As you may have seen from previous posts I have worked with both Isabelle and Becky on numerous occasions, so much so that we are becoming quite the team when it comes to personal projects. Themed shoots are a great way to try out new ideas and keep the creative juices flowing, and this latest shoot was no exception. Isabelle and I came up with the idea of a photoshoot based on an Elizabethan Queen, inspired by Tim Burton’s Queen of Hearts from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Of course, there had to be a theatrical element to the shoot and so we roped Becky in for hairstyling and makeup. Always the true professional, Becky (salon manager at A Cut Above hair salon) transformed Isabelle into a beautiful amalgamation of Elizabeth I and the Queen of Hearts. Rather than crying ‘off with their heads’, Isabelle played the part beautifully and we got some great shots. The amazing costume from Sally at Masquerade, based near Earl Stonham, Suffolk, stole the show and brought the look we had dreamed up to reality.
Themed photoshoots are always great fun, and we tend to bounce ideas off each other throughout the shoot rather than go in with a set idea of what we want to achieve. For this particular shoot however it was important that we got the look just right beforehand, and so Isabelle’s carefully applied pale makeup and red lip complemented the Elizabethan style we were going for. I kept the background dark to make the red of the costume ‘pop’ and as the shoot progressed we thought it would be fun for Isabelle to pose on a chair, showing a little leg. Whilst the images are far from some of the boudoir shoots I have been a part of, it was fun to break tradition and experiment with mixing the restrained and regal with something a bit more risqué.
If you’d like to take part in a themed photoshoot I’d love to hear from you! We always have such fun and it’s great to meet new people, I can guarantee lots of laughs and some great images at the end which you are of course welcome to share.
