My Blog

Ever had one of those months when everything is just crazy? June was definitely one of those for me. I have now moved my heaps of fabric, props, clothing and kit into my new studio (yay!) and am preparing for a little opening night gathering (date TBD). I am SO excited to finally be able to book shoots again after almost of month of being studio-less and a week without an electricity supply!

Unfortunately the computer gods are not smiling on me at the moment so I'm in the process of doing an uber-update from the computer in D's office and if that computer is required for other things, I'm stuck with the world's oldest laptop with it's broken touch pad. Ugh...I can't wait to have a fully functioning macbook again!

Technical difficulties aside, all is well and I've been busy uploading a whole heap of photographic yumness from the last month. I'm going to stick it all together in one big monster update, so here goes...



A little bit of random art involving the very lovely petticoat which Leyla Rose kindly gave me. When I'm feeling stressed, I put on a pretty skirt with the petticoat and high heels and the world starts to look better. Legs and feet are mind. I heart leg muscles.



Speaking of Leyla Rose, here she is posing with Missy Malone in a promo shot for their up-coming event, The Missy and Leyla Show, which is taking place on 10th July as part of the Glasgow Cabaret Festival. See more photos from the shoot on ViolentlyBeautiful.com, HERE.



Making his debut on ViolentlyBeautiful.com in horror mini-set Omerta is Fourthletter, my other (taller, more patient) half. I did not bully him into it. Much ;-)



There's another debut on ViolentlyBeautiful.com this month. Italian model AnaBelle strikes a few pin-up poses in Up In Smoke.

Now I'm going to take a little break for a few days and allow the excitement to build until 14th July...when I'm going to see Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction! Fuck yeah! I hope you're all having an awesome start to your summer :-)

FINALLY (woo hoo!) I've got Fuchsia's last two sets of photos up on ViolentlyBeautiful.com.

Models are Isla (top) and Clair (bottom). Make-up, styling and direction by Meryl, who booked the shoot for a project she's working on. Awesome hairstyling by Beth. Some day soon I'm going to submit something here that has more than 100 words of text. Maybe.

A couple of days ago I realised that I hadn't shot any self-portraits in the studio yet so to remedy the situation I spent last night up there, naked apart from lots of eyeliner, wrapping myself in floaty fabric. A good way to spent an evening, providing the door is locked.



In slightly less egocentric news, last Saturday saw the first ever Indigo Siren workshop. It was held at Out of the Blue, an incredible venue which combines fantastic work spaces with great coffee and seriously yummy home made cake. It was a really fun day and I've just finished uploading some of the photos to IndigoSiren.com and to our MySpace and Facebook. The next Edinburgh workshop is on 9th May and there are still some places available if you'd like to attend.

I've wasted so much precious time
Been skating along these fine lines
Now these weeds have grown where the sun once shone
And my life has passed me by

And my life has passed me by
And I don't know why
I keep searching for something that I never found
While these weeds get deeper as I turn around
And time growns older and I've grown colder
So long has passed that I forgot to count

These weeds have grown where the sun once shone
And I can feel it

- from Weeds by Life of Agony


The set which the image above is from was shot in an old office block on a sunny day with lots of natural light in black and white with a 50mm f1.8 lens and a naked man with handcuffs and lots of coffee. The model wishes to remain anonymous but I can guarantee that he is most definitely over 18.

The old office block in question is the building that my studio is in. The building used to be an office block and it feels weirdly soulless. I imagine people being bored there, losing days, months, years. It feels kind of bleak, like the air would be filled with regret if anyone had ever felt enough emotion there to leave behind a footprint. It's a nice day for a dead body.

You can see more of the photos from this set on ViolentlyBeautiful.com, here or all of them on Flickr.

I spent last Saturday afternoon running around the empty 2nd floor of the building that my studio is in carrying lights, extension leads, leather restraints, designer handbags and a life-size sculpture of a mummified corpse affectionately known as Jeebus the Zombie. Why? Because it seemed like a good idea at the time and far too much coffee had been consumed earlier in the day. Who with? Cherry Loco, beautiful burlesque boy, master of androgyny and caffeine addict extraordinaire! I feel very lucky when I meet someone like Cherry, who's tastes for the bizarre are so similar to my own. We had an awesome day and since Cherry had so much stuff to take home to Glasgow with him, Jeebus is having a little holiday at my studio for a while. No doubt he will be appearing in more photos soon, as will Cherry.

You can see more of Cherry on ViolentlyBeautiful.com in the sets In The Toy Box and Romancing the Dead.



I also had the pleasure of shooting some music promo pictures for a mindblowingly talented lady called Paris (and her enviably adorable pink sparkly guitar). This girl's voice is just...wow and I know she's going to go on to great things.



The above photos are from a ridiculously entertaining portfolio development shoot for make-up artist Meryl Elizabeth. Anyone who puts rollers in men's hair and brings awesome cake to shoots is good with me, and I'm really looking forward to doing some recreational art with Meryl in the near future. Models are Beth, Jamie W, Jamie P and Clair.



I love shooting men. With my camera, obviously. When I try to shoot them with a gun they always move too fast and get away... Seriously though, I love lighting the male figure, especially the back and shoulders, so when I got a call from a life model (you know, the people who pose for painters and sculptors) wanting some promotional photos taken I was very happy indeed.

And finally, cause these two photos are among my favourites from recent weeks, two more pictures of Clair...a DJ by trade who, believe it or not, has never done any modeling before.

I'm happy to announce the official launch of Indigo Siren, in conjunction with make-up artist Frances McPate and model, performer and stylist Wild Card Kitty! Here's a little bit of info from our website...

We offer exciting burlesque, pin-up, fetish and alt glam styling, modelling and photographic workshops for all would-be glamour girls, beauty queens, starlets, stunners and vintage vixens all across the UK. Book a space alone and make new friends, book with friends for a fun experience, to commemorate an occasion such as a birthday or hen night, or simply as a stepping stone in building your photographic portfolio!

Our styling, modelling and photographic workshops aren't just great fun - they also offer an opportunity to learn tricks of the trade from a qualified make-up artist, be styled and coached by an experienced model, performer and stylist, and have a photoshoot with a professional photographer.



We've also got a website, a MySpace profile and a Facebook page, so add us as a friend, become a fan, get in touch and say hi!

[ IndigoSiren.com . MySpace . Facebook ]

Our first workshop is burlesque-themed and will be held in Edinburgh on 21st March at Out of the Blue Drill Hall on Dalmeny Street. There are only 10 places available, so if you'd like to come please book early to avoid disappointment. You can find out more about this workshop on our website. I hope to see you at a workshop near you very soon!