Raising the Red Lantern with Sean O'Malley

So Tokyo here I am!! After 3 years of putting it all off, I finally decided it was time to visit my hometown, the place I was born, raised and left 17 years ago. During my absence, though, I began modeling and over the years gained ample experience, building my portfolio and reputation in the industry in UK and Holland. So now's the time to expand in Japan!! How strange it feels... I now beam with pride yet blush with embarrassment being referred to "Miu, that model visiting from Europe". But I have to say, I'm enjoying this 3 weeks of fame!

During my journey, there were a couple of photographers though who happened to be in Japan on business. It was sheer coincidence that London-based photographer, Sean O'Malley, happened to be in town, which I discovered when looking at the casting calls on Model Mayhem before I had left. I had the pleasure of shooting with him two years ago at the Bunker group shoot near North London and remember him to be a polite and professionally-mannered photographer. In fact, it was the first time I wore a corset back then ,and I recall how sweet he was, being very concerned as I couldn't breathe and felt I was going to faint! This time, though, we decided to do a pure fashion shoot incorporating the Tokyo nightlife. The date was set for Thursday, 22 September 2011.

Initially, Sean suggested that we shoot near his hotel along the water front and then in his room. However we decided we wanted to take advantage of being in Tokyo and thought it would be an idea to include a "typical" Japanese setting such as street signs in Japanese and all the bright neon signs. He came up with Akasaka-mitsuke, an upscale street lined with bars and restaurants, as well as Japanese entertainment establishments like pachinko parlours and "hostess" bars, which are somewhat unique to Japan.

Despite the rain following the typhoon the night before, we went ahead with the plan. After all, we're both from the UK so accustomed to "a little rain won't hurt us"! We met at Akasaka-mitsuke subway station, and as Sean had only a couple of hours, we paced up and down the bar district searching for perfect spots and shooting whenever a suitable one came by. I loved the way Sean would occasionally twist his camera sideways to "blur" the background and create some quirkiness in the image. Through manipulating the settings, though, the subject (me) would still stay in focus.

During the shoot I had two outfit changes. Both of the evening wear were designed and made by my friend in Holland, Farzana Warasta. I have previously shot quite a number of times with her dresses because I love how they flatter my build and of course, the colours are so beautiful! The first outfit was a black tube dress with gold specks on it fastened with a thick gold chain to add some bling-bling to it. The second outfit was a vibrant cobalt blue halter dress with frills, one of my favourites. They certainly went very well with Tokyo's colourful nightlife!

Sean was so kind to invite me for a bite to eat. We had some Taiwanese food, which is spicy and delicious. Intelligent and articulate, he was very interesting to speak to and he seems to enjoy his day job involving computer games. After the shoot, we hopped onto a taxi to Shinagawa station near where his hotel was. We even continued shooting during the ride! Now that was quite cool. I was to be sitting relaxed with the background of Tokyo city passing by among the neon lights while the cab was moving.

This was the first time I've done an outdoors shoot in the evening. And in Tokyo of all places! I have never even done one in London! Perhaps when am back there, it would be something to consider about doing, perhaps in Soho or by the Thames. Amsterdam would be good too, in where else but the Red Light District!

Sean was very quick at producing the results. He said he was too impatient! Considering only 36 hours or so passed since stepping off the plane from London with an 8-hour time difference from Tokyo, I must say I was quite amazed how much better the pictures turned out than I had expected. Thank you so much Sean for this wonderful opportunity. It's always wonderful to do shoot something different, especially abroad!

For more pics on this shoot, please click on my FLICKR PAGE!

Elegantly Erotic with Helyos Photography

Again my apologies for not updating my whatabouts. A lot of preparation for my present Tokyo Tour! Just before leaving, I had the pleasure of working with the photographer behind Helyos Photography, an Italian living in Hengelo, Holland, near the German border. He found me on Deviant Art, where I have a profile, and asked if we could work together. I was most chuffed as his work is most outstanding and so well thought out. Much of his work involves fine art nudity focussing on the beauty of the female form which very few photographers manage to capture. We set the date for Saturday 10 September 2011.

The train ride from Amsterdam was two hours but it was well worth the trip. When picked up at Hengelo station, I was rather surprised to notice how much younger the photographer was than I had imagined. Yet he was certainly very pleasant and intelligent with a very mature and professional attitude towards his work. I immediately felt at ease with him. We walked to his flat about 10 minutes walk where the "studio" was.

The set was a simple yet effective one. A futon bed was plonked in the corner of his lounge by the balcony which gave ample natural light. With white as the intended background, the futon was covered by a soft white sheet and scattered with a couple of big white fluffy cushions to add more structure and dimension. The whiteness gave a crispy edge to the images especially amid my tanned complexion and black cloth used as a prop. We started with a warm up shoot, typically in which I wore some lingerie. The bulk of the shoot though was all nude. I also asked if I could do some "anonymous" close ups of body parts which he was happy to do.

The photographer was a perfectionist and very meticulous in his work. Knowing exactly what he wanted, he gave me detailed directions on where exactly to lie down or place my hands or feet. I was more than happy to oblige because I too wanted to have perfect results! We also experimented with various poses which we got inspired through other people's work we saw on Deviant Art. We realised that some didn't work but also modified them to suit my stature. We shot for a few good hours...

I have been receiving the results bit by bit as he edits them. So far I've been extremely elated with the images! His post-production skills are also to be commended. I love how he softens the black/white contrast to give a more velvet feel to the image. It really makes the explicit poses look so much more sophisticated.

We plan on working together again soon. I can't wait! For this shoot, I do recall him asking me to bring some Japanese kimono which I didn't have so I may pick up a yukata or a cloth on my way back to Amsterdam. I thoroughly enjoy working with creative photographers and exchanging ideas. That's a true Artiste! Thank you so much for your time and for producing such beautiful work of art.

For more images from this shoot, please browse through my Flickr page!

Miu is in Uniform in Antwerp!

What a pleasant change to go back to fetish shoots! It's nice to get my creative self back on the track. For the third time, I had the pleasure of shooting with Joris Bruyninkcx over in Antwerp on 24 August 2011. A year has passed since we worked together for the first time! Since then, we also shot in Brussels, if you recall some of the daring ones I had done at the train station and the hallway and lifts at the Hilton Hotel!

Joris picked me up at Antwerp Berchem station and this time, took us to a derelict school building. How he finds these places is a complete mystery to me but I hear that derelict buildings in Belgium are, unlike Holland and the UK, not as difficult to come by. All I was instructed was to bring a long were two pairs of shoes, one black & one white, along with black and white lingerie sets with matching stockings & suspenders. I was very curious to find out what Joris had in his goody bag this time!

There were to be three scenarios. The first two were with me in a nurse's uniform, while the last one with me as a schoolgirl. Unlike these cheesy imitiations one gets at "Fancy Dress" shops, these are genuine uniforms sourced through Joris' connections with the theatre industry. The only thing he did was make the nurse's caps by white cardboard!

And wow, the venue was so perfect! An old school building complete with grafitti and even the blackboard still had writing on it! So eerie and scary indeed. When we entered, there was another photographer shooting at one of the classrooms so it must be a popular spot as well! The ground though was rather wet and muddy, and I was secretly cringing as the only pair of white shoes I have in Amsterdam is a brand-new designer one! But oh well, they can be wiped after use, and besides, it's worth the wear for this photoshoot!

For the first nurse outfit, I was to be cute, sweet and glamour-like. So underneath the uniform was a pair of white stockings and suspenders for added naughtiness. Later on, I was to get my hands tied up on the doorknob with some rope, looking helpless.

The second nurse's set wast to be the complete opposite! Joris had already prepared the nurse's tunic by painting some red spots on them to make them look like blood. The tunic was then tied from the back revealing my backside. With the outfit came a pair of white over-the-knee socks with a Red Cross on the base. I was then handed over with a chainsaw, pretending I've just about killed someone. So psycho nurse I was!

The final set was of me in a schoolgirl uniform! In the past, Joris' shoot of me dressed in a Japanese seira-fuku and in a Belgian private-school uniform was a real hit. I apparently play the role of a naughty schoolgirl quite well. That's because I was naughty when I was a schoolgirl, that's why! Joris provided me with an American Catholic School uniform which he found on eBay. And what to wear underneath it? A pair of white panties of course! What fun that was. I think it was my favourite set, as it not only brought back childhood memories, but having gone to a strict snotty Catholic school myself, helped released all the repression and smack in the middle of a classroom!

We continued this school uniform set at a construction site where Joris drove us. The next venue was a hut which looked like it was built from a huge container. Funnily enough, we were able to see trucks driving in and out from a distance, and despite shooting at visible locations, all were quite oblivious to what was going on, even during the scene where I was to sit on the floor and mischievously pull my knickers off. We recalled that the first time we shot at a derelict site a year, the police walked in on us!

To conclude the day, we did some topless lingerie shots. From fetish to glamour! I wore a pair of black/red knickers that had suspenders attached, along with a pair of black stockings. Unfortunately, we couldn't take our time over this set as Joris had to pick his children up and I had a train to catch. But we know there's always going to be a next time!

The train ride back to Amsterdam took 4 hours, about twice as long as going to Antwerp. Due to technical problems, we had to hop on a slow train and change near the border and wait for 45 minutes for the connecting train back home. I must say I was miraculously not even stressed as I thought about what a fun shoot I had and how it was worth this adventurous journey! Thank you, Joris, for making it enjoyable again! Can't wait to shoot with you yet again soon!!!

For more of Miu's images for this shoot, please go to Flickr:

Naughty Nurse
Psycho Nurse
Naughty Schoolgirl