

and the back:

A few outtakes from self work are below - some of them incredibly raw and unfinished but again I like them so thought i'd give you lot a special look.

If anyone is interested in stocking the book in their shop please let me know...

In other news this week I received my copy of Yeah Magazine that had a few of my shots in them - not really as i'd intended and without credits for the rest of the team which is slightly deflating but a great achievement nonetheless.
Full versions of the images will be on my flickr this afternoon and are now up on my website - which incidentally has had a little tidy and update.

Seen as the rest of the team missed out on their glory i'll type them in really big letters:
Models: Tim Harfield and Jordan Eggar with Boss
Grooming: Jodie Ann Smith
Styling: Poppy Warwicker-le-Breton
With thanks to Umbro

I'm currently testing in the north for a short period and will be on the lookout for amazing talent - please get in touch if you're interested; I have high standards but i'm a friendly REAL life person... Please note that this isn't a chance to get your collection shot for free - I still have a job!

And last but not least I want to thank you all for following my blog, checking my flickr and for all the messages I get asking for information and just generally paying me compliments and taking an interest - it means alot.

x

Sally Mann - The Family & the Land

2010-08-14T16:11:00.004+01:00

Whilst in London I visited The Photographer's Gallery as I knew there was an exhibition on that I was particularly interested in seeing as it had been recommended to me by a friend - one that shares a love for minimal depth of field and a great sense of texture and soul and who happens to be a great photographer too:

Jonathan Stead

There's a few of me on his site too so look carefully and you'll find me in all my All Saints Victoriana glory...

Anyway I digress, the work exhibited was that of Sally Mann and it swallowed my breath as soon as I walked in. The room is dimly lit and there were 2 prints on each wall - all deeply beautiful portraits very closely cropped and dirty with Sally's fingerprints, folds, chemicals and all kinds of dust. The majority of the images were of Virginia, one of her favourite sitters, and her gorgeous freckles really drew me in - I love Sally's passive eyes-closed approach, it transforms her sitter into something more.

The work in the upstairs galleries moved from the Immediate Family pieces through Deep South and into What Remains... I own her book At Twelve and adore the images - although some find it imposing and have even accused her of pedophilia. That aside, the curators chose to display some gorgeous pieces that have been criticised in the past for their depiction of naked children.
My personal favourite is the image below.
I stood in front of it for ages.
And moved backwards.
And looked really close at it.
And its amazing.

(http://www.mocp.org/collections/permanent/mann_sally.php)

Her Deep South series has always been a great inspiration for me - its not often that an image without any people in it can hold my attention but these most certainly do.
If you're familiar with my own work - which I hope you are, then you'll be aware of my love for colour. I rarely work in monochrome as I feel restricted yet I love the work of Josef Koudelka, Lillian Bassman and Irving Penn - renowned for their aversion to full colour for most of their working lives. Mann is another of those that manages to more than just hold my attention... I'd recommend the exhibition to anyone who has spare time in London or just as a break from the eleventy million Topshops.

x

Oh Comely and Other Things

2010-08-13T10:43:00.003+01:00

This week the postman brought my copy of Issue #2 of Oh Comely Magazine which I shot the cover for a few weeks ago with Kate Vanhinsbergh in Manchester.

I contacted the picture editor after seeing the first issue in WHSmiths; the cover struck me as it was a simple polaroid on a plain white cover and amidst the neon sex tips and weekly celebrity glossies it stood out.
Issue #2 is a much meatier magazine and has come on leaps and bounds since the debut issue with some excellent features including a test of the Royal Mail and a great series of interviews for anyone interested in curation.
The team sent me on task to meet some interesting people in Manchester's Northern Quarter. I enlisted the help of talented make-up artist Gemma Hallowell and phenomenal all-round creative person Rebecca Manley and we chatted and photographed a few people...

Earlier this week I went down yonder to London for some meetings, magazine work and general friend-visiting...

Below is a small banner of a few things from my magazine shoot; a few location shots and behind the scenes - i'm not keen on releasing behind the scenes shots until I can reveal final pieces, just because I know how protective editors can be... Hopefully you can see the cheeky Max Cocking from Premier though - he's a funny one and an excellent model too.

Full credits will of course be released when the mag is printed...

Photographer James Lightbown invited me to view the Clic La Mode studio on Tuesday evening so I accepted and found my way (almost all on my own!) to the gorgeous space he has available overlooking the Thames; the weather was grim but cleared up later and I could see that it would be a great place to shoot... The studio itself is well-equipped and beautifully organised (everything had its own hook or space in a drawer!) and there is a great amount of potential to shoot in there - backdrops-a-plenty, although i saw myself making use of the gorgeous floor and wall of windows!
I'd like to thank James and Emma (beautiful model, presenter and chip buttie chef extraordinaire) for giving me some very useful advice and for general support - they helped me to consider my future and a direction to take...
Please follow, support and donate (if you can) James' brother who is swimming 3 miles in a Snowdonia Lake for charity despite being paralysed from the waist down:

Rock Up and Roll

As well as a whirlwind mag shoot (3 hours) I donned my beautiful shoes and tucked my portfolio safely under my arm to attend a few meetings with magazine editors in Old Street - its a very scary experience. I managed to find the Breakfast Club where all the cool and incredibly intimidating arty people 'hang out' and I felt like a sore thumb. Thankfully everything went well so fingers crossed...

When I'm putting together teams to work with I always try to work with people that have been recommended to me, or people that have made strong creative decisions in terms of what they have in their book - a portfolio is more than just a showcase of your work but it also speaks of your interests and your personality... but more importantly I like to know that you're a real life person and not an alien - the fashion and photography industries are full of people that are scary and mean and think they have to be horrible but its also full of lots of friendly REAL LIFE people that smile and laugh and fall over and whatnot. I'm one of those and will make sure I stay that way.

Anyway, I'll leave you with some self-portraits that I did in the hotel room. Nothing special, but they helped me.

Ps the book is coming along very well!

Horizons

2010-08-03T16:53:00.003+01:00

I've been busy putting together layouts for my first artist book to be made available to the public - I have made very limited editions in the past that have been specially commissioned but this is my first book that you'll be able to buy and hold in your hands!
I'm in the final stages of tweaking the proofs and should be ready to release the previews in the coming week...

So far I can reveal that the book is a collection of quiet and peaceful imagery that soothes with its embrace of the natural elements whilst indulging in the rich colours and deep textures. Some moments are still and silent and others move you quickly through the undergrowth to the vast skies.

I hope that many of you enjoy my first 'public' published offering and I have many more in the pipeline to involve collaborations with some of my muses and inspirations...

More details will be updated regularly - I may even sneak one in tonight with a picture!

India x

Clipped Wings

2010-07-30T17:34:00.005+01:00

The decoration for this post are two self portraits that I took 2 years ago... The top one I did in my uni flat and later found this by Sarah Moon:

I close with a few little ones (apologies for watermarks - i stole them from my own deviant art account as i cant be bothered to look in my harddrive) of me when I was 21... And wow how i miss that hair - i still have the fringe but the rest refuses to grow!
You'll be seeing a few more self-portraits in future too... ;-)

India

Friends

2010-07-29T20:57:00.003+01:00

Hmmmn long time no post = slap on the wrist for me!
Shall repent my lazy ways by featuring some talented people for you to enjoy... All of which sent me some of their work to be included in the styling for my latest magazine venture - released in September and as usual I'm being a meanie and refuse to show anyone anything until it is properly released.

First up is Lucy Jay who sent me 5 stunning silk scarves with her bright and colourful geometric designs printed on them. Although obviously they bring a contemporary approach to the silk scarf they retain their sophistication with the 1920s style font and patterns...
Myself and my woodland friends had a quick play this afternoon:

Here Mr Deer is modelling the beautiful 'Irene' design.

I like this one ^^^^ as i thought that the semicircular yellow shape of the 'Patrick' (LOVE that its called that!) was reminiscent of a sunset and thought that H M S Victory would be very fitting to set sail into the horizon... Ish!
Lucy is a recent graduate (2009) of MMU and you can find her website HERE. The collection was shot by my gorgeous and talented friend Sarah Patel (I mention her on here all the time so if you haven't seen her work then you should be ashamed of yourself..... and Sarah, I miss you!)

Next in line is Jimmy (1 of 2 girls that make up Jimmy and Alfie) and her floral garlands are right up my street - would LOVE to decorate a beautiful boy with these...

And finally Alfie to complete the set. Unfortunately Mr Postman didn't get this package to me in time for me to shoot it before the deadline as I was travelling to yonder places to get it done... but the pieces are beautiful none-the-less and annoyingly would have been perfect for what we did! I'd love to work with these pieces in the future and think they'd layer up really well...

This week I was told i'd managed to score the cover of a magazine - I also shot a small feature for them and hope to be working with them on a fashion editorial for the issue afterwards, I also forwarded them a few of my inspirations in the young artist/recent graduate network because I believe in spreading the love!
Will of course be blogging that when it arrives, as well as 3 others that i'm waiting for.

In the next few weeks i'm shooting for some major agencies and some stunning magazines that I can't believe i'm working for - I'm not ashamed to say that I like (most) of my work but I find it hard to see in comparison to others. The internet is such a useful tool in terms of research and inspiration and yet at times can be the source of great negativity - sometimes its better just to not look and then you can't be made to feel bad because you love someone else's soooooo much more.

For those of you that use Model Mayhem you may have noticed that i've introduced a testing fee that applies unless I approach you to test with.

In a meeting today with a client I learned that she had been offered free photographic services from a business guidance and advice service - she told me that she turned it down because she has learnt so far that you get what you pay for and she values the individual service I provide and the personal involvement I hold to her project. This filled me with relief and joy - so now everyone else should step up too!
I charge reasonable rates and I individually tailor every price for each specific project whether it be:

Model Portfolios
Gift Photoshoots
Fashion Editorial
Lookbook
Music/Album Artwork
Headshots
Product
Portrait
Fine Art Commission

India x

ps thank you to all the support; especially those that follow my blog and my fantastic twitter family - you make me smile.

Ballad Of's 'Northern Star'

2010-07-10T15:28:00.008+01:00

This post contains boobs. Just so you know...

Last week I shot with Amie Dodgson - model and photographer and mighty mighty travelling lady... Amie has a folder full of beautiful images on her iPhone that bridge the gap between fashion and portraiture in my eyes - they're not quite editorial but also you get the idea that somewhere along the lines the model is just that, and plays to the camera only slightly.
I felt that this was something to work with... and we rolled around on the wooden floors and against white walls and generally got 'a bit playful'.

I don't tend to carry my polaroid camera in my kit anymore... But pack it only when I expect some element of extra-specialness in the day's happenings; on this day I did indeed expect the extraordinary of Amie (I didn't tell her that - just assumed that she'd be amazing from what i'd seen before) and so out came Mr 104 - which is his name.

I think both Amie and Mr 104 delivered twice-over.
Sometimes its easy to become wooed by Polaroid purely because of its material substance and the acceptance of its flaws - something a lot of people aren't open to with the use of digital photography. I like the lack of control and often Mr 104 decides he doesn't want to play, so its always exciting when an image emerges...

Just to prove that life isn't perfect, Mr 104 decided that on the second box he didn't want to play and got all hot and flustered so he went back in his box.

For a few of Amie's images I used overlays and continued the 'play' in post-edit... I think in most areas I've managed to retain the raw element that I like but have introduced something new to my practice - texture is paramount to me at this point I feel.

We also shot a few more 'fashion' images but as usual I attempted to throw a small spanner in the works to give something a little odd...

Check out me getting a bit Joseph Story ^^^ (old school Story, probably circa January 2009 i'd say) and say hello to a cheeky nipple...

And this work was featured on Ballad Of's website, I recently shot a male editorial for them which should be in the next issue...

India x

Degree Show 2010 - Results Day

2010-06-29T18:44:00.007+01:00

For those of you that didn't make it to the show, here is an abridged walkthrough of this year... The first wall in front of you (directly below) is my own work as well as Adam Mead's colourful portraiture.

Sophie Megan Lee's cinematic self portraits and a selection of book and portfolio work.

A closer shot of the portfolios as well as my own pratt book and handmade magazines and books.

Cat McDermott's naked men - I love the size of the images and the presentation.

My boyfriend Lee Joseph Elliott's cinema stills. He had an excellent lighting assistant for these (me!)

A few more... Andrew Linley, David Broadley and bookwork.

These are three beautiful prints by Stefan Greco - who has a fantastic eye for images... and a sense of humour. Oh and he's one of my favourite faces on Boss's books.

Roisin McIvors and Sarah Bryan... just about!

Here you can just about see Cassie Gale's, Sharie Banks and Carly McGlynn.

This is Natalie Ellet's - gorgeous. I believe it was taken on a mobile phone and I love the way the light falls on the paper.

A close up of my wall.

And below is the catalogue - thankfully we all agreed on a paper catalogue rather than the CD that has been used in the past. Paper is treasured on our course and we enjoy being able to hold it in our hands...

On that page ^^^^ Zara Harrison and Megan Gorman.

Catalogue was designed and made by Caitlin Howard and Sophie Megan Lee.

And those that I missed (and some that i didn't) but would recommend to EVERYONE:
Sarah Patel
Lee Joseph Elliott
Zara Harrison
Joe White
Kitty Dunne
Charlotte Thomas
Megan Gorman
Emma Nicol
David Broadley
and if Tom Bright had a website.... it'd go on the list too.

I went round the show briefly in between jobs and only took a few pictures but I think they're essentially the pieces that jumped out to me: below is the banner for the fashion students that I shot for - shot these too!
Looks great printed on the sheer fabric so a happy bunny I was - always good to see that clients take care of the images I provide...

This was an installation piece from an Embroidery student - using pieces of videotape stretched and pinned to the wall. It changes as you walk towards it as the linear quality adapts to your eyes. Gorgeous purely for its simplicity.

And another embroidery student - i've said before that its a secret club and it most definitely was - although this year I felt that the work was all very similar to one another... But maybe thats because I had so many friends in last years group!

In the 3D workshop, Frankii Tonge's bird creations wooed myself and my father - love love love these and have been in contact with Frankii so will make sure I get to shoot the pieces asap!

Soooooo....... The degree show was over in a flash and then results day rolled around.
When I think back to a few weeks before university I remember how much I was dreading it, and how adamant I was that i'd be back home within a few weeks because I didn't like new people and I didn't want to get drunk for 3 years like the 'rest of them.' Less than a week in and it was my 20th birthday - all my flatmates littered the landing and flats (my own was shared with 3 other girls and next door with 4 boys - we lived in each others basically!) with balloons and there was cake all over the place and although I was away from home I felt very loved. Over that year I distinctly remember sitting with Tiz and thinking how happy I was to be away from home, independent (ha!) and working towards my career. I still have that feeling...

Yes I spent a hell of a lot of time going out in my first year; I practically lived in the Footage (pub over the road) after 7pm and we got up to much mischief as a flat. I also spent alot of time working fir uni - whilst everyone else studied REAL courses and had lectures all day, I had a few hours a week and the rest free to 'play'. Of course this in my world meant that I could do uni work all day and be free to drink wine all night when everyone else got home!

Still, all the way through school i've been clever, and shamelessly admit that I liked going to school - even enjoyed tests. I got used to scoring 100% or close to it and this continued all the way through A Levels (I got one of the highest Art grades in the country and won an award) as well as scoring 98% and 100% in my Theatre Studies practicals. My foundation year ended in distinctions and of course MMU let me into uni no problem...

Then the first day of uni comes and Alan Jones sits you all down and tells you that no-one ever really gets higher than 80. WHAT? And so the shift begins and I had to re-adjust my system to accept that we were now aiming for that almighty 70... I was determined to do all that I could to make sure I would be changing their view and that 80 was a low number and there were still 20 more after that.

In second year I thought I ruled the universe; I'd got shed loads of experience under my belt as i'd spent all summer testing and building a fashion portfolio and now 'I shoot fashion don'tcha know' and I developed a mentality that was very restrictive. I worked through it by endlessly shooting and productivity became my method of research... At the end of second year I finally cracked it - something clicked in the studio and I was away.

So here I am sat in the studio holding the envelope with my final results in. After daring to take the paper out of the envelope all I can read is "I am pleased to inform you that the Board of Examiners decided that you have"

and over the page
"something something blah blah something FIRST CLASS HONOURS"

I cried immediately.

I not only achieved a First, but I got the 80s that I wanted. I didn't expect it, and I wasn't relying on it to validate my 3 years study as i've experienced so much and made contacts in so many places that the grade really is irrelevant - but I've worked my socks off for all three years and its really rewarding to be able to say that.

Thank you to all those that I've worked with and played with and for everyone who's helped me in any way as a friend or colleague. Muchly appreciated.

And as a signing off point I can now say that I am one by one making my dream a reality - I have got confirmation that some work that I submitted is going to be published in a GORGEOUS and prestigious magazine sold in RD Franks, Selfridges, Harrods and Magma plus a few more... RD Franks is my dream! Geek and a half or what?!

Apologies for the length of this post. I deleted most of it so you got off lightly...

Oh and whats with the lack of comments?!?!?!? Shocking people - get commenting!

India x

Delicate Subjects

2010-06-13T18:05:00.007+01:00

A rather image-heavy post tonight; the first set of images are the extras from a recently published editorial in Glossy Magazine - Issue 6. The image above you may remember from my interview in the Bowens Litebook...
My models for this were Rachel and Tess from Industry People and both of them were fantastic - both beautiful girls and really easy to work with. Industry People have a great reputation in this part of the world and in my opinion their models work to an incredibly high standard...

The week prior to shooting this I shot the lookbook for the fashion course and took note of the pieces that I wanted to include in this shoot and then appointed Poppy to style around the chosen pieces. I think she did an excellent job and I continue to work with her - fabulous designer and awesome stylist.
Good stylists are hard to find - I look for ingenuity, creativity and a hands-on approach. Styling in my eyes is more than simply placing garments together, its art direction and it is the making or breaking of the images. Ultimately as the photographer I have the final word on styling, so its always good to work with someone that I trust so that I don't have to consider that aspect. I'm beginning a new set of work with a stylist that I think is everything I look for - shooting on Tuesday so will report back then!

On Friday I did a favour for a friend in exchange for some portfolio shots; not my usual but a little variation never did any harm... These remind me of Alice, Snow White and also Marilyn Monroe - quite sexed up for Disney though...

Despite a hi-key finish on them i've not retouched - I don't believe in it and frankly I think it makes my images look bad, similarly I don't try to hide the lack of wardrobe stylist and instead make a feature of the plain white top used to cover Ana's (amazing) assets.

The 3D pieces are designed and handmade by Cailline Lea with make-up by Andrea Perry-Bevan and modelled by Anastasiya @ PHA.

The shot below is one of the light tests using Valeria as my model - quite like her expression and the highlight brushing her hair so decided not to trash it... Building a collection of these so once it gets a little bigger I might release them into the wild.

Studio distractions ^^^^^^^

On a final note... Incredibly nervous as tomorrow I have to deliver a presentation explaining my degree work as a last ditch attempt to bump my grade up. Bricking it. And a half.

For all those that would like to see my work and 43 other artists' creations then have a look at the website here. My input here is an old image, and for those that do make it to see whats on the wall you'll find entirely new images and have a chance to see my books and portfolio (edited for tutors - it has double the amount of images in it for industry.)

Have had some very promising news about the future too so will no doubt keep you up to date when all is safe to tell. Secrets and lies!

India x

Bloglovin'

2010-06-09T15:31:00.001+01:00

Follow my blog with bloglovin

Still Life

2010-06-08T18:26:00.006+01:00

In the run up to the art and design hand-in dates I did a lot of work for students on the embroidery course at the school of art - I think i've mentioned the course before, and how its not what it sounds like at all. Its not everyone sat around sewing - its much broader than that and it's almost definitely what i'd have chosen to do had I not chosen photography...
My cousin Roanna Wells graduated from the course last year and her work is so elegant and I could describe it as 'graceful and full of light and air...
look at her website for inspiration please....

The images above are a handful of the shots I took for Martha Coates of her paper pieces. We both agreed that I should use mixed continuous light as we found that flash made the pieces more sterile and as they were developments of drawings of organic forms, a softer and more 'natural' approach was appropriate.

Obviously I was much happier working in this way as I got to play with the colours afterwards - my favourite game!In the past i've enjoyed still life as a way to keep my fashion work fresh. The first is a grey series of natural objects - I haven't removed dust, corrected scratches or covered up where the developer favoured the right edge...I continued this project in colour and produced another series - although this is my favourite image from that set.On a recent trip to London I worked (quickly) with Lora Avedian to make some more still life (below) - we both have wanted to work more on this and I feel that with objects i'm much more free to experiment as its something I can do on my own and really play around - I love that these are so raw and yet quietly considered. I'm looking to work with anyone that would like to supply objects for me - that includes clothing, jewellery, lingerie, hats, headpieces, ornaments, trinkets and generally anything that someone would want photographing... I'd love to create a series that unites so many genres of product and that's only possible with your collaboration.
Depending on how the work develops and those that get involved i'd be looking to produce a coffee table book and work to submission also - still life is everywhere and is a new way of looking at your products as beautiful objects rather than as practical/desirable solutions.Please get in touch via email: indiahobson@googlemail.com

Please pass on this message by copying the URL link and posting on facebook etc...

India x

Flux II

2010-06-07T20:45:00.006+01:00

Today was the final hand-in at uni; I had my work ready and handed in a week early but went to uni anyway to do the official signing-in and just generally mooch around with everyone... I thought i'd photograph the books that I made as part of my portfolio and share with everyone here in case you don't get a chance to see the real things.

My work differs from most on my course as I have chosen to focus much more on the professional context and build my practice around the work I do rather than concentrate on deep concepts. Thats not to say that I don't get deep about my work - most of you know me by now and that I like to sound profound about everything!
As I shoot constantly and aim to come away with series' of images I found it difficult to edit it all down to 22 portfolio images - and I found that I preferred certain images to work in context with the rest of the shoot, rather than standing alone in my book... I decided to present it all in series, how I wanted in a handmade book/journal/magazine.

Below is a preview of the book which is a 96 page colour 11"x9" creation on matt 135gm paper, laserjet printed, stitched and bound by myself.

In order to break up the images I chose to run a quote through the entire book. I struggled to find something that would be long enough, but I also wanted something that was subtle and relatively unknown that would reflect the mood of my visuals... It was difficult until I found this on my hard drive - as well as having a softness about it, the lyrics reflect my work but it also holds a place close to my heart as it was a very close friend that sent it to me - you know who you are.
Link here to Drops in the River by Fleet Foxes

I also fell in love recently with a magazine called Centrefold.
Its a beautiful publication, and invites you to slow down when reading/looking at each page... It has a uniform layout throughout and consists of pages that fold out to extend and hide images - and the paper its printed on is gorgeous; sometimes gold. It inspired my final place for the J. W. Anderson piece that I shot at London Fashion Week. I took the Centrefold concept further and sliced pages in half and shimmied pages to become uneven on either side of the binding... Difficult to explain but easy to demonstrate!

This book is something I'm incredibly proud of because the images have something in them that I think i've lost and need to re-work into my practice... I want to re-find the raw element and embrace everything as honestly as possible - I feel like i'm too cleancut at the moment and its annoying but at the same time will make me work to please myself!
I found one of the JWA images on Robbie Spencer's blog which made me so so happy (he's an excellent stylist and also happens to be the editor of Dazed and Confused) and found the whole lot on the JWA blog too... Only little things but they make me smile.

So the next step for me is to write my presentation that I have to give to the tutors next week and possibly the external examiner - not looking forward to that at all! But then come friday (18th) its the night that most art students value as the pinnacle of their degree, or at least regard it much higher than graduation... The opening of the degree show. 3 years, done.

Thank you all for your support over the years of my degree - it doesn't stop here...

x

Time to Breathe

2010-05-13T22:26:00.002+01:00

This week has been designated for shooting a handful of the fashion students work that are due to graduate from the Manchester School of Art this year - as am I. I started working with the fashion department last year as I shot their lookbook that went with the selected few to Graduate Fashion Week. This year I shot the lookbook again, and also the images for the 10ft banners to go by their stand at the show in Earls Court next month (i'd include a few images but theyre only cut-outs and so nothing to be proud of!) but I have built up relationships with a few of the students that have been helping me with styling recently and in return I offered 4 students the chance to have their final collection photographed...
Above is a few teasers from Emma Murphy's collection; a fantastical daydream of oversized dresses teamed with delicate layered pieces. The make-up is my ever-amazing Jodie Smith and modelling the collection is Steph Jones. More from this set coming soon...

Today was the turn of Laura Thomas; a FANTASTIC stylist and excellent designer - her collection was originally based on the form and pattern that the brain takes on when Alzheimer's Disease develops - which i found intriguing as well as beautiful...

Katy Cee (one of the few that i've worked with so many times i now consider a friend rather than a colleague) pranced and posed her way for us and we giggled a huge amount... Also spot some great reflector work from Jak Spedding too! Anyway these are just a few to tease you... 2 more to go and the embroidery course's turn next week.

Obviously I can't blog without mentioning a few publications that have been released with my work in:
SUPPLEMENTAIRE - gets a special mention because Ian Cole, the editor, worked incredibly hard to get this released and put it all together - I like his frankness and his phenomenal work ethic...
ARTBOX
W25
BOWENS LITEBOOK

and keep a look-out for the next issue of GLOSSY MAG, OMGEE MAG and LABB MAG - you might spot some more of my work...

Degree show info coming soon.
x x x

Countdown, Londres & Publications

2010-04-10T09:57:00.004+01:00

As usual i've refused to stop just because its the Easter holidays - I never stop and this is a perfect excuse to get out of the uni studio and see what exists beyond it... A few weeks ago I was in between meetings (one to organize a beautiful location, the other with head booker of a model agency) and a small chav (who looked remarkably like Dappy - although i'm sure he's not that desperate) nicked my phone out of my hand and basically ruined my day and almost the whole week after. The most annoying thing about it was that it was so easy for him to do - he didnt even have to force it out of my hand or make any kind of physical contact, I wasn't expecting it and I watched it cycle off... Thanks to a kind stranger with an iPhone I managed to call the police and get my Blackberry disabled - so the stupid thing was worth nothing anyway!
I thought i'd say a proper thank you to Alex for a) lending me his phone and b) for not running away - I was slightly hysterical!
Here's a link to his daughter's (GORGEOUS!) blog:
Margot Brown

So after that I have worked my ass off to forget mean little chavvy kids and went down yonder capital city to meet some people and do something a bit different... Just generally get out the house really!
I got off the coach at 5.30 - BIG mistake! But managed to find my way to Hackney where I met Scarlet (you might remember the polaroids we shot a few months back when she came to stay - or else you'd recognise her from the cover of Front magazine - great body!) Scarlet helped me to plan my journeys for the next few days - sounds ridiculous but i'm really funny about transport, I need to know EXACTLY where i'm going!
Tuesday saw me dragging my suitcase and portfolio down Broadwick St. for some exciting meetings...
And then into the wind and the rain to shoot in Regent's Park - with great thanks to the press office there who I sorted a permit from.

My models (Scarlet and Emilia) were fantastic and convinced me that I shouldn't cry and go home, and that even though it was raining horribly and the wind was playing havoc with everything it could - we set up camp in the toilets (glamorous as ever) and the stylist Helen Yoon got to work with the gorgeous spring collections she'd brought. I decided that i'd be hardcore and brave the winds with the girls one at a time - whilst the other could sit under the hand dryer getting warm!
The girls were both brilliant and have achieved the 'hardcore' status also - the above are only outtakes but i can assure you that the final shots look gorgeous and full of spring sunshine - no rain to be seen. The wind also played its part as Yaelle Caplan (a graduate fashion designer and all-round nice person) had lent me two of her silk maxi dresses that looked STUNNING on the girls.

Following that myself and Scarlet escaped the weather and took shelter in Costa... and had a giggle and a half waiting for my friend Lora in Euston station - a man entertained us as he got his shoelace caught in the top of the escalator; bot funny in itself but everyone else just thought he was being a bit of a knob by blocking the way!

Anyway, I met Lora, said goodbye to Scarlet and we started a mammoth mission to pick up the clothing/jewellery that Lora had managed to source for our shoot in Richmond Park the next day. I think I saw the whole of London that night! We finally got to bed in Lora's (beautiful) house in Richmond at 2ish.

Fantastic make-up artist and model Sophia Price joined us in the morning as I was calling local indoor locations to get us somewhere away from the cold - after the experience of the previous day I wasn't up to a repeat performance. I owe a huge thanks to Petersham Nurseries.
Here's a sneak from the shoot - the rest of which will be published so details coming later!

Back in Manchester....
Shot with Katy again - and she brought a few of her friends.

Currently using this as my twitter background - the images were so easy to make, and so satisfying! We both love them very much... And I hope to have the whole story printed soon so once again details of that will follow.

Below are a few outtakes from a test with Boss model Daisy Pettinger, who contacted me on facebook to arrange a play session. I asked my friend Laura Thomas (a current MMU Fashion student) to style and Jodie Smith (you all know her by now!) Laura put together 2 great looks and Daisy was fantastic - reminded me very much of Keira Knightley and Rachel McAdams.

Flashback to just before Londres and phone-nicking: went to shoot/stay in Leeds with Annie and Jayne - two models-turned-friends. I love working with these two individually so I thought it was about time I got them together... Again this is part of a soon-to-be-published set so will update that soon!
8 weeks until final hand-in and I have managed to shoot my first commissioned shoot for a prestigious magazine - that is better described as an art publication; I wont reveal it yet as I want to see the final product so that i can believe it! VERY excited about that - I shot with a great team in a great location and LOVE the images from it...

Look out for me in the next issue of the Bowens Litebook - i'm featured in an article titled "Top of the Class."

Sooooooo..... thats me for the last few weeks. Efficient as hell as per usual and super happy because the sun is shining and I have not very much to do today except enjoy it - BBQ planned for tomorrow and i'm making lemon drizzle cake tonight. Fun times!

x

Image Flux

2010-03-19T11:16:00.004Z

Busy busy times - apart from today; I'm sat comfortably in the sunshine (in Lee's hoodie - not quite t-shirt weather just yet!) with my mac planning and emailing and finding gorgeous pictures.... I've been a very busy bunny the past few weeks, and will be for the next (14 shoots in 3 weeks so far planned) but all of my images are spoken for by various magazines and publications so I have loads to show but cant share any of it yet!
I will tease you with a few that slipped out of the net....

The first is a shot from the Manchester School of Art 2010 Fashion Catalogue which presents each individual final year student as a designer... We had Ella and Hannah modelling 33ish outfits throughout the course of the day - and my good friend Jodie Smith (blog and website) provided the make-up. The students wanted something very simple - a walking shot as though on a catwalk which would be cut-out for the print. I did a basic edit for each but had a fiddle with the tones and did fancy photoshop magic to give them something a little more exciting (although not too exciting!) and hopefully they'll all be arguing over the choice as i'm sure some will want the 'real' image and others will prefer a more creative angle...

Along my travels I went to Leeds to shoot a portfolio for a client:

I stayed with Jayne and Matt (they're getting married at the end of May) and they were fantastic hosts - I treated them to a Nando's to thank them for their hospitality and we had fun times watching Inglourious Basterds and munching on bad (but tasty) food...
They're both so lucky to have each other and to be at a point of maturity that they realize what they have - and to not waste it... I shall be visiting them in their amazing apartment next week and cant wait to enjoy all the treats they have in store for everyone on their wedding day.

I've been working closely with the fantastic make-up artist Jodie Smith, and have mentioned her before but thought i'd post something a little more specific - above and below are 2 images that we shot with model Aimee Kearsley (Nemesis.)
Jodie's work has an amazing quality to it - she has some great work in her book and i think thats because she has high standards when it comes to who she works with - and i don't mean that in a bigheaded way, i mean the other people ie Sarah Jones, Premier Models etc.
Apart from her creativity (we used some of her handmade headpieces for a mag shoot recently) she's absolutely beautiful and is one of those people that you just know has a warm and cuddly soul... Me like.

Shots below are from another mag shoot (released end of April) and I worked with Rachel T (1st image) and Tess (2nd) both @Industry People, as well as make-up and hair by Rebecca Anderton and Ruth Marcella.
Styling was thrust in the hands of my new friend Poppy Warwicker - she's styled 4ish of my recent shoots and she magics clothes out of nowhere!

Menswear shoot with Boss models Tim and Jourdan. Again styled by Poppy using Umbro a/w 2010 and a selection of garments by Penelope Armstrong and Paul Williams.
Make-up here was again by Jodie Smith...

Almost up to date...
I ventured outside for the first location shoot of 2010 - many more to come as i feel an urge to get muddy/sandy/wet as most of my book is restricted to within the studio and i need some air!
Ella modelled for me - she's fantastic at pouting and bent in all different directions as well as climbing into trees with ridiculous platform shoes on...
The clothing collection we shot wowed us all and i'm excited to release these images into the world as they're a little different from my norm...

This image is one of the softer (and indoor) shots, my paolo green snook back into my post-process and yes i'm aware that the only bit in focus is the end of her nose but does it really matter?!
One last one... and a naughty one at that - apologies to anyone that didn't expect to see josie's bits today! Shot this yesterday...

As for next week i'm off to Leeds to shoot a summer editorial, working in the marketing department and later in the week i've got another 2/3 shoots planned...

We now have 11 weeks until final hand-in. I've started putting my book together so if anyone wants to be in it then get in touch! I'm in London 31st - 2nd inclusive.

India x

Somerset House

2010-02-27T21:00:00.007Z

On Wednesday I went down to Somerset House to shoot backstage for J. W. Anderson... I had a triple A pass and there was an exhausting amount of drama in preparation for the show - my friend Lora (website) had been up for at least 24 hours prior to this making sure all the garments were ready - not to mention the weeks of hibernation before!
Among the crowds of beautiful (and strange) boys there were 24 dressers, each one in charge of buckles and studs and flowers and nautical earrings...

J. W. Anderson has a beautiful collection - all the pieces are incredibly wearable, but all have a twist that makes them that little bit more special than your average garment.

Mr Anderson (Jon William) himself was there, running around like a headless chicken shouting at interns and ordering hammers to fix studs into boots and for people to tighten buckles... He made me giggle - but I suppose i'd be rather hysterical if I knew who was watching my collection...

I got a sneek at the Carolyn Massey show too - these guys were dressed very much in my own wardrobe; grey, soft sparkles and wrapped up tight in knitwear... They looked very cosy until you saw that their faces were decorated much in the same way as Billy Elliot's in the production of Swan Lake that you see at the end... Basically it was a sight that came straight from my own imagination/dreams... I want those clothes!

Shooting over, I went exploring... I fell into a few exhibitions (V&A, National Portrait Gallery etc) but nothing really struck me - that being said, the Irving Penn show is stunning and i've always had a great respect for his work.
At some point throughout the last 3 years I found a stunning quote from one of his books - although I can't find the exact wording anywhere, only a paraphrase:
it was something along the lines of photographing someone being like a dance, and that it is more of a love affair than a job.

Beautiful.

Shot the Manchester School of Art's 2010 Fashion Catalogue this week which this year the students decided to keep clean and simple - the sample of the print out they showed me is a lovely matt-printed handbook and should turn out well. I've bookmarked a small collection of the garments to shoot with creatively, and will be working on those over the next few weeks so watch this space...

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**** I'm looking for ethically/eco-friendly/organic clothing for a confirmed magazine shoot, message for details****

Shameless

2010-02-21T16:22:00.001Z

I woke up to snow today... its no longer as exciting as it was before Christmas - following weeks of wearing wellies and slipping around everywhere I am not really elated at the sight of sonw on the ground anymore - wellies in the library today, and considering its not really all that cold its more of an inconvenience than anything else! Still, its better than rain (maybe.)
The last real snow we had we took a snow day and went to the park armed with the plastic lid of a storage box - which we ditched because it was a rubbish sledge and we found a 'for sale' sign that worked much better! Above is a picture of me (taken on the trusty-but-now-replaced-for-a-ricoh-olmpus-trip) throwing handfuls of snow into the sun... Yes its sideways but i like the idea that anyone reading has to turn their heads to see it!

We had to put up the interim exhibition as a practice for the degree show - the last practice may i add... My work has morphed into a cross-between a self-portrait and a science project; mainly focusing on light temperatures and my perceptions... I produced a book and printed my sketchbooks on tracing paper in windows:

>excuse the barrelling<

Last week I worked with Philip@D1, Rachel Marston@BOSS, make-up artist and hair stylist Jodie Smith and Lora Avedian to shoot a fashion editorial... Here's a sneak look at one of the final images. For those that want more there's another one on my deviantart site (that i have kind of updated... a little.... sort of.)

And the last but not least is a shot from another shoot with Jodie (she's become one of my favourites as the look she creates has such a high quality finish and she's creative as hell) this time with Maverick model Yasmin.

Clothing provided by Jade Neesham.

Please follow me on twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/IndiaHobson

India x

Anew

2010-01-29T23:48:00.004Z

This week brought many many packages and boxes to our door as both my boyfriend and I have sold our tired cameras and bought new ones... And so playtime has begun.

Despite being excited about the new colours available to me I seem to have taken mainly pictures without many... My D80, loved though it was, seemed to me to lose light in all kinds of places - not through any fault but age I think. Technology has grown in the 4 years since I bought it and now my giant camera (that is now proportional to my giant hands - especially with the battery grip on) invents light where there appears to be little - something that I shall not even whisper a complaint about; i'm grateful!

Thursday was studio day to put my full frame-ness into action and I found a lone model (on MM) to play with... We both brought an assortment of random clothes and played dress-up (and dress down) and I messed around with various windows and giant pieces of polystyrene.

This shot was the final shot of the day, and I can't believe how much detail I can get - the cardigan is glorious in grey and it makes me wonder how I managed before... Usually I shy away from using flash but ^^^ seems to have swayed me a little in that direction - I enjoyed setting this light mucho.

I had borrowed the Lensbaby Composer from a friend on the MA course at uni and this was my first opportunity to play with it - its useless for self portraits I have discovered (especially when the remote you ordered isn't actually compatible with your camera and so you have to rely on the self-timer.) And my conclusion is much as it was before from previous lensbaby experience; it is very easy to use it all the time but it is rarely appropriate all of the time - much like the ringflash, its an acquired taste and doesn't suit everything... It won't ever replace the bellows of a large format camera but makes quite a way to satisfying most tilt/shift/blur/selective-focus needs... in my opinion anyway...

Model is Yasmin @ Maverick.
Oh and me ^^^^

x

Exhale

2010-01-23T14:09:00.004Z

Light, it's qualities and other people's prophecies of it is the subject of my recently-handed-in dissertation - which is perhaps the reason why it's been so long since I have written anything here as it has been my sole focus for a few months, whether due to writing it or to producing work for it's purpose. I can quite honestly say that I am very happy with the document, and that I am in no way delighted to have it 'over and done with' as so many of my course mates are; it has become a work in progress and the stimulus for practical work - which i'm sure is a good thing!
Although it is a piece of writing that is very honest and comes directly from my heart it reads as pretentious i'm sure so I won't be exposing to anyone - my working philosophy is something that is very personal and even though I must share it with an examiner whom i have never met I don't think it would be appropriate to share it further... I'd hope that my images do that for me.

A few weeks ago I shot with Becki and mua Bridget (i've worked with them both before) and we didn't really have too much of an agenda other than my own inspiration - which was the title of a W. B. Yeats poem He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven.

The Geeky Bit:
I shot with a slow shutter speed (i usually do anyway, i'm not one to be scared of camera shake or blur) but involved a fire of one Bowens head to freeze some of the image... hence the focus and the blur combined. I've never really experimented like this before, as i've always just known flash as exactly that and therefore turn my nose up at it - plus it always sounds way too complicated. In actual fact its not, but it is unpredictable and unreliable; each shot is different from the next and therefore had I shot on film (or Polaroid, which would be my obvious next step) i would most likely have wasted alot...

Despite that they're not shot on large format Polaroid I think Joyce Tenneson would have liked these - and I thought of her as I saw them on the back of my camera. I quite like them too.

Just re-jigged my website again, as i always do:

There is quite a bit of new work in there and alot more to come as I've sold my camera and brought a new one - and all the kit to go with it. It's debut comes tomorrow so i'll be posting again soon...

India x

Kat

2009-12-14T23:57:00.006Z

In review of the results of the shoot I've noticed that I have a lot of one side of Kat's face, and a lot of her looking down. I think down works in this instance as it gives extra softness to compliment the light. When looking at the work of others I get the feeling that everyone is trying to prove something... The great man Paolo Roversi has said that when you are young you feel the need to prove what you can do with the light and when you get to know that light you can read the sentiment of it. I agree. I think it goes beyond the light too; into concept, styling and most definitely in the post-process stages. We are all so desperate to try something and to demonstrate our skills that we assume we can run before we walk. I wanted to take a simple photograph and to do it well. The light was simple enough for me - I didn't have to balance a window against anything or play one light off another. I think it works great to show an ability to work commercially, but I feel that in my personal work I need to add an element to tip the balance slightly and give it an edge. Maybe I need to mix light again but approach it in the same way as here.

In my colours at the moment i'm feeling an aversion to black and heading towards a grey. No idea why, but it seems to compliment my work.

My favourite colour. I also love the light that just about graces the left cheek. Sneaky.

ps. There might be a red line through some of the images - I think its something to do with blogspot, not me!

Thanks to the fantastic Kat Wagner for modelling and to Ruth Marcella for the hair and make-up. Both were great to work with and will feature in my work in the future. Special thanks to Kat for sitting through 5x4 experiments too - greatly appreciated.

x

Light Inspiration

2009-12-14T13:53:00.004Z

I shot with Kat last week. Whilst we were waiting for the make-up artist I stole a few 5x4 as the sun was burning through the window and I would have regretted not trying - Kat was reluctant without make-up but i'm glad she did in the end.

I particularly like this one. The play between darkness and light is just perfect and I have no idea how it occurred as it looked nothing like this! I love the way that the skin tone seems almost below the skin.
The final images (from when the make-up artist finally arrived) will be posted soon.

The following come as a bit of indulgence as i've been showing only my own work for a while now and seem to have fizzled off with the inspiration... I found this photographer through another blog and think he/she is stunning. There is a Tim Walker element in there of course... High production costs are likely. Dreaming is inevitable.

The website itself is fantastic so take a look. Cade Martin is the name.

And to close on i've included some small sketch-esque images. Blue has captured me at this moment.

x

Seeing Your Sole

2009-12-09T21:20:00.004Z

Daryl offered herself to be photographed after reading a post complaining about crap/lack of models... And these are the results: usually I make each image a link to my website so they're restricted in size etc but I've left these ones so that if you click them you should see them bigger - theoretically anyway!
Again I didn't convert to grayscale... I am ever fascinated by colour.
Thank you to Daryl for sitting so incredibly still for these - much better than I did for myself yesterday. I am very pleased with them and looking forward to more play.

After the 5x4 we moved onto the RB: my favourite.

This necklace I found an intriguing piece of jewellery and through the course of the shoot Daryl told me it was her Gran's and that she was going to get a tattoo of it so that she can't ever lose it. I know from tutorials that Daryl is very close to her Gran, and so focusing on the fish - especially as the t-shirt provided a place in which to swim, deemed a fitting one.

I am still in two minds as to whether a person can be summed up and defined in one single image - I am doubtful, so for now I can only show you Daryl's sole. Her soul remains hers.

x

Large Format

2009-12-09T00:05:00.007Z

Two weeks ago I assisted my tutors shooting 100 portraits of 100 post-tattoo people: as part of the Ultimate Holding Company's new project extInked.
They were using a 10x8 piece of furniture with black and white and a 5x4 with colour - both paper negatives. I was loading the backs for the bigger camera, changing from glass to slide to glass to slide and just generally making sure lens caps were on and other things of that nature. Basically it made me see just how simple the equipment was - and suddenly all the imposing nature of such a large tool fell away and I saw it as magic. I had the same notions when I made my first pinhole camera and discovered that camera obscura exists and that light is amazingly clever.

So I now felt ready to play. Admittedly this is a late start to say I graduate in 6 months, but its better than not at all...

^^^^^^^^^^ This is my first ever 5x4 image. And so okay its a picture of the same old mannequin that i've shot before but its a milestone for me. I've always loved pre-raphaelite photography; Julia Margaret Cameron, Lewis Carroll and Lady Clementina Hawarden made some gorgeous images that remain timeless and beautifully intense.
Below is my Lillian Bassman creation.

I attempted some self-portraits as there were only a few people around and I wanted to really get absorbed in the camera. I couldn't get a cable release long enough that would fire the shutter - the extra long pneumatic one was pathetic! So I spent the afternoon focusing on mannequin, then moving it, opening the shutter, jumping in shot and then closing the shutter 15ish seconds later.

As seen below, I think I've got much play with the tilt/shift element so as to flatter rather than fatter my subject...

Georgia.
I found her in a fashion show.
She's beautiful.
x

Making Friends

2009-12-07T18:32:00.008Z

Today I made friends with the studio again after a succession of bad experiences:

I asked Jo to sit for me because apart from being beautiful on the outside she is also the brightest person - intellectually yes but I mean in terms of if people were lights... Strange analogy but she would definitely be a good glow.

I decided to use the natural light coming in from the window and to mix it with a small amount of light from a soft box, softened again by bouncing off a white polyboard. In the studio at uni there are certain restrictions when it comes to lighting as we have a track system where everything is suspended from a gantry on the ceiling so that cables and power packs don't get in the way on the floor. Obviously there are pros and cons with this design as certain lights are fixed to certain paths but the main problem is that the light can't be brought down low enough to light from below
(they generally go to waist level, depending on the height of your model) and likewise they only go to just above head height - which means there is basically only a small area that can be lit; the middle.

Another quibble, almost a dichotomy - or a tease at least is that we have the main studio with bowens gemini heads, and we now have a small studio next door with bowens continuous light (we have the studiolite, unilite and the trilite.) I love the continuous - especially as its daylight balanced... but I have found that I have a particular weakness for it in contrast to the warmth of the geminis. I love the flexibility in the colours that I have when I mix light temperatures. We have both types of light and they both work fantastically. But they are separated by a wall. So i've been working with the window instead... and I quite like the way it makes me drift gradually around the end of the room as I chase the little pockets of light it sends onto the polyboards that now seem to make up the backgrounds of my images, rather than the backdrop rolls.

I love messing with the white balance in my work; colours are so beautiful and bring another element that makes black and white seem almost empty. That being said - in my dissertation and my research I have begun to lean towards working in black and white because I think it makes the light clearer...

I also photographed a gorgeous girl that I found at a (using the term loosely) 'fashion show' and shall be scanning and uploading tomorrow...

Thank you to Jo for helping restore my faith in myself.
x

Jackie Mok Clothing

2009-12-01T22:24:00.003Z

October brought the fabulous Jackie Mok's clothing into my vision... I shot with her current collection a few times - once for fun and another which was strictly business. Her pieces are absolutely stunning and everyone who saw them instantly fell in love with a) a magpie feather skirt and b) a GORGEOUS purple sequin dress...
We were also seduced by sparkly sparkly Miu Miu shoes (I blogged about them in a previous post.)

Play

2009-12-01T22:16:00.002Z

Had a bonding session with the studio today. I have been feeling a slight separation from my work of late and this has meant a drop in the quality - which in turn has made me feel negative about it and thus not apply myself as I normally would... A catch-22 essentially. The bonding session hopefully means I am slowing waking up again and that my work should be back on track - if I can manage to find someone that will let me photograph them - there seems to be a lack of models these days.
Anyway, Dolly (the resident mannequin, who is absolutely beautiful and light drops off light liquid goodness) was very patient for me and I discovered a few new techniques that I can't wait to try on a living, breathing person... Until then I only had myself to shoot - and I forgot to take my wireless remote to the studio so had to work with a 10 second timer and a piece of masking tape on the floor as my focus spot. There are plenty of hotspots that I couldn't iron out due to shooting myself - had I had someone else then I could have adjusted the lights accordingly... Here's a few... x

Mancunion

2009-12-01T22:01:00.006Z

I have started shooting regularly for fashion section of The Mancunion (a newspaper serving Manchester, Bolton and Salford Universities) and have my first page in this week's edition... The shoot was immaculately planned and organised apart from a failure by someone along the line to book a room out to shoot in which resulted in a considerable falling apart of all of the plans. With everything unraveled I decided to go ahead with shooting and fortunately had an empty studio. My favourite shots (which weren't chosen for print) are here:

The model is Miriam.
I guess i've learnt that I shouldn't provide people with images that I wouldn't choose to print myself - even if it means giving them less.

x

Catch-Up

2009-11-27T23:00:00.005Z

I've always been rubbish at blogging - my mind goes blank as soon as I log in. Anyway... I don't usually blog about what i've been doing, it's usually more about what i'm thinking. Or how i'm thinking. So I thought i'd let you know what i've been doing...

In October I strangely agreed to run around Manchester photographing unsigned bands for In The City; it was a new experience as I haven't shot live stuff on this scale before - but I enjoyed the 3 day walking/drinking/listening fest.

A couple of quick ones... the latter being my good friend Jude's band MAY68 - who are FANTASTIC by the way (and my boyfriend shot the cover of their debut single, released shortly.)

I left the dark slide in the RB for the shot below - so it is lost...

This shot ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ came as a surprise at the end of a painful shoot for me. I hadn't planned it properly, had been in a lecture just before and really wasn't focused on what I needed to in order for it to be a success. The pressure of instant film is obviously the 'instant' bit - yes, I the photographer can see the results as they happen... But so can everyone else. My heart sank, as it normally does with the first 2-3 shots, then I usually find my feet and out come the good ones, but not this day. This last shot came as my salvation though - I ignored Riz and photographed the light. This time the light came through for me.

These two GORGEOUS images were taken by a close friend Andrew Farrington (www.andrewf.com) last summer. They were tests for designer Elizabeth Emmanuel, but they were also playtime for Andrew, Andrea Perry-Bevan (make-up artist extraordinaire) and myself (modeling.) The above was shot in Andrea's swish flat in Manchester, and below was not too far away in my university halls. Both days were bookmarks in my mind as I spent a long time being preened and painted and brushed and sprayed before I got in front of the camera. Both Andrew and Andrea are masters at what they do and I have learnt so so much from working with them and for that I am eternally grateful.

Nick Noble ^^^^^^^^ lead singer of Sheffield band 'The Gentlemen.' Stood in the sunshine drinking in the light.

Nadia Hope ^^^^^^^^^^^
With make-up by Rebecca Anderton.

Hilde ^^^^ a gorgeous girl.
With make-up by Louise Kennedy.

Louise Broad's handmade accessories modeled by Jen^^^^^^. Make-up by Brandy Owens.

Will blog in my usual manner over the weekend. I have some particularly juicy quotes from The Hard Rain Project that I photographed at work this week (I'm on the MMU Marketing and Communications team) and some reflection from assisting the portraits at the extInked event in Salford today.

India x

Hornsea

2009-11-15T20:10:00.004Z

The sun through the trees on the way home... I have a glimpse of Turner in my eye at the moment.

For some reason I liked these houses - white white white.
And another sky to close.
x

Moonlight

2009-11-14T18:31:00.004Z

My phone isn't too bad - when something is very very slightly unlit... it translates as PITCH BLACK, but I like these few lots and lots.
Reading and drinking in J. M. W. Turner at the moment, as a follow on from Winifred Nicholson (her book 'Unknown Colour' was recommended to me by my wise wise wise wise auntie and I love it!)
Light remains my protagonist.

India x

Something From Nothing

2009-10-29T19:24:00.004Z

Play with Josie... x

Miu Miu Yum Yum

2009-10-29T19:18:00.002Z

Now I don't usually drool over shoes... But today I was shooting a lookbook for a BRILLIANT designer, and she brought these babies along to use with some hand-embellished tights, stockings and leggings. We have all confessed our love for the beauties but I especially liked how the sun took a fancy to them...

I recently shot another lookbook that is due to be released soon, i'll make sure I post a link when it's ready...

x

New Website

2009-10-03T23:17:00.003+01:00

I have massively updated and redesigned my website - hopefully it has a more refined approach to it; I want to market myself as an artist first and foremost, as a creative and as someone with a raging imagination and a passion for what I do... Hopefully the new site has more of that feeling with more insight into my thought processes and a cleaner overall finish.
I am in mid-production of a new concept; which obviously I don't want to reveal too much of, but hopefully it will allow me to reach a wider audience, see my work in print and ultimately to determine a strong client base.
At the moment i'm writing my dissertation and unlike most I am very much enjoying it - it has allowed me to really consider my interests and define what it is I want to explore. I have found more and more inspiration in other people's work:
Richard Learoyd
Jennifer Loeber
and of course an old favourite (who has just released new work) Hellen Van Meene

I hope you like my recent work...
x x x

Hmmmph

2009-08-20T22:51:00.003+01:00

Not a happy bunny of late, i'm in the process of writing my dissertation and have started a project to coincide with it a) to get me thinking b) to illustrate my points and c) to actually have something to talk about. Basically it's driving me crazy... Not the writing, i'm good at that; but the work. I've always loved and hated fashion - I like 'fashion photography' (some of) but not for the clothes, instead I love it for the situations it creates and allows and incites to, as Irving Penn said "We sell dreams, not clothes." I love the immediacy of it, the horrendously self-centred world it creates (photography in itself does that anyway) and I love it purely and simply because it inspires me. I hate that I am asked for 'my concept' or my 'ideas' rather than accepting the invitation just to play... I hate the disappointment of someone who didn't think they're images would be like that because they don't think thats how they should look (there's a really juicy Barthes quote for here about how we are the only ones that never see ourselves but are plagued by the 'repertoire of images' instead... but you'll have to find it for yourselves!) and generally I hate that there are so many other people out there are really really good at making images - obviously that is pure ugly jealousy, but I don't mind admitting it.

I'm stuck on something, and I need to fix it to make good work. I want to be so much more, I want to be creative, thorough and ridiculously focused, not famous, or rich or to have a million crazy people on facebook that have opinions on my lipstick (which, as I have stopped wearing make-up for the moment, is non-existent!)

Up the game time again, only this time i'm not sure what will happen!

India

ps. Congratulations to my mum and dad for 22 years of marriage, my uncle for just getting married and to Jayne and Matt, who are getting married next year - love everywhere, so some happy bunnies at least...

Inspirations... More

2009-07-24T12:01:00.003+01:00

(image from http://www.columbia.edu/cu/alumni/Magazine/Fall2006/images/lee-1.jpg)

Currently reading Lee Miller's biography by Carolyn Burke... Its so far an interesting read - and I found it by accident as a result of reading the entire portrait/nude/self portrait theory section in the library (from Kenneth Clark to Anthony LaScala) and thus having to turn to specific artists; and this seemed a more fluid reading.

Also bought the new issue of Hotshoe and the latest Lula... I haven't spent money on clothes for a good few months, and really only buy food and train tickets, but magazines and books I most definitely see as an investment... and so don't mind spending when it comes to paper!

India

Out of the Ordinary

2009-07-21T15:22:00.003+01:00

I went to an exhibition yesterday at the Millennium Galleries in Sheffield (free entry) and it was truly beautiful... So much so that I spent a good hour in there and took my sister and Dad for a while too. The photo above was a sneaky one (and the others too) of Anne Cattrell's work, and it was my favourite of all the artwork in there; glass sculptures that stand on their plinth displaying soft and delicate cloud formations that come to life with the black behind. She also made the glass lungs pictured below that (excuse the pun) are breathtaking...

The last photograph is of Yoshihiro Suda's intricately carved Magnolia branch that was suspended in a hollow in the wall. Magnolia is one of my favourite trees and flowers.

Another of the pieces that I liked (but couldn't sneak a photo of because the bossy guard ladies were spying on me) was a collection of sculptural jewellery by Naomi Filmer. She had photographic work to display the pieces in context on the body - and they really were fantastic, especially as I read about her first and decided I wasn't interested in her pieces as soon as I heard the word 'jewellery' but WOW did I eat my words...

All in all it was a very inspirational wander through town as I stopped in at the Graves gallery too - and at the moment they have a retrospective of Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth sculptures.

I'm currently reading for my dissertation and working on quite a few projects over the summer - hopefully they'll all be ready to come to fruition when I go back to uni in late September.

I've updated all of my online galleries; flickr, deviant, website and facebook... I have also developed a slight addiction to twitter.

x

UPDATES

2009-07-07T15:33:00.005+01:00

Manchester School of Art Degree Show 2009
was more my show than it will be next year when I actually graduate! I had 6 people's work featured in total (there's only 5 here) as well as all my work for the Fashion Design and Technology students a few weeks previous and of course the entire yeargroup of the Fashion course's catalogue... So all in all it was a fun night and very satisfying to see my work scattered around all the different departments.

Above is Sarah Burton's work which won a very commendable £20,000 at Graduate Fashion Week.
Laura Grunbaum - Textiles design for Fashion
Mariel Osborn - Embroidery. This was shot 3 times for Mariel - once as playtime, a second time as a design for the degree show poster (it is being used for our Dean's leaving poster instead.) and a third to please her tutor Nigel...
Lora Avedian - Embroidery.

And last but not least Sera Jones, also on the Embroidery course. Apologies for the shocking pictures here - camera phone!

I modeled some of the stunning garments designed by Rosie Keating for my friend Sarah Patel; we had a limited amount of time in the small and not very-equipped studio but I had fun playing and I think Sarah did too... It must've gone well because she's about to start a new job working for a photographer in London so well done to her!And last but not least I have just, after months of shooting to pay the rent, organized a shoot for ME! So, on Monday i'll be back to doing what I love... I've been thinking recently about the things I really want in life - for example if I had a few years to live or something (which may be the case, we never know!) what would I want to do with my time. The answer was very simple and it has made me realize just how much I live my job and photography. Once in a while (or most days really) I might have to sell my soul and do something I really don't want to do in order to pay the rent, but that gives me the means to continue to play and have time to follow my ideas.

Sleep

2009-03-24T21:34:00.003Z

Sleep.
I've only recently learnt the value of sleep and how much it affects me. For our group exhibition most have chosen to focus their work on dreams - personally I find the subject a seemingly easy one to choose... simply because you can blur things and smudge things and hey presto a dream. Of course its not that simple. Anyway - I'm not interested in dreams. But over the past few weeks i've come to understand that without it I can't function. Tiredness has become overwhelmed and eaten up and has now evolved into exhaustion.

Testing recently and in the next few weeks for portfolio (assessment) and exhibition (assessment) as well as shooting commercial work for various clients.

Fun begins on Thursday - get back to playing instead of complying to art directors and designers!

x

March

2009-03-17T08:18:00.002Z

Neglected this lately, been busy etc etc.
Finished reading "Annie Leibovitz: At Work" this morning and I didn't want it to end. Of course everyone is different in the way that they work, just as the work 'they' (we?) produce is, and it was enlightening to read how someone else does things... It seems that she got very lucky in some places, in ways that can't ever be repeated - therefore making her work even more poignant. Nevertheless, she is one of few that can put their hand to almost any genre of photography and produce amazing results. I love photographers and artists that have an undeniable style, whose work can be recognized anywhere without having to be told who made it. Signature.

I've been working hard to create 2 projects, as well as organize this exhibition - my own private exhibition is proving to be very successful... my website stats have gone quite literally through the roof and I had no idea how much they would be affected, so thank you if you've been to see it.

Last year, when I first started working with a full creative team, I worked primarily on location, with a small (and very grubby) workshop as a make-shift studio... The weather in Manchester doesn't warrant working outdoors really, and so i've been confined to the studio at uni. I've found something in there that I wouldn't have outdoors, and i'm excited to take it outside again, and work on location - got a location shoot this weekend with my old favourites Natalie and Josie...

India

INDIA HOBSON - NUDES

2009-02-14T18:09:00.002Z

I've just created a new blog - INDIA HOBSON NUDES. Generally I dislike the term 'nudes' but really there's no other way of wording it without writing an essay (which, strangely enough, I have just done so.)
It is for my project that is currently running alongside everything else I do - it is something that I find to be much more fulfilling to my creative needs.

I'm having 2 exhibitions shortly; a small solo exhibition in Manchester's Oddbar (in the Northern Quarter, opening 9th March ) and a group exhibition opening at the end of April.

If you'd like to be involved as a model or as a make-up artist please contact me via email at indiahobson@googlemail.com

Check out the blog for examples of my nude work.

In other news, i've updated and re-arranged my website... I like to change its appearance and content every now and again just so I don't get bored of it! You might notice some more word-based work appearing on there over the next few weeks... Its something i'm chasing just because I want to share my musings and hopefully it'll encourage me to read more - I bought 3 books the other day so I'm off to a good start already!

India x

Chance

2009-02-02T10:02:00.003Z

Snowing today... beautiful snow - dry and light and floating through the sky... The kind that permits poetry. And ruins new white shoes.

Inspirations:
- Botticelli
- Jem Southam
- Travis

Will update my website today... Have to write an essay on the representation of the body, which fits in really well with the work i've been doing at the moment. Its only a short one but i'd much rather not do it! More uni bother is that we have to put on an exhibition - we get assigned into groups of 11 (ish) and have to organize venue, advertising, funding and just about everything else - as well as the work that goes into the exhibition. Grrrr!!!

Apart from that tiny annoyance everything seems to be going ok, loving shooting at the moment, and as usual inspiration flies at me from everywhere...

Spiralling

2009-01-10T12:11:00.005Z

I'm waiting for my moment to come
I'm waiting for the movie to begin
I'm waiting for a revelation
I'm waiting for someone to count me in

Work work work this week. Uni assessment next week so a headless chicken I am. Apologies for the yoda speak there... I got a number of really amazing emails this week, ones that made me smile and all warm and fuzzy inside - somehow people have found my work and my blog and took the time to send me a message saying that they like what I do... At times when all I can focus on is uni and getting all my work done instead of doing what I love best, it really makes me happy to read these things... Thank you to anybody who did so, and just so you know i'm very touched and humbled by your comments.
To answer a few questions;
- MMU is great to study photography if you are from an art-based background, the course is VERY fine art orientated, and at times you can wonder why its called photography at all. I would definitely recommend doing an art foundation or something that gives photography experience prior to starting the course.
- we are not formally taught 'photographic' skills, but ways of thinking and forming of ideas
-the facilities are BRILLIANT; but close at 4pm (we are working very hard to change this)
-it really really helps to have a goal or target - for example I know EXACTLY what I want to do in the future, and therefore I can aim towards that and gear everything towards it - alot of people on the course have no idea what they want to do or what they're interested in and this means in a way I had a head start...

Hope that helps...

Whilst getting the formalities of my journal ready for marking I'm trying to prepare accessories and props for some (cutting things close) shoots on Tuesday and Wednesday; I make alot of things that I shoot with including headpieces, neckpieces, accessories, clothing and props - I pride myself on it really - that way everything is original in a sense, although nothing really is ever original.

Inspirations of late:
Song
poetic words... always. I am an avid journal writer - It's NOT a diary, but a collection.
Hammershoi
old floral curtains
peach tones
Michael Nyman
daylight
Julia Margaret Cameron

The photo above is featured in the latest issue of Photo Couture Magazine
Model: Jessica Stebbings
MUA and Hair: Claire Salter
Both represented by BOSS Model Management

Anyway, enough of blogging; back to the grindstone - I have to go all the way into the northern quarter to find some red thread....

India x
ps the words at the beginning are from Keane's 'Spiralling' and they speak my mind right now

Inspired

2008-12-29T18:19:00.004Z

So far i'm keeping up with the once-a-week blog posting promise... Mind you its only the second one!
After a trip to my cousin's house on boxing day, i'm feeling ridiculously full of inspiration and motivation - more so than usual and in very concentrated doses. I have two shoots for tomorrow, with clothing from Bang Bang Vintage and another styled by my favourite Ms Natalie Green - something I haven't done for ages so will be a grand reunion as well as a productive activity... expect abstract poses and even more anomalies when it comes to the attire!
Another reunion on Sunday too with a fantastic model, and a make-up artist that i've been planning to work with for ages - its always good when things can be ticked off a list!
Inspiration is a funny little thing - stimulated by the most bizarre of items and gallops off into the sunset... I'd hate to do anything else with my day. I might have to do some uni work at some point too, practical is too distracting!

New images on my website too - the title image of this post is from the series... Model is the (ever-wonderful) muse Josie Denton, with make-up and hair by Rachel Silk (who also has quite an impressive hoard of costumes in her giant bag of tricks!)

Bring on February the 7th...
x

Together in Electric Dreams

2008-12-22T14:15:00.003Z

December 22nd: Still doesn't feel like Christmas...

- I will now be posting here once a week; so that a) people know that I am alive and b) to force myself to collect my thoughts on a more regular basis

For all those interested in testing with me:
- I have introduced a new testing policy
CLICK HERE FOR TESTING DETAILS

I have also sorted out my website... ish.
SEE HERE

Got quite a few more shoots to finish off and upload so keep checking the website...
Lots more to come in the new year including two exhibitions.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and a Great New Year to all

Keep inspired
x

Clarity and Infinity

2008-10-26T13:54:00.004Z

Not posted for a while; been adjusting to the whole uni thing again and had a deadline set for the other day ... excuses excuses I know!
After a brief and minor breakdown (I fell out with my uni work) i've now focused my attention in other areas - instead of looking at a project and hating it, i'm doing what I want to and curving it to fit the brief; it means I do what I want but it fits what they want = better all round because I don't go insane and they get a higher quality body of work handed in. I've found the most interesting are to work in and am finally happy that i'm not splitting myself in two.

I got re-voted in as rep for my yeargroup and we're already busy planning a night of culture and fundraising in memory of Tom Hurndall.
There's alot of things i've been approached to do within the next few months - I can't really say too much about any of it but i'm really excited and can't wait... More details when all is safe!

Anyway, it's a VERY slow Sunday and i'm finding it really difficult to get up and do something so I might drag myself to the land of books and see what inspiration I can find there...

x

2008-10-04T09:40:00.003+01:00

Back to uni; back to my library visits, my frustration at being funneled into the fine art world and back to the struggle to curve my true interests into the assessment criteria... GRRRR
I have found a multitude of books in the library to interest me though, and that gives me comfort - and a place to go if I have a few spare hours...
There is a book to be published with a triptych of mine in it, an exhibition too - only its in Guang Xiou, China!
Anyway enough of the glum, Eeyore undertones... I'm shooting something today that i've always wanted to do, hopefully it will lead to good things.
I'll post again later, for now I must get out of bed!

Somnambulance

2008-09-10T21:47:00.004+01:00

The 'holiday' is nearly over... I've worked so hard to build my portfolio and have tested tested tested until I have testing coming out of my ears - at one point when I had 8 shoots in 10 days I actually dreamt in photos. Even the work I did 3 months ago at the start of the summer seems so far away - both in skill/technique and chronologically... It's impossible to think of where/what I might be doing in 2 years time.
I feel that confidence has got me here, not only in my skills as a photographer but the confidence to be and do what I want. To feel comfortable in my own skin and not try to be anything more or less - complete honesty.

I'm being seduced by the dictionary lately... x

Adjustment

2008-08-09T12:17:00.003+01:00

This summer has so far, been amazing. I've done more in the last 3 months than i've done in my 1st year at uni. I can't wait to go back to Manchester for so many reasons but i'm also looking with trepidation... I've found a whole new routine of meeting and working with people it's going to be challenging to adjust to uni again - especially as the work I did at uni is so different from my personal interests in the fashion industry. I'm considering combining the two and using my fashion for uni - and putting extra into it, I don't want to simply produce 'pretty' pictures; I want to have some depth and meaning to them...
I can only wait and see how things go I suppose. It is exciting though, and I can't wait to go back!

x

Confuzzled

2008-07-12T22:30:00.003+01:00

Wow. What a week. Can't really say much more purely because it's best expressed through a sigh. A tired and exhausted sigh. A contented and fulfilled sigh. The secret smile that follows the sigh.
My week has been a mix of waiting and suddenly rushing around, the result of which is that my head is fuzzy inside. I find that there's direct correlation between the tidiness/untidiness of my bedroom and the tidiness/untidiness inside my head. Confused isn't the word. I'm not confused or baffled; its more a mixture of excitement, anticipation, and trepidation. And the desire to run around screaming and laughing in disbelief at the state of things to come...

I found this...
Michael Nyman A Zed and Two Noughts
the soundtrack is used on a car advert at the moment and it sparked my memory - I used to figure skate and used it as music for a programme (routine.) I remember hearing it over and over during practice, which perfectly re-iterates the repetition in the film. Beautiful.

I also found this...
Linus Ricard. Words can not do it justice. Its the kind of work that captivates and takes your breath away. It shocks and brings a feeling of unease. When I see work like this, images that go beyond the image and have such an intense depth that it makes me yearn to create, all the while knowing that I could never touch the beauty that has been presented. It fills me with emotion that can't be explained. His work overwhelms me. Senses overflow.

x

Take Off!

2008-06-23T15:21:00.003+01:00

Things are really taking off at the minute... My head is all fuzzy with ideas and plans for photos and finally they seem to be coming to light. I'm really enjoying playing and working with different people and it all seems to snowball - I seem to have gone from having not much to do to having to squeeze things in... My filofax is taking a beating!
Still, i'm finding time to enjoy my friends and am currently reading The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Jean-Dominique Bauby) and enjoying it so much...

I'm on the hunt for indoor locations, thanks to our wonderful weather I keep finding myself stuck for places to shoot; any info/ideas i'd be happy to hear!

Will post again soon...

For a Special Friend

2008-06-05T16:36:00.008+01:00

When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.

For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant.

But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all your tears.

Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.
Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude.

Words from The Prophet. Kahlil Gibran

Looking Forward

2008-06-01T23:48:00.005+01:00

Been shamefully long since my last post... I apologize! Things seem to be opening up for me at the moment, i've recently thrown myself into it and am working on quite a few ideas - click here for my latest set (a big thanks to my model Becki, who helped loads with the styling and make-up.)
Also have bagged myself an AMAZING location but keeping shhhhhhh until it's done... (insert giggle here!)

Incapable of writing too much tonight, will write a more substantial blog later in the week - I'm currently nursing a very swollen and painful left wrist... and the biggest purple bruise under my chin (long story short, I fell over!)

For Everything A Reason

2008-05-11T23:05:00.004+01:00

I have the strangest notion that i'm going to be swept away this summer...
I've been listening to this:
And i've been watching this:

No more. No less.

Playtime

2008-04-26T17:10:00.004+01:00

Importantly before I start to ramble; I want to thank everyone for all the new interest that i've had - especially via DeviantArt, it really is encouraging and greatly appreciated when I get so many favourites and comments... hugs.

I've indulged in some much needed playtime these past two weeks... I've well and truly raided the AV Store at uni and keep hogging all their lighting kits! I've never appreciated how much lighting affects the quality of work, and i'm determined to keep on playing and pushing myself forward.
5 things I couldn't live without at the minute:
- feta cheese, humous and pitta bread
- Portishead and Snow Patrol
- Tea
- an all-in-one printer
- my magazines

(of course thats after my friends and family!)

I've been a huge geek of late and have documented/filed all major photoshoot spreads in my magazine collection and put them together in a sort of catalogue - that way I can find what i'm looking for... A little OCD but its proved very useful already... I'm not ashamed! Geeks rule.

On that note i'm going to go make a brew and ponder my next plan for the Microbeams...

Adios. (i'm so behind on my Spanish - I should really catch up!)
x

Game Plan

2008-04-01T19:26:00.003+01:00

Right. I've just spent about an hour on and off plus about 3,000 words injecting confidence and positivity into a friend of mine... I suggested all manner of things to her to kick her bum into activity, with the intention of sparking some sort of inspirational cannonball in her head. I think it worked. Unfortunately, this lead to me going back over my 'favourites' page on my deviantart account and it hit me; I NEED TO UP MY GAME. BIGTIME. I think of that page as what i aspire to be, a source of great inspiration and a sanctuary for when I feel like i'm slightly insane...
As any artist or creative person knows, it is incredibly difficult to see your own work as anything but a piece of yourself, and as a completely subjective medium of course there are no right or wrong answers but its hard not to think that maybe yours are wrong-er than other peoples. Being the annoying geek that I am, and sorry to those of you that experience the geekiness at close hand, it makes me want to go out and be better than I am. So, here it is in writing... I am going to go out there and learn things and take risks and work so incredibly hard to make myself what I want to be.

I'm guessing that this is one of those 'am I really good enough' crises but i'm not likely to sit at home and mope about it, I know i'm the only one that can change things.

After assessment, which really for me finishes next Wednesday - I shall begin my master plan...
Wish me luck and watch this space for game-upping-ness. Much love x

...

2008-03-17T17:19:00.001Z

I remembered something - next on my kit list; a beautiful Georgian townhouse with floor to ceiling sash windows and lots of interior splendour, thats probably top of the list right now, the cherry picker can come after that, and driving lessons, a car and general goodness.

Gone With The Wind

2008-03-17T16:24:00.005Z

Don't you just love camera phones?!
I've been the victim of ridiculous gusts of wind the past few weeks... sometimes it catches me in a playful mood when I'll laugh as I'm pushed and pulled in all directions, other times it just bullies me, making my ears and nose cold - and most probably as red as anything too. The conclusion is that wind, despite its uses for like, the survival of the earth and it's creatures, is absolutely quite very much inconvenient for people like me that prefer their hair to remain as chosen prior to wind's interference....
In other news, I'm busy busy busy reading for my uni project - I'm currently halfway through Jeffrey Eugenides The Virgin Suicides (i've read it quite possibly a million times before) and have next to read Hemingway's The First Forty-Nine Stories (of which I've never attempted before) whilst at the same time juggling all manner of things and ideas - I have taken to carrying pen and paper with me at all times to prevent myself from forgetting things, making lists and recording other slightly obsessive behaviors. I think that maybe lists are a literary way of queuing and thus this explains why I like them; they retain order and imply productivity and such like... but mainly they keep me sane.
I'm sure i had lots more to ramble on about and there was definitely something poignant and life-changing that i was going to say but it seems to have escaped me... If i think of anything i shall post again, expect something highly rich in metaphor and deep philosophical undertones. Or not, as the case may be.
P.S. There's something about a dead umbrella that gets me every time.

Defile Du Temps Cont.

2008-03-09T18:46:00.020Z

Defile Du Temps - Oxford Peformance

2008-03-09T18:05:00.012Z

Bonjour! This week Oxford Town Hall hosted the first performance of "A Catwalk Through Time," a journey through the history of French fashion. Here is my capture of the fantastic array of talented and beautiful people that all contributed an amazing effort - well done to you all and good luck next week in London.

Want tickets or information? Click here....

[insert title here]

2008-02-21T00:35:00.004Z

Couldn't think of a title for this post...
Feeling a bit like i need to take some more photos and line some more shoots up; take some chances and learn some new things/people etc etc. I think i'm getting stuck being in the comfort of my work - because of uni and how often i DON'T have to go in I work from home, it's starting to become mundane and repetitive. I think I need a social life or something! I still love my library visits and get so much from just spending a few hours looking through unknown (to me) books and getting ideas - maybe i should just go out and shoot them?!
It's certainly not inspiration I need, it's something else that i just can't put my finger on... hmmm...
Fallen in love as well with Nina by Nina Ricci. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Oh and Zero 7.
P.S. If anyone has a loupe they want to donate that would be wonderful... i have a project idea!

Inspired

2008-02-04T17:08:00.000Z

Here's another few sources of inspiration for you...
Todd Cole
Aaron Hawks
Andrew Farrington
Rob Ryan (not a photographer but i love his work)

Also have bought a beauty of a book called Uncovered by Thomas Allen, a collection of works which brings fictional characters to life. I love his use of lighting and selective focusing much in the same way as David Levinthal's work (featured in one of my previous posts) and think this book is just amazing!

New project brief at uni looking at the relationship between text and image and the investigation of a 'visual language'... again its a fine art thing i reckon but we'll see what i can whip out the bag - i love being challenged and think that i've already gained so much through experimentation.

Almost forgot as well - any fashion/dance/drama fans out there follow this link...
Catwalk Through Time for which i'm providing the photography, it's for charity so everyone get involved!

That's about it for now...

Metamorphosis

2008-01-24T16:20:00.000Z

In full swing with my latest project... Absolutely love it and very excited about where it takes me! I've found that i've stopped classifying myself and categorizing my work and that it helps me to be much more free and without boundaries - sounds pretentious I know but never mind! Over the past two weeks since my last blog i've become a master at bowling on the wii, i've rediscovered my love for Vera Wang (Princess) and have NOT been shopping.
Purchased a reflector as well with some vouchers left over from Christmas but haven't had chance to test it yet... will do soon though!
Not much else to report, no new library visits or cameras breaking on me, just getting back into the swing of things at uni i suppose - although i only have about 6 hours actually in uni (in a busy week, mostly its only 4 hours!)

A sneaky but very gracious 'thank you' to Yaz for helping me yesterday, and to Stef as well!

Back on Track

2008-01-10T14:29:00.001Z

After my 35mm camera died on me the other weekend I resided to a life of procrastination and general moping around complaining I had nothing to do... I now have a replacement so back on track and full of inspiration once again. Went to the John Rylands library yesterday on a whim and found the experience literally breathtaking; the building is absolutely beautiful and I recommend it to anyone regardless of the exhibitions on. (All i ever talk about on here is libraries it seems!) True to form i got up this morning and spent a good few hours in my library and came back with some hefty reading - i lie of course, most of the books i take out are just full of pictures! Still, it'll keep me busy for a while... got a new project brief from uni so working on that too. Taking more of a fine art approach to it this time and seeing where that takes me, should be interesting!

Also should tell you that i've started to keep ALL my receipts and photocopying them (plus writing down things I buy that i can't get receipts for ie alcohol!) so i can see how much i spend and what on... scary thought but figured i'd give it a go.

3 photographers I love at the minute:
Rankin
Paolo Roversi
David Leventhal

also Laurie Long but she doesn't have a website!

Friday

2008-01-04T00:53:00.001Z

It snowed today, only slightly but it snowed nevertheless. This is my recreation of snow using bubble wrap and my new lens.... which by the way is gorgeous! Check out my first few shots here and may I add a big thank you to my glamorous model Amy for these shots. Quite annoyed with the world because my 35mm camera decided it couldn't take it anymore and quite inappropriately died on me this weekend. I now have a numb bottom courtesy of ebay (and quite possibly an uncomfy chair) in search of a replacement... so much i had in mind to do as well! Not much more to report i don't think, except a recommendation for Will Smith's new film "I am Legend" which is pretty darn good.
Over and out.

Pastures New

2007-12-31T10:19:00.001Z

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I had an incredibly fruitful Christmas and consequently have a shiny new website to boast, courtesy of my very supportive parents... Unfortunately it wasn't so fruitful on the 'being productive' front as i can't seem to shake this cough but beware because my lens came the other day and i can't wait to use it!

Sod's Law

2007-12-20T12:38:00.000Z

Relying very much on the vitamin C at the moment as i'm in bed feeling rather pathetic. It's quite typical that as soon as i am able to do anything in the comfort of my own city i get ill and have to stay indoors - even feel too rubbish to bother with still life! However, all is not lost... i've got my eye on a new lens which i'm thinking would be a great christmas present to myself so watch this space, i'm going to play with it in the shop and then fingers crossed bring it home with me.
Also, got myself an account on www.ephotozine.com and only uploaded two images so far but got an amazing amount of feedback already - some sites have a kind of politics about the and a reluctance to comment... Thank you to those who do support me!

En Francais

2007-12-20T00:20:00.000Z

French Vogue is a gorgeous magazine... i much prefer it to British Vogue, but surprisingly i can't find it anywhere in Manchester. I can find American, Italian, Spanish and obviously British but never French! There is only one shop in Sheffield that i know of has it but usually only one copy so if anyone gets there before me i'm screwed. I have however sourced an amazing shop in Oldham that sells rare foreign magazines and the place is breathtaking - i wish it were a library as well, some of the books i could spend hours reading (i say reading i mean looking at the pictures!) Which brings me onto another love of mine... the uni library. I go in and just pick up books to look at, photocopying my favourites and noting down the artists. When i come out its dark and i'm hungry but i don't mind, i'm also inspired and feel productive!
Thank you for libraries.