Kelli 2

Another shot of model Kelli Smith, taken last week at a studio in Long Eaton.

I don't think anymore words are needed.

A Model Pooch

This is Pinot, and is Kelli's special pet dog. A chihuahua of course, and a tiny one at that.

So cute and so full of life. Everyone was making a fuss of her. And no wonder. She is a little sweetie.

Kelli

It's been a quite a while since Gail and I have been to a model shoot.  So tonight we made amends and drove over to Long Eaton, where we met up with model Kelli Smith and a few other photographers for three hours of taking pictures and having fun.

We've shot Kelli before, nearly two years ago at another studio, so it was nice to meet up again. She is getting married in July, and retiring from modelling, so it was a opportunity not to be missed.

Back To The Future

I don't know about other photographers, but I seem to take a lots of pictures and some I don't do anything with, such as this one which I took back in November 2012, during an all day model shoot at a professional studio in Long Eaton.

I took several of her posing with a motorbike, and would have shared the better ones with her. But probably not this one, as it didn't work for me at the time, as you could only see a bit of the motorbike, and I wasn't that keen on the blue of the graffiti.

So now that I have some knowledge of how to use Lightroom, I though that I would have a play with it, and see if I could make it look a little different and more satisfying to look at. Firstly I cropped the motorbike out altogether by twisting the photo, which makes for a more pleasing angle. I then softened her skin a little, removed a couple of moles from her arm, and then converted it to black and white, but with some toning.

For someone more skilled in Lightroom than me, they would probably tweak it a bit more somehow. But I am quite happy with it now, and so thought I would share it with you.

Model Material

What happens if you mix five photographers with a dozen models in a great studio, with lots of sets, lights and props?

The answer is hopefully some great photographs.

Well that's exactly what Gail and I have been doing for most of the day, at this converted factory in Long Eaton.

And what fun we had. Being given a model to work with for about 30 minutes, and using the different backdrops, such as bedroom, barn, hospital and with a real motorbike.

This particular model is called Lily and very good to work with she was too. She had not been modelling that long, but was very relaxed in front of my Nikon as we played around with the sets and poses.

Before anyone asks, no she wasn't naked, but was wearing a tight cream coloured latex dress. The power of the camera eh!

First Of The Summer Wine

Gail & I shot a friends' marriage blessing in Long Eaton today & then went to Trent Lock Marina to take some photos of the happy couple in a relaxed environment.

It was a blessing, as they had got married in Holland, a few weeks ago. Alas we didn't get to cover that, as I've never been to Holland before, and it would have been a good experience.

It's been a lovely sunny day today. Almost too sunny! And hot too. The sort of weather which we should have got during July and August.

We have never visited Trent Lock before, so it was a bit of an adventure. It was a great place to walk around. Maybe bigger than Beeston Marina. Certainly a lot busier.

Whilst we were having a look around for suitable places to stop for photographs, I saw these three young girls relaxing and enjoying the warm weather; so I just couldn't resist taking a shot.