Shooting in the Ruins with Steve Cottle

Once cancelled because of the heavy snow in January, this shoot was rescheduled, one which I was looking forward to. Having shot at the Brighton Group Shoot last summer, I was so impressed with Steve Cottle's work that we promised to shoot again soon . He invited me over to his turf in Bath (8 February 2010) where I stayed over at his parent's the night before for an early start in various outdoors venues nearby.

Despite being quite young, Steve is quite an experienced photographer having started with nature and landscape photography and having spent some months in South Africa on holidays. He is interested in expanding his horizons more, going into glamour and art nude, as well as some alternative themes, and takes his hobby very seriously. As we are both open to new ideas and enjoy experimenting, we just went with the flow of things. Steve was even thoughtful enough to pass on some of his ideas to me prior to the shoot with sample images, and this gave me hints as to the styles of outfits and mood we could achieve.

We were originally supposed to start with shooting in a derelict fortress right across his house. However, we were so excited about rescheduling the shoot that we forgot that it was the beginning of February! The fortress was an open area with no roofs or ceilings and maybe just one wall but it certainly couldn't shield us from the cold so we moved to another venue. Steve suggested a disused iron mill which was about half-hour drive between Bath and Frome.

Having arrived there, it was a tad better but freezing!!! Part of me said I was crazy and ought to cut the shoot short than risk catching pneumonia. Another part of me was telling me to shut up and get on with it. Hell, I travelled all the way there for the weekend so why not make the most of it? And I knew if I turned away, I'd regret it... and quite rightly so because the venue was oh so perfect... a disused iron mill from centuries ago, now a beautiful stone ruin surrounded by the gorgeous greenery of the woods. I have the images above to prove it!

The first set was taken in the main "hallway" where I decided the outfit have a fetish touch to it, school girl uniform with PVC thigh high boots! This was actually inspired by one of the images Steve had sent as an idea for the shoot. The background of the ruins was perfect for this outfit! We then went to the woods where.... brrrrrr.... we thought we'd throw in a lingerie set. Violet bra and panty set from good old La Senza. Yes in the cold! Sounds crazy? Well, I next ended up taking my kit off! The picturesque greenery was just too good to miss for some nudity....and of course some naughtiness as I do get a kick out of the thrill of risk getting caught by the public LOL.

To take a break from nudity and to give my body a tad of warmth, I got into my red basque and black miniskirt, shooting in and around the woods, the trees and another piece of ruin. Ruins are indeed a wonderful backdrop for any sort of themes including fashion, fetish and nude. Again, they were too beautiful to miss for a good "art nude" shoot so once more I stripped down and "thought of Japan" (as opposed to England) as I braved through the bitter cold whilst getting my thrills!

Just as I was getting into the swing of it all, we decided to call it a day, as it unfortunately began snowing. Such a shame but we had Steve's expensive camera and lighting equipment to consider as well. Looking back, I can't believe how mad I was to shoot in such a condition. Cold weather, though, has a positive effect on outdoor images, particulary nudes. Contraction of muscles whilst shivering in the cold enhances definition and tone to one's body which is ideal in photographs. And funnily enough, it adds colour to one's complexion. As such, I was very pleased with the outcome of the images!

Steve and I will be shooting again soon definitely once the weather warms up more, when it will be his turn to come down to Horsham. Time to do some research now for ideal venues nearby! If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Meanwhile, I would like to thank Steve for his time and for making this freezing shoot actually so fun!

Visiting Jessica Evans in Breda, NL

In case you didn't notice, I disappeared to Holland in the latter part of February to visit friends, celebrate Valentines and shoot some more. One of my favourite photographer is also one of my best mates, Jessica Evans, a sweet, genuine and fun-loving American living in the Netherlands. Certainly well worth a two-hour journey from Amsterdam to Breda!

Jessica is very dedicated to her work and is known for taking beautiful pictures and with very skillful retouching churns out images to perfection whilst making them look natural as possible. Also, she is another one which brings out the "cuteness" in me.... that's cuz the first time she shot me last year, all she could say when looking at her viewfinder was "OMG, this is soooo cute"! Hmmm, till then, I never thought about myself as being "cute" at least in the pictures... honest!!!

My primary reason for visiting was to see Jessica and "hang out". As we both live in different countries we hardly see each other so it was good to catch up and do the Ladies who Lunch at the local Subways! We then went back to hers and watched "Little Britain" but got bored with it so decided to shoot! Luckily I brought some stuff just in case and loaded my face with makeup in the bus on my way over. I so had to get into that pretty bra & suspender set I bought on sale at Agent Provocateur... except they didn't have any matching knickers in my size so I improvised by adding a pair of black thongs from American Apparel!

As the daylight was waning, we couldn't shoot much in natural light which would otherwise have been ideal. After trying in various places in her study with little success, Jessica came up with a pivotal idea: her en-suite bathroom! All covered in white tiles to lighten up the room, we figured it would do as she brought her soft-box lighting... How fun that was!!! And original too...cramming ourselves in the bathroom, squeezing her and the lighting equipment between the washbasin and bathtub with me posing... in a wetroom shower!!! And with very limited arm movements for me as the setting was so compact... ha ha!

In the end though, we were both pleased with the outcome. The boldness of the green and black lingerie contrasted well with the "clinical" white tiles in the bathroom. Even the shower in the background added some accent to the image without being obstrusive. Now, combine that with a cheeky smile, and there you have it! I'm always pleased with the results when working with Jessica...in fact quite a number of togs and models in the U.K. are very impressed with her work and have asked me about her. So there you go, girl, keep up the wonderful work... you certainly bringing out the smiles, the sexy, the sultry and the cute!

For more of Jessica's work, check out: www.pixiemeat.com

Home Glamour Shoot with Mark Hull

Yes, another home shoot! This time, I had a fun shoot on Wednesday 10 February 2010 with a tog who looked me up on Net Model. Mark Hull is a fireman (heyyyy) as main occupation but does photography on the side. Still, his work is very impressive and he really knows how to make models look pretty, even if the images are not retouched as is the case with the four pictures above, heh heh...

Mark and I are planning a project and if it goes well, great! If not well, at least I'll have some good images to take home once retouched. This project involves images that are not nude let alone topless, and even implied ones have strict guidelines. Therefore I must admit that it is a pleasant change doing something "clothed" or scantily clothed for that matter. One can still be sexy without having to show all! Furthermore, I could actually post these pictures up on even yes, the notorious Facebook!!!

I have never met Mark before but we spoke on the phone and exchanged emails for him to share his ideas for the photoshoot. When he showed up, he was just as pleasant, polite and funny as when we were corresponding. The shoot went for the whole day but boy did time fly! The advantage of shooting at home is that you have your own outfits at hand so it was a good chance for me to experiment as we went... yet as we wanted hot and sexy but cute and somewhat innocent images, we stuck with lingerie and skimpy clothes including crop tops and short skirts. Perhaps when the weather gets warmer, it would be wonderful to do some outdoors shoots in the garden doing some swimwear too!

As of now, I have not yet gotten the images he has taken but we are planning a second shoot next month when he will bring them in and we could select which ones for retouching. I can't wait! But after some coaxing, I managed to squeeze a few out from him... for which I believe I owe him coffee and cookies. As said earlier, the images are unretouched but I do love what I see so far! Mark, thanks so much for your time, I hope our venture works out and look forward to working with you soon!!!

Steve Smith's TPS Shoot in London

For the second time, I was invited to model for Tower Photo Shoot (TPS), a glamour photography club run by Steve Smith in London. Venue was at this beautiful mansion called The Grange up in Eastcote, Middlesex not too far from the capital and run by a wonderful couple whose wife is, like me, Japanese, so it was great being able to converse in my language again!

Steve found me by picking up one of my namecards I had left at the Grange when I was shooting there for another photography club and also from word of mouth. So you see, networking helps! I firstly had the chance to work with TPS back in August 2009, and I had so much fun working with them and possibly must've created such an impression that Steve has invited me back for last Sunday 6 February 2010!

Steve is such a polite and friendly guy who is well organised yet very calm, cool and collected. He even remembered to bring my jacket which I had left behind on my last shoot! Also, when I was running late that day due to problems with the tube, I was in such a state. I hate keep people waiting but Steve was telling me to relax, everything was going to be ok and even shifted the times. It turned out in fact to be such a chilled atmosphere thought we did work on the clock.

My first hour was to be a one-to-one session with a tog called Nick who wanted to photograph me wearing a pink latex mini-dress which was lent to me. Yea, I know, I wish it were mine too! I was to wear my hair in pigtails, looking cute and innocent but... carrying a real axe! Eeek! Had to be smiling sweetly too for that while I'm holding up an axe at one point grabbing one of the photographer by the head while he knelt... and in another, pretending to be just about chopping Steve in half while he was unwittingly walking through the door... Unfortunately I don't have images of this yet and am waiting for them!! Will certainly post them up when I get hold of some...

The next two hours were "group shoots". There were about 10-15 togs that day, split into two groups of shooting one model each. Needing some decent lingerie pics and as it suited the decor of the house, I thought I'd be the Lady of the Manor for that hour wearing a black/white bra & knicker set with black holdups, heels and gloves. Eventually I stripped down to nothing but holdups and heels! The second hour was taken in the lounge where I slipped into a red fishnet night dress. I haven't shot in that in a night dress in ages!!

Unfortunately, most of the togs are too shy to share me their work, or maybe I need to be more assertive and ask! One of the togs present on that day was Jon Mayle with whom I've shot several times before but for a different photography club. In the past, he's always been kind enough to give him some retouched photos for me to use, and I do love his work. Lovely composition and always manages to make me look nice (!) as he's so pleasant to work with... So I thought I'd share a few of his stuff... All four of the images are among the many done by him that day. Hopefully, I may receive a few more from others too, namely the pink latex ones from Nick!

In all, it was a wonderful day, and as Steve was kindly giving me a lift back to the station, he expressed interest in working with me again next time in his studio in Barking. A few location shoots may be planned too. Thank you guys for this and I look forward to working with you all again!!!

Steve organises shoots monthly and upcoming ones are planned on 6 March, 3 April and 1 May.

Home Fetish Shoot with Barry Thornton

On the my way to the Midlands Tour, I popped over to Liverpool (Friday 29 January 2010) to shoot with Barry Thornton at his home where he kindly put me up before me catching my train to Birmingham next morning. Baz, as he calls himself, found me through Net Model and had a keen interest in bondage. I already heard of some of the models with whom he had previously worked so I knew I was safe. We've also spoken on the phone a number of times before the day of the shoot. Besides, Baz is one of the most gentlest and kindest tog I've worked with!

He picked me up at Liverpool station and drove me to his house, stopping on the way to pick up some sandwiches. We had a long chat about our shoot and his experiences as a fetish-bondage photographer. He's worked with a number of Asian/Oriental models as well one of them being a famous pornstar in Belgium! As a warm up, we began shooting some lingerie shots on the stairs with me in red bra & panties and a pair of really cool perplex platforms I borrowed from his kit. Then I eventually stripped off and we did some nude shots. Baz made me feel at ease despite the theme of the shoot, and I was happy to go with the flow...

The piece-de-resistance was getting chained and tied up on the bed. First it was be getting my ankles and wrists tied together which was great for stretching my back! Then he released me and I had my hands and feet "suspended" from some chains dangling from the ceiling. To add some flavour, I laid down on the duvet cover featuring "Chinese" characters which I thought really enhanced the "Japanese S&M" mood. He suggested nipple clamps which I tried but screamed cuz they were very painful. I'm very sqeamish! Nevertheless, I was to look distressed whilst getting tied on the ankes and wrist and wearing a collar. It was a rather interesting experience, even mild compared to some of the stuff his other girls were up to!

In warmer months, Baz shoots in his downstairs "dungeon" which in terms of scenery would be quite effective in a shoot like this. The present weather unfortunately is not suitable for this as it gets even flooded when raining! We are both interested in doing this perhaps in the spring/summer months, especially when I suggested we do some fetish stuff outdoors. I really enjoyed this shoot and look forward to working with Barry again! Thank you so much!!

"Too Hot for Facebook" with Tom Hart

Another tog I worked with during the latest Midlands Tour was Tom Hart on my very last day there (1 February 2010). It was a pleasant coincidence that he found me on Model Mayhem a few weeks ago as I was planning to be in his neck of the woods. Having looked at his work, which is primarily beauty and fashion, I was keen to shoot with him as his images are of outstanding quality and well thought out.
Tom, however, preferred to shoot nudes and experimenting with erotic art with me which suited me well since I have been interested in developing into that for some time. Though I still enjoy doing art nude, I felt I was ready to go a step further and produce more daring images that can still be aethetically pleasing and in good taste. You know, the sort of stuff you see in artistic coffee table books. It's actually been my ambition to be featured in one so this shoot ought to add to my experience and who knows, I may eventually get a few leads!
Tom put me at ease from the start and is very gregarious, fun and chilled out. Despite being relatively young, he was dead serious about his work, knowing exactly what he wanted from the shoots and was meticulous about the lighting and position, whilst patiently directing me till we nailed the images we wanted. Tom has been passing me on a couple of images, one of them he posted on Facebook but had to censor it. I thought I'd share the uncensored one as well! I have to admit, it does look SMOKIN' HOT!!!
Am still waiting for a more retouched images. After this successful shoot, we are both keen on working together again soon, and I plan to be in Birmingham again once it gets a little warmer. Thanks, Tom, I really enjoyed this and look forward for more!!

Tom's website: www.tomhartphotography.co.uk

Cute Glamour Shoot with Fast Eddie

HEY, AM BACK FROM MY U.K. MIDLANDS TOUR!!! And what a success it was! Tour started in Liverpool followed by a long weekend in Birmingham with 4 solid days of photoshoots. Mind you, it's been weeks since I last posed in front of the cameras... remember the snow we had?

One of the photographers I worked with was Fast Eddie, (Sunday 31 Jan 2010) renowned for doing quality and stunning glamour images with the most beautiful models. I was therefore most honoured when he wanted to shoot me! According to Eddie, it's my smile he likes :). And I do enjoy smiling a lot cuz I like to radiate happiness to everyone! Despite the "Fast" in his name, Eddie is one of the most down-to-earth and considerate guy, and I felt so much at ease working with him. Hardworking, polite and professional.

We worked on about 5 different sets in hope of getting them published in magazines. We went over to his friend's studio apartment and began with a nude yoga shoot, managing to avoid the "Downward Dog" position shot from behind LOL! We aim to submit this to some nudist magazines. Then we did the pivotal naughty schoolgirly set with me in a tartan miniskirt and crop top looking cheeky but cute and kawaii (that's "cute" in Japanese). Kinda stuff you see in Japanese mags. Our final set at the studio was in the kitchen sink where I wore NOTHING BUT a pink apron and matching pink rubber gloves playing with bubbles and getting them all over myself!! I hate making a mess but... boy that was fun!

We then went over to Eddie's place and after dinner had a couple sets in the evening. I really liked one of his images he took with another model wearing pink thigh high boots posing in the white hallway. So I thought we'd modifiy that and have me wearing first a soft leopard patterned mini skirt. Then we switched to a pretty sequin jumper from which we churned out some very stunning images. Also wanted to add some lingerie shots in my portfolio so I decided I'd go for an eye-catching emerald green bra/panty set with matching lace bolero. Can't wait to see the results of that! Finally, we thought we'd end the day with a bath! So there I was in the bathtub playing away with the bubbles... though before that we did some naughty but nice photos of me with running water cascading my naked body... how sweet is that!

I really enjoyed working with Eddie. A shame he's based so far from me! That said, it was worth the trip up there, and I'd definitely want to shoot with him again. He certainly brought the smiles out in me!!!

Fast Eddie's website: www.fasteddieglamour.co.uk