We’d agreed the theme for the first part of the shoot would be a hot couple after the style of the raunchy perfume adds on TV and we’d shoot, nude, lingerie and jeans.

Take two women, perfect strangers, neither with much modelling experience and neither with any acting experience at all.

Put them in a room with a couple of other people they know only vaguely and ask them to take off their clothes and get up close and personal.

It says a lot about their sense of professionalism that neither batted an eyelid.  They just went for it.

It says even more about their sense of humour and fun that within 20 minutes they were behaving like old friends, absolutely comfortable with each other, laughing and joking between shots as they acted their parts and giggling over who should play the man

As always my shooting script allowed for a logical development from set to set, and as always that went out of the window when the ideas started to flow from the models.

At our last shoot Holly had suggested a great shot that had her nude with a Samurai sword.  Now I’m not daft, for this shoot I’d borrowed a pair of katanas and a gleaming decorated sword that the owner called a ‘vampire slayer’.

I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised that it was Grace that took to the swords and despite never having handled one before, was delivering credible poses within minutes.

Holly took the more reserved role, looking great in a kimono, the warrior’s lover, or could that be ‘slave’?    :)

As always we ran out of time before we ran out of shooting script and ideas and finished the shoot in a more gentle and feminine lingerie set.

When Linda and I really enjoy working with a particular model were always keen to bring them back in to finish those parts of the shooting script we didn’t get to. Sometimes it’s the model asking to come back which is always great, so I was well chuffed when Grace and Holly were putting there heads together to plan a whole series of shoots they wanted to come back for.

The theme was 50s pin-up and hats off to the models who spent the day in their underwear despite temperatures hovering around zero, and of course to Mick who provided the facilities – and cakes

The promised big  motorcycle didn’t materialise, which was a shame and a missed opportunity, and our make up artist had been called away by a family emergency,  but with four photographers and five models all together, you know some pix are going to get made.

I had taken along a ring flash which meant I wasn’t limited to the setup in the makeshift studio and as it was warmer outside in the sun than inside, so I took the opportunity to make some contra-jour headshots.  I still haven’t quite mastered that flare technique popular with fashion photographers.  But I’m getting closer

When the sun disappeared behind heavy overcast I contented myself dropping in when the other togs paused between shots, just getting the odd shot here and there, including some of Becky sporting her own take on big rollers for her 50s style hair do

I have to admit I did have a fun session with Danielle on the couch.  - Ok , she was on the couch, I was at the other end of the room with a camera in my hand, but hey – it was fun

 Click here to see some images from the shoot

I was pleased he was up for the shoot, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a model talk about their first time nerves quite so publicly.  I must say it was really good to see his Facebook friends rallying around and giving him encouragement

The nerves seemed to disappear as soon as he walked into the studio and we chatted happily through the sets, with both Linda and I working cameras, but as usual it was Linda that looked after the model, keeping Womble supplied with food and drink and prodding me every now and again that it was time for a break.  - Hey – when I’m working, I’m working, and I forget about these things

The shoot went well and Womble had a big smile on his face when it came time to wrap.  Righfully so.  For a first timer he did a great job.

Nice one Womble – maybe we’ll see you back here again soon.

Ok, its  only the end of January, but when they said it was the coldest day of the year so far, they weren’t kidding.  I always have the studio heating on before a shoot so the model starts comfortably warm, but with over a kilowatt of modelling lights burning I alway have to dial the heating down or it quickly gets like an oven.  Not today.  Ok, it didn’t really get cold in the studio, but even with the lights and the heating going, there was one point between sets when Holly had to reach  for her robe.

It was an hour’s journey for Holly to get to the studio and we had agreed we would let the shoot run-on longer than usual so we would get the most out of that travelling time, but we would take it easy and have plenty of breaks so Holly didn’t get tired.  I have to confess I hadn’t realised just how long the shoot ran.  I actually lost an hour near the end and was shocked when Linda pointed out we had been working 7 hours.  Time flies when you’re having fun, and we were having fun, not to mention getting some great pix.

She was a delight to work with.  Relatively new to modelling she is still learning to make the most of her very pretty face and figure, so we were working quite slowly with me coaching her as we moved from pose to pose and egging her on to stretch her body just a little more to get that tension edge in the pose.  I think I did hear her muttering at one point, something about thinking she was here to model, not for a work-out

It’s becoming something of a running joke in the studio, that once we’ve finished the project work, and before the model changes for the portfolio work, I will often sneak in a set of head-shots.  Linda and Janine are convinced its a ‘man thing’ – get the model naked, then shoot headshots

With my project work and a set of head shots using studio lights as props  finished, Linda and Holly disappeared off to look at outfits for some portfolio work and the next couple of hours went to experimenting with clothes, lights, and backgrounds, but even after 7 hours in the studio, there was plenty left undone, so we’re looking forward to Holly being back with us soon.

Having spent most of the earlier shoot in lingerie or nude, she wanted something in a more ‘fashiony’ style.  Something she hadn’t done very much of in the past.

Now stood without props on a plain background is about as demanding as it gets for a model in a studio shoot, so to help her into the swing of a more dynamic posing style we played a game, I challenged her to have a different pose ready every time the studio lights beeped ready, thats a pose and a shot every one and a half seconds.

She took it in her stride and had fun delivering lots of good shots gradually looking more and more like a fashion model stomping her way down the catwalk.

We gave her a break after that – well sort of – sitting her down for some shots to show off her boots.

For the last set we introduced a heavy silver chain for her to play with, that complemented her silver dress.

Its not easy to avoid the cliche poses in situations like this, but she worked the prop well and we got some good shots.

We’ve got to know Sam pretty well, and I don’t think that anyone that knows her would be surprised at the glint in her eye when I announced I had the shots I wanted.  Nor I think, would they be surprised to hear that shortly after that Sam was bound up in the chain, wearing nothing but a huge grin  :)

Who am I to argue – we got just a few more shots lol

When I shot with Kirsty it was quickly obvious that she could be good in the role.

When I asked her she wasn’t sure. She’d never done a couple shoot before and the idea of getting pretty up close and personal with another woman was a little daunting for her.

Now the idea in these shoots is to produce some pretty sexy pictures, but in my experience, rather than the lust filled debauches of male fantasy, these shoots are inevitably a riot, with lots of laughing and giggling in between shots and once we’d had a chat about what to expect, and she was in.

The first set of the day was to be a window shot, with the two girls lit by the window light. But there wasn’t any.

Sods law applied and this was the dullest, gloomiest day I can remember, so before the shutter had clicked once, the shot list had already gone in the bin.

Janine and I put our heads together and came up with an expanded version of what would have been the second set and we started in and the giggling started

It was actually Sam’s first couple shoot too, but they both dived into the sets like experienced actors, delivering a series of increasingly intimate shots as they became comfortable with each other.

It was a busy shoot and I was glad to have both Linda and Janine in the studio, though I wasn’t so sure when all four women took to discussing the vexed question of whether the male of the species had any redeeming features at all, and no, I didn’t pitch in on behalf of my sex. I know when I’m on a loser. I just kept my head down and made do with photographing the two gorgeous naked women in front of me

Click here to view some images from the shoot

Fortunately apart from being a little shaken, Sam was fine, and as we found out later in the shoot, wasn’t even bruised.

We had discussed the theme of packaging for the shoot, but didn’t get into detail, so all credit to Sam who, when I told her that the first thing we planned to do was turn her into a sex toy, didn’t bat an eyelid but just said “that sounds like fun”.

So the first set of the day had a naked Sam swathed in bubble-wrap emerging from a large cardboard box, for all the world like something purchased on-line and just delivered.

Keeping with the theme, the next set saw her dressed in a cardboard dress and 5 inch heels, and the shoot was shaping up as a real cracker.  I had to smile when it occurred to me half way into the shoot that she had arrived with a big case stuffed with dozens of outfits and so far  she’d worn nothing but bubble-wrap, shredded cardboard and an iPad  :)

Now Sam is nothing if not a very hot lady and she had asked us if we could make this shoot a bit raunchier than the last.  That was fine with us – to say the least and she delivered some smoking hot sets, fuelled by a steady stream of nicotine and caffeine in what turned out to be one of the longer shoots we’ve done in quite a while.

it was a great shoot and I’m sure it won’t be long before she’s back in our studio again.

Thanks Sam

Linda arranging the 'sex toy's' packaging

 
Some images from the shoot