Campbell Photographic

'Don't Give Up' Single Release

2011-11-16T13:19:00.011Z

Hey guys, download the FANTASTIC new single 'DON'T GIVE UP' by Luc Floreani, remixed by J Jnay Adeleye.Let's help them get the break they need and get them to no.1. Only 79p for a totally rocking track!http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lucfloreani3

And if you already haven't seen it check out the fab video http://youtu.be/3O6y3FmK-RY

BINTM Live 2011 - Review

2011-10-30T11:12:00.041Z

Last year Ross and I went to BNTM Live show. We both agreed that it was not worth the money we had paid for our tickets. It was a very disappointing experience; the only good thing was the actual catwalk show.

Even though we felt this way about last years show, we decided we would try again this year. Fortunately we could use the fact that we are the lead photographers for Sky's Angels Magazine to get press passes and a couple of VIP tickets for the catwalk show. So at least we didn't have to pay this year :)

To view pictures from last years show check out our Facebook Page.

We arrived at Excel and made our way to the press office, which from the emails we were sent was supposed to be at S9.

Well this was not the case. The "press office" was actually a roped off area by N10 with one of those portable display stands they use in supermarkets as a desk. First impressions and all that - this was not a good start!

Anyway, we were given our passes and my ticket to the catwalk show; because we were early we had to wait for our guest, which was Mr Demitri Jones from ITV2's Models, Misfits & Mayhem. Demitri is the head of hair and make-up for the show and has been a writer for our magazine - Sky's Angels Magazine - from the very beginning.

As soon as Demitri arrived we went back over to the press office to get his pass and ticket for the catwalk show. Then we discovered the next little problem - the seating number on his ticket and mine were about 20 seats apart! We weren't even seated next to each other.
Seriously!? These tickets were sorted out at the same time so surely we would have seats together? Well at least they were VIP tickets.

Now it was almost time for the doors to open and to get some pictures of the girls from the show. In the press pack they called this a photo call - it was more like a nightmare. Everyone pushing and shoving to get to the front. I had no chance, mainly because I’m short and could not see a bloody thing. Ross managed to get a few shots by holding his camera in the air and hoping and praying.

After Ross had got some shots, Demitri grabbed my hand and rescued me from the crowd, what a sweet guy.

Last year I missed out on getting pampered, so this year I went straight to The Powder Room. Luckily because we were early there was not much of a wait. I was going to have just my make-up done and Demitri was going to have his nails and make-up done.

On the website for BINTM live show they say that in the powder room you will be "pampered to within an inch of perfection".

This was certainly NOT the case for me and I don’t know if the MUA I had was still early on in her training, or if it was just the incredibly poor lighting or just the plain fact she was not provided with the correct tools she needed to do her job.

Because I already had make-up on the MUA had to remove this. Ok, she had some eye make-up remover, but no cotton wool. So she had to use a tissue which is not the most ideal thing to use on the eye area. She was very gentle, but she missed some bits which I thought she’d notice eventually ... but she didn’t. I didn’t have the heart to tell and it is actually her job to notice.

She then applied foundation. She didn’t remove the foundation I already had on even though I had told her I already had full make-up on. I think what didn’t help matters was the lighting in the hall. It was not ideal for putting make-up on, but she still should of noticed that I had foundation on before putting new foundation on.
However the foundation she used was not a bad match considering she didn’t have the complete collection (only 3 colours).

After the foundation was applied we talked about what sort of eye shadow colours I usually use, which is earthy colours, golds, browns, greens ... and for whatever reason she put a lilac shade on me. Does that count as earthy!?

Also after she'd finished I had to tell her to reblend in the colour on my right lid because it looked like it was done by a child. This is not good, she should have noticed that it had not blended properly, she’s meant to be the MUA, not me.

After my eyes where done, she jumped straight to doing my lips rather than my cheeks. The product she was going to use was still in it’s packaging so I had to sit there while she tried to open it. When it was unpackaged I noticed it was the Just Bitten Lip Stain.
This is like a felt-tip pen that is normally applied directly to the lips. But obviously this couldn't be done at a show like this for hygiene reasons. So it had to be applied with a lip brush ... which simply did not work well at all. She eventually got it looking ok, but they should really have thought about what products could be used easily given the situation.

Almost done with my Powder Room experience, the MUA almost let me leave without any blusher on and I had to point out to that she hadn’t done it. Seriously she would of let me walk out of there without any if I hadn’t said anything.

My next stop was going to be the Adee Phelan hair station. I have naturally curly hair and I've yet to meet a hairdresser that can deal with it properly.
But after the Powder Room experience I was totally put off the idea of having my hair done, so this left us with loads of time to kill - which we did by just wandering round. Apart from the Powder room and hair stand, there was really very little of any interest. Some old shoes on sale at overly extortionate prices, some naff clothes, tacky jewellry, loads of chocolate and sweets (really good for aspiring models!) and a drinks company claiming that their soft drink will make you burn 200 calories! Really, I think the organisers should be more responsable than letting this sort of rubbish into a show that attracts thousands of young, impressionable, wannabie models.

The open catwalk was generally boring, with some untalented bands and the enevitable token TOWIE guest (so sick of that rubbish, especially Amy "professional" Childs).

The best bit of the day so far was Demitri constantly being stopped by teenage girls and asked if they could have their picture taken with him. Ross was finding the double takes from the girls hilarious and I found it quite amusing too. I think by the end of the day Demitri was exhausted from the smiling. The poor guy was just trying to have a day out! - but this happens when you’re on TV.

The Catwalk Show
When we arrived in the morning we were told to go to the VIP lounge for 1:30pm. We were told all the press would then be taken into the hall. So at 1:30pm we made our way to the VIP Lounge which was basically a roped off area in the corner, overcrowded and completely packed with all the general public, not very VIP if you ask me.

Instead of the press being taken into the hall we were herded into a corner and had to wait until the public had gone in. Me and Demitri gave up and just went in and made our way to the hall.
Ross however had to wait. Once everyone else had been let in, the press were herded into the narrow gap between the seating stands. As always the video and photographers forced their way to the front, desperate to get the best positions against the gates that had been added.
At which point the security guards then asked "who has tickets for seats"? and then attempted to get the seated reporters through and past the massed sea of video and photography guys and all the equipment, tripods, etc.

Then a guard came up behind them and said a second "press pit" was available for 6 people (press pit?? We hadn't even seen the first press pit yet! Oh hang on, they were actually calling the gap between the stands the Press Pit - what idiot thought that one up!?).

So Ross and a few others were taken out of the hall made to walk al the way around the outside to the otherside of the hall - where they were promptly told "sorry you can't be here". So, they had to come all the way back to the original corridor between the stands, which now meant they were at the back with zero chance of even seeing any of the stage. Then another guard said "we have another area". So off they went again. The lights went out and the show started before they got half way!

This time they were taken to a small gap between the side of the hall and the first set of stands right by the main screen. So when all the dancers and models came out all any of them could see was their backs! Ross spent the show jammed up against the side railings of the seating stands, unable to move anywhere - but he still managed to pull off some great shots.

A complete fiasco! At last years show it was a proper catwalk stage with a proper press pit at the end of the runway. Whoever put this together this year didn't have a clue.

As Ross was still being herded when the show started, he texted to tell me to start shooting. I hadn't originally intended to shoot from the stands because of all the heads, but luckily I'd changed my mind and was already shooting.

Overall the show was ok, but not a patch on last years. The lighting was not as good, the dance choreography was no where near as good and the general stage layout with models and dancers coming from both ends just didn't work. Viewers were unsure where to look and things happening at one end were missed because you were distracted by something happening at the other.
The the clothing, etc, and the music performers were also not a patch on last years catwalk show.

I’ve got to say I was very disappointed with the catwalk show this year. I had hoped that they would have taken the success of last year's and built on it, correcting the minor mistakes and enhancing what they had ... But alas this was not the case. The whole thing was very badly thought out and arranged. Last years was a lot better.

In fact the entire experience was very disappointing, not just the catwalk show, there were no "better" points at all in comparison to last years. I'd really hoped this year was going to be bigger and better, but really the majority was worse and they just crammed in more rubbish stands full of tat.

Will we return next year? Probably not. I certainly wouldn't pay for a ticket!

The best bit of the day for me was getting to hang out with our friend Demitri Jones.
Check out Demitri's Facebook Page.

To see more of our pics from the day go to our Facebook Page and check out the BINTM albums.

Photoshoot with Luc floreani

2011-09-29T15:26:00.018+01:00

We were recently approached by Luc Floreani to do a fashion shoot for Versatile Apparel; we met Luc on another shoot for Versatile Apparel which we covered for Sky’s Angles Magazine. We were there to get some behind the scenes shots for a feature in the mag.

When Luc originaly approached us the new shoot was going to be specifically for Versatile Apparel. However this changed to being a shoot for several other things which included possibly using one of the images for the cover of Luc's new single and a cover shot for SA Mag’s November issue.

The day of the shoot soon arrived; an early start as always, plus a long drive into London. When we arrived at Luc's we got a warm welcome from him and his lovely girlfriend Kay. After having a much needed drink we then went on to discuss some ideas for the shoot and looked at some locations. We would have usually already of done this but on this occasion we had to do it on the day of the shoot. It kept us all on our toes :)

Once we had all finished our drinks we all piled into our car and drove to the 1st location, the 606 jazz club, which is one of lucs favourite places.

This was a very interesting location and bit of a nightmare lighting wise. But as always we had brought along our mobile lighting system. Photography can be a strange thing, taking the pictures doesn’t take long, it the setting up of the lighting that can take what seems like forever. While Ross sorted the lighting out, Luc got changed into the 1st outfit of the day.

When the lighting was done it was time for Luc to do some posing, Ross had to give him some direction and correct his poses when needed - but at the end of the day Luc is not a model, he's a singer/songwriter(!) so the guy was a bit out of his comfort zone. But he seemed to handle it well and Ross is great at dealing with people that don’t know how to pose properly. Just from watching Ross and Luc work together you could see there was a good relationship between the two of them and they made a good team.

While all this was going on I was getting some behind the scenes video footage, it’s been a while since I’d filmed anything but it still felt natural to me.

Before we all knew it, it was time to leave the club and get some food in us. Luc and Kay treated us to a burger and chips - very yummy :)

I teased Luc about the fact that his belly was going to look fat in the shots we were going to do later on. He took this in the nature it was intended and smiled and said we’ve done all the skinny shots!

For the next set of shots he would be wearing mainly jumpers and cardigans. For the jumper shots we went to the River Thames which was a great location for what Luc was wearing.

Once we got what we wanted from this location we moved on to the next, which was a footbridge over the Thames along the side of the train bridge. For this location Luc got changed into a cardigan and trousers. Ross got Luc climbing up the railings and leaning ove the side of the bridge looking out over the water. The sun was sitting low and shining through the bridge metalwork - great natural backlighting!

While Luc and Ross looked through some of the shots from the bridge location Luc saw some images that he may use for the cover of his new single, Don’t Give Up, which is released on November 13th and will be available to download from iTunes.

There was time for one more outfit change and location. These last few shots were going to be the fun shots and they sure were!

Ross got Luc jumping and stretching in strange ways and hanging over garden railings! All will make sense when you see the final pics.

These shots also turned out to be some of Luc's and Ross’ favourites of the whole day.

Well that was a wrap. Luc and Kay took me and Ross out for a drink before we made our way home. I’ve got to say it was nice to just chill out with such lovely people, especially after such a long day. We also got a personal invite from Luc to the premier of his new film Darkness, which you can read about in issue 8 of Sky's Angels Magazine and watch out for issue 9 which will have a big feature on Luc and of course the front cover!

Hope you enjoy the behind the scenes video, which features a remix of Don’t Give Up by Jnay.

Campbell Photographic Promo Slideshow

2011-08-20T17:23:00.005+01:00

Shoot with Lisa Victoria Chenneour

2011-08-04T16:04:00.043+01:00

As some of you will know, in July Lisa Victoria Chenneour won the chance to star in Stuart Phillips’ latest make-over video, which was photographed by the talented Ross Campbell of Campbell Photographic for Sky’s Angels Magazine.

If you haven’t already seen Stuart’s make-over video you can still view and it has a very special appearance by Ross Campbell.

You can also read about it in the July issue of Sky’s Angels Magazine with a few shots from the day.

To see a full selection of images from the day you can go to our Facebook page

After a great response to the article in Issue #6 of the magazine, Ross and I thought it would be great to do a full interview and photoshoot with Lisa.

We arranged to do the shoot on the 23rd July starting at home with Lisa in Leigh-on-sea to see her “away from modelling”. A few days before the shoot I noticed that the weather was not going to be great. So I messaged Lisa to see if she could do the shoot on the 24th instead. She was more than happy to rearrange it to the new date. I’m really glad we moved the shoot. Even when I dragged myself out of bed at 7:30am the sun was shinning and there were some nice fluffy clouds in the sky.

We arrived at Lisa and got straight to it. For the 1st part of the shoot we decided to get Lisa to dress as she would if she was just chilling at home and I gave the make-up and hair a natural look. This was because the 1st set of images would be showing Lisa at home, just chilling. It took a few hours to get the shots just right - we wanted them posed but not to look as if they were posed … and this can be harder to do than it sounds. Also the lighting had to be perfect as well, as some of you will know good photography requires good use of light and knowing how to control the lighting.

Once we got the 1st set of shots in the bag, it was time for a change of clothes and I wanted to just add a bit of colour to Lisa’s eyes. I put some black eyeliner on her as well and I checked to see if anything else make-up wise needing retouching and retouched where needed.

For the 2nd set of shots we took Lisa just outside. I assisted Ross by holding the reflector when required to do so and sorted out any wardrobe problems. Ross got some behind the scenes shots of me straightening jackets and flicking off bits of fluff/dirt, lol.

Once we got the shots we wanted we went back inside and got Lisa changed into another outfit. This outfit was one we originally did not think we would be able to do. For the look to be right we needed a denim jacket, which we didn’t have and neither did Lisa. But Lisa’s partner bought one while he was out and phoned to let us know he was on the way home! Thanks Cameron you’re a star. 10 minutes and a cup of coffee later we had the jacket.
So, outfit sorted, make-up checked and hair changed. We all got into our car and drove to the next location which was the woods.

While shooting in the woods I made friends with a very friendly red squirrel.

Once we got the shots we wanted to get here we all decided it was time for a break so we all had some refreshments and Lisa also got changed into her next outfit. We were then ready to go to our final location, the beach!

I was going to be shooting the 1st section at this location. It took a while to get the lighting right, but once it was it was worth the patience, even if it was only for a couple of shots.

Bugger! got to give the camera and Lisa back to Ross. But before I did, I changed the make-up for something slightly more dramatic, sleeked Lisa hair down with some water and we got her changed into a cardigan and nothing else.

Both Ross and Lisa thought these would be the last shots of the day, but just as we were finishing up I noticed a wall with paintings on it at the back of the beach. It looked great, so both me and Ross got a few shots of Lisa on the wall.

So that was a wrap. Time to get Lisa home and for me and Ross to drive back to Braintree. It was a long day, but we all had a good time and made some lovely images together.

To see a selection of images and read Lisa’s interview in issue #7, go to http://www.skysangelsmag.co.uk/

You can also view a full album of shots from the shoot on our Facebook page

For more information on our portfolio shoots, go to our website You never know, if you book a portfolio shoot with us you could also be in Sky’s Angels Magazine like Lisa!

Don't forget to follow both Campbell Photographic and Sky's Angels Magazine on twitter

Lisa is now signed with Vibe International Models and you can book her for shoots through their website.

Help For Heroes

2011-07-12T17:12:00.023+01:00

On the 8th July we covered the Help for Heroes Fashion Show for Sky’s Angels Magazine, the event was Run & Organised by EssexH4HEvents / Gina Negus & Mica Seaby.

When we arrived both Ross and I recognized the young lady sitting in the make-up chair, it was of course Lisa, what a busy lady. When she got chance she came and said hello and I finally got to meet her in the flesh, we had a quick chat and then Ross and I got a few behind the scenes shots.

Before we knew it was time for all the models to start strutting their stuff, everyone involved with this event gave their time for free.

Hair & Make up was by:

Bernice Beaumont
Natasha
Melanie Brown
Nikita Smith

Models:

Fran Turner
Stacy Alford
Melissa Kimber
Linda Cunningham
Georgia Shipley
Leanne Scotten
Beka Pritchards
Titi Talabi
Kay Hannington
Esther Adams
Katie Attwater
Jessica Love
Lisa Chenneour
Faith Nhemachena
Carla Boydell
Laura Ham
Jamie Bellamy
Tim Simpson
Alfie Thomson
Reis Floyd
Richard Martin
Laurence Owens

The designers on the night were:

Anoosh Naghibi
Kim Cannon
Red Butterflie
Amis Designs
Sinstar
Aaron Dowie
Chesca Smith
Nathan Slate
Fudia Heroe
Charlotte Negus

If you want more info on help for heroes go to http://www.essexh4hevents.com/ or check out http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/

To read a full article on this event you can go to http://www.skysangelsmag.co.uk/ and click on issue #6

Competition Shoot for Sky's Angels Magazine

2011-07-12T13:11:00.030+01:00

Those of you that read Sky’s Angels Magazine will know that Campbell Photographic, Sky’s Angels Magazine, Stuart Phillips and Vibe International Models teamed up to launch a competition to find some lucky girl to star in Stuart's new makeover video.

After a big casting day at Stuart's salon in Covent Garden, the girl was chosen. The lucky lady was Lisa Victoria Chenneour. The video was shot on the 3rd July and was photographed by the very talented Ross Campbell of Campbell Photographic.

It was a long day but worth it. Ross got some brilliant behind the scenes images.

Once the makeover was finished Ross got to do a proper shoot with Lisa. He got a good mixture of some indoor shots and some outside shots which had an urban edge to them.

At one point he even got Lisa to stand in the window of Stuart’s salon, it’s almost scary how much Lisa looked like a mannequin.

While Ross was snapping away Stuart was still filming, I personally can’t wait to see the video, especially as I was not there on the day due to being ill. The full video can be seen on Stuart's Youtube channel.

To read a full article on this shoot go to www.skysangelsmag.co.uk and click on issue 6.

BEFORE

AFTER

To see more pics from this shoot you can view them on our Facebook.

On the 23rd Ross and I will be doing a full interview and photoshoot with lisa, which will be in issue 7 of sky’s angels magazine (out the 14th ).

I will also be blogging about our shoot with lisa so watch this space.

If you are a model and would like to book Portfolio shoot with us go to http://www.campbellphotographic.co.uk/models.html to check out our new portfolio packages.

Graduate Fashion Week 2011

2011-06-13T13:03:00.018+01:00

As the lead photographers for Sky's Angles Magazine we attended this years Graduate Fashion Week. We were lucky enough to get tickets for the Gala Show 2 on the last day of the event, where I sat in the audience while Ross was taking pictures from press pit (the pit was jampacked and a bit mental, so I'm glad I had a nice seat to enjoy the show!).

To read what Graduate Fashion Week is and to find who the winners of the George awards were, check out Sky's Angles Magazine, where you will also see a selecition of the pictures we took.

You can also check out our work on our Facebook fan page and flickr, and of course our website at www.campbellphotographic.co.uk.

MKVibe Record Launch Party

2011-04-14T15:11:00.017+01:00

As the lead photographers for S A Magazine we were invited to the MK Vibe Single Launch Party by Singer/Song Writer Laura K, where she would be performing her new single "Lover and Friend".

The night showcased new singles from 15 artists signed with MK Vibe, an independent record label with a growing roster of original, new talent.

The evening kicked off over an hour late. No announcment was made as to why, but the rumour was that they were waiting for their top act, Marvin Brown, to arrive. It might have been better to start with the next inline and slot in Marvin when he got there, but hey ho.

Was it worth the wait? Well I can’t say Ross or I were impressed with his act, but I’m sure some of you guys will like his stuff. It certainly was not our cup of tea.

I personally liked Nicki Idol, who sounded a bit like Lady Gaga. I especially liked her song "In Love with a Vampire". This young lady sounded great and had a lot of energy in her performance as well.

Ross liked the sound of The Velcro Teddy Bears and we also both enjoyed diva, Kat Dallas, who we enjoyed talking to through the evening too.

But for both of us the real star of the evening was the amazing MJR. Singer, songwriter and dancer. Not only did he have an outstanding voice and great music, but also some good moves … and he’s not too bad on the eyes either! Keep your eyes and ears open for this guy.

The party was held at First Base in Xscape, Milton Keynes.

Artist that performed on the night were:-

Marvin Brown

MJR

Naftaly

D-Soul

The Wholls

Kat Dallas

John Cade

Milayna

DJ Lantan

Velcro Teddybears

Nicki Idol

Laura K

Emma Hardwick

Michael Antoniou

Yago

All singles can be downloaded from www.mkvibe.com

Sky’s Angels Winner’s Day 8th January 2011

2011-01-15T20:23:00.000Z

Back in September 2010 Sky’s Angels launched a competition to find The Face of Sky’s Angels 2011 to coincide with the launch of their new magazine SA Magazine (Sky’s Angels Magazine).
We were invited to be the editors and official photographers of the magazine and we also became one of the official sponsors for the competition.
On the 31st December 2010 we had the task of counting the votes for each region (12 regions) to see who the public had given the most votes to … and also the second most votes (just in case the 1st winner could not make it to the winner’s day on the 8th January 2011).
After a long week of contacting the regional winners, we only ended up with 8 girls. Some of the girls could not commit because they had paid work and some others had fallen ill over Christmas …. and some girls just did not contact us back or started demanding all their expenses paid!
Obviously we pay expenses for paid work, but this was a competition they entered, with prizes including hundreds of pounds of prints, free portfolio shoots, massive exposure in a new magazine and at a launch show for the magazine being attended by talent scouts from both the UK and the USA, plus lots more!
Some people just don’t understand that modelling is a job and like any business you have to invest.
The morning of the winner’s day was freezing cold but thankfully we where not shooting on location but at bodyline studio based in Nottingham. The studio is over 3000sqft and has loads of sets to choose from.
The girls where told to arrive at 9:00am, most of which did. Some did arrive a little late, (public transport is always a nightmare). One girl knew in advance that she would be arriving a bit late and made us aware of this days before the shoot.
Only 5 girls actually managed to turn up at all. 2 pulled out at the very last minute (1 suddenly with flu, the other now deciding she couldn’t invest in herself)
But we don’t know what happened to other 1. She never turned up and never called.
They missed a great opportunity.
This also meant we had to adapt some things, which is something me and Ross are good at.
When the make-up artist arrived I briefed her on what we would need from her. Once I finished she starting making up the girls. I’ve got to say it she did a brilliant job considering she had to do it all on her own.

While the 1st girl was being made up, Ross was setting up. He even used me as a subject while he was testing the lights :¬)

What we were looking for was a model with ability and talent. Someone that can pull it out of the bag without being told. So to make it all about them, we agreed that Ross would not give the girls any direction at all while shooting, just a quick brief before he started. It was then down to the girls to give us the best poses and expressions.
The 1st set of pictures was going to be beauty shots and immediately 2 girls stood out.
While Ross was busy photographing, I was taking some behind the scenes pictures and chatting to everyone. All the girls were friendly and professional and very different from each other.

In between shooting and getting there make-up done the girls got some one-to-one posing advice from professional model, the lovely Sky Seraphin and some catwalk advice from professional dancer and fashion designer, Tyler Seraphin.
Before we knew it, it was time to have some lunch – which had been provided by Sky’s Angels very own Tracy and Dave. We didn’t stop to eat for long though because there was still lots for us to do!
The second part of the day Ross and I had come up with a challenge for the girls. They each got to choose which sets they wanted to use and choose their outfits and make-up.
Sounds easy, but the girls where given only 20 minutes for the makeup and then just 20 minutes to explain the shoot, have the lights set up and do the actual shoot. The clock didn’t stop ticking while we moved to the next set, changed clothes and reset lights. And again little/no direction was given to the girls. It all had to come from them.
A few of the girls did struggle with this challenge. Others just had fun with it and really tried their best. And it was easy to see that once again certain girls stood out.
Finally we were simply running out of time. And we still had a banner shot to take for the launch party, plus the actual cover shots for the magazine!
The next shot had to be for the banner that will be displayed at the launch party on the 14th February (buy your tickets now there selling out fast – http://www.skysangels.co.uk/buytickets.html).
We quickly set up a white background and got the girls into position and fired off a few shots. With that in the bag, we moved on to the cover shots.
Originally we’d hoped to shoot each girl separately in an Angel Outfit (hence Sky’s Angels) and then choose the best image from whoever won the competition
Unfortunately, because we’d run out of time and been let down by the outfit supplier we just had to adapt.
I suggested that we put the girls into a triangle shape and just change who was at the front. Give each girl 15 shots to nail the cover.
This also meant no matter who won, all the girls who bothered to turn up would be on the cover.
Unfortunately on reviewing the images, none of the girls pulled off a shot that was strong enough for a cover, so we had to resort to using their set shots.
There was one last shot which I thought would be good to get … and that was a big group shot of everyone that was involved in the day.

Once that was done we could all say our goodbyes and go home. It was a very long and hectic day, but a very interesting one. And I got to meet loads of new people and it was nice to see Tracy and Dave again.
Sky’s Angels will be running the competition again this year to find The Face of Sky’s Angels 2012. So if you’re interested in modelling, it’s the competition to be in.
The place to be noticed in 2011 is the Sky’s Angels Magazine Launch Party (in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support). There will be talent scouts, film crews, magazines and more at the show, plus celebs, prize draw and a designer auction.
There are a limited number of tickets available and this will be a ticket only event. No Ticket, No Entry … and no tickets are being sold at the door on the night!
So buy your ticket at www.skyangels.co.uk/buytickets.html before they all sell out.

Egypt Working Hoilday

2010-12-01T15:32:00.025Z

We recently went to Egypt with the Kerri Parker Academy as the main photographers on their Modal Tutortials in the Sun trip.

We were originally given the impression that we would be doing both Fashion and Glamour, which I was happy about as I enjoy shooting fashion.

Unfortunately, I only shot the girls once because once there it was clear they did not want to shoot fashion at all and were only interested in shooting glamour - which was a shame because I was getting some great images and I really wanted to build up my portfolio with more fashion.

However, all was not lost because for the rest of the week I got to shoot behind the scenes, which I've always enjoyed, because I love capturing moments just as they happen.

To see more images you can go to our FaceBook Fan page or MySpace page you can also see our work on Flickr

The Official Sky's Angels Magazine Launch Party!

2010-11-04T16:18:00.011Z

Already one of the most talked about events across the entire country and through out the fashion industry, the Official Sky's Angels Magazine Launch Party is THE event to attend in 2011.

A fantastic night with celebrity guests, talent scouts a fashion show ... and Live music from the amazing Gemma Mewse (http://www.facebook.com/gemmamewsemusic?v=app_178091127385) and the fantastic sound of Show It Off (www.myspace.com/showitoffofficial) and then rocking the night away until the early hours.

We'll start the night with a fantastic fashion show with our 12 regional competition winners. After the show some of the designer clothes will be auctioned off to raise money for the Macmillan Cancer Support charity and we'll also announce the overall winner of the Face of Sky's Angels 2011 competition.

As well as loads of celebrity guests, the entire evening will be hosted by World Fashion TV's Johny Pach (http://www.starnow.com/johnypach) and actress Charlotte McDonagh (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heJSEnRs8ps).

The Sky's Angels Magazine Launch Party looks set to be one of the major events of 2011 and with tickets at just £20 each, this is one event you do NOT want to miss out on.

As well as entry to the party, each ticket gets you a free vodka shot or glass of bubbly on arrival, PLUS one free entry into the Magazine's prize draw (prizes include LCD TV, Wii console, iPad 3G, etc).

Stay tuned to the Sky's Angels Fan Page to see updates on the event and details on new acts being added (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Skys-Angels-Fan-Page/145100722192066?ref=ts).

OVER 18's ONLY!

Buy your tickets now - over 100 already sold - so don't miss out!http://www.skysangels.co.uk/buytickets.html

Two Babes and a Dude!

2010-08-12T14:53:00.037+01:00

It all started when Ross wanted to arrange a group shoot at the studio (which never happened - but that's another story).

The lovely Jenny Clewlow responded to the casting call Ross had put on Purestorm. She was unfortunately already booked, but was very keen to set up a shoot with us.

I had originally seen Jenny on Facebook and wanted to work with her. She has a lovely look, already has a stunning portfolio and has worked with many great photographers already - so you can imagine how excited I was that she liked our photos and wanted to work with us.

We managed to find a date we were all free. Communication up to the shoot was excellent. Jenny is very organised and has a level head on those lovely shoulders. Ross messaged Jenny over Facebook and Purstorm with his ideas for the shoot and she was more than happy to turn Ross' ideas into reality.

We also contacted another model who did nudes, which was something lacking from our portfolio. The lovely model was Emma Alicia Robinson, who also had some make-up training.

Emma kindly offered to do the make-up for our shoot with Jenny and do her own too, which was a great help to us. Emma was very quick with the make-up and understood exactly what we required.

Day of the Shoot
When we arrived at the studio we received a warm welcome from Jenny and I must say she is just as pretty in the flesh as in her pictures. Not only that, but shes one very sweet person. We started the shoot with some simple head shots and later moved onto doing some glamour poses.

Ross and Jenny bonded straight way, you’d think they’d been shooting together for years.

There was a lot of giggling from everyone involved in the shoot and the time just flew by.

Before we knew it, it was soon time for the gorgeous Jenny to go :(

We have a lot more shots planned that we'd like to do with her, so will be arranging another shoot with her soon. Stay tuned.

Emma's Turn

We had the studio booked for another 3 hours. With Jenny gone it was now Emma’s turn in front of the camera.

When it came to shooting, Emma knew what we needed from her as a model. The make-up again was spot on for the sort of shots we wanted to get.

The other brilliant thing about Emma was her versatility. She can look very strong/striking one moment and then the next minute look soft/vulnerable.

For the first lot of shots Emma gave herself very extreme make-up, which worked brilliantly with the style of poses she was doing. Very strong fashion poses, lots of angles and curves and really great, strong facial expressions.

Emma had brought her boyfriend Jason along, who we also used for some shots. Again there was a lot of giggling between shots and again just like Jenny, both Emma and Jason were completely comfortable with Ross shooting them. It was hard to believe they hadn’t worked together before.

On this shoot I worked as creative director, stylist and I did a bit of hair styling for Jenny, which are all things I’m enjoying doing.

It was an all round brilliant and fun day and Ross did some of his best work ever. We all made a good team and got some great images.

Big thanks Jenny, Emma and Jason. You guys were great to work with and we must do it again.

To see more of Jenny's modelling work, visit her website

http://jennyclewlow.synthasite.com/

To see more of Emma’s modeling work go to her website

http://www.emma-alicia.co.uk/

To see more of Emma’s make-up work go to

http://www.modelmayhem.com/1692352

To see more of jason’s modeling go to his model mayhem profile

http://www.modelmayhem.com/1740859

To see more of our work go to

http://www.campbellphotographic.co.uk/

You can also find us on Twitter, Facebook, Sky’s Angels, Model Mayhem, net portfolio, Purestorm and my space.

Studio Shoot - our last TFCD of 2010

2010-06-14T18:20:00.015+01:00

For our last TFCD for the year, we thought it would be nice to do it as a group shoot with both girls and boys.

We decided to book a studio for a whole day and make the shoot an SAS shoot (Share A Studio). Basically a TFCD, but we all share the cost of the studio ... so the more people the better.
To make it cost effective we needed at least 5 people to come on board.

We had 4 girls, 1 boy and a MUA all interest in coming along.

Well 3 people confirmed straight away. Unfortunately, the MUA dropped out and after several weeks of umming and ahhing 1 of the girls and the guy dropped out.

Even though it wasn’t really cost affective for us, it was far too late to cancel the shoot and we would still have had to pay the studio. Still £35 each wasn't so bad for 8hrs in a 3000sqft studio with over a dozen sets.

Then on the morning of the shoot one of the remaing 3 models cancelled on us because she was having a few personal issues. I thought this was a little unprofessional, but these things happen. It was shame really because it was someone we have worked with a few times and liked working with.

Despite these problems we continued with the shoot. Our 2 lovely hunnies were the lovely Lisa Murray that we'd worked with before and Samantha Coe - one of the girls that was originally going to be on our Urban Shoot, but she had a blowout on the M11.

We got some stunning shots of our lovely hunnies. Both Samantha and Lisa were very easy to work with, took direction really well and know how to have a laugh.

Thank you my lovely hunnies. I hope we get to work together again soon.

Below is just a small selection of pictures taken on the day.

This was our last TFCD for this year, but we are currently running a special offer on a portfolio shoots, just go to http://www.campbellphotographic.co.uk/modspecials.html for more details.

To see the full album of images from this shoot go to our facebook fan page, flickr page or myspace page

London Fashion Shoot

2010-06-14T15:36:00.038+01:00

As you may know, Ross and I love doing location shoots. It was for this reason that we decided to do a London fashion shoot.

For this particular shoot I was going to be main photographer and we wanted 2 female models.

World renowned photographer Dave "Archangel" Hepburn and the Managing Director/Founder of Sky's Angels, former international model Tracy Hayward, said they’d like to come and join us on the shoot.
They even said they’d buy some outfits for the shoot, which was nice of them :). We said we’d buy any other outfits; well it was our shoot after all.

But before we could buy any outfits we needed to find 2 models. As always Ross put a casting calling call out on Sky's Angels, Model Mayhem, Purestorm and Net Portfolio.

We had a massive response, so cutting down the applicants was a job in itself. Eventually we found the 2 models we wanted, Alicia and Ruta. They both had very strong looks, which was just what we wanted.
We also managed to get MUA Monkia Vasiliauskaite, after our original MUA pulled out.

So, we’d got our models and MUA, now we just needed to buy them some outfits. But what sort of outfits did we want?
For the 1^st outfit we bought some vest tops with some lace looking detail on them - ne pink and one blue - which I thought would suit the girls colouring. We would pair the tops of with the models own jeans, plus some hats provided by us.

The 2nd outfit would be shorts with some summer tops which were mine, one black and the other beige.

So, that’s the outfits and models sorted - or so we thought! As you'll see from the photos, there are three(!) models.

Well, unfortunatley, the lovely Ruta had to pull out a few days before,the shoot. Ross put another call out and straight away 2 lovely models got back to us; Aisling and Dani.
We decided to us both girls because they both had great looks. However this did mean we were an outfit short.

So the day before the shoot was spent running around looking for extra shorts and tops. We had actually already done a lot of running around to find the first lot of outfits. We ended up going to Primark and Asda , which seem to sell good quality clothes for very low prices.

The Shoot
Date: June 3^rd. Time: Very Early!!

After driving through the night, Dave and Tracy arrived at ours nice and early (6:30am!), which was a good thing considering we were going to London. It’s a nightmare travelling into London any time of day, even worse in the morning.
We left at 8am (ish) and strangely the roads we quite good. We actually got to London with time to spare,.
We had a quick tea & coffee and then it was time to go to the allocated meeting place - which was Tower Bridge. We weren’t waiting there for long before our lovely models and MUA arrived.

Tracy went to find somewhere for us to set up and sweet talked a cafe owner into letting us use the corner of their patio section. The MUA set up and started doing her magic. The cafe also some toilets for the girls to get changed in since Dave managed to forget his portable changing room (lol - sorry mate :)).
We got our models into their outfits, which was jeans, vest top and hats. While Aisling was having her make-up done, me and Tracy took Dani & Alicia away for a couple of quick shots.
We had only managed to get a few shots before some official bloke told us weren’t allowed to photograph there(!), which was strange because every other person was doing just that. Turns out because we had a MUA and pro kit they decided it was a full professional shoot and we had to get permission and pay £500! Didn't seem to bother him that it was a TFCD shoot.

To keep the peace we did as we were told - so annoying though that we had to stop. This sort of thing happened most of the day, but despite that we did all get some amazing shots.

While Alicia and Danni got thier make-up done, me, Ross and Tracy took Aisling off to do some shots. Tracy had found a way down to the riverside/beach earlier in the day, so that’s where we took her.
Thankfully there was no one there to stop us from photographing(!). We all got some fantastic shots of Aisling.

Back at the cafe, once all the girls were finished with being made up, Ross got a few quick shots while Mr Guard wasn't looking and then we made our way back to the beach.
It was very windy and one of the hats went into the water. Luckily Ross rescued it (didn't know he could move that fast!). He would have been very upset if had gone ... it was the hat he wore at our wedding!

After taking some great shots we got the girls to change into the shorts and summer tops. The makeup didn’t need changing because Monika had done a great job and the look she'd gone for was very versatile.

Once we'd got what we wanted to get at the beach, we moved on to several different locations. Because there were little Hitler's telling us to move on every 5 secs we had to be quick. Grab the shots we wanted and move on to the next location.

The last outfits of the day were 3 lovely maxi dresses that Tracy had bought. I had my eye on one of them, but it would never have looked as good on me ... and it would be too long (I’m only 5ft3ins).
I had gotten all the shots I wanted to get with the other 2 outfits, so I let Ross do rest of the shoot.

Ross and Dave got some great shots of all 3 girls, then Aisling had to go. We decided that would be a good time to break for lunch.
After coffee and bacon sandwiches (mmmm) we moved further down the river, grabbing shots and dodging Hitlers.

Once Ross & Dave had got what they wanted we called it a day. It was actually now early evening., so it was a good time to stop - especially with trying to get out of London that time of day.
It had been a long day but worth it because Ross and I got to work with Dave and Tracy , some great girls, a fantastic MUA .... and we got some fantastic shots.

I would like to take this opportunity to say to Tracy and Dave it was a pleasure meeting you both. Also thank you for all the encouragement you have given me and Ross.

You can find both Dave (Archangel) and Tracy (Admin) - on Sky's Angels, http://www.skysangels.com/

Campbell Photographic are the Official Photographers for Sky's Angels in Essex, check out our profile on Sky's Angels.

You can also find both Dani and Alicia on Sky's Angels.

If you would like to see the complete albums from this shoot go to either our facebook fan page, Flickr page or myspace fan page

Trash The Dress- The shoot

2010-06-12T16:57:00.021+01:00

Originally this Trash The Dress shoot was going to be with one of our clients. But due to having other commitments, they couldn’t do it.

Instead we decided to use a couple of models, we could also then get some raunchy shots as well :).

We asked the lovely Layla if she’d be interested in doing the Trash The Dress and she said yes straight away.

Now we just needed to find a male model.

This was not as easy as finding a female model. Firstly there are less of them and secondly alot of the so called models that are out there are, well ... lets just say they're fooling themselves.

We put casting calls on various sites and got some responses. But the guys just didn’t have the look we wanted for this shoot. We almost gave up hope of finding a male model but Layla kindly put a post up on her Facebook page.

One guy responded Brad Wendes. We looked at his work on another site and we liked his look.

So we’d got the models, location, date set, time and of course a wedding dress (which we bought from the YMCA charity shop in Harlow - £15!).

The dress looked lovely on Layla and it didn’t look to bad on me either(!) ... well I had to try it on didn’t I, LOL.

The Shoot
The date: 19th May

Luckily the weather seemed to be on our side. That’s the only downfall of shooting on location in this godawful contry - the weather!

It’s raining one minute and then blazing sunshine the next. We would have loved to have gone to some sunny location abroad, but we don't have that kind of budget :( .

The location we used was the beach at Jaywick, not far from Mortello Tower. The beach had plenty of big rocks to get our models standing or lying on.

I had to help with make-up and hair, because our MUA pulled out. I think me and Layla did a good job really considering neither of us have training. I needed the practice anyway. It’s a good skill to have, especially as finding a good MUA and Hairstylist is very difficult.

We started the shoot with doing the raunchy couple shots. For these shots we put our models in various outfits, jeans and t-shirt and later got them into swimwear.

Once we got all the raunchy shots under our belt, we then got our models changed into some bridal wear. Again I helped Layla with hair and make-up.

We were now ready to do the Trash the Dress bit of the shoot.

We didn’t want hundreds of shots, but instead we wanted a few very strong poses.

Despite Layla not feeling 100% comfortable standing on the big rocks, she gave us some really strong poses. We not only got Layla on the rocks we also got our male model on them. We got some shots of Layla on her own and some with our male model.

We later got away from the rocks and went by the sea and got some very sexy shots of our models together.

We finished the shoot by getting Layla to walk out of the sea. At this point we purposely smudged the make-up with sea water, which I thought was very effective.

To see all the pictures from this shoot go to our Facebook fan page:-

Sexy shots

Trash The Dress shots

or our Flickr page

or our Myspace page:-

Sexy shots

Trash the Dress shots.

TFCD in Cambridge

2010-05-27T15:45:00.018+01:00

It was the 4th May and we were off to Cambridge to do a shoot with a new aspiring model called Alexie.

We arrived at Alexie's at 10:30 and spent an hour or so discussing and choosing outfits for the shoot.

Alexie had arranged for her friend Jess to come over to do her hair and make-up and I must say she did a good job.

Once our lovely model was ready we were ready to go to the first location ... which was the garden area at the back of her flat! :)

There was a beautiful cherry blossom tree outside and some of the cherry blossom had fallen to the ground, which looked very pretty. Considering Alexie had not done much modelling before and had only just met me and Ross, she was very comfortable with us and in front of the camera.

We then all jumped into our car and went to the next location .... which was just around the corner! A foot and cycle bridge over the railway tracks and me and Ross both got some shots here.

As always when I’m shooting, Ross will assist and I do the same for him when he’s shooting.

If you ever get to see us work together, you’ll see that we make a really good team.

The next location was the Mill Pond, a local park. It had some trees and even some punts. As always Ross and I used the surroundings to our advantage. At one point Alexie was brave enough to pose herself nude on a big tree trunk. I’m sure when you see the shots you will agree they're beautiful.

Jess had brought along a gorgeous ball gown, so we got Alexie to wear it and pose on a punt.

Unfortunately the boat men wouldn’t take Alexie out on the boat without payment. Oh well.

Despite this Ross got some stunning pictures.

After a lovely lunch at a local pub, we got Alexie into a swimsuit. We got her in the water by the pints and then went to the otherside of the park where the weir and main pond are.

In some of the shots you will notice my floppy summer hat. I always take my hats to these shoots (one of my other hats was used for some of the shots on the bridge as well).

We'd been at this all day and by this time it was early evening. But there was one more location we wanted to visit - an old graveyard!

We all agreed to put Alexie back in the ball gown, which is the oppsite of what you’d expect to see someone wearing in a graveyard. But it really worked a treat and we got some amazing shots.

Ross and I would like to say thank you to Jess for all her assistance on the day and obviously a big thanks to Alexie, our beautiful model.

Check out our Facebook page to see more photo’s from this shoot.

Also if you are an aspiring model and would like to book us for a portfolio shoot, check out our website.

(PLEASE NOTE : We have no TFCD slots left for 2010, unless you have some exceptional shot ideas!)

COMING SOON:-

THE LONG AWAITED TRASH THE DRESS BLOG!

WATCH THIS SPACE

Urban Fashion Shoot

2010-04-23T20:53:00.025+01:00

The Idea
Ross and I have always preferred doing location shoots and we both wanted to do a shoot that would help build up our portfolio and work with some models.
But we didn’t want to do the usual location shoot, we wanted to do something a little different.

Ross had seen some pictures from an urban shoot that Sky’s Angels photographer Archangel had done. So we both thought that that would be cool to try.
Basically, take some attractive girls in really nice dresses (or something similar) and then put them in a really wrong location – for example a car park, or shopping centre service yard!

We both agreed that we wanted a Redhead, Brunette and a Blonde for the shoot to give us three distinct looks. But before we could even start looking for models we needed to find some locations.

Ross discussed his idea for the shoot with Archangel, who was more than happy to give any advice. He offered to come down and assist/watch but unfortunately, due to other commitments, he was not able to at the last minute.

Shame :-( It would have been nice to have finally met him. Maybe another time.

Location Search
One of the first places that came to mind was Colchester town centre as it has lots of old buildings and little side alleys. But after about an hour or so looking round the town neither of us were actually that impressed. We agreed that it wasn’t “doing it” for us as the location.

Instead we decided to look around Braintree town centre. We’d both dismissed it originally simply because this is where we live. We go up to the town all the time and nothing has ever really stuck in our heads. But we decided to go and actually “look” at the town.
You know what it’s like when you live somewhere – it’s just a place. You know your way around, you know what’s there and you know what it all looks like …. but you don’t always actually “see” it.

So we took a day off and just went round the town centre “looking”. We parked in the multi-story car park and one of the first things I noticed was two half circles and a full circle cut out of the wall in the car park!

We discussed shot ideas using the circle and half circles. We also thought it might be interesting to use some other parts of the car park as well, such as the lifts and stair well, etc.

Then we were off around the town. We found some nice little alleyways, some stairs and a nice fountain. After about an hour walking around the town and taking some pictures we agreed this would be our location. We also decided that if we had time we’d maybe go over to Rayne Station as well – just to be different.

Getting Permission
We thought it would be best to get permission to photograph around the town centre and the car park. The last thing we wanted was to be in the middle of a shoot and have a security guard tell us to move on (or worse, try to take our cards out of our cameras).
We contacted the George Yard Shopping Centre management to ask for permission to shoot and they were more than happy to help. They even offered to clear us with security so we could get into the service yards! A big “Thank You” to Brenda, Celia and the security team for all your help.

The car park is actually owned by Braintree District Council, so we had to contact them directly. It took a bit of time but eventually we got the response we were after – Yes, we could shoot in the car park!
Another big “Thank You”, this time to Paul Partridge, Head of Operations for Braintree District Council.

We were more than happy. If either the centre management or council had said no we would have had to find another location and go through the whole process of asking for permission all over again.

Now we needed some lovely young ladies. That should be simple enough …. shouldn’t it?

Ok. Our first Urban Fashion Shoot was all go. We had our locations, we had our permissions. We even had a rough idea of some of the shots we wanted to try.

We just needed some ladies to model for us. How hard could that be!?

The Models
Ross put a call out on Model Mayhem and Sky Angels, as well as a few other sites (including our Facebook Page). We got a few responses from some girls that were not at all suitable. But eventually a few came in that looked very promising.

One of the first models to approach us was the lovely Layla Jeffery, who is dark haired and stunning. Ross and I both loved her look so we decided we definitely wanted her as our Brunette.
The next model we picked was Jessica Fisher. A truly stunning and beautiful woman with years of experience and who is also a qualified make up artist. At the time she was sporting lovely red hair. She doesn’t often do TFCD so we were totally chuffed and really looking forward to working with someone so experienced – not to mention gorgeous.

So … now all we needed was a blonde. Why is it when you want a blonde you can’t find one!?

A few more girls approached us and we umm’d and ahh’d until eventually a model called Chloe Alexandra approached us. A beautiful young lady with a great look.

So … these were our 3 beauties. It took longer than you would think to find the right girls but we now had them……..or so we thought.

Bugger!
Layla 21, Chloe 21. Jessica … 35. She is beautiful, gorgeous and has a fantastic look, but unfortunately Jessica decided that the pictures would not look right with her next to the two younger ladies. While we agreed with her decision to pull out, it was a real shame not to get to work with this lovely woman.

But we still had 2 weeks to find another lady.

Once again we put a call out for a redhead, but none of the models that came back to us had the look we wanted. Oh well, we’d just have to work with 2 models instead of 3.

Completely unrelated, Samantha Coe approached us via Facebook about doing a shoot. Another brunette, but we thought “what the heck”.

So we asked if she’d be interested in the Urban Shoot and she was more than happy to join in. Brilliant! Back to 3 models. 2 dark haired and one blonde …. that would work.

The shoot date was now fast approaching. Thrusday, 15th April 2010. On the Friday before the shoot, Ross emailed all the models with the schedule for the day and asked them to all confirm.
By Monday we’d heard nothing. We managed to get hold of Layla and Samantha, both had replied but we’d not got the messages. Oh well – they were both still on for the shoot and everything was ok. But no response from Chloe….

Tuesday morning we went to the town centre and planned the shoot. We discussed ideas for posses and shots. Ross even took notes and sketched some pictures in a note pad. We took some pictures with our point and click camera and we knew exactly what we wanted to achieve from the shoot. Remember we planned all the shots based on using 3 models…

Tuesday night we got a reply from Chloe. All ok. Phew! All ready to go. Relax on Wednesday and be ready for Thursday morning.

6pm Wednesday evening we received a message from Chloe. Yep, you guessed it, she had to drop out. Her grandmother had had a stroke and she was rushing over to Norwich and didn’t think she’d be back for the shoot.

Bugger!!

Ross frantically contacted Sky’s Angels and directly contacted as many models in our area as we knew hoping that someone could step in.
He also put a call out on the usually sites – but unfortunately not one person responded. Not even a “sorry, I’m not free”, or “too short notice”.

Oh well, we’d just do the shoot using the 2 models rather than 3, that’s all we could do. Ross and I were getting very stressed out by this point. Ross spent the remainder of Wednesday night replanning all the shots to work with just 2 models.

Thursday. The morning of the shoot arrived. A lovely sunny day. After an average nights sleep we’d both decided this was going to be a good shoot and we were ready to get to work.

With all the gear packed, the shots planned and the kettle on for that last cup of coffee, the phone rang at around 8:30am!? It was Samantha, one of our brunettes.
She was running late because she had had a blow out on the M11 and was now sitting waiting for the AA. She was shaken up, but still wanted to do the shoot.
The AA had said it would be 1½ hrs before they even got to her. So and we asked her text us and let us know what was happening when they got there. Next we sent a text to Layla to explain what was happening and that the shoot was delayed.

At around 10:30am we asked Layla to start making her way to ours. We’d not heard back from Samantha for a while but wanted to get moving. By 11:15ish we chased up Samantha. The car was apparently off the road. The blow out had ripped up the wheel arch and buggered the steering. She was still shaken so we decided that it would be best for her to go home rather than try to get to us.

So from 3, to 2, to 1. Ross threw his note book away and we just winged it. That’s what we’re good at anyway :-)

We took just the lovely Layla, made it up as we went along and got some great shots. You can see a selection on Sky’s Angels and the full collection on the Campbell Photographic Fan Page on Facebook.

Layla did a fanstatic job and she is a real pleasure to work with. We highly recommend her to any other photographers.

The Shoot
Layla showed us all the different outfits, shoes and jewellery she’d brought with her and between the three of us we came up with 3 different looks. She changed into the first outfit, a long blue summer dress and then we were off to the car park for the start of our shoot.

Ross and I always work as a team, so he’ll get a few shots with me as assistant, then I’ll jump in and he’ll assist me. This has always worked well for us because we see things differently and have different ideas – but our shots always complement each others.

I also took the odd picture with our point ‘n’ click camera for this blog - just showing behind the scenes stuff.
Layla took direction really which meant we moved from shot to shot quite quickly. Also, because she’s so down to earth and up for a laugh she didn’t mind doing any of the posses we got her to do. Even when Ross suggested climbing in with the rubbish in the service yard!

Before we knew it, it was time for a late lunch and an outfit change. We were all having so much fun that the time had flown by. We all seemed to work well as a team, but most importantly we got some really stunning and creative shots.

Over lunch we discussed how we thought the shoot was going. Layla said she was having lots of fun and liked what we were getting. We always let our models look at the pictures we get while we’re with them and Ross and I encourage anyone we work with to share any ideas for shots they may have.
After lunch Layla got changed in to a new outfit and I put her hair up. This was only the second time I had done someone else’s hair on a shoot. I think it looked ok and Layla and Ross seemed happy with it.
Layla changed her make-up to some sparkly dark eye make-up, which got a bit messy! But between us we managed to sort it out :-)

It was now mid afternoon, which meant there were more people around the town. But we carried on with the shoot despite it being busy.
Unfortunately the new outfit was causing a bit of a stir. I don’t know what it is with the guys in Braintree, but the reactions we were getting from them were a bit childish.
They were either staring at Layla with their tongues hanging out or yelling out things like “ ‘ello darlin’, cor you’re a bit of alright”, etc. You’d think they’d never seen a girl before!

The girls weren’t any better. Staring daggers at Layla. How DARE she be pretty!?

None of us were impressed with these childish people and we carried on with the shoot.

Once we had got a great selection of images from the town centre, we decided it was time to drive over to Rayne Station and get a few shots.
Unfortunately the toilets at the station were awful and completely unsuitable for Layla to get changed in. They were tiny as well.
But always the professional, Layla said “It’s not a problem; I’ll get changed in the car”. Which she promptly did … I made Ross turn his back – he was not happy.

The station was very busy. They have a little café there and it always seems to be full of children and parents. So after a few quick shots we called it a day.

We went back to our house had a quick look through all the pictures on the computer with Layla and had a good giggle over some of the outtake shots.

Despite a nightmare setting it up, this was a great shoot. We had a fun day with a lovely young lady and got some amazing images. Well worth the stress.

To any other photographers reading this, we highly recommend Layla Jeffery. She’s lovely to work with, funny, beautiful and if you do work with her we guarantee you’ll get some stunning pictures.

You can find Layla on Sky’s Angels, Pure Storm and Model Mayhem.

To see more pictures from this shoot go to our Sky’s Angels page and the Campbell Photographic Fan Page on Facebook.

A small selection of behind the scenes pictures can also be seen here.

Bye for now,
Samantha & Ross

Campbell Photographic – Your Image Is Our Business

Websites where you can find Campbell Photographic

2010-04-14T17:31:00.009+01:00

Catch Campbell Photographic on the following websites:

The UK’s No 1 profile & networking website
http://skysangels.com/index.php?dll=profile&sub=overview&item_id=4222

http://www.modelmayhem.com/1575353

http://www.net-portfolio.co.uk/noclue

http://www.net-model.com/Portfolios/PhotographerPortfolio.asp?UserID=120654&IID=1112440&cmd=&linking=

http://www.purestorm.com/profile.aspx?id=slayer

http://www.famode.com/display_portfolio.php?id=2416

We suggest any models sign up with the above websites.

Check out our Facebook page and become a fan
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Braintree-United-Kingdom/Campbell-Photographic/46955024031

Check out our myspace page
http://www.myspace.com/475816161

You can follow us on twitter
http://twitter.com/CPEssex

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ross-and-samantha-campbell/1b/b1b/714

http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=183910

Check out some of our work here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34261602@N08/

Check out our blog and Samantha Campbell’s poems
http://campbellphotographic.wordpress.com/

And also at
http://campbellphotographic.blogspot.com/

Lisa's TFCD Shoot

2010-03-20T18:13:00.013Z

As some of you know, we sometimes do TFCD shoots with new/aspiring models.

On Tuesday 16th March 2010, we were lucky enough to work with a young lady called Lisa Murray.
Lisa is completely new to modelling, with no experience at all - yet she took to the shoot like a natural.

We started at bridge end gardens in Saffron Walden. We had contacted the head gardener a few weeks before to get permission to photograph in the gardens and he was more than happy to help us out. (big THANK YOU to Mark Robkins (head gardener) for giving us permission).

Ross did a test shoot, with me as the model :-), in the gardens a few weeks before.

For this shoot we had managed to get in a MUA (Jemma).

When we first arrived at the gardens we asked Jemma to give Lisa quite a natural look, which we thought would fit in nicely with the surroundings.

I think we must have spent about a 1½ - 2hrs in the gardens. Ross started the shoot with some head shots and more natural posses to get Lisa eased into the shoot. He then got more fashion/model posses/shots, which Lisa pulled of really well, considering this was all new to her.

There were a few outfit changes which I advised on and some hair style changes from Jemma.

After we had finished at the gardens, we went to get some lunch. This gave us an opportunity to chat. Before we knew it, it was time to get to the studio (which is actually called THE PHOTO STUDIO). This is the same studio we used a few weeks before for the shoot Ross did with me.

While Ross was setting up lights and backgrounds, we ladies went into the kitchen, which doubles up as a dressing room. Jemma changed Lisa's make-up to be a bit more Glam. Lisa had also brought some fake lashes with her and asked Jemma to put them on for her.

When you see some of the pics I’m sure you’ll agree the fake lashes work really well.

We started the shoot using a white background and a simple lighting setup. We started with fully clothed shots. Again I advised on outfits - we even ended up using one of my scarfs! First around lisa neck and then around her waist.

Unfortunately Jemma wasn’t able to stay for the whole shoot, which was something Ross and I had not foreseen. This meant no more make-up changes or touch ups; fortunately the look Jemma had given Lisa was versatile enough for rest of the shoot.

I ended up doing a couple of hair style changes, which I actually enjoyed doing .... especially when I put Lisa’s hair into pig tails!

Again there were several different outfit changes and, like before, I advised on the changes.
Here’s just a quick list of some of the outfit changes:

T-shirt vest, jeans and pink scarf
Glitter dress
Underwear
White shirt, with underwear and shorts
Topless with French knickers

Ross changed the background to a blue one which he wanted to use for an umbrella shot and a lollypop shot.

For the lollypop shots I put Lisa's hair into pig tails and got her into a white shirt, white cotton shorts and, of course, some sexy underwear. For the umbrella shot Ross asked Lisa to wear some very colourful wellies and just some French knickers (no top). I wonder what goes on in his head sometimes.

The good thing about THE PHOTO STUDIO is that they have different sets as well as different backgrounds.

On this occasion we decided to use the living room set. Ross grabbed a red satin sheet from the bedroom set and I grabbed a fur rug from the props room.

We got Lisa to lie on the fur rug and cover herself up a bit with the red satin sheet. We adjusted the sheet a few times, just to show a bit of flesh in certain areas. For these shots Ross got up high on some stepladders and got some fantastic shots of Lisa looking up at him and some with her eyes closed.

Finally we ended with a shot that Lisa specifically asked for. She'd seen similar shots on other websites and wanted to giive this a go. The image speaks for itself and shows the beauty of photoshop - she was actually still wearing her panties.

This was the last shots of a very long, but a very successful, day. We got some stunning images and got to work with such a lovely young lady.

And, of course, we all had fun!

If you are an aspiring model/new model, are in the Essex area and would like the opportunity to work with me and Ross, then contact us to see if we have any TFCD slots left.

All our details can be found on our website; http://www.campbellphotograpic.co.uk/
You can also join us on Facebook and Flickr, plus the UKs No1 Profile Networking site for the Modeling Industry: Skys Angels

We would also like to hear from any MUA's in Essex. We want to work with as many different people as possible. Ideally you would have had some experience of working on photo shoots.

Before I go Ross and I would like to thank Jemma (the MUA), Mark Robkins at Bridge End Gardens and, of course, the lovely Lisa - Hope we get to work together again.

TFCD taster shots

2010-03-18T16:52:00.005Z

Here's just a taster of some of the shots we got at our lastest TFCD shoot, with the lovely lisa.

Trash the dress Location search part 2

2010-03-10T12:57:00.009Z

It wasn't the best weather in the world, but while Ross and I had a rare day off we thought why not check out some more locations for Trash The Dress.

Ross had seen a nice portrait shot of a model on some rocks by Jay Fuller - posted on Model Mayhem.

He messaged Jay and asked where it was taken. Thinking it would be somewhere exotic we were both surprised to hear back that it had been taken on a beach opposite jaywick martello tower in Clacton!

So we decided to drive off and have a nose around. When we got there the first thing we did was wrap up warm. It was awful :( The weather, as always in this country, was cold, wet and windy.

We walked over to the tower which in its self was interesting. A tall, round building with an interesting shape and history.

But it wasn’t the tower we'd come to see so we made our way over to the beach.

It didn’t take long for us to get to the rocks (and these were proper rocks). With the wind and rain biting into our faces Ross took some pictures of the rocks and the surrounding area.

Despite the weather we were both impressed by this location. This will be great on a nice day.

Ok, so that was one location done. We next started to make our way to Walton On the Naze.

On our way there we spotted a sign for a park called Holland Haven Country Park.

Not much there really, a beach, a few trees and a car park. We took a few quick snaps and then carried on our way to Walton on the Naze.

By the time we got there the weather had got a little better (well it had stopped raining at least but was still cold :( ).

Walton on the Naze had most of what we where looking for, but no rocks that we could see though.

We walked along the promenade and near the pier olong the front of the sea wall we spotted a colourful wall with some columns. Again Ross took some shots.

On the other side of the pier there were also some beach huts and the sea wall - and some long stairs going all the way back up to the main road. All these might make interesting locations for the shoot.

Both Ross and I agreed that the first and last locations would work for what we wanted to do.

We’ve also been talking about when to do the shoot. We had been thinking of doing the shoot in March/April. But with the weather being the way it has been we are now thinking of putting it back to the summer or very late spring - end of May or maybe June, July ... maybe even September.

It’s going to be a case of keeping an eye on the weather and also when our couple are free.

Watch this space ....

Photo Shoot with my favourite photographer

2010-03-08T17:38:00.015Z

Not only do I enjoy taking photos, I also love having my photo taken.

And who better than Ross to take them!? Well I’m comfortable around him and I know he takes stunning pictures :-)

It also gave me the opportunity to know how it feels to be on the other side of things.

I must admit it did feel strange being the person being photographed and posed - I’m so used to being behind my camera and taking pictures
But, with that said, I did really enjoy having my photo taken. Ross, as always, was very professional, charming, relaxed and patient.

I would like to thank Mark the head gardener at bridge end gardens for granting us permission to shoot at the gardens. For the studio shots we went to the photo studio. We also took a few shots at home.

No make-up artist was on this shoot so I did my own. The clothes were also my own and I did the styling.

Below is just a small selection of some of the photo’s taken. To see more go to the Campbell Photographic Facebook page or go to our Myspace Page.

Published

2010-02-18T15:35:00.005Z

We have had some of our work published. Most recencently an article we wrote about Pre-Wedding Shoots.

'The Month' - church newsletter

One of our couple's wedding was featured in Suffolk Bride and Groom Magazine.

Our article about Pre-Wedding Shoots was recently featured in Suffolk Bride and Groom Magazine.

Day trip to Southwold

2010-02-16T15:22:00.006Z

Back in January Ross and I went to Southwold for a rare day trip away, as always we took our cameras. There’s a nice beach there with a pier, there’s plenty of opportunity to get some great landscape. This location would be great for our Trash the Dress Shoot, but it’s nearly a 2 hour car journey.

Below is a selection of picture’s I took.

TFCD

2010-02-11T12:57:00.011Z

Q. what does TFCD stand for?

A. Time For C.D. Basically an existing or aspiring model will do a shoot with a photographer for free, giving her “Time” in exchange for images from the shoot on CD for them to use in their portfolio.

Q. What will a shoot like this cost me?

A. Nothing if you’re shooting on location (except perhaps entry fees or parking if you want the shoot somewhere specific).
If you want studio shots, the photographer may charge the model a small fee just to cover the cost of hiring the studio if they don’t have their own.

And we mean proper studio, not a small background in the photographer’s spare bedroom at home!

We like to use The Photo Studio in Saffron Walden http://www.photo-studio.co.uk
This is a great place. 2500 sq. feet of space, Sets & backgrounds (well over two dozen) from living rooms, bedrooms to offices, a barn, dungeon, workshop, etc, etc.
It comes complete with professional Bowens lights, Wind machine and accessories. They have a kitchen for drinks, etc, makeup area and even a wardrobe with loads of different outfits for you to use (although still bring some of your own).

The downside is that the studio costs. The upside is that for TFCD we split the cost with you 50/50. The studio costs £88 for four hours and the price includes use of all the equipment, all the different areas/sets, clothes and tea & coffee, etc.

We think for £44 (what it would cost you, we'll pay the other £44) this is an excellent place.

Most photographers these days tend to hire a studio rather than buy their own due to the massive overheads of running a studio. In this current economy this is a wise idea and also means the photographer is not tied down to one location.

Q. Who are TFCD Shoots for?

A. These shoots are only for models or aspiring models. (note: because these shoots are for models some implied nude or nude shots may be taken depending on the type of modelling you are trying to get into. Nudes/Implied nudes are tastefully done. Nothing "adult").

Q. How long will the shoot take?

A. Depends on the photographer. With Campbell Photographic our TFCD shoots usually take all day. We try to go through several outfit changes, make-up and hair changes and also several location changes (indoor shots, studio shots and outside locations) to give you the best choice of images and experience different styles of shoots.

But basically this will all depend on what the model has agreed with their chosen photographer.
Many photographers will only offer TFCD for an hour or two, do some quick boring studio shots and then start pushing the model for expensive photoshoots for “Proper” portfolio images.

We suggest avoiding photographers like that.

Below are a few photos taken at one of our recent TFCD shoots.

Q. Who owns the images?

A, The photographer owns copyright to the images as always. As these will come under “commercial” images, you may be asked to sign a model release by your photographer.

To see more pictures from this TFCD shoot go to our Face Book page or MySpace

Remember to check out our website at http://www.campbellphotographic.co.uk/

STUDIO MODEL SHOOT

2010-02-10T16:28:00.010Z

Ross and I recently got the opportunity to photograph a model (Lauren) in a studio in a real “back-to-basics” experiment.
It was a great way to refresh our existing skills and to experiment with different simple lighting, backgrounds and posses.

Lauren chose 3 different outfits which you can see below.

As you can see we got Lauren to do some traditional poses but we also got some more “Fashion Magazine” poses.

To see more pictures from this shoot check out our Face Book Page

Trash The Dress - Location Search

2010-02-05T16:21:00.005Z

Part 1 - Location Search

They say location is everything.

Ross and I have recently been playing with the idea of doing a “Trash the Dress” shoot with some of our wedding couples.
A “Trash the Dress” is not necessarily about destroying your dress as the name implies, but more about shooting the bride in a location you would not normally expect and/or posing them in a way you wouldn’t normally have them posed on their wedding day.
Unless you’re given hours you would not have time to drive to other locations and set up more creative shots with your bride. Plus, laying down on a beach with the waves crashing over you on your wedding day (!) is not really a practical idea.

A beach with just sand is nice and can be interesting, but I want somewhere that maybe has some rocks that are big enough to lay on or stand on in a nice dramatic pose.
Somewhere with a pier would be nice. Shots taken under piers can be very pretty and creative. Shots out in a forest can also be very pretty and haunting at the same time.

So The Search Begins
The first location we looked at was West Mersea.

Personally I didn’t think it was the most interesting of places for a shoot. Just a beach and not a pretty one at that. It was very muddy looking and plain, with sand that looked like builders sand! Too many badly painted huts crammed in to one location. Even with the sun out it didn’t look any better (sorry West Mersea L).

Further to the east of the island was our next location to check. Cudmore Grove Country Park.
As soon as we drove up, Ross and I thought it looked a lot better than the last location.
There was a lot of land. It had a beach with some big rocks, small cliff faces, some trees and grass areas, a big pond, even a refreshment stand and toilets (great for grabbing a nice hot drink and somewhere to change clothes).
We both agreed that the location had some real potential.

We took a long walk around the area discussing different shot ideas and Ross even took some quick shots as a reminder of the different areas.
Turns out the “Rocks” are actually big slabs of concrete. WWII gun emplacements that were one of our first defences during the war and had now collapsed into the sea!

We talked about the idea of having our bride laying down or standing on some of the “rocks”, or even hiding underneath some of them.
The cliff side of the beach was also interesting and very colourful and suggested several possibilities to each of us, assuming we could get access to certain areas.

Again, unfortunately, there was no pier. But having said that, this second location was certainly better than the first one we looked at. It was a lot more inspiring and there was even a Pillbox left over from WWII. Just picture it; a woman in her wedding dress standing, veil and train flowing in the wind, standing on top of it, with the sun streaming behind her.

After a quick very late lunch at a nearby pub (another bonus for the location!) we drove off to our third location.
Fingringhoe Wick Nature Reserve – what a great name! - but we didn’t let the name put us off J.
Unfortunately we’d spent far too much time at location 2. It had now gotten very late in the afternoon/early evening, so we decided not to get out of the car and simply drove around the area as much as we could.

From what we could see it had loads of woods and plenty land, some crumbling walls and in the distance there even appeared to be a body of water with a jetty/small pier.

This location will bear further investigation!

I think the last 2 locations are strong possible locations for a shoot. They’re not to far from each other either, so we could possibly use both locations in one day!

2 out 3 is not bad, but I think another day looking at other possible locations is needed.

More to come, so remember to check back.

Choosing Your Photographer

2009-06-08T18:08:00.004+01:00

Sam’s Top 5 Tips/Advice For Choosing Your Photographer

1. Don’t Bother With Yellow Pages
One of the biggest mistake people make is to look in the yellow pages! Photography is visual, so you must see their work before you even consider a photographer.
By looking only in yellow pages (or Thomson Local, etc) you’re not going to see their work unless you make loads of appointments. And you don’t really want to do this because you have so many other things to arrange and other people to see.

So, the very first place to start looking is the internet. Most good photographers will have a website. Looking online will give you a chance to look at their work and judge if it’s a fit for the type of imagery you want for your day before worrying about making appointments.

2. Price vs “Value”; Booking Purely On Price.
Most of the time it’s true what they say, “You get what you pay for”.

If you see a photographer that’s really cheap then alarm bells should be ringing.

Professional equipment and quality albums are not cheap for the photographer to buy. A lot of hours go in to producing quality images and then you have to consider all the insurances; Equipment, Public Liability, Professional Indemnity … all this and more before a photographer considers a profit for himself.

So when you see a so called professional photographer offering complete weddings, with albums, for anything less than say £500, you really need to question the quality of their finished products, their abilities and if they’re really “professionals”.

Remember, “Value for money” and “Cheap” are two very different things.

Ideally you should choose your photographer based on their work and style and, most importantly, whether you get on with them as a person. This is so important because you will be spending a lot of time with them and if you don’t get along it will show in your pictures.
Think about how much you’re spending on your cake (it will just get eaten), on your cars (the most expensive taxi’s you’ll ever hire) and even on your dress (you’ll only ever wear it once!).

Only after that should you now consider your budget for photography. How much value will you put on the one investment for your wedding that will produce the only true lasting memories of your day for generations to come?

3. Whether A Photographer Has Photographed At Your Venues Before.
One of the oldest sales pitches in the history of photography – and it honestly doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference!

If a photographer tries to sell you his services based on the fact that he’s done so many weddings at your venue he knows exactly how to do it there … walk away.
Any quality photographer will tell you that not only are every couple different to photograph, but every day is different! Take the same couple to a venue on 10 different days and the pictures will be different every time because the light will be completely different. Now take 10 different couples to the same venue on 10 different days! Not one picture will be the same, because not only will the light be different every time, but each couple will stand and pose completely differently from the others.

Besides, where we are in Essex there are hundreds of different venues. We could spend our entire careers here and not shoot at all of them!

Any good photographer will check out your venues before your wedding day. Many, like Campbell Photographic, now include a Pre-Wedding Shoot in their packages. These usually take place at your chosen venues. This is not only a chance for you to see your photographer working, but it also gives the photographer the chance to look round the venues with you and discuss the shots you want.

4. 5 Or 30 Years
While the argument holds some weight, don’t let how long your photographer has been in the business effect your decision.
Bottom line, if you like their work, you like them and they offer what you want, then whether they’ve been in the business for 5 or 30 years hardly matters.

5. Make A Shortlist, Visit Each One, THEN Make A Decision
My last tip. You’ve done your searching on the internet, now make a shortlist of the photographers whose work you liked and who offer what you want.
Keep the list to about 5. Make appointments with each of them and make sure you visit all 5. Some photographers are very good at “the sales pitch”. But it’s important not to be wowed by the first great deal you’re offered.

Once you’ve seen them all, cut your list down to your favourite 2. Compare what they can offer you and, most importantly, which out of the 2 you would want at your wedding. Remember they’ll be with you for a long time and will also be mixing with your guests, so make sure you’ll all get along.

Once you’ve decided get on the phone and make a second appointment and book them. Don’t leave it too late; quality photographers get booked 12-24 months in advance!

What Are Bridal Preps?

2009-06-08T17:09:00.010+01:00

What Are Bridal Prep Photos?
Yes, it sounds like a silly question, but many people are confused as to what “Bridal Preps” actually are!

Bridal Prep photo’s are shots taken while the bride is getting ready! These shots are usually photographed in a reportage style, with perhaps just one or two set up shots. However, these set up shots will be made to look “spur of the moment”.
The photos are usually of the bride getting her hair and make-up done, being helped in to her wedding dress, plus shots of the hustle & bustle and fun that goes on while everyone is getting ready.
The whole point of these shots is to complete the story. A good wedding album, such as a Jorgensen Album, or Graphi Studio Wedding Book, should be a story of the whole wedding day. And like any good story it should have a beginning, middle and an end.

Photos of the bride with the bridesmaids or her father standing next to the fireplace are NOT bridal prep shots. Photos of the bride posing in her dress are NOT bridal prep shots either.

These are portrait shots!

Yes, they are usually taken before the wedding, but only because there’s a bit of time and those people are on hand. These shots could be taken during the main photo shoot or any other time during the wedding day.

At Campbell Photographic you choose when we start. So if you choose to have bridal preps we don’t charge you any extra.

These images ARE Bridal Prep Shots:-

These images are NOT Bridal Prep shots:-

Pre Wedding Shoot

2009-05-22T15:58:00.024+01:00

Pre-Wedding Shoot: The Real Secret to Being Relaxed In Front of The Camera On Your Wedding Day!

It’s your wedding day! It’s time for your wedding photography and you’re asked to stand here, stand there, twist, tilt your head this way, now that way, lift your chin, drop your chin, smile, don’t smile, look sexy ……

When you first booked your wedding photographer he/she assured you that they know what they’re doing – they’ve photographed hundreds of weddings and know exactly how to pose people. They have THEIR ideas of what pictures to take and they’ve been to your wedding venues before.

Great! That’s all well and good for them to say, BUT like most people in this country your wedding day is likely to be the first (and possibly the last) time you’ll be photographed by a Professional Photographer. And unless you’re a model YOU don’t know how to stand, where to put your hands … “tilt your head”? Great. Erm …how much?

From experience we can tell you that when you ask someone to turn their head slightly to the side, in general you get a massive move and the shoulders tend to go with it!

Then there are those special shots. The tog asks you to climb on the bed, or the wall, or lie on the floor. All a bit of a surprise … and to find out on your wedding day that you’re not actually very comfortable doing that …

As any good wedding photographer will tell you, great wedding photography doesn’t just happen. Great wedding photography is as much reliant on the subjects as the photographer and requires effort, input, trust and inspiration (and sometimes perspiration) from BOTH SIDES of the lens!
Which ever wedding photographers you choose you must be 110% comfortable with them. If you don’t get along, it doesn’t matter how much you love their work – don’t book them! Why? Because it will show in your photos!

So, what is the solution?

A Pre-Wedding Shoot
At Campbell Photographic we include a free Pre-Wedding Shoot for all our couples. A pre-wedding shoot is a photo shoot that happens before your wedding day and it’s just with you (the Bride and Groom). It’s just like a portrait session, except instead of being done in a studio, it’s done at your chosen wedding venues and they usually last a couple of hours.

Why Have a Pre-Wedding Shoot?
A pre-wedding shoot is a great opportunity for you and us to look around your wedding venues together, to discuss ideas for shots on wedding day and to generally catch up with you. Perhaps you’ve seen some pictures in your favourite wedding magazine and would like us to try and recreate them. Maybe some detail of the wedding day has changed, like some of the timings, etc.
It’s your chance to confirm details with us or to ask us any questions you’ve thought of since our initial meeting.

But most of all, it’s your chance to get in front of the lens and get used to being directed/posed by me and Samantha. To see how we work and to understand what we mean when we say “be 10% more sexy”!

It will give us the chance to see what your comfortable doing in front of the camera and how you move/hold yourselves. This is very useful as it will give us an idea of how best to pose you, what you will be willing to do on your wedding day and how far you’re willing to push the limits to get that outstanding photo.

It’s also a chance for you to practice those shots, like dips, which everyone THINKS they can do, only to discover how bad they look when it’s done wrong and how heavy your partner actually is when you’re only using one arm to support them!

It’s also a great time to discover how comfortable and relaxed you’ll be with us!

You’ll know how relaxed and how much fun we are from your initial meeting. But this will be your opportunity to see how we manage to work professionally, yet keep the atmosphere relaxed, fun and friendly.
We meet so many couples where one or both of them say they’re so nervous about having their picture taken, or don’t like the way they look in pictures.
Well the pre-wedding shoot will help you to lose the insecurities and nervousness of being in front of the camera and help you to be a bit more confident and relaxed on your actual wedding day.

By the end of every pre-wedding shoot each one of our couples are laughing and smiling and offering up their own ideas and poses for shots!

We have received nothing but positive feedback from all our clients about their pre-wedding shoot. They have all thanked us, said how much fun they had and, most importantly, have said that having the pre-wedding shoot has put them at their ease and boosted their confidence about being photographed by us on their wedding day.

For us the biggest complement is that they have also all said that it re-confirmed to them that choosing Campbell Photographic to photograph their wedding day was definitely the right choice.

A pre-wedding shoot is the perfect opportunity to discover all these things. PLUS you get some great portrait shots out of it!

How Much Will It Cost?
At Campbell Photographic we’re truly proud of the relationships we build with our clients – many of whom have become true friends. We understand the importance of building a trust between us and making sure we’re all relaxed with each other. Therefore we now include a pre-wedding shoot with every package for FREE.

Yes, for FREE! That’s how important we think they are. They’re just as important to us as they are to you and it really is a must for any professional photographer.

You WILL benefit from the experience.

What Do I Get?
At Campbell Photographic not only is the pre-wedding shoot free, but you also get an A3, framed copy of your favourite picture no extra cost – this is our gift to you!
PLUS, all the pictures from the shoot will be included on your e-shop, so friends and family can purchase their favourite prints as well.

The only problem you’ll have is choosing which one of all your great shots to have in your free frame!

Here is a small selection of photos from some recent pre-wedding shoots. To see more of our work visit one of our galleries at:-

Campbell Photographic
Facebook
Flickr

-----------------------------------

Choosing your Wedding Dress

2009-03-16T14:23:00.044Z

Now I'm no expert in this department, but I do have some simple advice on the subject of choosing your Wedding Dress.

I still remember shopping for my wedding dress. The first thing the assistant did was to try and sell me the most expensive one in the shop and a cut that was totally unsuitable for someone with my figure. I have a small frame and I'm only 5ft 3ins, so something with loads of layers and flared out would not have been suitable for me. I would've been lost in a dress like that!

Instead I went for something very simple and elegant (I think it was an empire line cut). It had little spaghetti straps and was ruffled on the bust, which is apparently good for ladies like me that are smaller in that area :-) (apparently it makes your bust seem bigger somehow).

However, I still stuffed some "chicken fillets" down my bra - just to give me a little enhancement (if you know what I mean :-)).

You can buy all sorts of clever things to go into your bra. One of the best places I found is La Senza and while you're there you can look at some underwear for your wedding day and your honeymoon (wink, wink!).

(Me on my wedding day)

Here's a few nice examples of dresses:-

Basically, what I am trying to say is think about what sort of figure you have and be honest with yourself. We all have dreams of that beautiful princess wedding dress, but very few can really pull it off. Don't just pick a beautiful dress, pick the dress that makes YOU look beautiful.

Size & Shape

Make sure you think about your height, your weight, your shape, if you're a fuller busted lady or smaller busted lady or somewhere in between. You might be thin, but do you have the hips to carry off the clingy, slinky dress, or are you straight up and down? Broad sholders? Short legs/long body?

All these things will affect the type and style of dress that will suit you and show your figure off the best way.

Whatever you choose, it should show off your figure! Whether you're petite, curvy or a lady with a fuller figure, don't be scared to show of your figure. I have been to so many weddings where the bride has chosen a dress that is totally wrong for her figure (many end up looking like their cake!).

Remember at the end of the day you want people to notice you and remember how good you looked in that dress, not how much the dress looked like your wedding cake or remember the dress and forget who was in it because you were swamped by it!

Add a Splash of Colour

Who says your dress has to be white? You can choose white with some red (which I always like). I've seen a silver wedding dress with some purple (see above)! You could always go with your favourite colour. I went for ivory but looking back now I would've liked something in red. But red is a very bold colour and is very, very difficult to pull off (it usually works well with pale skin and dark hair). When picking the colour remember you don't want a colour that does not suit your completion.

You and your dress should set the the colours and theme for the whole wedding, not the other way round. We've seen so many brides in the wrong dress because they decided on the colour scheme for the wedding first and ended up in a dress that didn't suit them or was totally the wrong colour for them.

Don't forget your shoes! These should either match or compliment your dress and be comfortable for you to be wearing all day. Or have two sets of shoes. one for getting married, photos, etc, and then slip into a comfortable pair for spending the rest of the day/dancing in.

I went for a wide sling back with a block heal simply because I usually don't wear high heels and they were more than comfortable for me all day. Some bridal shops even do boots, which is different.

Advice, Advice and more Advice

There is plenty of advice about on so many parts of your day in wedding magazines and online. The advice they give is usually really good and the magazines will usually have an article on specific issues each month. Most magazines will show the different styles and types of dresses, shoes, cakes, cars, etc.

But be aware that all their advice will be geared around whatever the latest fashion or craze is, or steered towards whatever the latest celeb has worn at their wedding, etc.

My best ever peice of advice is - Do what YOU want to do, not what some magazine SAYS you should do and make sure you enjoy yourselves no matter what!

Magazines look at:

Places to buy Bridal Wear:

A Few Favourites

2009-01-27T20:50:00.031Z

We’ve been lucky enough to have worked at some great venues over the years.

Not just on weddings and not just doing photos. We’ve been involved with videos, pre-wedding shoots, corporate events, team building exercises and much more.

Here are a few of our favourite venues:-

Gosfield Hall http://www.brideshead.co.uk/gosfield_main.html

(see gallery)

Hatfield House http://www.hatfield-house.co.uk/
Ross and I did a pre-wedding shoot here late last year. We all had a fun day, especially the bride-to-be when we got her on the swings. Ross was even brave enough to climb up on top of a climbing frame and get a beautiful shot of the couple.

Bush Hall http://www.bush-hall.com/

(see gallery)

Maidens Barn http://www.maidensbarn.com/

(see gallery)

The Fennes http://www.fennes.co.uk/
On 1st September 2008, we had the privilege of photographing their first ever outside ceremony for a lovely couple called Julie & David (see post below). We also did their Pre-Wedding Shoot here.

Braintree Registry Office http://www.essexcc.gov.uk/microsites/virtualtours/braintree.htm

This registry office is one of the prettiest I have ever seen. Ross and I had the pleasure of photographing at this venue last year.

(see gallery)

Woodhall Manor http://www.woodhallmanor.co.uk/
The ceremony room at this venue is very dark and it can get very hot as the tiny windows don’t open (I think it used to be a squash court). However, if the weather is nice, this venue does have somewhere outside for your ceremony, has some lovely grounds and the actual house is lovely inside with some great locations for couple shots.

Theobalds Park http://www.deverevenues.co.uk/find-venue/theobalds-park.html

Hunton Park http://www.deverevenues.co.uk/find-venue/hunton-park.html

Buxted Park http://www.handpickedhotels.co.uk/buxtedpark

Maison Talbooth http://www.milsomhotels.com/maison/

Ware Priory http://www.warepriory.co.uk/

Manor of Groves http://www.manorofgroves.co.uk/

Stockbrook Manor http://www.stockbrook.com/

Crondon Park http://www.crondon.com/home.htm

Downhall http://www.downhall.co.uk/

Ponsbourne Park http://www.ponsbournepark.com/

Tips for choosing your Venue

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Choosing the right venue for your special day is about a lot more than just how pretty the gardens are. There’s a lot to think about as you look around and ooh and ahh. Here are a few things tips to help you:-

Size Matters!
When choosing your venue think about the size of your wedding.

Are you having a small wedding? Ross and I only had about 30 guests, so a venue like Gosfield Hall or Downhall may not necessarily have been suitable.

Somewhere like Maidens Barn might have been more suitable, as it is more for small weddings. It has a nice lawn out front surrounded by flowers and fields, just enough for small groups shots. This is just one of many smaller venues. If you go on the internet I am sure you will find many more.

(view this gallery here)

However, if you are having a larger wedding then maybe somewhere like Gosfield Hall or Quendon Hall would be ideal. They have large beautiful grounds and are also very stunning inside. Ross took some stunning pictures of one of our brides in the bridal suite at Gosfield Hall. As you can see it is very spacious and beautifully decorated.

(view this gallery here)

The Fennes is also a lovely venue for larger weddings. It has plenty of grounds and you can have your ceremony outside!
On 1st September 2008, we had the privilege of photographing their first ever outside ceremony for a lovely couple called Julie & David.

When to view
Most venues look great in the height of summer on a beautiful sunny day. But if you’re intending to get married in November, go and see the venue IN NOVEMBER. It will feel completely different, colder and the light will be totally different.
Most couples should be looking to book their venue at least a year in advance anyway, so visiting at a similar time of year shouldn’t be a problem.

Rain – well it is England!
We all hope that our special day is going to be bright and sunny. But, just for a moment and boring as we know it is, stop and think realistically for a second.

We live in one of the wettest countries on the planet and the last few years … well they have been just awful, haven’t they?

Whatever venue you choose, you should consider contingency plans for the typical English summer. Look around and ask what they do if it rains.
Do they have somewhere big enough for you and your guests to go if it’s raining? A lot of venues need you outside while they convert the dining room for the evening disco. Where do they put you if it’s pouring?

Importantly from our point of view, is there somewhere to do your photos indoors? Somewhere spacious and pretty is the most ideal, but that’s not always possible. However, as long as there is somewhere to go, your photographer should do their best to work in the surroundings they’re given.
Just remember, if your photographer has to work inside, they may not have the same freedom as if you were outside. Restrictions on space and where you may be allowed to go inside the building will be a factor, but also lighting.
Many photographers, including us, prefer to work with natural light as it produces a more pleasing look than flash (some disagree). But if the inside of your venue is already dark and dingy, then a dark, overcast sky outside is going to do nothing to improve matters!
However, all Professional Photographers will carry some kind of lighting system with them just in case they have to shoot indoors (if they don’t – stay away from them), but remember that the final images may not look as nice as ones taken with natural light.

Do your research
Before you commit to a venue, make sure to check out the following:-

Does the venue have a good track record for what they offer?
Go to online wedding forums. Others may have used your choice of venue and may have comments. Talk to friends and family. They may know someone that used your venue, or used it themselves.

Have they done many weddings?
Just ask. They shouldn’t have a problem telling you.

Will there be another event going on at the same time as your wedding?
Sounds silly, but check. Some venues will hold more than one event. This can cause restrictions on where you can go, timings of things and in some cases, availability of staff.
There are also other problems that may happen. We did a venue a few years back where one wedding had a free bar and the other didn’t. People from the other wedding took advantage of this. Now I wouldn’t have liked to pay that bar bill, would you!?
We’ve also seen wedding videos with couples, when suddenly they say “who’s that”? Turns out guests from the other functions had been filmed. Obviously their videographer wasn’t to know, but it can be a bit of a problem.

Does the venue offer discounted rooms for guests at your wedding?
Some venues will have some kind of discount available for any of your guests that want to stay over. But make sure you ask because if you don’t ask they may not offer it …. unless it’s stated in your wedding package details.

Does the price they have quoted you include everything you want?
Most importantly make sure the price includes VAT. I don’t know any venue in UK that isn’t VAT registered, so when they give you a price ask if it includes VAT or is PLUS VAT.

Catering
Can you bring your own caterers in? Many venues offer great packages, but dictate that you use a specific caterer. This can really push prices up (usually because the prices are higher than normal to include the hotel kick back).

Hello from Campbell Photographic

2008-08-08T11:54:00.008+01:00

Hello everyone from Campbell Photographic.

We are Professional Photographers specializing in Model portfolios, Weddings, Social Events and Location Portraits. But we would like to get into Commercial Photography, Adverts and PR.

See some of our work here: http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmNhbXBiZWxscGhvdG9ncmFwaGljLmNvLnVr

If you want or need any photography doing, whether it be for Model porfolio, Weddings, Social Event, Commercial or a Portrait Session on location or in your own home, just contact us.

We are currently based in Braintree, Essex, but will travel all over the world (for the right price!).