After talking concepts with Andy for a little while, I found myself drawn to one of his moodboards in particular - simply labelled “neon”, the collection of images all shared that dark, curious sense of fantasy in the night. It got me to thinking about a beautiful old coat I had sitting at the back of my wardrobe, just waiting for the right shoot to do it justice - a touch whimsical, but still mature and gracefully dominant. Combined with inspo from A$AP Rocky’s L$D video, we had a great concept on our hands. Red-light district and Chinatown themes came through in the images, and the shoot was able to inhibit a hidden nighttime energy of Melbourne's CBD.
We were lucky enough to have Melissa come along to work on hair and makeup for the shoot, despite her having to travel to and from Bendigo! In record time she and Sabrina whipped out this great look - glossy, dewy and strobe-y, and bronzed to the high heavens. Tousled wet hair helped make the look come alive, and the rough-and-tumble elegance was exactly what the look needed. Andy is a thoughtful kind of photographer and spoke about storytelling through his work, and it’s clear it paid off through the almost tangible narrative in these final shots.
Hopefully you enjoy these photos as much as we loved creating them!
SOPHIE
I loved having the opportunity to shoot with Sophie, she's honestly one of the sweetest angels I've had the chance to work with. She completely allowed me to take the reigns on styling myself in my own clothes, which was obviously fun for me. I took a bit of a chance on the HMU work for this shoot and used Kylie Lip Kit in Kourt K for the feature eye detail - might leave that to the professionals from now on, though...
Thanks for making me feel like a babe, Sophie!
ALEIRA MOON
I had an amazing time collaborating on this shoot - Aleira Moon was a ball of energy and whimsy, and her creative vision was definitely one I fell in love with as soon as I first laid eyes on her work. The idea behind this shoot was "Colour Punk", and while incidentally a lot of the final shots turned out beautifully in black and white, playing in this colourful abandoned building with so much gorgeous light pouring in made for a great day.
Lucie Stauff was the talented soul behind the hair and makeup - I've never worn such intricate braids before, and I'm still left in awe of her patience and skill!
Lastly, I especially fell in love with the stunning headpiece by Crystal Eclipse Crowns - Michelle, the Melbourne-based creative behind the label, makes magical crowns, hair combs and other jewellery with unique gemstone pieces.
Yeah, the amazing results of this collaboration have left me on a creative high, to say the least.
TARAN AND MATT
Photos by Taran (Sore Eyelids)
Photos by Matt (TVF Photography)
It was so great meeting Taran and Matt a few weekends ago - this shoot was super last minute, but turned out so gorgeously.
I was honestly so anxious about doing such a stripped-back and relaxed shoot (check out how casual my outfits are and how natural my makeup is), but I couldn't be happier with the final shots. It was great to get out of my comfort zone and not hide behind elaborate looks to produce some great images.
Thanks guys!