inspired by Kate Moss

my makeup artist came into the studio to go through the booking for march and she had this rather large t-shirt with this stunning picture of kate Moss.
Elise asked me what I thought of the image, I said it was absolutely awesome,   just love kate moss.
  Elise do  you want to recreate that image .  well I have my makeup in the car   well  lets do it I have the time now and have a hat we can use , 
we spent the next hour doing makeup and  creating the image.
I always enjoy working with Elise, she is always very positive and although she is a hairstylist and makeup artist, she is becoming a model in demand.

Valerie Whitaker model

Valerie is a nude Fine Art and Fashion model who travels ,
but once again  I did not shoot her nude, I do not  think I have photographed her nude ,yet she has a beautiful body ,
there is just some thing about her ,she brings a peace and  calm to my studio, plus she is just a super nice person and for whatever reason I just love working with her , these are some shots from her last visit , none of them where planed it just sort of happens because she loves hats and brings them with her I guess this is why I love working with her we just create ideas with her hats ,

if some thing changes, take advantage of it ,

I had Elise makeup artist  booked for a shoot on Friday 25 Feb but we had to reschedule at the last minuet
but as Elise was here at the studio we decided to shoot an idea I had , Elise is a model as well  ,

model Deveraux phoned and said she was close by and wanted to pop in to the studio to say hello
 so I spoke to her about the  idea and working with Elise  she was up for it and had the time  ,

so I set up the lighting while they did makeup and wardrobe ,

  happy we had to reschedule as this would never have happened ,just  love working with creative models to test out  ideas ,some times the test becomes the shoot ,
it was a black and white concept this is  part one ,  here are some of the test shots  from it,

Part of the 7 images that changed fashion by Rankin and Cecil Beaton's Hat Box

this is the 1934  Hat Box created by Ceil Beaton's and then Rankin for his seven images that changed Fashion
I must admit I just love Sophie Ellis-Bextor model and singer  that Rankin worked with maybe Google her and listen to her music ,her video
I had the chance to work with Katy-T again ,English and International nude model ,but know nudity  , I just felt she could bring in the look of old Hollywood movie star and she did ,also worked with fashion model Cassondra as I felt she had a great look for this as well

 part 1 video 7 images




Cecil Beaton link to video hat box rankin

Fashion with Katy T art nude model

a stylist  said the other day, how come you put clothes on nude models ,

mmmm I thought ,well it is just because they are just easier to work with  ,there not worried about OMG you can see my nipple or what ever, there just very comfortable in the own skin .

plus they have beautiful body's more so than some fashion models who want you to retouch them in photoshop ,nude models really take care of there shape and skin ,
well This shoot was with Katy T international fine art nude model from England ,

so so cool to work with especially ,the Jewelry shoot ,as we put face pack all over her to create texture

 ,it was just awesome love working with Katy T , 

my past was this really fashion long hair and pointy shoes MMM

just one of them moments in my past back in England ,when you go MMMMM really ,
but you have to admit it's a cool car ,
it's the only thing that saves this picture, it sure is not my fashion sense ,

 PS because of an email  , No it was not my 32 Ford coupe  ,belongs to Jeff Beck ,and yes that is his house behind me .

inspired by Guy Bourdin Fashion Photographer

 Guy Bourdin had his own way of creating Fashion photography, his work is in many many Fashion magazines ,he really did had a different way of seeing  things ,it is worth doing a Google of his images ,Video Gallery show of his work
although I work more in black and white ,I am still very inspired by his use of colour and strong graphic composition ,

So ever so often  I get a need to use colour or strong graphic shape for a Client ,Guy Bourdin and Richard Avedon are my inspiration ,

but over some years at looking at there work, I begin to see maybe the way they would think it out , so this is some of my inspired work  ,

although many photographers would never say they copy or are inspired by any photographer  all there work is original ,

but I am happy doing this ,it keeps there memory alive and I enjoy going on that same journey that they created within there images ,

all these where shot in my studio with two super long leg models ,Danella and Engel  although some  maybe nothing like Guy Bourdin's work  you can see they where inspired by his use of colour ,and his and Richard Avedon style in composition ,

First proof of the New Brochure front and back Cover for JJansen Designs with Model Mayhem talent Model Wardrobe /stylist and Makeup artist

J Jansen Designs  had lots of images to chose from ,
but this was all  Model Mayhem   , because  Model  Ayanna  Jordan  MM,    and Mari MM Wardrobe stylist and Makeup artist Maly Siharah  MM,

Maly had to double up on makeup ,lucky for us she is a great makeup artist as well as an amazing wardrobe stylist ,

as the one Booked did a can not make it at the last minuet , but all was ok   

front Cover  model
Ayanna Jordon Model Mayhem

Back Cover
model Mari  Model Mayhem  ,

 model  Mari is just more than amazing  5' 11"she was born to be a Fashion  model and she walks like you wouldn't believe on the runway ,
was very happy to have worked with her for this ,

 

Part of the 7 images that changed fashion by Rankin this one Guy Bourdin

have all ways liked Guy Bourdin's use of colour and strong composition, so when Rankin used one of his images to be part of the seven images that changed fashion ,
I was very interested in recreating this ,
I had two  models that had great legs who wanted to be part of this ,so I thought well ok  I will just do it twice ,
so here are two  looks inspired by Guy Bourdin   one model said it was not that hard to create the pose and hold it , the other model was not happy said it was a really hard pose and hurt ,what we do for what we love , I know I could not do this pose ,

  have also put Guy Bourdin and Rankin images up ,so you can see what we did and where it came from ,

a model at 14

my Mother passed away some years back ,but on one of her visit's here in California (she still  lived in England ) she spoke about when she had been a model ,
I never really remembered or paid much attention to it ,

so wish I had ,

because I had to go through some old paper work that had been sent over when she died , and there was this photograph wow so cool my Mother was a model at 14 till she was 16 , this was taken just before her Birthday on Dec 2  1936

I wish I had spent more time talking to her about being a model, she must have been so proud of it ,yet I did not listen ,she gave it up to get married at 16 ,

,this is the only picture I have of my mother and I ,when she was last here ,the only one  how sad is that ,a whole life time and one picture

Brianna Olympius 10 years old her life ,her journey 1991 to 2001

for some reason ,of what I do not know ,I had not wanted to put this story on line but now I am ok with it ,

I meet Brianna 9 years old when my studio was next door to where her Dad  worked ,

we had planned to create a  photo portfolio for her as she was a typical nine year old with glasses full of energy and loved life ,

so on the day of the shoot September 2000 instead of blue jeans yellow tee shirt and other fun stuff  , I created this story about a Magical Adventure, had her dad bring in an old bicycle ,

I have no reason as to why I created this photo shoot , but I had built a old room in my studio for a gunslinger photoshoot , so I made a front for it ,so it looked like a barn ,

here is the pictorial of her which was turned it to a book ,you can read the end of the story  when you finish reading the book ,

hopefully you can make it bigger to read the text

 -

a letter from her Dad Todd Olympius

on September 28 2000 Brianna was diagnosed with a brain stem tumor  Dr William Loudon and Dr Michael Muhonen of Children  Hospital  Orange County ( CHOC )where able to remove 80% of the tumor but some was still inside the stem of her brain,
Brianna was scared and confused throughout all this her spirit never weakened but her body did ,
on the 14 September 2001 she died in my arms surround by her family . she was 10

                                             Todd Olympius
             ------------------------------------------------------------------
so the images I took with Brianna  where turned into this book ,after she was diagnosed with a tumor and where the last pictures taken of her  ,

 as I said I had know reason to create this pictorial story with her , but for some reason we did ,   I had so much fun telling her this story that I made up ,and she just loved giving her ideas and  acting out this journey,

so with sadness I tell her magical adventure  ,but with love she will remain in our heart

one last thing ,her life was celebrated in a park ,I had never seen this before, all her family, school friends, Doctors and many many people where there ,

friends etc told story's  about her, I was asked but I was just overwhelmed and could hardly speak there was  so much love for this little girl ,

at the closing all her school friends  called her name and released loads of butterflies at the same times in to the air,
have never seen any thing  like this before, here I am a grown man with tears running down my face , such a beautiful way to say goodbye .

Farewell sweet Brianna 1991 to September 14  2001

phillip