Flash your Jak

NOMIO

2011-11-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a new project called 'Nothing of me is original'. It's a regularly updated online publication with interviews, features and photoshoots. Check it out at www.nothingofmeisoriginal.com

Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nomio/248336451884204
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/nomiovision
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/nomionow

Matthew Bourne's Cinderella

2011-05-20T02:19:00.001-07:00

Last night, I went to the ballet, and it was absolutely incredible! Matthew Bourne's Cinderella is a stunning contemporary tale set in World War II during the Blitz. The characters were well developed and expressive as well as comical and entertaining. The set design and lighting was captivating and constantly changing. From the evil step mother, to the son with a curious foot fetish everyone expressed an individual persona easily communicated without words. There were even a couple of gay soldiers who requited their love (or fleeting passion) at the ball. Only on for a week the show is constantly selling out.

I'm coming to find you

2011-05-02T16:12:00.001-07:00

You made me do it

2011-05-02T15:27:00.000-07:00

The Brain

2011-05-01T12:07:00.001-07:00

Last night, I dreamt of Glocca Morra... again

2011-04-06T05:29:00.001-07:00

It's really a shame you can't publish a sentance

Last night, I saw a ballet

2011-03-30T23:52:00.000-07:00

Last night James had invited me to see Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo performing at the Hippodrome in Birmingham. A comidic ballet looking at excerts of Swan Lake. Men in make-up and tutus, what else could you want?

There are some of us who are different

2011-03-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

Skin

2011-03-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

Can't hide the physical deterioration

2011-03-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

Festivals

2011-03-23T00:28:00.000-07:00

Eskmo will be preforming at Glade, roll on summer

From the Deep

2011-03-22T14:21:00.001-07:00

Both Oily and metalic, still and fluid, Roseanna Velin and I have created more creatures for you to gaze upon.

Calm as Hindu cows

2011-03-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

What's love telling me to do, right now?

2011-03-22T04:57:00.000-07:00

Maximalist by Baths - Listen Here

Uncontrollable self destruction

2011-03-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

A conflict

2011-03-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

"Everyone belongs to everyone else"

Japan shall live again

2011-03-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

Muse

2011-02-09T12:36:00.000-08:00

Vincent Chase

2011-01-28T02:11:00.000-08:00

It is through our destruction we give these things new purpose

2011-01-26T13:45:00.000-08:00

Roseanna and I were in the studio today, making magic again. Deep, dark, swamp like magic. There were legs everywhere. Meet Martin, our friend with (not so)many legs. And a picture from our last time in the studio.

A new direction

2011-01-25T15:33:00.000-08:00

So I've been contemplating things for some time now and assessing my position as a photographer or someone who visually communicates. I've taken on a new project, that takes me down a different path, starting with self exploration. Phase 1, February 1st - http://allthatwasleftintheboxwashope.com/

Alex Templar

2011-01-25T06:11:00.000-08:00

It's been so long since I've blogged or thought about blogging, to the point it seems that every post starts with this sentance. I have been doing things though. Little things, here, and there.
Last year I took my housemate into the studio. I've been doing a lot of little simple studio portraits lately. So here are a couple of Alex Templar.

Equal

2010-12-19T02:14:00.000-08:00

Of light art Dark

2010-12-06T04:35:00.000-08:00

So the fantastic make-up artist Roseanna Velin and myself have been working on a series of portraits. Currently two are in completion and we've decided it's time that we let you see what we've been working on. It was last night they had their debut at the BAM christmas fair in Birmingham's Margaret Street Art School. So we hope you like what we've produced and look forwards to more in the new year.

The complete image

2010-12-06T04:15:00.000-08:00

The Uncontrollability of Love

2010-11-04T01:43:00.001-07:00

(To see the completed image visit www.flashyourjak.com )
So November has arrived and Shout Festival has begun. Tonight in fact is the official launch at the MAC centre in Birmingham. As part of SHOUT festival I was commissioned to make a piece of photographic art that would go on display around Birmingham in the form of posters.
After some thought thinking about what I wanted to do I decided to make my own construction based on a painting by my favorite artist Sir Edward Burne Jones.
The picture I chose was 'Cupid's Hunting Field' shown below.

This painting lightly comments on the fact that love is blind, using the mythological figure of Cupid to describe this. I took this as a starting point and began to apply it to myself creating a darker more ethereal version of the image. I decided I needed a set building so got the help of two BCU theatre and performance design students Sarah Verblis and Sarah Mcintyre. These girls helped bring everything together and worked through the night to help accomplish my vision.
All the maidens in the picture were replaced with men who were modeled by Justin Focus, Mike Simon, James Shroll, Daniel Ingram, Vincent Chase, and Kyle Finn. They all took to modeling different aspects of love, such as love lost and future love except for James Shroll who took the role of Cupid.
Each make-up look was completed by Gavin Pickle who was assisted by Connie Ball. He worked closely with the brief to create these amazing looks.
The images shall be on display in various locations around Birmingham. To see the completed image visit www.flashyourjak.com

Black lines

2010-10-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

Today's shoot was a different direction on the last one I did, focusing on a more modern feel. Kind of inspired by people in pop music and such. It was fun, so I can't complain.

Studio experimentation

2010-09-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

I've decided to start studying again, and today I was trying out some simple things in the studio. So here are my explorations of soft studio light, the male for and black and white photography.

Art of Darkness

2010-09-27T01:07:00.000-07:00

Illamasqua have released a new collection this winter called Art of Darkness. They bring to you the colours of creatures from the night and from your nightmares. With beetle shell like liquid metals, and alchemic precision ink this is an inspiring collection, made to tempt out your darker alter ego.
The illamasqua website has an array of amazing new pictures some featured below.
Be sure to check out the video too, all on http://www.illamasqua.com/
Gavin Pickle was doing a make-up demonstration at Selfridges Birmingham last week, so I went do to film his dark arts. Check it out.

Incoming

2010-09-15T05:20:00.001-07:00

Today I went shopping for some props as my shoot is quickly approaching. It's time for me to pull my finger out and hope that it all comes together! There is a lot let to do so it's going to be a tough week. Its time to get this belt and hat customised!

If you go down to the woods...

2010-09-09T02:06:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I headed down to the woods with photographer Josh Sallon to do an underwear shoot. He'd been able to get his hands on a selection of underwear from the website www.Banglads.com and when he told me I knew I wanted to get involved. I'd never done an underwear shoot before so it was definately something I was interested in. We scouted together models Ricky Gallagher, Sam Iwaniak and Adam Collins. They were great guys who pulled through modeling in underwear through rain, brisk winds and an onslaught of ground covering prickly bits!
Here's a few of the ones that Josh shot too -

Taking the bull by the HORNS

2010-08-23T09:29:00.001-07:00

So I need to do a little catch up once again. I can't even remember where I left off. Oh yea, i'd done all that stuff. Well now things have calmed a little, or perhaps not calmed but taken a different direction. I'm working on my new comission, but more on that later! I just wanted to let you know I've been somewhat hoarding props off ebay, such as the ones below!
It's finally starting to get off the ground now which is good! In other news, Alis Pelleschi and Ursula Rocy Aitchison have just started out own Youtube channel called Channel Razmataz, so you should definately check that out as we endeavour to upload new videos every week!

When everything happens at once, time bends to compensate

2010-08-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

So this has just been one of those weekends where everything manages to happen at once!

Thursday:
So one way or another I found myself volunteering for Rhubarb Rhubarb's photography festival '10 - Collision, Where image worlds meet-. I didn't know much about it, and hadn't found the time to properly research because I'd been generally busy. Anyway, Thursday I find myself at Birmingham international airport ferrying reviewers from their planes to the train station. Seb forgot to give me a sign to hold so I had to make my own. I'm at the airport, I'm holding a hand written sign, it says 'RHUBARB', I'm getting funny looks. There's about an hour and a half in between each reviewer and the last one is delayed by an hour, I'm thinking WTF! It was okay though, everyone I picked up was really nice and friendly and I managed to get back to Birmingham, only 10 minutes late for my meeting.
I was 10 minutes late for my meeting but it was okay. Recently David Viney has accepted my request to make some photographic work for the up coming SHOUT Festival in Birmingham, so we met for drinks to discuss. I'm not going to say too much on that, but let's just say it is my most exciting project to date, so watch out for it in November.

Friday:
I'm back volunteering, this time, in the AM at Aston business school. From the outside I thought it was a regular uni building but inside its a conference centre with a courtyard, fountains, a restaurant, breakfast area, bar, seating area, hotel the whole shebang! It was pretty cool and well designed. I was stationed in a room were reviewers from all round the world sat at tables whilst photographers came to have their work looked at. Every 20 minutes working under Nick's guidance I helped move people in and out of the room. It was surprisingly fun, and I was able to show my work to a lot of people, and the more I showed it, the more people wanted to see it.
DINNER WAS AMAZING!!! It was a buffet, with roast pork, beef stroganoff, mixed vegetables, a veggie table, salads and a dessert table with things like chocolate cheesecake. Believe me when I say I ate till I thought my stomach was splitting.
(Okay I'll speed it up now).
I was told about an exhibition Rhubarb was holding in the former ArtLounge in the Mailbox so I popped along. There was work by Adam Magyar, Vee Spears and Ricardo E. Zulueta and the Jackson Twins. To tell you the truth I loved it all, it's well set out and the work is of an excellent standard. Vee Spears' work is by the door and I love it, the colour, the desaturation, the props and the eerie look in some of the children's eye is captivating.The other work that really caught my attention was the theatrical creations by the Jackson Twins. They had managed to explore identity and doppelgangers by reflecting on their own being twins and their ability to change their identity whilst still reaching the same goals. Their work speaks for its self, and is full of clearly thought out visual stimuli. Their ability to become other people is astounding and often fooling. This isn't on for much longer and if you're in the area is definately worth seeing! The scale and types of presentation and display are something within themselves.
That evening I met with James Lawrence Slattery and we had an amazing time hanging out after so long at yet more Rhubarb Rhubarb related events. We went down to their headquarters in Digbeth for an exhibition of various local talents, with all the reviewers and photographer getting together. It was a great chance to meet on a social level.
Work that really stuck out to me was the surreal images by Zhao Renhul,
And the stunning images of children by Kelly Hill called 'In the cities'.From there we all went to a local pub, with a massive back beer garden, with benches -some occupied by mannequins playing checkers- and an amazing BBQ we're talking, burgers, sausages, Italian meatballs, everything that's delicious basically.

Saturday:
Saturday was the same as Friday in respects that I helped in the room showing people to the correct tables and moving them on when it was time. There was a great standard of work going round but I just couldn't wait to see what was for dinner. It was this day I managed to show my work to a lot of really great people, and they all pushed it onto one another. As soon as I showed it to Carry from Nottingham Trent University she made sure everyone knew about it and was going to see it. So, I got to have my work viewed by a lot of great people.
Saturday was also host to the Promenade where all the photographers laided out their work and people came round to see it. It was at the new Mac at Canon Hill Park and was a wicked night. It was fascinating to see such a high grade of varied photographic productions.
I had my work with me in a bag, and Mark McPherson -the founder of Big City Press, and independent publisher of the photographic book Hijacked- took charge. He had it out, on the table and was calling people over from left right and centre. He's a great guy with a wickedly friendly personality and I'm glad to have met him. At one point Carry comes over and says 'have you shown your work to the Jackson Twins yet?' I was baffled but low and behold there they were in the corner of the room wearing opposite shirts. I covered them in a torrent of verbal vomit trying to extract every piece of photographic based similarity between us in a very short space of time. They're wicked guys, really friendly and have such confidence in their work (By that I mean, they speak about it effortlessly, there's no erms, argh or it's kind of like's). So it made my evening to talk to them.

Sunday:
Sunday I wasn't working at the Business School because I had things to attend to but I managed to stop by. That afternoon however Kyle took me to yet another exhibition!!! This time in the Pallasades. Surprisingly it was really good. A great body of work by high speed and strobe photographer Harold Edgerton.The work is captivating and definitely worth a look, it's on until the 5th of September so there plenty of time to pop down and check it out. After this I returned home and got changed ready for the next Rhubarb Rhubarb event which was the unveiling of Adam Magyar's work at the building site of the new Central Library. They have displayed his picture on the large white boards showing his massively creative photographic work. It's all in the detail so I can't say too much but his work is on show both at the Library site and in the Mailbox exhibition.From here everyone moved on to the Mailbox to see the exhibition, which gave me a further chance to talk to the Jackson Twins in front of their work. There were a great many speeches and giving of gifts between the organisers (I caught the bouquet of flowers before they fell of the desk, my personal achievement of the day). After this we were taken to the Ikon Gallery for more chatting and tapas.

What can I say, I have had an amazing weekend! The best weekend since finishing university, and the most photographically involved weekend possibly ever. I would like to take this opportunity for some thanks of my own. I would like to thank Rhonda Wilson, Lorna-Mary Webb and Sebah Chaudhry for putting on a fantastic and well structured event. They looked after everyone with the greatest care, and made sure that my stomach saw the widest range of food since leaving home!!! I would also like to thank 'Uncle Zitty' for putting me in touch to Seb and making sure that I was able to volunteer at this event.

Then there's Diana and Simone for being great volunteers, and Nick for being thoroughly organised and co-ordinated. Carry from Nottingham Trent for being so passionate about my work, as well as Mark McPherson for being so positive and helpful.

So you would think that's it. What more could I possibly have to say!? Well, I went to uni and collected my results on Monday, and guess what? I have a First Class Honors Degree, receiving 80% in my Final Major Project. Yes, at the moment, life is good.

Trip to the Museum

2010-07-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

Today I went on a little excursion to the museum. I was first thoroughly surprised to see Jacob Epstein’s creation there, the Rock Drill. I’ve seen various bits of his work before in London and such but not this piece. Although it wasn’t the original it was fantastic to see. The shape and crisp colour was captivating. I couldn’t help think… this is what I want to look like.

The reason I actually went to the museum wasn’t to see the piece by Epstein but was in fact to do some research and to look at the Steve McCurry exhibition. Although I knew of his work I wasn’t overly familiar with it. I found it surprising though how inspiring his images really were. Some of them really got me on their content, which is unusual having seen so much documentary work. The use of vivid colour and subject matter really made his images stand out. It was a retrospective, which might be why the pictures swayed me but they seemed like an honest commentary from McCurry’s perspective. They weren’t hung up on poverty or despair, which is what I think I liked most. If you around, I definitely encourage you to see it. It’s free and definitely worth a visit.

Alex Box

2010-07-04T14:46:00.001-07:00

Some of you may know I have come to have a great love for all that is Illamasqua! Illamasqua is what I use for make-up and am constantly astounded by the great range of products. Recently Alex Box, the goddess of Make-up came to give a talk at Selfridges. I think she would appreciate me stating that she isn't just a make-up artist, she is an artist who uses make-up as a medium.
It was Gavin Pickle who asked me to come, and I'm glad I did. I met up with Roseanna Velin and we watched Alex Box put make-up on one of the models used in the Dystopia Campaign.
She worked to high levels of effortless perfection, all the while discussing how make-up is more than coverage. It can be used to transform you, to the extents of spiritual transformations. Illamasqua is like an alchemic creation used as a modern day elixor for all those who want to change themselves.This is what Alex Box created for us, showing how in a single tonal range she create this ethereal/almost classic Hollywood character. In essence that is what Alex Box is all about, bold statements in the creation of characters.
It was great to meet her and hear her point of views and she said she liked my make-up, Alex Box liked my make-up! That had me on a high all day. Her make-up is a great inspiration to me and you can often see the influences in the things I put on myself.

So much stuff is going on!

2010-06-28T16:04:00.000-07:00

Soooooo people it's been a while, what can I say? I've been busy. I want to tell you all about it but I'm going to try and keep it pretty brief. So, numero uno, I've finished university - kinda -. Where as everyone has already collected their grades many of my very talented friends getting 1st degree honours, I got an extention thus I won't find out my results till the end of July.
The Visual Communications departments held and awards show and I won the award for Fine Art Photography which was very pleasing. I got a 'trophy' and £500 to spend on a photography website is pretty cool! Here you can see me with my award :) I have it kept in pride and place on my desk, laid down, on a pile of papers...
This is what I wore to the awards show. Nothing like making a scene and an pretentious speach at the awards!
I also got a new job thanks to the wonderous Roseanna Velin! I work at Doubletake studios which is a photography studio where people can come and have their pictures taken. It's really fun and I've learnt loads since working there. It's also cool because there are a few people working there who I've always considered as reputable local photographers such as Tom Steventon and James Beddoes (click on their names to see some of their work).
I've also finally got myself together and had Major Arcana series made into a book. It's not just a book with the pictures in, its has insight into the work and the process, as well as additional images and my original concept sketches so it's kind of a look at the project as a whole. The book is available to buy from Blurb, which you can see HERE. Although if you order it from me you can get cheaper prioty shipping, and I'll get it special delivery to your door :)
A few of the pictures, 5 in fact also went on exhibition at my end of year show and different to last time I had them framed.They looked really cool sized A1 and A4, you can see them in this picture but the reflections are pretty bad. All in all though it was a pretty good show and I'm really glad a couple of my friends Ruth and Claire got to come down from London and see it!
This is what I wore to the Grad show opening, can't say it was the best choice of outfit considering it's a Ski suit and it was 12,000 degrees on the day of the show. The cog like neck piece is something Kyle Perks made for his foundation year projects.
I also walked on the catwalk for him at his end of year show which was pretty cool.
I went for like really bizzare rough covage facepaint by applying it all quickly with a small paint brush. It was a wicked show, and it was nice to see some of Kyle's work in action.
Finally I wanted to round up the year with my uni friends so I arranged for 34 of us to go to Cafe Soya for a goodbye meal which was really fun!
It's been a really ace year, and there's a great vibe in the air this summer. 'Here I come world' and all that jazz. I won't leaving blogging so long next time, I'll avoid you having to enjure another essay. So, what have all you guys been up to? have you rounded of the academic year remembering the good times gone by in great hope they'll continue?

Make-up artist Julia Hyland

2010-06-19T00:19:00.000-07:00

Whilst working on my Major Arcana project I got to work with some excellent make-up artists. One in particular was special effects and artistic make-up artist Julia Hyland. She helped worked on images such as 'The Lovers' and 'Death'. She has an excellent degree of skill and a very professional approach, bringing high quality results you can rely on. She's just launched a new website so it would be awesome if you could check it out! http://www.joolzfx.com

Poppy the Powerful

2010-05-28T02:35:00.000-07:00

A homage to Poppy French.

It's finally happened, she's got a website! Visit www.poppyfrench.com to check out her online portfolio and if that wasn't enough you can see her blog at www.poppyfrench.blogspot.com. Seeing her work in a growing collective you can really appreciate the fantastic creations this girl is putting out!

Here are a few of my personal favorites:

Daze-Ray

2010-05-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to an exhibition in the Jewellery Quarter held by two friends -Daisy Whitehouse and Murray Somerville- from my course who study illustration. They've come together through a collaberation to bring you this great collection of work that is definately worth going to check out. Everything is for sale, as well as badges, posters, zines, teddy bears and t-shirts!

Cropped by Quasimi

2010-05-22T00:59:00.000-07:00

Quasimi have made a video and in it is a cropped top for men covered in metal plates. I love it! I think it's hugely sexy and would love for guys to wear such things this summer. The heat is on, it's time for guys to explore their fashionable side.

Oxford Fashion Week

2010-05-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

Again it's been a while since I blogged, but university, busy blah blah. However I would like to blog more. A little while ago I was asked by Sarah-Elizabeth Cooper to come down to Oxford Fashion Week. It was really cool to see young designers and their collections, especially at such an unusual location -by a river in a boat house, with punts outside. The evening was full of energy and well organised by a great group of girls! I recorded the event, which you can now see on my YouTube Channel.

Homunculus

2010-05-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

I like taking self portraits and it's something I would like to explore further as I don't really take many pictures of myself. Gavin from Irregular Attraction put up a competition called Pretty Different where he wanted people to send in their make-up pictures. I decided to head down to the studio and make a self portrait. As always the studio was fully booked, but also as usual it was empty so I just grabbed an empty space and set to work. I had intended to make something 'pretty different' to this but I ran out of time. I also recorded it so check out the video too (Right click and watch on youtube until I get my blog width sorted out!).
As a fan of animes such as Full Metal Alchemist this reminds me of a homunculus or some kind of creature. I'd love to be able to have skin that colour!

A brief look into the near future

2010-04-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

I've got so much up in the air at the moment. Perhaps too much? We'll see. It's not long until the end so there is a looming sadness. I got a random e-mail today asking me to go to Oxford to take pictures at Oxford Fashion week, so I'm going to do that on Thursday which should be cool. I'm not paying transport so yea sure why not. Here is some of the work made by the girl who asked me to come.
I had a meeting about the end of year show which is fast approaching. I need to find out what I want to do for that and decided upon a space. Perhaps invite some people? I'm doing a shoot on Friday with Fashion designer from BCU who's made a jacket, and our shoot's theme/feel is 'a sense of akwardness'. I have something building in my mind so look forwards to that. I'm also putting together a shoot with Genevieve deLande Long and Stephanie Reeves but I'll tell you more when things are confirmed.
What else is there? I'm entering a local competition and should really be focusing more of my attention on it but I'm excited by my idea. A shoot inspired by the great red dragon.
I did a self portrait yesterday which I really enjoyed, painting myself white. I would LOVE to be that colour, unfortunately I know of no way this could be possible.
That's enough for now, hopefully I'll be reposting with something more substantial tomorrow.

Regaining Focus

2010-04-28T16:12:00.000-07:00

It's been so long, but I have returned with what I hope to be some kind of epic catch up blog post. My Exhibition at the Works Gallery has been and gone. It was -and I'm glad to say- a success. As my first exhibition there was a lot of pressure but I pulled it off. I had all 22 images mounted and presented then on 2 wall, 11 on each side. This was my original intent and related back to some research I did about the possible roots of such images used in ancient Egypt.I really liked the space, so crisp(ish) and white. I thoroughly recommend it for use as well as it's not widely known about. Anyway, I opened the exhibition with an opening night. Loads of people came, and I did some filming too. I've put together two exhibition based videos which I put up on youtube. It's a good chance to see what some of the people involved thought, and a little insight into my thoughts behind the construction of the project.
(They're a little cut off on this blog so right click and watch on youtube)

After the exhibition a bunch of us went to the Chinese Quater for some foods which was nice. Since having the exhibition it feels like a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders but in no way has the work load actually decreased. In fact although I haven't taken an active stance in my current workload it seems to have increased from what it was.
The exhbition has currently moved to Perry Barr and is in the Union Building on Level2 opposite CafeDirect on the left handside and will be there until the 7th of May.
I'm looking into having it made into a book which is something to look forwards too. I'm also looking at approaching other Galleries with the series but would need money to invest in having it reprinted and framed rather than mounted.

Other than that I've taken on a couple of new projects. I'm helping a couple of fellow students Genevieve and Steph with their graphic project. They want to do a mock Ted Baker campaign based around Tea and Cake which should be fun (If you have any Ted Baker clothes or accessories we could borrow it would be a big help). I'm also going to enter a local competition, with a concept I have taken onto an abstract religious theme. I'm just trying to get my model to confirm at the moment. Another student, Sebastian, wants me to photograph his jacket for his fashion project, the theme being 'awkwardness, disturbed, like something's missing' so I'm putting some ideas together for that. There might also be a shoot I'm doing with Josh Sallon in June, so we'll wait and see.
So yea it's all go at the moment, leading up to the grand finalle as university draws to an end.

Preview Exhibition

2010-03-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

Last week I put up a preview of my coming exhibition in Perry Barr. You can see the 6 selected images in the Union building at Birmingham City University City North Campus. The images are of the High Priestess (Model Erica Millwood, MUA Joolz Hyland and Costume by Emily Britton), The Empress (Model Hazziehat Scheck, MUA Gaving Pickle), The Emperor (Models Adam Bennett, Tyler Blake, Maximillian Genoni, Murray Sommerville, Jeremy Williams, Ben Poultney), The Lovers (Model John Gihair, MUA Joolz Hyland), The Wheel of Fortune (Models Jess Charles, Martyn Aston, James Zaremba, MUA Roseanna Velin) and The Hanged man (Models Kyle Perks, Paul Og, MUA Roseanna Velin).
The full exhibition shall be launching on the 12th of April in the Works Gallery - details to follow

Surveillance on Cosmetics

2010-03-27T03:17:00.000-07:00

I went out and about town with make-up artists Gavin Pickle and Roseanna Velin, and friend Seth Blaine. We went into loads of shops video blogging and generally causing a scene. Especially in superdrug where the woman over the tanoy was like 'Surveillance of Cosmetics please!' THE CHEEK OF IT!!! Here's the video, check it out and subscribe!

In the print room

2010-03-24T05:22:00.001-07:00

I'm in the print room doing my printing! Here is my first print test of 'The Lovers' image on my new Oyster roll from Permajet that arrive today via Fedex. It was a day late due to Focus orders backlog but better late than never, let's hope the city council take that same view =)

Here you can see me and almost make out the printing genius that is Tony in the back. Enjoy!

Photography by Jannis Tsipoulanis

2010-03-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

I've just found this series of images that I really like and thought I would share with you. It's a series by Jannis Tsipoulanis and has some really nice styling. I want to know where I can find that necklace!

Waking in Tears

2010-03-22T01:33:00.000-07:00

So who likes to hear about random nonsensical dreams? Well here is mine… My mother is becoming angry about where to host the Christmas dinner and my father is being less than helpful. I go into the living room to see the table set; relieved it’s not in the bathroom or airing cupboard. My father comes in and my mother vents some anger to which my father says he was bonding with his children. My mother is relieved and decided to do the same by hosting a Milkshake Straw Sucking Competition in which you get a seriously long straw fill it with milkshake and two people suck it (one at each end) and you see who can suck the most part of the straw flat.

Now a crowd gathers and there is an elderly lady in it. She’s looking a bit shabby. She touches her hair and a large portion of her scalp falls of –cancer we decide. ‘Oh no, I’ve just dyed my hair, it must be that I got some on my scalp’ she implores –dementia we diagnose. It becomes my job to take her to the hospital.

Now it’s time for the roughly cut strange dream transition that sometimes occurs where everything changes. I’m with two guys, life long best friends. One is leaving, and one has dementia. I call us a taxi to take us to the doctor because I imagine that’s where you go when someone had dementia. We get in and I tell him where to take us. My friend with dementia is loosing his mind and memories. We’re in the taxi and his phone rings. He doesn’t realise its his phone, but then he does, but then he doesn’t realise how to answer it. I try to take if from him and there’s a little kafuffle and the phone is dropped.

He can’t remember how to use the phone to see who rang so I take a look, but annoyed with the situation he hits the phone out of the window. It’s tense and we’re all quite sad about what’s happening. ‘Don’t you hate it when you know everything is about to change and you can’t do anything about it,’ I ask the Taxi driver, ‘It’s not like what you had recently was amazing, I mean I’ve just been working and stuff, but over all, my time with these guys was something else and now it’s over.’
‘You just have to wait and see what the future holds’ says the taxi man. We reach our destination and come to a shop.

Queue final nonsensical dream transition that relates to other parts of the dream unmentioned. To get to the ‘gate’ where one of my friends has to go we have to buy special transport (a small blue creature like a rubber toy about the size of a pencil sharpener, of which we all ride on the back of). We’re deciding which one is best.
My friend with dementia becomes agitated and upset claiming he hadn’t given me my gift. ‘No, no, you have. You’ve given me my memories!’ I exclaim. We embrace and I’m so taken by his degrading memory and my resent to the coming end to our friendship I’m in tears. I awake bringing this part of the dream back with me.

3,141,600,000 miles around the Sun

2010-03-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

Having travelled over 3,141,600,000 miles round the sun since birth it was time to celebrate the date of my birth on the 16th of March, however I was too busy to do such a thing with shoots coming up on the Wednesday. Poppy got me a gift and card though which was nice and I plan to have some kind of celebratory gathering of friends in the coming week which should be nice.
Pierre et Gilles book from Poppy =)

The Fool, The Lovers and more

2010-03-13T04:08:00.000-08:00

I was in the studio again recently shooting for my Major Arcana project. I was working with models Luke Grimley and John Gihair, as well as with Make-up artist Joolz Hyland. I'm still going through the images and am hopefull for the end product. Here's a video we put together from the day, enjoy =)

Luke Grimley

2010-03-10T15:46:00.000-08:00

I took Luke Grimley in the studio today for a portfolio shoot. It was such a relief to be doing something photography based that was different to my current project. He was really easy and cool to work with and wants to get signed by an agency some time soon. Here are the pictures I took.

Lost inside my own confusion

2010-03-07T15:41:00.000-08:00

Well I've just woken up which will explain the slighlty more heart felt (or whiney) approach to this blog post. This project I'm doing is so difficult and because there is so much riding on it I am really feeling the pressure, so much so that I can hardly bare to be awake. I go to sleep to avoid thinking about it any longer. So far I've done 12 out of 22 photoshoot, some I really like and some I hate, some so much so that I want to reshoot them, but is there enough time to be thinking this? I've roughly got less than two weeks to get this done. That's 2 weeks to shoot 10-12 more images as well as finish editing them all, have them printed and mounted before the 19th of March is out.
The most difficult thing is that my corrispondence has dropped dramatically.
The other day when trying to organise shoots for this coming Wednesday, through Model Mayhem, and Facebook messages including a group based messages I would have sent out 200 messages. From that 200, I had 2 responces. That's 1%. You can imagine what a gut wrenching effect that would have. However I'm not giving up. I will try my hardest to get this done in the time. I've pulled it off so far, and I will continue to do so. I guess this is just goodbye to sleep.
I've had a lot of help from people, working as part of a team has really helped and I guess that is what this is all really about.
I still have unplanned images or images that have changed due to the circumstances and on top of that I haven't recieved the grant yet and my account is coming to zero. I'm going to fall short on my rent and will have to ask the bank to extend my overdraft tomorrow otherwise I don't know what I will do.
This project was about a lot of things and a lot of important things to me. Because it became so vast I lost some of that. Perhaps now for that final push as I fall into slight desperation I'll rememeber the reasons I started this projects and my initial intents.

A busy time

2010-03-05T04:09:00.000-08:00

So I've been behind on my blogging, and quite rightly so. Everything is up in the air at the moment. The 8 week challenge is definately on a hold at least for the next three weeks! I've been piling on the photoshoots as there isn't much time left. At the moment I have I've probably got 10 more to do and I'd quite like to reshoot one.
I've worked with another new Make-up artist Joolz who has done some wicked make-up for a couple of the shots and will be working again with me on Wednesday. I've also been working with Christina King who made this wicked crown for the Emperor shot, and she's going to be making a few more things to that I look forwards to.
On the 'Temperance' photoshoot James Lawrence Slattery and Gavin Pickle (Make-up Artist) did some modelling for me and Roseanna Velin did the Make-up. The costumes they're wearing were made by Kyle Perks who you can follow at www.Justin-Focus.co.uk
This image along with a short article will also be going into the next issue of Spaghetti Junction.
I think it's going well, and although very stressful at times I'm still enjoying it.
I shot judgement the other day, which is going to be the biggest nightmare to edit but here are some sample images I thought you might enjoy :)

The life of Sam

2010-02-14T02:54:00.000-08:00

One photographer who's work I have always appreciated is that of Sam Scott Schiavo. He takes wonderful portraits of men that capture a soft sense of masculinity and male beauty. They are very simple, often location based shots that have a natural, relaxed and personal feel to them. You can find him at http://www.samscottschiavo.com/ or follow him on http://samscottschiavo.blogspot.com/

8 Week Challenge

2010-02-12T13:38:00.000-08:00

So lately I've been looking at physical idealism. It featured heavily in my dissertation and I'm currently reading the book 'The Nude' by Kenneth Clark. The idea of the idea have changed little in 2,000 years, since the sculpting of the statues in the Acropolis.In todays society perfect bodies are everywhere and I have a keen intrest in this idealised beauty as part of my photographical work. Now I also believe it's important to moderately try to stay healthy and fit. To look good is to feel good in my opinion. I think it's lazy to let yourself go (especially to then complain). Any way yarda yarda yarda, you all get the jist. I've been watching Tim Shaw in "Extreme Male Beauty" and he set an 8 week challenge to improve himself, so I thought I would do the same, on my own terms.
Here's my plan:
8 weeks. Everyday protien shakes, 2 eggs, 2 litres of water, the recommended 5 a day and reduced general food crap.
Then the exercise plan:
6 days a week jogging,
Exercise every other day on rotation of Chest/Shoulder/Stomach then arms/legs

Today was C/S/S, this entales:
Chest-
Push ups - regular, incline and decline 3 x 10
Incline press 3 x 10
Open fly 3 x 10

Shoulders-
Front lift - 3 x 10
Side lift - 3 x 10

Stomach-
Crunch - 3 x 10
Leg raise - 3 x 10
Oblique - 3 x 10
Tuck - 3 x 10
Torso Track - 3 x 10

Every week I will upload a picture of my torso so I can moniter my progression (if any)
I also measured my chest at 34 inches and my flexed bicep at 12 inches.
There are several reasons I'm doing this. Mainly because lately I've been trying various extreme diets to see if I can find a cause for my eczema. These diets have included fruitarianism, in which I felt I lost a lot of body definition and weight. Another thing is the eczema... if my skin is going to act like a twat, it can at least do it on a nice frame. Then finally there is Baptiste Giabiconi!
I saw the video below and just thought... yea why not. So enjoy :)

Classic

2010-02-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

I remember watching this video in English in secondary school. They just don't make classic adverts like this anymore!

Games and Dissertations

2010-02-12T06:42:00.000-08:00

Today I handed in my dissertation that went under the title of 'The representation of men in fashion photography from 1999-2010'. I really enjoyed doing the research and writing it so I hope that comes across in my assessment. A large part of my paper was about Steven Klein who's work I find thoroughly refreshing and inspiring. He really presents an alternative light into the views on masculinity. I found today his series called 'Games and Restrictions' and thought I would post a couple of my favorite images.

Men's Fashion

2010-02-10T17:38:00.000-08:00

I got out from the library 'one hundred years of menswear'by Cally Blackman because I feel it important to have at least a basic knowledge of the subject. Cally (who teaches fashion history at Central st. Martins) gives in her opinion a brief history of men's wear. She starts by saying that menswear is often seen as dull in regards to the obvious glamour of women's fashion and this is somethign I have to agree with. Even today as I trawl through catwalk pictures all I seem to see is a sea of grey suits.
However she goes on to remind us what a large impact men's fashion has had on the industry, and especially in women's fashion. It is women who adopt the male wardrobe such as suits, trousers and shirts, and later work and sportswear. She also details how men are often responsible for introducing 'subcultural modes of dress', including, new romantics, gangsters, zoot suiters, Zazous, Teddy boys, hippies, mods and punks.
Blackman discusses how the suit is the most successful garmet of all time due to its functionality and adaptability. Recently I have learned of the reasoning behind the development of clothes and the need for functionality. Prior to the war, clothes were larger and used more material, but throughout the war period material was rationed for uniforms etc so clothes became slimer, and needed to be easy to menouver in.
Blackman says "To adapt a phrase from Le Corbusier, the suit is a machine for living in, close-fitting but comfortable armour, constantly revised and reinvented to be, literally, well suited for modern daily life."
I know it's not just me but armour... no, workers uniform/prison... yes. I relate wearing a suit to be like working in an office, everyday, the suit becomes your second skin. It begins to define you (here's the anti-industrialist Tyler coming out) but, today my modern life is not suited by a suit.

Cultural influence

2010-02-10T14:17:00.000-08:00

Recently in my various studies mainly for that of my dissertation I've been putting together my own mental study of the cultural effects on photographers. As photography is a creative pursuit it is in no way surprising that the photographers themselves are influenced by their past and cultural background. There are some cases I find particularly interesting. The most recent person I have come across is Mario Testino.
In this picture taken by Testino we see two suited men and another two in their underwear. Testino has discussed the fact when growing up he spent a lot of time in Brazil. He went to a lot of parties and because it was so hot there many people had pools. People would always carry around their bathing suits and often go for a swim. In this case for Testino the image above wouldn't be so unusual however in England such a sight isn't common place (in my opinion).

Another interesting photographer is David Lachapelle. His work, full of colour and excess is a representation of the American world. It's ability to push boundaries in a popular culture formed around the celebrity. In contrast to this we see the subtle workings of someone like Tim Walker.
His work shows a classical look of English refinement. It's dainty, white and filled with English countryside. It was Tim walked who originally drew me to this concept. His images look conventionally English because England is what he knows. He was raised in the countryside and so it is something he can relate to.
I feel in order to develop as a photographer I need to have a clear insight into what it is that effects my work. What is my cultural background? What parts of my upbringing stay in my mind? and I suppose to some degree, how do I view today's social climate? Further posts to follow (at some point...)

The Empress

2010-02-07T04:45:00.000-08:00

On Friday I was in the studio again shooting the Empress. You can see a make-up shot in a previous post. Like before I made a video for youtube so you can see what it was like on the shoot. A little sneak peak I guess. Hope you like it, rate and enjoy :)

Testino on Testicles

2010-02-06T11:33:00.000-08:00

In my dissertation I'm writing about Mario Testino and his perception of male fashion photography (or something to that extent). Testino says that although he loves to photograph men the depth of their vanity is limited. I find this arguable but his work speaks for itself. The images he has captured of men are fantastic, but I wonder whether he believes that to be the full extent of the man's place in fashion. It's taking us a long time to come to terms with the fact that yes, men moisturise, but I think the 'depth' of men's fashionabilty is growing.

Haz you seen?

2010-02-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

On Friday I was shooting Hazziehat Scheck as the Emperess for my Tarot Card project. Besides all my worries and set backs I think it went well. I'm still yet to fully examine my shots yet though so fingers crossed. In the end LaGavin Pickle the Make-up Artist was able to make it, and I'm glad because he did a fantastic job! Below is one of the shots I took, its a nice one where you can see just how awesome Gavin is at Make-up!

JakTube

2010-02-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

So I'm trying to branch out onto youtube. My efforts are pretty bad at the moment as technology and jargon is getting the best of me, but never the less I'm trying. I've uploaded two videos so far. The latest is a kind of 'making' video from my first photoshoot on my new project :)

Worth its weight in gold sequins!

2010-02-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

My make-up artist has had to cancel but it's okay because I got trained in the art of eyeshadow today so fingers crossed it should be all okay tomorrow. Also in accordance with tomorrow's shoot, I constructed another prop, that I think is quite sexy. It's a gold sequin globus cruciger!

Making

2010-02-03T15:38:00.000-08:00

Being the busy bee that I am, I'm making a lot of the props for my shoots (1 down 21 to go). Tonight I started making this christianesque broach. It's not finished yet as there are some 'rays' to be attatched but I'm pleased with it so far. Tomorrow I shall be papermaching melons and stabbing them with pencils to make those globey cross ball things (the name currently elludes me).

Dermalogical Rebellion

2010-02-03T12:22:00.000-08:00

I have some kind of eczema based skin allergy and lately I've tried to find the root cause of it. I was thinking food related as I have done for some time. I was lead to believe it could be because of my sugar in take so I fasted for 2 days and then started eating again. I was eating fruit and then cereals and etc. Eventually it came back. I usually don't mind looking like a monster, who's falling to pieces–In my mind I look like Fever Ray at her award acceptance–today however after an extended period without high intakes of refined sugars I rebelled. I brought a Mars bar on the way home. No itchyness as such, so later I brought a large bar of Dairy Milk!!!! Sugar intakes are back on. Next stop, reduced milk/dairy. And yes! I know chocolate has dairy in!!!

Idealize or Fantasize

2010-01-29T15:22:00.000-08:00

In 1972 Burt Reynolds appeared in Cosmopolitan magazine lying naked on a fur. It was the first of its kind and was somewhat ground breaking in the representation of men in popular media, however it was deemed highly inappropriate. Women were able to be viewed in a similar light, and were seen with acceptability. I feel it was the dominant men of the time who would cast out such imagery of the male form.
Today there are plenty of magazines that feature womens fashion and fashion in general. With men's fashion orientated magazines at such a low and other publications orientated around sports and sex i question whether men are able to idealize instead of fantasize. Is it possible to present hetrosexual men with a magazine based around them, their fashion and their bodies without them in someway wanting to fantasize over it thus putting their sexuality into question?

The Importance of Teamwork

2010-01-29T11:11:00.000-08:00

So I've been trying to distract myself all day, thus the new look blog and the various posts, and it's time for another one. I'm putting this picture up of the team from my shoot on Wednesday. It really shows how important teamwork is in producing a good shoot. I had originally planned to use two other models but one pulled out for work and there must have been some kind of 'miss communication' with the other. However, I spoke to Paul the night before and he gave me the all clear and because Kyle was on hand I was able to use him as a second model. I was working with Roseanna Velin for the first time, and she's a fantastic MUA so it was really wicked having the opportunity to work with her. Then there's Poppy, without whom i'd surely be lost. If it wasn't for Poppy I probably wouldn't even be doing photography!

Cropped tops for men this summer... if only

2010-01-29T05:12:00.000-08:00

I was looking at Romain Kremer's Autumn/Winter 10/11 collection and although quite a lot of it looked like something a mad doctor from a sci-fi film would wear, I thought there were some really striking pieces. I really liked all the cropped jackets and tops he had. Although I think it would look great, I doubt the world of men is ready to show a cropped section of their stomach this summer. Although, V neck lines have got lower and lower, there may still be hope!

Fearful Façade

2010-01-28T17:07:00.000-08:00

For almost 200 years the dress of the Enlgish gentleman set the standard for all nations. Where as women like to follow the latest trends men stay firm and almost seem fearful of the change. The gentleman's appearance was that of 'country pursuits' and had to be functional for a variety of causes. In today's societ no such practicality is present so I question what it is that keeps men's fashion so rigid? Is the modern man's centre the office?(research source:Colin McDowell's the Man of Fashion)

The Hanged Man

2010-01-28T11:00:00.000-08:00

So this was my first shoot for my latest project. This isn't the final image but it's one I thought I'd release. The models are Kyle Perks and Paul Og and the fantastic make-up was provided by Roseanna Velin!

And so it begins...

2010-01-05T01:17:00.000-08:00

Today is the day I start my asceticism. The word asceticism comes from the Greek Askein, which means to practice a skill or art. I find this relevant in context for the reasons I'm chosing to do this. Asceticism is voluntary self-discipline which can come in many variations. Because of my situations I shall not be going for the all out Buddha version but my own defined type.
I shall be having reduced sleep, refraining from sexual pleasure, food and a variety of other distractions. I do this, like many before me to seek a higher spiritual ideal in relation to my current Tarot card based photography project.
I want to be more than a photographer, or at least to not make photography a career choice, so I decided to become more actively involved in the creation of the images. When dealing with something like divination this seemed like the right choice as many ancient diviners such as shamans would have done similar things.
Forms of asceticism are also present in modern media, in one way or another:
The Elric brothers Ed and Al where sent to an island for a month with nothing but a knife. They were told to find the answer to 'One is all, and all is one'. At first they had no food, so this bodily deprevation to seek an answer before their eventual training is a form of asceticism.
In Fight Club people come to join Tyler in his mission. Tyler tells himself 'The applicant then waits for 3 days without food, shelter or encouragement. He may then enter and begin his training.' Once again we are shown a form of asceticism - Space monkey, ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good.
By having an altered perseption I hope to be able to come up with original images that come from within rather than gathered from other places. I seek the origins of imagery and the capture of human form. These are the reasons I am chosing to do this, and I hope I manage to stick it out, without it getting in the way of my other responsibilities. This world we live in can be so constricting.
It's only after you've lost everything, that you're free to do anything

Howl's Moving Castle

2010-01-03T10:37:00.001-08:00

The following are the images from my latest University project based around Howl's Moving Castle. It was a difficult shoot but I got there in the end.

Kaiul

2009-12-12T05:12:00.000-08:00

I needed to test out some new lighting for my next project. It's a little weird starting it without having finished my current project meaning my ideas are still all up in the air. Hopefully next week I'll be able to get it sorted though. Below is the image I took of Kyle, watch this space for future work...

What is Art?

2009-12-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

Without the academy to put in place artistic law the real definition of what art is, is somewhat lost and up for interpretation. Modern society rules anything with depth or meaning as pretentious, but I feel this this just a rouse so as not to appear to have any understanding of anything that hints at philosophy. Perhaps this is something to do with the age of technology.
I always say, 'It is the right of man to give meaning to that which has none,'. I think this statement encompasses what we believe art to be. I found a definition that details '(art is) the creation of beautiful or significant things'. With the ever changing state of the human condition, art is something we percieve to be so. It is something we give purpose to.
I suppose the real question here is, 'is anyone able to make art?'Some people look at pieces of art and because they don't understand it, or like it say that it is not art. Above I have provided a piece of abstract expressionist art by Pollock called 'autumn rhythm'. Some people may say this is merely paint thrown onto canvas rather than art, but I think it is the ability to create something and give it specific meaning that makes it art, appreciated or not.
The reason I write this blog post is because I am about to endeavour on the creation of a body of work. I have been given funding by Birmingham City Council to put on an exhibition of new work that I create. It is going to be based on photographical formats but I question what status I take upon myself and how that effects the relation my audience will have with my work. Am I a photographer, or am I an artist? Perhaps neither of these labels is fitting. All I know is that I want this creation to be more than just the production of images.

A Technical Hitch

2009-12-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

Tonight was the night I met Noddy and his lucky 20p.
Today I learned that if you search for something, you will find it.
Be who you want to be.

When the sky turns black, why do I feel so blue?

2009-11-30T17:04:00.000-08:00

My second favorite anime of all time is Tekkon Kinkreet staring the sensational characters Black and White. What I really like about this story is the connection between the two main male characters. The bond they share is the same as ying and yang in a sense. They are children of the street and live by their own rules (see why I like them now). They live like brothers so their bond contains no sexual link, but they're very close, relying on no one else but each other.Black is a particularly interesting character. The more calm and collected of the two, he holds knowledge and strength, blended with a slight hint of insanity. He's the anime worlds Tyler Durden to a certain extent.

Howl of the Monster

2009-11-28T14:40:00.001-08:00

We each read into things in our own way, this is the art of aberrant decoding. Something that really interested me was the transformation of Howl from the Studio Ghibli rendition of Howl's Moving Castle. Howl is a decadent and beautiful young man, almost obsessed with his looks. To me he represents a large portion of men today. Men who moisturise, pluck their eyebrows, have the latest hair cuts, carry bags, the list continues.What I find most interesting is how the introduction of the leading female character Sophie drives Howl away from his former beauty and he changes into a monster. Everything is abandoned and his appearance becomes more about his body. No trousers or jackets but feathers and claws. I'm glad I managed to cover this in my last shoot, it means that I'm working towards my goal. I want to explore the rebellion of men, the birth of the monster.

Howl's Moving Castle Sneak

2009-11-26T06:48:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday the 24th of November I finally pulled together my Howl's Moving Castle photoshoot. It was a near miss with some models being booked at 11.30pm the night before and others asrriving late. Never mind various people catching swine flu etc. In the end however it came together. He is a small cropped sneak preview of my first trial edit, just trying some things out, but this image (although it may be the only one) really captures what I was trying to communicate.

Creating a monster

2009-11-26T06:03:00.001-08:00

On the walk to university today I spotted a new clothing store, one that had the potential to show me something new. Unsuprisingly it didn't though, it was the same old thing you'd expect to see in any shop. At the moment I have an overwhelming boredom with fashion and fashion magazines at the moment. It is so saturated with similar things. Boring fashion shoots, and clothes we've all seen again and again. I can however see something that's starting to show it's face.
Taking fashion into the people's hands everyone has become a fashion icon to some extent. What about all the Tyler Durdens out there though. Everyone who wants to rebel, who feels they are no different to everyone else? There must be a hoard of people who will eventually collect together bringing about a new monster to the fashion world. Something self destructive perhaps.
Are clothes the extent of fashion? Surely it goes beyond that. Maybe in the beginning it didn't but by today's standards we seem to have extended beyond that. There is something hidden within our form, something that perhaps clothes cannot soley express that I hope to bring about. As James st James said (well, at least in the film Party Monster) "If you have a hump, sprinkle a little glitter on it, go dancing!" and let's not forget the narrator from invisible monsters, 'birds ate her face' yet she is prominant and striking.
I admire what Steven Klein did with Brad Pitt, this focus on Tyler Durden, this constrain and representation of the male form in a video format. Steven Klein: "(Brad Pitt) did some of his makeup himself. He wanted to use his body as a landscape. He's not like 'Look at me—don't I look good?' He morphs himself so easily. He's the perfect muse." Tyler Durden is my idol, there is no man I admire more that this fictional character by Chuck Palanuick. He is a marvelous creation, a fearless man built soley for escapism through a revolution in all who are trapped in society. Last time I went out, not to have fun but to earn money for a shoot, but still at a nightclub, I got chatting to one particular guy who sparked interest in me. He commented on me having no eyebrows. He asked why and thought about the cause. He plucked his eyebros into neat shapes, and had metal bases to his teeth. He sought change in his appearance yet was confused by my change. Because he didn't see it as an attractive change it confused him. But I say fuck being attractive! Be who you want, release the monster inside yourself. Self destruction is an art. Who are you trying to impress anyway?

ElliNoire

2009-11-08T07:07:00.000-08:00

Almost every time I produce work I'm more happy with the results than the last shoot, I mean that must be a plus because I feel I'm improving. My latest shoot was with my pregnant friend Ellie who wanted some creative shots prior to giving birth. She's passed the crutial stage and will give birth at any time, so now was the best time for the shoot. The bigger the better as they say. I was kind of scared that all the weird things I was making her do and the flashing lights my thrust her into labour. Martyn the studio man would have loved that no doubt!

James Lawrence Slattery

2009-11-08T06:31:00.000-08:00

I was very lucky to have such a good shoot with James Lawrence Slattery local club kid and general crazed ball of Androgynous fun. We had a cool idea in mind and it allowed me to try out some new studio techniques that I'm pretty happy with. We styled it together using James's own clothes and we did the make-up together too. Look at the eyebrows I did, they're pretty cool!

A review of the past

2009-10-22T01:46:00.000-07:00

So I haven't blogged in a while and a bit has gone on so it's about time that I did an update. I have a website that I'm pretty proud of, it's taken a while but now I have somewhere to showcase my work. It was made by Justin Focus, who is a cool website designer and followed my specification very closely. You can find it at www.flashyourjak.com alternatively if you search 'flash your jak' in www.google.com google will ask 'Did you mean: Flash your Rack?'. I've tried to keep the website pretty sharp and simple. It's very red and white, them being my favorite colour combination, and everything is pretty concise. Take a look let me know what you think :)

Howl's Moving Castle Shoot

2009-10-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

I may have directed some of you here so you can learn a bit more about the shoot that I'm putting together. It's a TF shoot taking place on the 9th of Novemeber in Birmingham, in one of the country's finest Jacobean Mansions. It's based on the story of Howl's moving castle, but changed into a fashion fantasy photoshoot. Below are a couple of pictures from the location.I am looking to cast 3 main male models and 2 main female models and 6 secondary Models. For more information on the roles and specific looks of the models contact me via email or MM. The six secondary models that I require will be dressed in black hoods with white masks and hats. They shall also have the top half of their bodies painted black similar to the illustration below.My Email is jakflash@rocketmail.com so message me there for enquiries. I look forwards to hearing from you.

The couple

2009-09-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

Onya

2009-09-14T07:01:00.000-07:00

Crossing the River

2009-08-28T12:56:00.000-07:00

Below is part of the series I previously did on the story of the Gingerbread Man for a university project. It was a fun and hectic shoot, lasting all day and was my first go at set construction. In my mind I had this idea of really false and obvious sets, relating to children's story books. However the project theme of this shoot was sexuality and desire so I thought it was a nice juxtaposition. The models are James Parsley as the Gingerbread Man and Craig Palmer as the Fox.

Exhibitions

2009-08-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been to a few exhibitions including 'Obama's people' shot by Nadav Kander at Birmingham Art Gallery. It was a nice series of large prints. I had varried feels about what I felt about the people on face value, which was a good feeling because the shots were so documentational.

I also went to London to see the Simon Foxton exhibition in the photographer's gallery. I'd previously seen his work on the front of Homme so it was cool to see a collective range. I was quite inspired by his scrap books and have gone on to start my own. It's a nice source of inspiration.

Who's tat boy?

2009-08-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

I got the chance to work with Paul who's one sexy load of guy. He's got it all. He's a well built, funny, free jumping, skater covered in anime tattoos. What more could you want?

Negative space and studio shoots

2009-06-17T06:19:00.001-07:00

It's been a long time coming for this blog but I'm finally ready to put up some of the shots from shoots I did recently. Before uni came to an end I organised some shoots with a couple of guys called Xander Bliss and Liam Wild and I made this shoot based around negative space. Below are a couple of my favorite images from the shoot.
On that same day I did another studio shoot with them because they brought a suitcase full of the best clothes so how could I resist?Then later on that week there was Romeo Draven and here's a shot from that shoot too.

Lucky Boxer shorts

2009-06-07T17:15:00.000-07:00

This evening I have thrown out my lucky boxers because I believe them to be unlucky. I have not worn them for sometime due to this factor of bad luck and have now decided it is time to part with them rather than endure another internal battle of whether to wear them or not every time I open my underwear draw.
This came about because I have decided to change, just in time for my 3rd year at university. This change comes every now and then, when I feel reflective and chaotic inside. I think to some degree everyone feels this level of tumult. I'm just beginning to realise that this is part of who I am and that I should act upon it. So, new me? No, just real me closer to the surface.

Proud to Party

2009-05-24T04:38:00.000-07:00

Copacabana, the final fontier

2009-05-21T07:25:00.001-07:00

Jak Flash
I saw Star Trek on Wednesday, pretty good. I give it a 7/10. Some amusing parts, but it made me wonder, do trekkies not find people attractive? Why was Chekhov the only fitty?
On another note I also did a Copacabana themed photoshoot with Poppy in the afternoon. We'd been approached by a stylist at university to shoot her clothes for her project. Above is one of the images from the shoot, pretty cool, shot in a very sandy studio! The model is Hilde Kvivik Kavli and the Stylist was Christina Skarpari. There was a nice range of clothes, shot in this 1940s modern nostalgia sense.
On Friday I also managed to speak to a really cool photographer from Brighton/London called Mario. He gave me a lot of advice about industry and stuff so I'm excited about the future. Gunna keep trying and see what comes about :)

Magic at the museum and other ventures

2009-05-18T15:54:00.001-07:00

This was me on Saturday night at the Gale when
I was taking pictures for 3sixty magazine.

At university today I started getting some inspiration for a shoot I plan to do next week with Xander Bliss, which should be fun. Another chance for me to use the studio before it closes for summer. I also went to the museum today because I have been meaning to go since the day Sir Edward Burne-Jones had more work brought to the museum. He's my favorite artist and his work continued to amaze me. I recommend going if you like art. He was a very talented man. Tickles my pickle anyway. Also in the museum right now is that portrait gallery of Obama's people. That too was good. Nice large portraits shot with 2 umbrella flashes creating nice flat images. It's the little details that are amusing though, like how all the black people just seem to be Obama's mates.
Finally there was the stroll in the park with Poppy, that weird one who lives beneath me. The park has come into bloom and is rather beautiful. Midges everywhere! But blue, pink and white bluebells where everywhere. Nice!

I have arrived

2009-05-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

So I finally decided to start up my own blog. Fall into the crowd and do what everyone else is doing. Better late than never I guess. I did have an 'online diary' on Facebook.com but its new page layout thwarted its popularity! So I'm back again, giving you some insight to what I'm upto :)