White Swan - Black Swan (the studio shoot)

Adrian: Most of all I wanted to thank you very much for the recent comments and sincerely apologise for the delay. I was on a long holiday during the Easter break and had a lot of work catch up with afterwards. Not much time for the hobby unfortunately. Not to mention, I've had a little photo crisis recently. For some reasons I don't feel the urge to take photographs... I think I need a little break after the recent months when I had so many assignments. Besides, I've been into music a lot recently... It has always been my greatest love and I don't want to neglect it anymore.

Nevertheless, here's the second set of the studio pictures. Once again thank you for waiting, I do appreciate that.

Joanna: On my part I want to add that my no. 1 Black Swan accessory is a woolen boa from Peri (she made it herself! talented woman), and the White Swan showcases a wonderful vintage coat bought at the Affordable Vintage Fashion Fair in Oxford, from Samantha.

And as an aside - check out "Puttypaw", a book recently published by my friend Tom. It's available online for free until the 25th of May, so hurry!

Here goes...

Black swan:

White swan:

The White Swan (teaser)

 

Dear Followers,

Thank you very much for your positive comments on the previous, oversaturated session (a la Andy Warhol). I found them very comforting because I struggled with the pictures a little. I tried to play with the composition, colours and patterns a bit, but it’s definitely not my cup of tea, oh well.

This one is though. We had a fantastic session two weekends ago. Marten Collins from Henley-on-Thames (www.martencollins.co.uk) very kindly let me play in his photo studio. We visited him with Kasia and thoroughly enjoyed the time, what a genuinely nice person he is. This was also the first time I had a chance to try out VERY large soft boxes and had enough space to move the kit around. I’ll publish the results soon (together with Kasia’s shots, again, many of her pictures are better, than mine…). I’ve been very busy with other assignments recently, but the below shot shows what you can expect.

Colours overload - retreat!

We finally have the colourful pics (apologies for the delay!). Joanna’s idea was to pay tribute to Andy Warhol, who had been fascinated by pop culture, consumerism, supermarkets, colours and repeated patterns. It seems that we bit off a bit more than we could chew, however...

Adrian is not much of a Warhol fan, and does not like in-your-face colours and patterns – next time we will go back to his preferred photography style.

Nareszcie mamy kolorowe zdjęcia (przepraszamy za zwłokę!). Zamysłem Joanny było zrobienie fotek odwołujących się do Andyego Warhola – zafascynowanego popkulturą, konsumpcjonizmem, supermarketami, kolorami i powtarzalnością. Zadanie trochę nas przerosło...

Adrian niestety nie jest fanem Warhola, ani tym bardziej oczopląsu i przesyconych kolorów – więc w następnej sesji wrócimy do fotografii w jego stylu.

Colours come from:
- A charity shop skirt (originally Oasis)
- A blouse made from a Whistles dress, also bought in a charity shop
- A charity shop handbag
- A flower, which - in hindsight - might have been redundant here
- Ecco shoes
- A variety of Sainsbury's products.

There may be colour ahead...

Spring is here, and colours are in fashion. Here's a teaser for an experimental, uber-colourful shoot, way out of our comfort zones.

More spring colours on Lady Berona's blog!

Two more pictures from Adrian

I am technologically and blogger-wise lame, this is why I never write any posts. However, I thought I will write my own post this time because I think this session was very special and I am particularly pleased with the results. Every picture came up different in character and I think Joanna looks the most charming and subtle ever. Also please let me take this opportunity and thank all followers for your support and great comments. It’s really worth shooting knowing you’re there.

Joanna didn’t post these two, so I will.

As always I didn’t use any special kit. It’s just my Pentax really + Sigma DG530 lamp on it. I like natural lighting – it’s more challenging and interesting this way. I have a studio kit, but can’t use it outdoors without a power pack (expensive :-/ and for some reasons the Sigma doesn’t want to work with Elinchrom wireless triggers I have) and I keep my gear on a low budget really. I’ll think of an upgrade when the gear starts paying for itself better.

And regarding Pentax - I know they don’t produce a full-frame model, but I still think they make best cameras in the world. My theory is that they are too small to launch mediocre products and lower the quality, as bigger players do occasionally. There is also something special about the “Pentax colours”. Plus I also find them the most intuitive and ergonomic with a fantastic feel and Pentax undoubtedly offers the greatest value for money. The lens I use (Pentax SMC FA 50mm 1.4) is a pure dream too. It all doesn't change the fact that Kasia often takes better pictures anyway... The conclusion? It's the person behind the camera truly important. Not the kit itself!

Caramel

Joanna: I like to mix caramel with gold – and this enormous bag is a favourite of mine, particularly since it can fit just about all the essentials for a day in town. This time it contained a make-up bag, a wallet, a mobile and the Polish national costume, which came in handy for bouncing light (off a hand-sewn white blouse with puffed sleeves). The colours were prompted by Morven’s Caramel Competition, which, I am pleased to announce, we have received a prize for.

The outfit is hinting at 1970s, though really the most retro thing about the pictures is Oxford’s Radcliffe Square. The walls of Brasenose and All Souls College in the background were carefully colour-coordinated to match the coat and the hat!

Adrian: [is supposed to write a few words on the techy details of taking pictures. Watch this space!]

Joanna: Lubię łączyc kolor karmelowy ze złotym. Ogromna złota torba to moje ukochane nosidło, bo mieści prawie wszystkie najniezbędniejsze rzeczy: tym razem zawierała kosmetyczkę, portfel, komórkę i strój krakowski (przydał się – odbijaliśmy światło od ręcznie szytej koszuli z Sukiennic). Do beżów zachęcił mnie Karmelowy konkurs Morven, w którym, stwierdzam z dumą, zdobyliśmy wyróżnienie.

Strój nawiązuje trochę do lat 70tych, ale prawdziwym punktem retro na zdjęciach jest oksfordzki Radcliffe Square. Mury koledżów Brasenose i All Souls zostały specjalnie dobrane pod kolor płaszcza i kapelusza!

Adrian: [pracuje nad notką dotyczącą Spraw Technicznych Fotografowania. Niebawem napisze kilka słów.]

Chcemy też podziękowac Retrostyl za wyróżnienie bloga! Jest nam bardzo, bardzo miło - i zachęcamy czytelników do zaglądania na jej stronę.

 

 And a bonus from Kasia:

Joanna's caramel:
- hat/coat/sweater/trousers: charity shop
- bag: Reserved
- earrings: clothes agency, had to convert them to clip-ons myself
- shoes: Clarks.

Two on one

Joanna has been outnumbered two to one this time: the photographic squad consisted of Adrian and Kasia. Kasia, who thus far has been a lacky helping out with lighting, carrying equipment and of course offering moral support, finally got her hands on a camera - and look at the effects!
During the shoot Joanna felt like a movie star surrounded by paparazzi, particularly since Kasia and Adrian were occasionally joined by Japanese tourists queueing in front of the Ashmolean Museum.

Tym razem dwóch na jednego, czyli fotograficzna banda łysego, składająca się z Adriana i Kasi. Kasia, która do tej pory dzielnie asystowała przy czarnej robocie, czyli doświetlaniu, noszeniu sprzętu, oraz wspieraniu na duchu, tym razem sama złapała aparat - i to z jakim efektem!
Joanna czuła się jak gwiazda filmowa w otoczeniu paparazzi, tym bardziej, że do Kasi i Adriana od czasu do czasu dołączali japońscy turyści w drodze do Ashmolean Museum.
Zestaw miał być piękniejszy, ale się zrobiło zimno i Joanna zarzuciła na siebie płaszczyk dość przypadkowo zgarnięty z domu. Ponieważ Adrian zaaprobował, to tak już zostało.

Adrian's photos

Kasia's photos:
 



Joanna is wearing:
- Hat, gloves - Reserved
- Shawl - Solar
- Coat - Żana
Teraz Polska!

And as a bonus, here's a photo of Adrian in action: