Photo Shoot

I haven't been with Rachel on a photo shoot for quite a while now so it was nice to actually be involved with one again in York, even if I was mainly there to setup lights and help out as I've done before. I still think it's fantastic fun and I love meeting new people who are always so nice to work with and chat to.

We were doing a fair bit of swapping on lenses for this shoot - Rachel has been using the new 50mm f1.4 (prime) lens that I bought which can, if like her you know what you're doing, capture some fantastic detail and clear, crisp shots. I made plenty of mistakes with the lens while in Paris and alot of my pictures looked terrible (when Rachel used it, her pictures come out fine or quite simply amazing showing again that it really isn't as easy as it looks).

Anyway, lots of help, advice and encouragement from her and some luck actually meant I didn't do so bad; the picture above is one that I took! Couldn't believe it when I processed it, it's come out just how I wanted (though it needs a little more processing to get the colours right). I also tried to be a bit arty and took this picture as well:
The full shoot was over fairly quickly and we managed to get everything dismantled and packed away in plenty of time - I think we're just getting practiced at this now! The full gallery of pictures of Sasha (the lovely model - who had some fab Vivian Westwood boots, need to try and get some myself) can be found on the Random Acts website. I should say that all but two of the pictures are Rachel's (though the ones of mine she used have been processed so much better by her) - again, this highlights another big difference between enthusiastic amateur and pro; I got one of two pictures that were "wow", Rachel got a few more than that!

Finally, I decided that the whole corset-trying-on experience had been so inspiring that I managed to find one of mine that a very good (and generous) friend gave me, and wore that. So I couldn't resist getting a few pictures of me as well.

I did quite well with the corset on, managed to wear it most of the day, in fact only started to get uncomfortable after Rachel re-tied it at the back and tightened it quite a bit in the process! Also quite pleased that the blouse that I'm wearing fits and doesn't look too bad! I bought it a while ago and never thought I'd 'grow into' it!

Empowerment Through Style

Friday night was the event that Rachel had organised at Stonegate Yard in York, "Empowerment Through Style" brought together several independent, local, boutiques as well as the Body Shop, to show how feeling good about yourself isn't always about fashion but simply putting together your own look that you can be confident about. My friend Jen (see earlier post with her posing in a red corset!), very kindly, offered to act as a model for clothes and make-up (the picture above is Saskia from the Body Shop doing her make-up which looked amazing!).

We all had alot of fun, the clothes, as provided by One (Responsibly Gorgeous Clothing) were fantastic (so much so that Jen actually bought the outfit she was wearing) and everyone mingled and had a good chat. One thing that really stands out in my mind was trying on the corsets that Sarah from Elizabeth Wells had brought along. They did look fab but I wasn't initially thinking of actually having a go myself but I'm so glad I did!

I should say first of all that this isn't the best picture of me, nor of the corsets that Sarah sells, in fact I'll add a second picture below of Hannah who looks so much better than me anyway and utterly amazing in the gorgeous white corset (I tried this on as well but no pictures of that unfortunately).

The black corset I'm wearing isn't full size, though it's slightly on the large size for me apparently (didn't feel like it) and Sarah didn't fasten it very (relatively) tightly but it still did give me more of a figure and actually was very comfortable. Yes, I know that doesn't sound right but really I didn't feel like I couldn't breath or that I was being painfully squashed, it felt fine and also made me sit straighter and with much better posture. It also made me feel pretty good as well.

Trying on the full size white corset was amazing! I wasn't brave enough to do this will no t-shirt or bra on, which I should really have done, and I've kind of regretted that as it would have been fantastic. I am definitely going to get a proper fitting and try on a few different corsets when I get the time (and the money) to do that. Really I'm not sure how to describe how good I felt with the corset on - it's not anything kinky (though I can fully understand why people like them for that reason) it just feels really amazing to have that shape and feeling of being so poised, stylish, feminine I guess. And it affected everyone there, loads of people wanted to try them on and everyone was thrilled once they did. Really I haven't got the words to describe it!

Anyway, a fantastic night was had by all and I really hope Rachel organises something similar, only bigger, better, and starting sooner and finishing later, sometime soon!

It's not as easy as it looks!

On Sunday, Rachel and I went out to do some photography, the idea being for me to actually get some practice and to be 'in charge' of a shoot. We had the idea of doing a kind of "Death" character, I know that sounds a little macabre but I was thinking of the version from the Sandman comics which is a rather attractive and sassy gothic girl.

Anyway, Rachel looked fantastic in the black velvet coat, and suitable make-up but when it came to me actually being any good at taking pictures and having even the slightest clue as to what I should be doing it got a little more difficult. At that point I had something of am epiphany and realised with amazing clarity that taking fantastic pictures of someone really is alot harder than it looks! Rachel really, really does know what she is doing and has an amazing amount of experience and knowledge which means that she can just do it! I was going to say "without apparent effort" but that would be misleading as she is always moving around, getting the right angle and multiple shots.

I can't say I was really that happy with the pictures I got on the day and they looked a bit mediocre (at best) on the camera's screen. Thankfully, due to Rachel's help, advice, patience, support and the fact that she is an amazing model (when she doesn't pose too much lol), I actually did manage to get some good pictures of her. In fact Rachel was happy enough with the images to upload them to the Tigg-stock collection on Deviant Art. I have to say I'm actually quite honoured that she did that, there are so many other fantastic photo's that she and others in the team have created.

When I've got round to sorting my website out (hopefully later this week) and uploaded everything I'll add a link to the complete set of pictures that we both took on Sunday. For now I'll finish this post with a photo that Rachel took of me. The biggest problem I have with any pictures Rachel takes of me is that they are very clear and very detailed and frankly I can see how bad I look, so much so that I got quite upset last night while looking through them. I feel a little better today but I think that's because I'm following this mantra: "Give me the strength to change the things I can and the grace to accept those that I can't".

Random Task

I must say that the "Random Task" character from Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery, always makes me smile: "Odd Job ... Random Task!" it's just so funny! This post isn't about that, as you can probably tell from the picture, rather it is about Rachel and the fact that she has decided to leave work with a view to setting up Random Acts as a business and her full-time, self-employed job!

Kind of a bit out of the blue but then again, looking at the sheer number of photo-shoots and pictures she has taken (you can see the recent ones on Deviant ART) it probably is about time that she got paid for her 'hobby'. So today we are busy sorting out pictures, website, online resources and applications, and generally just trying to get things up and running ASAP.

So, if you want any photography or similarly arty things doing, then drop Rachel an e-mail (info at random acts - all one word - dot biz), or check out the website: http://www.randomacts.biz (this is being updated over the weekend so may be in a state of flux, please bear with us).

So, what do I think about this sudden development? Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned or worried by the suddenness and it's just another thing to add to the list of pretty radical and rapid changes in my life. All that said, I really do think Rachel is good at what she does, her photos are amazing, stunning, bright, striking, and interesting.

I've also been with her on quite a few shoots now and I've seen how she works and interacts with the models/subjects and she really puts her whole heart and soul into it and she becomes very focused (no pun intended) and passionate particularly when she can see the potential for an image, look, or angle that is just right. I've also seen her be incredibly self-critical and reject everything but the absolute best pictures.

I think she can do it, and I'm proud of her for trying.

Random Acts

I am obviously biased in my opinion of Rachel and her photography but the picture above hopefully captures the 'real' and dedicated person that she is when engrossed in what she does. The main reason for mentioning this is essentially a shameless plug for Rachel's website, Random Acts, and photography services she provides.

Alot of the photoshoots (I've mentioned some here before) are done essentially for free or mutual benefit, however it would of course be good to have this generate some money for Random Acts so that things can develop ("Develop Nurture and Inspire" being the motto) and progress, as well of course so that the tedious things like bills for hosting, equipment etc get paid.

So, if you are interested in having any photographs taken for whatever reason, do drop Rachel and e-mail (rachel at random acts dot biz) to discuss what services she provides. I'd also recommend you look at the pictures on her site as well as the multitude of images on her Deviant Art account also.

[ Oh, and it all also helps me too as I get to come along to the photo-shoots as Rachel's assistant which I thoroughly enjoy doing as I find the whole thing so fascinating and exciting ]