Creativity; Storm-sky Thinking

I love this 360 experiment by Rayment Kirby.

Click on the image below to see it...

Lavender Blue

I had a really stressful dream last night in which one of my friends secretly borrowed one of my bellydance costumes (the mermaidy one) to wear to a club night. I was too polite to mention the graveness of the situation; delicate embellishment getting knocked around and ripped off in neon-lit tree houses, etc. I don't know what she was thinking. I forgave her when I woke up. (Also, I fell in love with a man in a lift.)

Anyway, since we're (well, I'm, anyway) in the mood for whimsy, here are some images taken by the lovely and talented Elle Hicks in one of my favourite locations of all time, the humble (but glorious) lavender fields here in England. Such a pleasure to be in their midst, even if we did have a bit of trouble at the start of the shoot that threatened to put a stop to the whole thing (I think the less said about that, the better!) :-)

Make up by me as usual; clever prettiness by Elle:

Additionally, here's Sir Fluffalot, much famed over on my instagram accounts (here and here), having been disturbed while reading. He's a bit cross about that, clearly.

Postcards & Telegrams

Hope all your weekends are spiffing. I finished today's shoot at 9am and had the rest of the day off before tomorrow's shoot. I think these must have got stuck in some historical vault; some postcards from a shoot with Simon Newlyn, who I will have the pleasure of modelling for again next week on an entirely different theme!

Broken Castles: I Am Not Afraid

New work from Steven Billups in our traditional jaunt to Germany... Always a highlight in my calendar. I really love working with him.

This is 'part one' - abandoned castles (film). Parts two and three (water and rivers; flowers made of sun) can come later...

I was listening to this Jill Scott track (<<< click on it for a soundtrack to your viewing!) when I looked through the images he sent me. Her voice was often in my ear in the past and I'm enjoying re-listening to all of her work. Lyrics:

"I'm Not Afraid"

I'm not afraid to be your lady
I'm not afraid to be your whore
I'm not afraid to be your future
I'm not afraid to be your soil
In which you plant your seed
Flowers, they sprout for me
My fragrance in the breeze
You must nurture me please
I'm not afraid to be your baby
I'm not afraid to be your strength
I'm not afraid to be open wide
I'm not afraid to be glutinous
The essence of glue
I will stick to you
Through earthquakes and moods
If ever one thing was true
I'm not afraid to wind it, wind it
I'm not afraid to keep your pace
I'm not afraid to create my queendom
I'm not afraid to take my place
I'm not afraid

As always, it's best to click on the first image then use the arrow keys to scroll through (it makes them bigger!).

The Unfolding Trees

I got to work with Paride again recently in the massive ancient woodland I have near my home here in Oxfordshire, and enjoyed a quick shoot around the trees - we only did one hour (I don't mind such short shoots when they are so local and convenient!).

As some of you know, I occasionally put out 'casting calls' to alert photographers to my availability for these short, local 'Nature's Bite-size Sessions' when I can, around other bookings, as it's so nice to make the most of the natural area I have practically on my door step! These shoots are short, punchy affairs (1-3 hours) and it's all very relaxed, suitable for professional, creative photographers as well as those who are less experienced and want to keep things simple. I also sometimes give a small discount for shoots booked here during these specific periods, as it's (obviously) very convenient for me. I have some upcoming dates allocated for more of these days dotted around the 24th Sept-4th October. You can email me to book some time or ask for more info: ellarosemuse@live.co.uk.

Here are some of Paride's shots (thank you Paride for sending me these!):

Another Post, Another Coast

... This time I'm showing off some pictures of me taken in Dorset by the very talented and widely published Joana Kruse, who booked me again for some book cover images.

Ah, I do like to be beside the sea side!

A bit of Victoriana, a very brief foray into Dante and a quick shot (snort!) at Bond; and to fit the travel theme (we couldn't resist using the vintage suitcase again), I should mention that I will be doing a bit of trip-planning this month, gradually, as I attempt to cohesively orchestrate the next few months; look out Holland, Belgium, Australia, US and Canada!

I also spotted this on Joana's facebook feed: I modelled this rather wayward cloak, which Joana somehow managed to make into an effective image! I'm not sure it's one for my portfolio, but the work was there. :-)