Fashion Adventures

I got to appear in a fab publication for Cotswolds Life Magazine's May issue - 'Wild Beauties' fashion feature - modelling elegant Feva Designs clothing, photographed by Adam Robertson. I was working alongside my great friend Madame Bink, with hair styling by Jay Jessop and make-up by Sophia Chammings. The location was the incredible Aynhoe Park - an absolute adventure of mystery to explore - huge rooms topped with extravagent chandeliers, filled with giant furniture and elaborate, fascinating artefacts from roman statues to monkey skulls, and an amazing range of taxidermy including a lion, python and huge polar bear!

Photographer: Adam Robertson Photography (www.adamrobertson.co.uk)
Models: Madame Bink (www.madamebink.co.uk) & Ivory Flame (www.ivoryflame.co.uk)
MUA: Sophie Chamings (www.sophiechamings.co.uk)
Hair Stylist: Jay Jessop (www.jayjessop.com)
Assistants: Stefano Brunesci & Andy Doane
Clothing/Accessories: FEVA (www.fevadesigns.com)
Location: Aynhoe Park (www.aynhoepark.co.uk)

In between shooting I snuck off a few times around the rooms and corridors - quirky, weird and beautiful things around every corner. The creepy library was a cluttered mass of curious objects... intricate antiques, cases of jewels, jars of formaldehyde creatures. I pretended I was in an Indiana Jones movie, secretly looking for clues :-) There's some more 'Behind the Scenes' pictures and a video of one of the amazing bathroom's on my Facebook Page too.

Here are some more gorgeous images from the day, shot so well by Adam Roberston. I love my smooth hair in the first two especially. It was lovely to be styled so beautifully with such elegant outfits and accessories. The whole day was such an experience and I adore the images so much :-) Hope you like them!

Soft Light

Some pretty nudes with beautiful soft lighting, taken by Ian Mears, at one of the cool 1-to-1 & workshop days that run at Light Spot Studio in East London. More updates soon! :-)

The Palms

I got the chance to be involved in an exciting shoot a while ago arranged by awesome photographer Drew Gardner at a rainforrest-esque Palm House location. It would be slightly different to usual as Drew was going to be using a special type of infra red camera of which there are only 3 in Europe, plus there would also be some slithering accessories :-D

I was working alongside the beautiful Madame Bink and we also had the talented Jay Jessop doing our hair & make-up, as well as assistants Lucinda Marland, Jaraslaw Wieczorkiewicz, Imelda Demsy, Portia Birch, Adam Robertson and Hazel of 'Wrigglies'.

When we gathered into our location at the start and Drew came close to whisper to us all that there were a few things he hadn't exactly told the people whom he had sought permission from to use the location... "They don't know there will be this many people here, they don't know there will be nudity, and...they don't know there will be snakes"....me & Bink exchanged a glance of panicked hilarity. But everything was fine just a few quick cover-ups needed now and then. Like squatting on the floor from passers by admiring the banana plants whilst trying to keep a rising snake head from appearing from under the same cover I was attempting to hide my naked bum cheeks with. Bit difficult. That snake was one curious and strong little dude!


The behind the scenes video is a great momento of the experience and fun to watch the process. The final photographs have a surreal and otherwordly feel of a strange and beautiful long lost Eden.

The Palms from drew gardner on Vimeo.

Through My Reflection

On my trip to Manchester earlier this year I luckily got to shoot with the lovely, talented soul that is India Hobson. Check out her website www.indiahobsonphotography.co.uk for more of her work. I adore her photography style and it was such a great collaboration, wonderful to work with someone who thinks in such a similar way; we shared a lot of the same attitudes and thoughts. The natural light was very beautiful and it was a really creative and productive afternoon. It left me feeling both positively perplexed and inspired, keen to explore more into ideas of image and beauty and the 'face' we present to the world. I love the softness and quietness here though in these images which relates to a big part of my personality, and I like the space showing the room and air around me.


We has been talking about how the model acts as a muse for the photographer to express his/herself, and how in a way it's like using their body, inhabiting it as a vessel to visualise your inner feelings. I like the image in the set below where India holding her camera is actually visible reflected in the centre of my out of focus image. As I do photography myself I found I could relate to India's perspectives, as she has also modelled for her images, and it gave me good food for thought about my role as 'model'.


I wanted to try my best to be really natural on this shoot, not posing too much at all and trying to project my inner 'faceless' self rather than my physical 'shell'. I've tried not posing before and I do find it really challenging... as even 'natural' posing can be set up. It is hard to switch off that mode of performance no matter how subtle it may be. But isn't that the point of being a model? Modelling for the camera is something that has become so normal to me and it's almost like I've forgotten how NOT to pose, or at least I find it hazy where the line of posing vs being natural begins and ends. I've had some photographers attempt to capture me entirely without posing, caught unaware or not prepared for the shot, and it has at times made me feel really uncomfortable and more naked than any lack of clothing could. You give a lot of yourself as a model, especially with the freedom/request to be expressive, it is a great thing but sometimes you have to have limits. I can liken it to my massage work, where when giving holistic treatments and similar therapies, it is important to 'ground' yourself at the end of each session to seperate your energy from the client, rather than letting too much of yourself spill over into the other, and vice versa, to encourage equilibrium.

However I am interested into what I feel, in relation to what I look like, and what that makes me. I'm still contemplating about it and possibly not explaining myself very coherantly. so apologies if this just sounds like rambling self absorbtion. It seems it is often only models who can understand where I'm coming from. But most people have experienced that feeling of staring into a mirror so long that suddenly your face seems to change, or looking into your reflection and not recognising what you see, in relation to what you feel inside, for a split second your face seems like a stranger's. Saying your name over and over again until it seems to become detached from yourself, unbelonging to you and floating there meaningless, rather than the title to your whole being and identity.
Sometimes people say that getting models to pose in pictures is contrived and not real. They could be right. But I was there, in those moments of that day, living, breathing, as human and normal as the next person... I looked into the lens and tried to open, open myself to the shutter that was recording me in that millisecond of my life. I wonder if a photo on a shoot can ever be natural if the model knows it is being taken. I wonder if I can really show myself seperated from my outer physical shell or if there will always be a barrier between the skin and the soul that the camera can only look through a sheet of glass at. I wonder if it is possible to photograph a soul.

We also did some self portraits for a project of India's, where she set up the camera with a remote trigger and left the room for 10 minutes or so, allowing me to photograph myself however I liked. This felt like an even more interesting exploration. Suddenly being left in a room with no-one to perform to but myself... but; I would have a future audience - India would look through the set, and whoever went on to view the resulting published pictures. I'll hopefully get to show those soon, I think they turned out pretty interesting.

Portrait Award Shortlist Unveiled

I had some great news recently that a painting of me by artist Louis Smith was accepted into the BP Portrait Awards, and brilliantly it was announced yesterday he is shortlisted along three other artists for the prize award!! You might have seen me write about it on my Facebook Page already... but here is a link to the article on the BBC news website http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13060213 (I have BBC news as my homepage and look at it almost everyday so to be on there is pretty freakin' awesome!) It has also been in last night's and today's newspapers (I am referred to in most as 'naked model Holly') and I've had lots of emails and messages of 'is this you?' and congratulations, as far as from Canada, Hawaii & New York! So thank you! I am very excited and can't wait to go see it when the exhibition opens on 16th June at the famous National Portrait Gallery in London!!

The man behind this is, of course, the artist; amazing Manchester based Louis Smith, classically trained and painting for all his life. You can read in his Bio his interesting struggle and development throughout his career, which lead to him deciding to fully commit to Classical Realism Art, going to Florence to study for three years, and since being shortlisted for the Threadneedle Prize as well as the BP Portrait Award.
You can see more of his work and read his thought process on his website www.paintaportrait.org (I'm going to use some extracts from his text to help tell you more about the painting too) There's also photos of the step by step process and set design, helped by the wonderful and talented Carmel Said.


The painting entitled 'Holly', which is Oil on canvas, shows the type of art Louis enjoys to do; portraits of people but in historical and mythical settings to add interest, as a kind of dramatic and theatrical scene where they are the star. It's a style called 'narrative portrait' that was used years ago for anicent nobels, where they would commission paintings depicting themselves as educated scholars, warrior type figures, athletes or mythological figures. Typicaly idealised in the nude or some state of undress, when the culture celebrated the human form as a higher aesthetic.

Louis writes... 'The stories from Ancient history and religion are a moral guide through the experiences of the human condition... usually dark tales with the hero emerging triumphant. We can all identify with the parts characters have played in these dramas. I would like to use narratives which the sitter can relate to as a personnel affirmation for the future.'

In the painting for the awards, the portrait of me is based on the allegory of Prometheus; but in female form. Prometheus was the champion of mankind from greek myth, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals. Zeus punished him for his crime by having him bound to a rock while a great eagle ate his liver every day only to have it grow back to be eaten again the next day. 'In this portrait Holly is looking into the face of the eagle with a calm resilience, accepting the fate that lies before her. It’s a heroic gesture of composure in the face of adversity.'

Donor portraits were common through Medieval and Renaissance times, where the person who had commissioned and paid for the painting would feature within it, usually shown kneeling to one side, smaller in the foreground of the image and late into the Renaissance, whole familes would be included. By the mid 15th century donors were shown integrated into the main scene, as bystanders and even participants.

I think the concept of themed portraits is brilliant and am already thinking of other scenes and stories I would love to be added into myself, the idea of being plucked and painted into another time/place conjures up amazing images of jumping from one part of history into another, like a fantasy timetravel or narnian magic (it sort of reminds me of when the little girl in Roald Dahl's 'The Witches' is transported into the painting and remains living there static, but with her position eerily changing from day to day) The thought of being immortalised in your chosen scene, giving whatever image and message you desire is a powerful and exciting thing.

Louis also teaches workshops and portrait courses and there's some videos on his website to demonstrate his painting technique, as well as all his contact details.

I hope that if anyone reading can get to London you will be able to go and visit the National Portrait Gallery to view the exhibition when it starts on 16th June, to see this piece up close alongside the other 50 of so artworks accepted into this years collection. It is a huge 12 x 8 feet and in a giant golden frame so you shouldn't miss it! Let me know what you think :-)

Finally a big congratulations to Louis again for being nominated for this superb award, I am very pleased he is getting great recognition for his skill and dedicated hard work, and a huge thank you to him for asking me to be part of this piece which is a fantastic experience for me :-) Best wishes Louis!

Raven Child

I already worked with talented young photographer Raluca S earlier on in the year in Birmingham, on some gorgeous fresh & dreamy images. This time she travelled to me and we shot near my house in Aylesbury. It was lovely weather and we got loads done working around the fields and woodland. These were taken near the end of the day, as the light of the bright sunny afternoon was fading and dusk was setting in. After given an array of clothing choices from my wardrobe Raluca wanted to use my black feather cape, and found some blossom covered trees to use as a spiralling blurry backdrop. She has a great creative eye and superb ability to capture beautiful detail and mood. I just did a quick smokier make-up look to go with the styling and everything worked beautifully. I love how the selected focus picks out the colour of my eyes and texture of my hair, as well as the shimmering greeny-blues of the feathers against my light skin, and the frame of tiny flowers buds adding that air of magic and enchantment. You can click the images for a larger view :-)

Quiet from the Constant

I have got really behind with my blogging and updating recently, I've got loads of galleries to browse through of pictures, and behind on a fair few emails too. I was discussing this with a model friends recently... it basically becomes impossible to keep up with the amount of emails you receive. As this is my full time income I need to put priority to the paid bookings, organising my travel trips and messages regarding plans for bookings in the immediate future... but I also try and give good post-shoot communication to photographers who've booked me, taking time to give feedback to images if requested, leaving references, sending links to other models they may like to work with etc. I also get a whole host of other emails from around the world, including messages of admiration, questions, comments, requests for critiques, requests for travel... so as hard as you try to keep up with them all and as late you stay up at night - realistically there comes a limit of what you can actually physically manage.
I know all the attention is fleeting and one day my inbox will be a lot quieter :-) I do appreciate it but admit I find it a little difficult to deal with sometimes. The problem is as I'm sure many people know, the internet communication can take over your life a little. For instance you are often expected to always reply immediately even if the matter is not urgent, and it's just not always possible. I do take days off and weekends off. Sometimes I do miss mails or mark them 'unread' and forget/take ages to get back to them. I'm no perfect email angel. I would have no life if I was and I'd be a pretty tired looking model! I spend a LOT of my own personal time on the internet and maintain my professionalim but recently I have come to accept I have to walk away from my computer sometimes, it is already tricky enough with the modelling bookings and travelling to fit in all the regular stuff like cooking, cleaning, doing the food shopping, calling your mum, catching up with friends, getting a decent amount of sleep etc, and you definately need quality free time to chill out and live life totally and completely switched off and AWAY from the internet too.

I'm now also in the last couple of months of my massage course and have a lot of coursework and case studies, including revision for more exams so I'll be concentrating my time on putting lots of good energy into all that. I'm still taking my modelling bookings but for other messages please bear with me... I promise to keep up with my blog entries to share as much cool new work as possible! :-)

Recently I've had more messages from newer models asking for advice, so I really need to do a blog some time soon to address some frequently asked questions, so keep an eye out for that one, but as I always say; I can only speak of my own experience... different things work for different people, but hopefully I can pass on a few things that might be helpful to others.

For now I'm gonna post some photographs taken by Vlastimil Buzek, from my last trip to Dublin, Ireland. I have to say I just adore these images with their delicate blur, deep shadows and distortions. There is something about them that really draws me in as I think they really captured a feeling. They remind me of a lot of thoughts I have on image and what is real and what is an illusion. Really beautiful work. Please click for a closer look.