Elegant Glamour Shoot in Apeldoorn, NL

Hi guys, again my apologies for not being so attentive to my blogs. Lots to catch up on! Been travelling too much and working too hard, and besides there's always the time it takes to wait for retouched images from photographers...

Being a frequent traveller to Amsterdam, I have been networking with Dutch photographers on Model Mayhem. Well I've also had one British, an American and a German so I suppose not all completely "Dutch" but one of the native Dutch togs I had the honour to work with was Bart Wilmink from Apeldoorn. After corresponding, we booked a day at his house for 29 May 2010. He was interested in recreating works of artistic photographers like Peter Kemp (emphasis on rich colours with an impressionist painting flair) and John Peri (monochromatic, classy yet sensual nude and lingerie) which was also new to me so it was a pleasant change to do something different. Besides, I'm keen to move into the more "elegant" side of glamour modelling. The "lads mag" culture never really appealed to me.

Bart was kind enough to pick me up from our place in Amsterdam even though it was more than an hour each way to Apeldoorn. Apparently, it's even quicker than taking the train. When we finally got to his place, a rather quiet suburb, we discussed outfits which he has a room full of. I much prefer borrowing outfits for a change as I have never been seen in them and wont in the future. How many annoying photographers have I come across asking me to wear "that outfit you wore in that pic on your portfolio" especially for a TFP shoot!

The setting was already in place at the studio. Table, some ornaments and antique suitcase as a prop with a black background for the Peter Kemp scenario. I chose a gorgeous red basque and knickers set followed by a sexy cherry-red negligee partially unbuttoned in the front. With the negligee, we also shot in the bedroom which was adorned with a beautiful bed spread that looked as if even Queen Beatrix could sleep in it! Then back to the studio, I changed into another basque set but in light turquoise to contrast with the dark background. Then it was nude shoots with me carrying a tray of wineglasses or carrying the suitcase.

After a lunch break, we went back to the Queen Beatrix bedspread and shot with me clad in a black see-thru top and necklace then went downstairs to the lounge shooting by the french window. Then for the rest of the afternoon it was pretty much nude but in various settings with me donning heels and a different piece of jewelry such as pearls and necklaces to add enhance opulence and the classy mood of John Peri's works. Posh glamour so to speak...

Bart was very easy to work with and very relaxing with a great sense of humour. He was well prepared and organised about the shoot and I took his rather direct advice to heart: "CLOSE YOUR MOUTH! You want to look pretty, not cheap!" Well that's years of glamour modelling in England for you haha.

I was quite pleased with the outcome particularly with the nude ones though not too certain about the clothed ones he had edited for himself. Of course, photographers and models usually have differing things in mind for their own porfolios. I had a look at the unedited images and did find quite a few I liked and will be choosing some for him to retouch for me. Look forward to that and will post them up on my sites soon! And thanks Bart, for the day. I would very much like to work again with you soon :)

Chinatown and Soho shoot with Phil Moran

I've always wanted to do a shoot in London's China Town. The ethnic shops and Chinese signs amid the Western urban setting truly appealed to me as a background for some bright coloured and sexy but elegant party dresses. Of course being Asian also helps things blend in!

I was looking for a good photographer to make this happen though. Too many I know are great for rural outdoors photography but an urban setting especially in London is a different ballgame. Enter Phil Moran. He found me on Model Mayhem and I noticed a lot of his work is centered on "urban" fashion which I found very catching. We corresponded for a while, and he seemed a friendly and easy-going person and also really sweet by always complimenting my work. After waiting for the warmer weather to arrive and a good weekend we could both agree on, we decided to aim for Sunday 16 May 2010.

Up and early, we met up at Leicester Square tube station at 9am before the crowds kicked in for their dimsum lunch. First stop was Chinatown. Needing to change to my dress, we found a discreet alleyway with all the rubbish dumpsters. I got into this beautiful sexy black/white polka dotted halterneck dress with a pink middle designed and custom-made by my Dutch-Afghani friend, Farzana Warasta. Phil had the ingenious idea to snap a few images against the brickwall of the alleyway buildings which looked really effective. Then I teetered in my heels to the middle of Chinatown. There were quite a few people on the street already, mainly shopkeepers getting ready to open their shops, and a handful of pedestrians who came to stop and admire with curiousity while we practically monopolised a section of the main street. Not a problem for me. I'm able to switch off and do my business. Hey, it's not like I'm wearing something skimpy like a bikini , let alone being nude!!

We then decided to have a coffee break at a nearby Nero's to look through the images so far in the viewfinder. I loved them! Very pleased with the results... I love it when togs make me appear tall and leggy in pictures. He sure knows what he's doing! It was now off to the loo and change into another one of Farzana's hot number, a hot and cute strapless red mini-dress! This time, we walked over to Soho, known as London's seedy red-light district. How awesome is that, wearing a red dress in a red-light district! We found a small alleyway where there were signs saying "Sex Shops" and deliberately got me posing in front of that but with me looking completely oblivious to it.

Finally we found a place with a green shutter and thought it would be a nice texture for a background especially as it contrasts well with the red dress. After a few good snaps, we didn't realise that we were taking pictures in front of a school. It turned out to be Sunday School, and we got told off by the headmaster who said "it wasn't appropriate because there are children" despite me being fully clothed though my skirt may be a tad short...!! Nevertheless we managed to nail a few good images at the scene so we just left. As it was getting colder and starting to rain, we decided to call it a day.

I was very pleased with the outcome of the shoot, and the day turned out to be so much fun! Phil was just as I expected from his correspondences. Friendly, easy-going, polite and professional. We agreed to shoot again another time and I very much look forward to that. Thank you Phil!

Latex Shoot with Robert Fletcher

This time, a photographer contacted me point blank through Flickr. From my diverse and numerous images, Robert Fletcher found me where he added me as contact. I had a look at his work, and I was truly impressed! A lot of beautiful latex gear - I am always on the lookout for doing something different... scary yet sexy!

More precisely, I'm looking into diversifying, and fetish themes are always a good sector to enter. Most appealing was being able to dress in luscious latex outfits provided by Robert, as latex has such a WOW factor. We booked time at my place for Monday 19 April 2010 which I was very much looking forward to! Robert has worked with a lot of stunning fetish, glamour and alternative models, and I was most honoured to know he was interested in shooting me. Despite the rather "scary" images he shoots, he is actually very friendly, approachable and polite as well as having a professional attitude and a knack for making models look good in photos.

Arriving on time, Robert showed me his big bag of goodies. Lots of beautiful latex gear! The only thing I needed to provide was a pair of killer heels which I had plenty of. The first set we began in the lounge where the lighting was perfect. He picked out an olive-green army uniform with matching skin-tight black skirt. The front was designed as a halterneck which created lots of cleavage enhanced by the fact that the top was of very tight rubber material. Add a Soviet-era army cap and we were in business. All I needed was to carry a crop and look VERY MEAN!!! And boy did I did feel very mean, hehe!!

For the second set, we went for a kinky black latex body with a pair of black sheer tights underneath. It was unfortunately a size or two too big for me as it was rather loose in the middle area. However, I really liked it so much I insisted on wearing it because it was oh so sexy especially given that the outfit had a zipper in the front! We agreed that wearing a wide elastic belt on the waist would clinch the middle and add some shape to the body which worked perfectly. As the image was shot on the staircase with Robert taking the picture from upstairs, the body turned out looking incredibly sleek.

The final set was in the garden. I had on a red latex dress with laces down the front. Luckily, the dress was short enough as I always have problems with the lengths of dresses lent to me. A large and long leather whip was provided to me which suited the outfit perfectly especially as it was also as red and black as the dress itself. Moreover, the serenity and green of the garden contrasted very well with the stern mood of the outfit.

The three hours for which our shoot was booked went by very quickly. Still we nailed a number of wonderful images which I was very pleased about. Robert expressed interest in wishing to work together again, continuing with more latex oufits. I am very excited about that! Further, he was well impressed with my rather embarrassingly extensive shoe collection that he would like to do some shoots with me wearing some of my shoes, perhaps to attract an audience of shoe fetishees. I think that would be fun! I thoroughly enjoyed working with Robert and would definitely like to shoot with him again. Thank you so much, Robert, I look forward to it!

Sensual Fetish and Sexy Glamour shoot with David Dailand

Another FB Connection! This time, I had the opportunity to collaborate with David Dailand on Saturday 10 April 2010. Based in South end on Sea in Essex, David has quite a number of impressive work most of them artistic with careful thought to the lighting effect and models' poses.

Constantly on the look out for originality and "something different", David's work appealed to me. We spotted each other on FB and after some correspondence we decided to make a date for a shoot which I was very much looking forward to. Funnily enough though, he knows a lot of the photographers I have worked with, and in fact attended the Brighton Group Shoot last year though he admitted he kept a low profile. Even funnier is that his wife, Sally Bab, was one of the models at the group shoot back then...! After an hour train ride to Southend-on-Sea from London, David picked me up and we went to his house where I was also greeted by Sally. Impressive was not only his house but that he had a huge double-storrey "shed" in the garden that was also his studio!

We started off using the groundfloor where we worked on some nude BDSM images. First set involved me being "crucified" on a St Andrew's Cross holding some seriously huge chains which actually were made of plastic so was very light! Whilst shooting in colour initially, David had a brilliant idea to add a blue gel which was created quite an eerie effect (see above). The second set involved me being collared in a high and stiff leather collar and bound by my wrists behind my back in matching leather cuffs which in turn were both bound on a leather strap that was suspended from my collar. Final set was removing the strap and replacing that with leather thigh belts each of which were chained to my wrists. As of now, David has yet to provide me with retouched images of the last two sets. When you see them, I'll show you and you'll know what I'm talking about!

After completing the BDSM stuff, we had a break and proceeded to go upstairs for some bright and happy glamour images. This spacious attic had plenty of light and space which provided a perfect setting. I borrowed Sally's zebra-patterned corset which I matched with my own pair of pink fishnet stockings and heels. Very cheerful images compared to the more sombre stuff we were doing downstairs! Then I quickly changed into plain black bra/panties with heels and thought I'd add some class to it by donning a pearl necklace. Again another change of mood from cute & cheerful to sophisticated and chic. We concluded the day by doing some nude images of me on the floor.

I had such fun working with David. He's cheerful, funny and friendly though serious and meticulous about his work, eager to produce the "perfect" image. Though still waiting for the rest of the retouched images to arrive, I do like what I see so far. Many thanks, David! Let's do it again soon!

David has a website too: http://www.dailand-photography.com

Miu as Official Babe in Uniforms!

Funnily enough, I've been actually been getting quality work from quality photographers through Facebook and Flickr lately as compared to these dedicated sites like Purestorm or Net-Model which tend to be swarmed with GWCs (guys with cameras). Of course if it's paid work, who cares if it's a professional tog or a GWC haha...

One of such quality photographers who contacted me through FB was Jamie Smith, known as Red Brickwall. The name as such because his previous studio had a red brickwall! I was chuffed he wanted to work with me as I've seen his stuff featuring the most beautiful and perfect glamour models. His images are further top-notch and well-presented. To add, he was very friendly and reflected a genuine personality throughout our correspondence further enhanced when chatting to him over the phone. A very jolly and positive character. I was very much looking forward to it all!

We set up the shoot in our humble home on 20 April 2010. The main purpose was for him to shoot me in various sexy uniforms which he would post on his various websites. Sounds like fun and trust me it was! Jamie turned out with bags of interesting costumes and for the first set, I was to be an SS officer clad in a mini-skirt, a hat and a jacket elaborately adorned with all the medals and ornaments not to forget the swatzika armband! I was rather amused about that, knowing that I'm clearly not of the Aryan race... but then again Germany and Japan were once allies of course!

After spending 10-15 minutes looking mean and stern, my next role was to be a humble French maid. I was to be dusting our fireplace looking cute and sexy in my backless apron. Then a quick change to being the sweet virginal bride in white including the veil. We shot outside in the garden as the weather was gorgeous, right in front of our cherry tree. Another outfit change and now I was to be a copper! Dressed smartly in a sexy policeman's outfit, I posed in front of Jamie's BMW back to looking mean and stern. This was followed by donning myself in a racy red pit-girl outfit, again in front of the car but this time pouting seductively or smiling sultry.

Back inside, Jamie passed me two sets of tight skimpy minidresses. We had so much fun going through my infamous dressing room and choosing the shoes to go with each outfit! I opted for Steve Madden's zebra print heels, a perfect match for the zebra-patterned dress. I was to be on the bed, rolling and romping around seductively while he snapped away... gradually stripping down till I was nude. Yup, that was a no-brainer cuz I'm so accustomed to it but enjoy it loads!

Finally the piece de resistance! Jamie is currently promoting his website called officialbabe.co.uk which is still under construction, featuring hot sexy glamour models. The promotional shoot involved me posing in various crop-top and miniskirt combinations with slogans loudly blaring phrases like "Dont be Jealous". I was most honoured to be among the models! I wasn't even expecting this and had so much fun going in and out of the many outfit changes which he shot in our garage.

Jamie was quick to post up some of the images on FB the next day. Although my favourite uniform out of the lot was the SS officer we unfortunately felt compelled to delete it from FB as it may be a tad controversial. That said, I was very pleased with the images and smiled as he put up a collage of my many poses wearing the Dont be Jealous outfit in a banner-style image. Currently, he is away on business but promised to put up more when he returns. Can't wait! And hope to work with you again soon, Jamie... you're so awesome, thanks a ton!!!

Jamie's work can also be seen on http://www.redbrickwallproductions.co.uk

Impromptu Shoot with Steve Jolliffe

I happened to be on Facebook when an announcement requiring a model in my turf at the last minute appeared. Apparently a rather unreliable model who was scheduled to shoot that evening hadn't been in contact so a replacement was being casted. Though it was called by Nigel Jepson, a photographer I worked with before at the Bunker shoot last fall, the photographer for the evening was Steve Jolliffe on Wednesday 31 March 2010. I never heard of this guy until the day, but after seeing his work I considered myself very lucky because his work is ever so awesome as you could see for yourselves...

And for a change of course, it was nice not to have to take my clothes off, let alone even my top! Steve was aiming to do some fashion though with a sensual glamour edge. Having jumped at the opportunity, I had a quick chat over the phone with him as to what to bring. Being a mere 5' tall, I was advised that some lingerie and sexy clubwear, as opposed to elegant dresses, would be best which suited me. I literally had three hours to get ready for this, during which time I had an appointment with a therapist whom I couldn't cancel so it was straight out of the door after it!!!

With the absence of my reliable satnav which got stolen a few days ago, I typically got lost... the drive should've taken 15 minutes but turned out at least TWICE the time. I panicked, I stressed and had it not been for my painstakingly applied make-up, I would've cried...but Steve was ever so patient and relaxed about it as I kept ringing him repeatedly pleading I'm lost. Well, he finally located me at a nearby hotel and so I followed his car... the shoot started an hour later than scheduled thanks to the idiot who knicked my satnav.... grrrr.

Nigel was at the studio to greet me. He part-owns/manages the place. After winding down with some some coffee, we got on with shooting. The first set was with me sitting on a black sofa in gold lame shorts and a gorgeous pink top with gold appliques I bought at a flee market in Nottinghill some years ago. I noticed how meticulous Steve was with the lighting as he and Nigel were discussing ways for the best effect which made me feel safe knowing that the results would be outstanding. Still both of them were very polite and pleasant and made me feel very much at ease. After Steve and I were happy with this set, Nigel took over and had a go with me in the same outfit but using a very white background, quite a contrast to the dark mood we have been creating.

The second set was using the same white background and bright lights with me in a beautiful lilac Agent Provocateur lingerie set (mine!) under a spider knitted wrap. I so had to wear that set which has been sitting in my underwear drawer for ages ready to be worn but I quite hadn't gotten around to it. Then came the piece de resistance. The third and final set was to be back in the dark setting but on a bed. Well, not quite ON it but more like spilling out of it! Seriously. I was to wear my posh red basque and panties I had bought in Tokyo many years ago with a pair of black holdups and heels to go with them. Though I had to lie down on the cold floor with my feet up, I was having so much fun and so looking forward to the result I couldn't care less!!!

I was very pleased with the results when Steve sent them to me. They were all very well thought-out with close attention to lighting, positioning and posing. And very classy yet sensual. Glamour with elegance and style is hard to come by these days but Steve, with the help of Nigel, clearly nailed it. Thank you guys!

Team Scorpio Modified Car Event - The Oscars

On 3 April 2010, Team Scorpio held their modified car show at the Ace Cafe in London. It was such an honour to be selected as one of the promo-girls by Adam Cassim the guy behind Team Scorpio, a London-based organisation that runs various car events, namely involving modified cars.

The event began late afternoon and continued on till around 11 when many modified cars of all shapes, sizes, colours and even noise levels were proudly displayed and admired by the public, also photographed not to forget with all the pretty girls next to them! Main purpose of this event, though, was to present awards to the owners of these cars ranging from best bodywork to best engine to loudest to even the worst car!! Though not much of an expert in cars myself (hey, I'm just a model, right?) I have to say I was rather impressed with that very loud car with all the speakers. Turn the music on, and it's blaring so loudly that not only will your ears fall off, your hair starts to blow all over the place!!! How cool is that?

Despite the rather chilly weather and even as a first timer as a promo-girl, I myself very much enjoyed it. After standing around and getting photographed with the 3 gorgeous Team Scorpio cars, we were the first to grab a Hummer and get shot in that too! I also got to meet some of the loveliest people there, especially the girls I worked with: Sherrie, Charly, Jade and Gemma. We made such a wonderful team!

I have Adam to thank. What a great guy, always on the run, no nonsense yet funny, pleasant and full of energy. He found me during a photoshoot I was doing for modified cars by chance run by Team Scorpio, and I must have made such an impression on him and his buddies that he invited me to join his team and since then we have had a photoshoot in December again and then this event. On 24 April, I will be joining the gang on a convoy road trip from South Mimms to Peterborough... whatever!! I look forward to that!

Find out more about Team Scorpio on http://www.teamscorpio.net
photocredits: Richard Halfday (left); Richard Duong (right)