catalogue | Hold the Glamour

December 23, 2014

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2015!

With only days left before this year ends and another one begins, I start to marvel at how fast time flies and how much my children have grown, comparing this year’s Santa photo to last year’s.

What a year 2014 has been — the global events that have shaped and changed our world forever and etched themselves into history. There are so many wonderful things to be grateful and thankful for and then for some, unfortunately there isn’t.

During my last week of work for 2014, a man took innocent people hostage in a Sydney cafe — what a time, what an outcome and what an amazing city — it’s just one of so many events that occurred this year, both good and bad.

To all those who are lost, hurt, suffering and mourning at this time, my heart goes out to you.

I have some behind-the-scene shots of the autumn catalogue I shot for Modern Curve which happens to be one of my last shoots for 2014.

Hair and make-up final touches by Annette McKenzie

One of my favourite looks on the monitor

Little Black Dress alert

The spectacular Hamptons style location house

Waiting for the thumbs up to start shooting

The fabulous pool area of our location house

I love the interiors of our location house

What are your plans for the holidays?

What are you looking forward to?

What are you most grateful for?

Who will you be spending this special time with?

I truly wish you and yours all the very best over the holidays and festive season. I look forward to seeing you in 2015!

From my family to yours,

L.
xoxo

April 23, 2013

Kansas City

For my last job, I traveled to Kansas City, Missouri for a couple of days. I’ve been there before however, it’s been a long time. I’ve shot in K.C. for a jewelry company and for a magazine shoot or two (editorial). Kansas City is in the middle of American, or so people say.

I arrived the evening before the shoot started and stayed at a lovely and relatively new hotel called the Ambassador Kansas City. The shower and bed were amazing. I had a wonderful night of rest and sleep. Not what I’m always used to at home I’m afraid.

The other two straight-size models and I were picked up and taken to the studio which was nearby. We shot at Rush Wade 2 Studios on Locust Street. It was an impressive studio that was large, beautifully outfitted with all the treats and fun you’d expect in a studio that’s located outside of New York City, where space comes at a premium.

Kansas City – Rush Wade 2 studio

We shot an all American campaign for the denim company. Packaging jobs are fun and you can push the boundaries a lot more than with catalogue. Packaging/campaign shoots are more about the image or feel of a company rather than it being about the garment which is the case with the typical catalogue shoot.

The photographer (whose family own the business and studio) built a skate ramp for some downtime play. See below. I have never seen a skate ramp in a photographic studio ever before in my life. How very cool indeed.

Kansas City – skate ramp in the studio

I discovered an orange Vespa parked in some corner near the hair and make-up table. I’m not sure if it worked or if it was more like a piece you’d find in a museum (for display purposes only). Everything was strategically placed and clean. It was a vintage, hipster, rock ‘n’roll showroom.

Kansas City – 1964 white pick-up in the background

Art, history, technology and inspiration working together. It was a new playground for me to explore. I like new places. I like to learn new things and am curious about life. This shoot allowed me to delve into the lives of others that live in the middle of America.

Have you ever been to Kansas City?

If so, what did you do there?

Did you see Dorothy and her red shoes? I did… At the airport on my way home to New York.

October 25, 2012

An illusion of fantasy & perfection – retouching a VS angel

I’ve just received the Victoria’s Secret ‘Christmas dreams & fantasies’ catalogue in the mail and as I flick the 175 page goliath, I am reminded of how beautiful, sexy and picture perfect the models are on every page. Oh my!

I also recall these last few days, there has been much talk and chit-chat all over the place regarding retouching of images and the famous and gorgeous Victoria’s Secret model, Doutzen Kroes whose ‘raw & real’ images came to the media surface accidentally (not what anyone wants really). It’s one thing to reveal it yourself and it’s another when it’s secretly leaked and the world finds out when you do.

Jezebel claims that some pictures leaked on the forum The Fashion Spot – where one could plainly see the difference with images that had post-production work and those that had not. The world gets to see – once again, what remarkable work goes in to creating an illusion of fantasy and perfection. The true-to-life moments and aspects of photography that capture bad backgrounds, lighting discrepancies, stray hairs, wrinkled garments, bruises, skin imperfections and discoloration, samples that need to be colour corrected etc. are an everyday occurrence for retouchers in the media and fashion industry.

Are we youth obsessed and still trying to attain perfection? Clearly so. Is everyone supposed to look like they are forever 18? Please people!

Some celebrities and stars have put their hand up to pose without the use of Photoshop or make-up to show the world what they are truly, naturally like for charity or cause, or to simply raise media awareness. Some notable celebs include Jessica Simpson, Sarah Murdoch and Brad Pitt.

Everyone I know retouches, even though clients (especially for web or internet shots) are very particular about keeping retouching to a minimum because it becomes a cost and time thing. That is, clothes need to be smooth with minimal wrinkles, no bras or bra straps showing, no VPL (visible panty line), hair pushed back for half the shots so they don’t have to spend time and money retouching ‘unnecessarily’. They are quite firm about it. They have an idea of what they want to present to the world at large and they stick to it.

So what would you rather see – the unattainable or the real? Or is somewhere in the middle OK?

What are your thoughts on retouching and Photoshop?