Throwback: Shapes

Happy Monday! This week I have a proper throwback for you... images from 10 years ago!

On the most recent workshop with Dave Edkins, the theme was coloured gels and smoke machine. We randomly decided to add in some mylar and I ended up doing some shape work with two of the photographers. It was so much fun, and I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed being a shape instead of a Misuzu. In fact, I am shooting with Dave later this week, and we plan to work on these shapes some more.

I'm nowhere near as flexible as I was, and obviously after having a baby, my body has changed considerably (on top of the general wear and tear of life). But despite that, it was good to be able to create similar beautiful, abstract imagery in my current form.

I decided to dig out some pictures from before of me doing similar poses to those we played around with briefly on the workshop... and I found these images to share with you. They were all taken within the first year of me modelling full time, and that was a decade ago, which seems absolutely crazy to me!

Anyway, finding these images has made me realise that it's something that I love shooting, and clearly have loved it since the start. Unfortunately, it's not something I've been asked to do a whole lot, which makes sense as it's abstract and not everyone's cup of tea. Here are some images of me doing some shapes, I can't believe that they are a whole decade old now:

Basic Abstract Shapes

These first images were taken by a photographer called Nigel Spooner in March 2015 at Greengate Studio in Tunstall. Me and Nigel had a couple of short shoots together and on our second shoot, we experimented with these shapes.

I remember thinking back then that it was something I enjoyed and wanted to do more of. The reason I enjoyed it is because it's something that is very much a team effort, more so than model photography is generally. This is because it requires good, clear communication between the two of you to get the shot right. It needs to be as symmetrical as possible, so there is a lot of tweaking of the pose before you get the shot you're after. Also, the poses are often quite uncomfortable, so you have to either be super quick or have a few attempts. It's hard work but it's so fun and I think the results are really worth the time and effort.

I like these images: I like the lighting and I love the reflection that was added in after (these were just taken on a white background). They are far from perfect but I think they are effective, regardless.

Abstract Shape on Location

This image was taken by Kevin Sheldon in March 2015 at a studio in Nottingham called The Pit. It was a derelict studio above a famous pub. It was a great place to shoot and I really enjoyed my time there. This image was an abstract shape, but adds a bit extra than the previous images, due to being shot in this amazing location.

More Complicated Abstract Shapes

These next images were taken in October 2015 on a shoot in Manchester. It was a shoot with two photographers where we explored with some more complicated shapes. These are the type of shots that I would like to experiment a little more with now, as they feel a little more unique to me. They still required that level of communication and teamwork to get the shot, but there was a bit more room for me to be creative with these ones. The first image was by Hundred Eyes and the second was by Sense.

Yoga Shapes

These last few images are from a shoot I did with a lovely photographer called Bob Verney at a derelict location that is unfortunately no longer accessible. The shoot itself was great, I remember really enjoying my time with Bob, and capturing these images was a lot of fun. We did a similar set in a couple of areas of the location (one inside and one outside) and these were the best ones. I used to practice yoga daily, which is what made these images possible. Since having my daughter, I have struggled to keep up a regular practice, so my flexibility and stamina are not what they once were. I'm hoping to get back to it and be able to shoot images like this again at some point, because it's just so much fun!

I hope you've enjoyed looking at these images. It was fun to go back through and find them, it seems like a lifetime ago!

Until next Monday <3 Misuzu