English Rose portraits

If  I don't share these photos now I'll sit on them waiting for the 'right time'.

The main English Rose photograph is the image that means the most to me of the whole set. My studio came with these murals and I had it noted on my shot list to see if the Queen Elizabeth 1st would work as a portrait shot. I had planned for Sophia to do a similar pose to Princess Margaret in the Cecil Beaton Dior dress image, sat with the dress flared all around and looking regal. The proportions and idea of Elizabeth looming over Sophia didn't work. 

I asked Sophia sit up on the mantelpiece where she nestled in front of Elizabeth as a successor rather than a subject. 

The result portrays An English Rose.

I'm really pleased with them but have been looking at them non stop for the last 7 days and have lost all perspective. I hope when I look back on them next year I will still love some of these shots. 

Sophia made every shot beautiful, it was impossible to choose. Usually I get maybe 20% usable images from a shoot. I’m not great at directing or use the wrong settings. This shoot there were 90% usable. A professional model makes a huge difference. 

I booked Sophia to model as I had worked with her before and knew she was professional and had the face I needed. Sophia is also a designer maker and creative from London so in this image in particular was fitting not just in looks but in identity. I understand this is very much my gaze and about my own cultural identity being British and needing a way to look at it with hope and pride. 

To feel the shame of being English which I had for so long, discounted all the people here who are brilliant and inspiring and just getting on. I gave too much focus to those who hate and need to only give air to those who hope. 

I just kept saying to myself, focus on the beautiful. This is what its about. 

These are my favorite 11 today

Model - Sophia Brown aka Velvet Jones

Photographs - Alexandra King

Dresses - Alexandra King 

Pink Peony Dress Remnant Photographs

The remaining photos that didn't make it to the set that I still liked on their own. Some were experiments, some with a different light. When I shot these a year ago I loved making everything misty. When I can to edit them this week I wanted things sharper. I guess I'll keep changing styles and using different techniques for different situations. 

Photographing Velvet Jones

These photographs were taken last year behind the scenes of the Deadly is the Female shoot for the A/W collection. 
I was in awe of Sophia aka Velvet Jones who modeled with such elegance. I'd love to work with Sophia again with a ballet aesthetic.
I'm finding it really difficult to explain what I call beauty and why I choose my aesthetic. Its subjective, its definitely in the eye of the beholder and everyone is individually beautiful. I've met lots of beautiful women but a natural confidence and intelligence always come through. 

I need to learn more about the ethics and philosophy around beauty and aesthetics. Choosing and photographing a person as a model can be uncomfortable as they become an object of beauty that I am checking and observing.  

I definitely need to learn to take a sharper image in low light black and white but I love these dressing room photos. 
Below the colour images I tried to get the koda-chrome red look. The green and yellow were happy accidents but I loved the mid century style. 

Other edits - playing around with a more powdery matte look.