A few weeks ago, I was invited by Elite to follow their contestants in their annual Elite Model Look competition. After shooting the boys at the Elite HQ for their first ever photo shoot, I spent a few days with them during the Model Bootcamp where they get taught the ropes of the industry, going to castings, how to walk, how to pose, styling tips etc.
Held at Waterloo Film Studios, this is Day 1 of the Model Bootcamp, where the bunch had their first ever big-production photo shoot. Oh the excitement.
A few weeks back I had the pleasure to shoot designer and friend Keren Brat’s collection for AW 12/13. It is refreshing to meet someone that is so passionate about their work and truly communicates their passion on set. We shot at White Womb Studio in Stoke Newington, nice little studio, feels quite homy, I would definitely recommend it if you’re on a budget.
We spotted Kathleen @ Premier because of her bleached blonde hair and I’ve never seen a model fit so well in the clothes on a shoot. Literally, not one pin was needed. In case you have an amazing sense of observation and noticed her in my previous post… yes I ran into her at the Lultz show in Paris a couple of weeks afterwards.
Behind the scenes courtesy of Natalja Sadikova.
The editorial we shot towards the end of the day has also been published on Institute Magazine. Go check out K.Brat’s collection if you didn’t make it to Bloody Gray’s press day, this girl has vision and some truly amazing designs.
Photographer: Eva K. Salvi
Clothes: K.Brat
Photographer’s assistant: Natalja Sadikova
Model: Kathleen Burbridge @ Premier
Make-up: Mika Hurukawa
Hair styling: Adlena Dignam
Stylist: Alexandra Hester Greenhill
So my blog posts are all well overdue, simply due to the fact that my work hard/play hard motto does not allow time for sleep and/or other things such as blog updates.
I shot behind the scenes of London Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week on behalf of Disorder Magazine. Here are some quick sneak peeks until I do something more proper with it.
I have to admit I had a lot more fun shooting menswear day, the atmosphere is so much more relaxed. Now looking forward to the first London Menswear Fashion Week in June!
A la Disposition
Nicole Farhi
Serdar Uzuntas
Ones to Watch
Oliver Spencer
Lultz
Peachoo Krejberg
The other day I met some of the Elite boys at their agency in Angel for a casting. I had no idea so many of them were waiting in the lobby and the last ones had to wait about 3 hours in total. I did feel very guilty (if any of you guys is reading this post, my apologies again). I have to say though, that the casting went absolutely great, Elite really has some of the best boys in town as well as some lovely bookers AND a big meeting room with a window on the ceiling that I used to shoot some casting snapshots/portraits of the boys I saw that day.
I do have a thing for tattoos, therefore a lot of the models that came to the casting had one or several tattoos… can’t complain.
In case you’re wondering, all the pictures were taken in the spur of the moment, I just asked the boys to lie on the office table, sit on the floor etc.
I am finally testing with some of them this weekend so watch this space, new stuff in the making!
Mickey Crawford @ Elite
Will Hargreaves @ Elite
Rory Torrens @ Elite
Kristoffer Hougaard @ Elite
A little while ago Premier and Models1 sent me some of their models that needed some quick tests done. I set up an improvised studio in my living room with very minimal lighting and one stool for them to sit on. One new model per hour, about 20 minutes to get ready and 30 minutes to shoot a few photos before moving onto the next one. One special mention for Matthew that very much reminded me of a male version of Natalia Vodianova and whom I’d love to shoot again, there is just something about his soft and feminine features that is truly mesmerizing.
Photography Eva K. Salvi
MUA for all photos but last Jessica Mueller
MUA for last photo Kate O’Reilly
Models (in order of appearance)
Rachel Pouwer @ Premier
Cindy Wright @ Premier
Marc Massa @ Premier
Pat Pietrzak @ Premier
Matthew Dyer @ Premier
Beth Ogden & Marc Biggs @ Models1
I tested again a few days afterwards with CJ Richards @ Nevs and tried my hand at video this time, the result is unfinished but it definitely made me want to experiment more with the medium and some projects are now in the making. Watch this space…
I met Daniel at the Success HQ early September. I requested to shoot him when I first met his booker but he happened to be in Berlin. Luckily though, I dropped by again 2 days afterwards and Daniel was there, freshly arrived from the airport and plans were made for the following day.
After the shoot we had a conversation about tattoos and how people keep asking him “Why did you get so many tattoos” to what he answers “Why don’t you have any?’. I guess tattoos are getting more and more common but few people are tattooed as much as Daniel is. To me the one above his eyebrow says it all: “This is art”, stop questionning it.
Early September I made a trip to Paris and got in touch with a couple of agencies to test with some of their fresh faces while I was there. Weirdly enough I was expecting a cold response when I contacted them, I was always told Paris was full of arrogant wannabees and the fashion industry was like an open bar party after 8pm – impossible to get into. To my surprise, and within the space of a few days, I met some lovely creatives and made some great contacts. Now I can’t wait to go back to shoot there some more. Any makeup artists/hairstylists or stylists based in Paris that would like to collaborate in the future, holla at me!
I paid a visit to Success and was told one of their main board models – Jeremie: model and actor, soon to be in Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s latest film – needed new headshots so we tested the very next day.
He looked very different to the photograph on his comp card indeed, shaved head, tattoo, cigarette dangling from the corner of his lips, he is pretty much the archetype of the bad boy every girl would love in love with against her parents’ will. They would then run away, hop onto his motorcycle and never be found again. Ok I’m totally making that up. Although he does drive a motorcycle. Maybe that could be his role in his next movie…
Photography – Eva K. Salvi
Model – Jeremie Laheurte @ Success
On Sunday I had the pleasure to be invited, on behalf of Lela London to shoot some behind the scenes of the Nicole Farhi Spring/Summer 2012 show.
12pm – I get to the Horticultural Society, running, thank god I brought my pair of All Saints Boots with me and not my Kurt Geiger heels like I did the previous day. The sun is peaking through the clouds. I finally get into the venue which is already packed with photographers and videographers, everyone is setting up and running around. Nicole Farhi is chatting to people, posing for a few photos, she seems incredibly calm and relaxed. The venetian blinds close and the models start coming out on the catwalk for the run-through, it is strangely surreal to watch them walking with their hair and makeup half done.
12.30pm – Go through to backstage area after being checked on ‘The List‘. I get in and am hit with the realisation of how intense everything is “behind the scenes“. Everyone is running around, the models are getting their makeup and hair touched up.
From time to time, one model will just stop and pose for photographers – there’s about 10 backstage – with assistants and reflectors etc. Everyone is super prepared.
1pm – Last call for models to go to the bathroom before the show, last touch ups, then everyone has to get runway-ready. The models start changing and I go out to the main room; rumour is Anna Wintour is there and I spot her sitting in the front row.
I quickly run over and snap a few pictures before the show starts. All of the photographers have taken place in the pit and are currently “fighting” over the best spots to snap pictures of the show.
I decide to run to the other side of the catwalk that seems much emptier and take place. The show starts.
1.15pm – I see half the show through my lens and try to snap pictures of almost all the outfits, the music is loud and the models are rocking the show. The show is a resplendent rainbow of pastels. I’m loving it and glance at Anna Wintour – wondering whether she’s enjoying herself or not – but the Miranda Priestly-esque stillness shows no sign of opinion (or maybe that means she loves it?).
As for the clothes, everything was texturally divine. In a sea of beautifully feminine colours, Farhi presented an oversized, sequin-covered mesh tank top and a micro mesh ensemble with gorgeous florals that almost seemed three-dimensional when layered over the coloured base fabric. Interestingly, more and more saccharine 3-D embellishments were brought to life via plastic blossom appliques, sculptural petal shapes, and laser-cut leather flowers. It was like a pointillist painting by Georges Seurat – a garden brought to life.
Heaven.
When the show is over, everyone stands up, massive round of applause for Nicole Farhi who comes out for a few seconds to salute everyone, she seems sweetly satisfied, the show went extremely well to say the least.
1.45pm – I go back backstage, the magic is gone, everyone is packing up, grabbing that last cup of coffee/bottle of Vitamin Water and are already on their journey to the next show. I recognise a few familiar faces, people I’ve worked with before, everyone seems relieved, everything went well and everyone loved the show.
2pm – I’m out and on my way to Somerset House, knackered already, those 2 hours drained me of all my energy! The sun has come out to give us our last few hours of summer, perfect ending to an extraordinary show.
I’ll be out and about shooting some street style tomorrow afternoon so watch this space. More LFW goodies to come!
After two weeks of inactivity on this blog, I am back again with many updates and new photos. Before I left for France I tested with Callum from Bookings Models. As we met early afternoon, the rain was pouring down and things were not looking up.
Fortunately, about 5 minutes after we had gone outside to start shooting Callum under an umbrella, the sun suddenly came out and allowed us to shoot without wellies and brollies. The backgrounds we used were painted a few days before the shoot and were exactly what we needed for the pop art, Roy Lichtenstein inspired styling, courtesy of Lisa Hoover.
Sometimes things are just meant to be I guess. We were all pretty happy with how the photos turned out, the high contrasted light gives Callum some kind of old school Hollywood look that I just love.
Photography Eva K. Salvi
Styling Lisa Hoover
Grooming Susa Piiroinen
Model Callum @ Bookings
