London Fashion Model Portfolio | Amber Glow Blog

Snow!

amberglow — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:13:04 +0000

Prior to this weekend the weather had turned pretty cold, and sure enough we had a few inches of snow. This may not sound much to a lot of people, but here in London we rarely get any these days. It seemed the perfect opportunity to go out and take a few photos, have a good walk, and then a warming drink (coffee of course, it was too early!). I would have preferred to drive somewhere with pristine snow untouched by human hands, but the roads hadn't been salted so I reluctantly decided this was too dangerous. Instead, I left the house early before many had stirred, and walked into Walthamstow village. Remembering that snow affects the camera metering, I dialled in an extra stop of exposure compensation (it was overcast; had it been bright I would have changed this). Here are just a few of the images I shot.

Another portrait and some favourite contemporary artists

amberglow — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:27:45 +0000

Here's another portrait I painted a few weeks back - This one is copied from a photo by Lee Jeffries, who received much-deserved acclaim for his series of portraits of the homeless.

I decided to paint this using a very restricted palette - originally I used just burnt sienna, but then added some raw umber and a touch of ultrmarine for the darks, and titanium white for the beard.

As I'm always looking to improve, I have been studying many contemporary artists as well as Old Masters. Its fascinating to see all the different styles of painting, and makes me realise just how much I don't know! I have to remind myself that I've only been doing this for half a year..but patience is not one of my best features ;)

Among my favourite artists are Gregg Kreutz, David A. Leffel and Richard Schmid - these are all widely recognised as some of the best artists living today. I also love Rupert Alexander's work - This talented guy painted the Queen when he was just 23! Can you suggest any more I should look at?

Latest portrait in oil

amberglow — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:28:55 +0000

As well as photography I also paint a bit in my spare time, and have joined a local group. This is only 2 hours a week so I read and practice as much as I can- other than tutorage I currently find this the best way to improve.

Below is a portrait I've been working on over the last week and shows the first stage (simple line drawing and block-in) and then the nearly-finished painting. The subject was taken from a photoshoot I did a while back, although I deliberately changed the model's features slightly. More will appear here as I improve; as well as more portraits I want to try some landscapes soon.

I've now been painting about 4 or 5 months, does anyone have any tips on how I can improve? I've been studying the works of Richard Schmid, Nelson Shanks, David Leffel..all fantastic contemporary artists - One day I hope to have a tenth of their talent!

Merry Christmas everyone

amberglow — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:47:51 +0000

Another Christmas out the way and I hope you all had a good one. Among my presents was a Thermos flask that look exactly like my Nikon 70-200 lens..What will they think of next?! My nephews were very pleased with the radio controlled helicopters I bought them, although I doubt their parents will be quite so thrilled ;)

Anyway, hope you all have a fun-filled New Year and I'll be back in a short while with more images. I also need to book some more model shoots so I'll be quite busy..remember, if you would like one please get in touch via the contact form on the main site links.

Mark

Nerea Studio Shoot - Outtakes

amberglow — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:33:56 +0000

Following my last post (and also because I haven't done much new model photography lately) here are a few out-takes from a studio shoot I did a while back. This was in South London; next time I'll be looking for one nearer so I can take more kit! Anyway, I've no idea why I didn't like these as much at the time. Nerea is doing very well and getting lots of shoots, so I'm lucky we worked together before she hits the big time!

More from Trent Park Shoot

amberglow — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:57:38 +0000

As I took so many 'keepers' (technical term there!) I thought it would be good to show them off - I've only recently finished editing this shoot due to other comitments - Hopefully I'm not in anyone's bad books, sorry! ;)

Brick Lane and Spitalfields

amberglow — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:49:58 +0000

I often take my camera out and wander this area, either in a lunch break or at the weekend. It has a colourful history and is famous for the market (both old and the redeveloped one) and the numerous (understatement of the year!) curry houses, all of which proudly proclaim they are the best in the UK.

However there is also a lot more to the area. The traditionally 'urban' feel makes it ideal for photoshoots (see earlier posts) and the recent redevelopment is bringing many more shoppers and food fans. It is also extremely popular with creative people such as artists and photographers. Anyway here are a few random images from my walk, hope you enjoy them..

A cycling rant

amberglow — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 21:06:43 +0000

As you may have read here, I like cycling. I now cycle to my day job and back every day, which is a total of 16 miles per day (I'm still waiting for the health benefits). I'm also (I think) quite a considerate motorist, probably because of the cycling.

During my travels I get to see the sights of East London, including Clapton, Hackney, Bethnal Green and Shoreditch before arriving in the City. This also means I get to risk my life twice daily on the roads, so I'm extra careful. However, although the trip is usually safe, you can't account for what other people do and lately I've taken to classifying the various types of idiot out there.

Pedestrian idiot - these tend to step out when there aren't any lights, or the lights are green for traffic. Often they look one way but not the other. Some cross the road by pushing their pram out first, into the path of traffic..not a good idea.

Cyclist Idiot - several types of these, but several factors are usually in play- lack of helmet, headphones on (!), hands not on the handlebars, meandering side to side, jumping red signals... Around Bethnal Green I often see a combination of these, completely oblivious to anyone else. Natural selection maybe?

Motorist Idiot - not giving room on the left for passing cyclists, cutting corners, texting/phone whilst driving, doing makeup/hair...

I was almost sandwiched last week, and an old friend nearly died after somebody on their phone hit him and drove off. I think if motorists were made to cycle in London for a week, perhaps they would be a lot more considerate. As for the bad cyclists..well - any suggestions? I have a few but I can't print them here!

Cornwall Trip Pt. 1

amberglow — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 08:33:44 +0000

I've just returned from a quick break to the lovely county of Cornwall and below are a few coastal images from Bude. This part of Cornwall is famous for its surfing, and it was difficult to get an shot without at least one surfer or family in it. The coastline offers many opportunities for photographers - just be careful you don't follow me and fall in the Atlantic Ocean! Unfortuntely I'm no King Canute, and the tide decided to show me who was boss by coming in extra fast.. Cue high-speed backward running and the inevitable splash into the sea. At least my camera was safe :)

In the second part of this post I'll show images from other parts of Cornwall I visited such as the amazing Eden Project and Padstow, famous for its association with TV chef Rick Stein. For the photographers among you, the above images were long exposures ranging from 3 to 8 seconds using stacked ND filters to reduce available light (with the exception of image 3). Hope you like them, why not give your feedback with a comment?

Ruth Photoshoot - August 2011

amberglow — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 22:00:53 +0000

As mentioned previously, here are some of the images from a shoot with contemporary dancer Ruth. These were taken in Trent Park in North London - a location I'm sure I will use again for its varied scenery. We shot a variety of dance sequences to get the first two shots below, which show Ruth's poise and elegant motion. It was my first time capturing movement and it's definitely not easy! Some shots were posed at the end, mainly to give me a rest :)

Ruth also brought her hubby to the shoot, so I put him to use holding the reflector! We also did a mini shoot at the end of Ruth's session. Hope you enjoy this selection.