2009
31st December 2009
An average year for the number of shoots, I managed to complete 27 out of my target 52 so I fell a bit short. Never mind.
First up was Ruby and the snow shoot. Ironically it was a photo that my wife Jean took, of me and Ruby, that proved the most successful from this shoot when it was used in an international charity calender. So I am now officially a model too. How cool is that?
First new model was the lovely Jennie (J Bear). Alas I have not had the chance to follow up the testshoot we did. Maybe in 2010.
Other first shoots were with Alunia who was visiting the UK from Norway, Jessica Ann and Chelsea up in Gravesend, Helen, Sophie (with Phoenix) and Lee. I hope to work with some if not all of these people again in 2010. In addition I did a test shoot with a model who I hope will become a Featured Model on the StudioXanda site and that is the lovely Brett Shannen Deadman who is currently the featured new model on this site.
In April I did a shoot with photographer Dean Wilkinson on West Wittering Beach. It was Dean who convinced me that radio-triggered flashguns were useful outdoors and I have subsequently put together my own radio-triggered flash set which I have already used both indoors and on location. The models for this shoot were Ruby, Evelien Cascada and Phoenix. The weather was fine, the sea was wet and the whole thing was a lot of fun.
Other high points would have to be the tribal shoot with Love de Carvalho, the Stopham shoot with Holly, the West Grinstead shoot with Ruby, the forest shoot with Phoenix and Brett's test shoot.
In 2009 I became a member of Switch Photography Studio and did my first two studio shoots - the first was with Holly, Sophie and Lucy, the second with new model Lee and Ruby.
Ruby has been even more valuable to me this year as she has spent more time doing hair and make up (as True Hair and Make-Up). I hope to work with Ruby in this capacity throughout 2010 and I thank her massively for everything she has done for me. Thanks also to Make-Up Artist Amy Packer who did the styling for Brett's test shoot. I hope to work with her again in 2010.
I was accepted onto Model Mayhem's The List, a list of veteran pro and semi-pro photographers who are dedicated to helping new models. I got my first Daily Deviation on DeviantArt - a photo of Love de Carvalho - and I finally got another Editor's Choice award from ePHOTOzine with a photo of Phoenix styled by Ruby. So I feel that progress has been made but change was necessary too. I put the idea of a Fantasy Art Project on hold in favour of returning to the completing of the novels themselves first.
The best creative relationships spark by themselves. Strangely it is not always easy to define exactly what it is about someone that inspires me. I have enjoyed photographing all the models I have worked with over the years but with some, I have had this sense of some greater potential. It is this potential that the artist in me craves above all else. It can take years to develop (it has taken nearly two years to start Holly's book project) but the potential is there from the start, and by that I mean my potential and not the model's potential. Chances are the model's potential has been, or will be, realised with another photographer. Maybe it is happening while I write this.
I have sensed this potential, for me, maybe eight times now, with Victoria, Liv, Ruby, Holly, Love, Lucy, Hannah and now Brett. I know I can do great things with these people. From this list Victoria has absented herself. Her choice not mine. I am still working with the rest. Yes, Liv, I will get you back in front of the camera in 2010!
This does not dismiss the rest by any means. Ironically many of my favourite shots to date have been with models outside this list, with Lucifera for instance. No. This is about the sense I get, as an artist, that something almost profound is possible and so I try to keep working with the people I believe it is most likely to happen with.
I do not think I have achived my potential with any of these people yet. Occasionally I have felt I was getting close, once or twice this year for instance. I know that if I do achieve something truly significant, it will likely be with one of these models. You might think it strange to include Brett after a single shoot but if I had been asked for a list back in February 2008, I would have included Holly because I clicked with Holly right from the start.
I know that I am likely to do my best work with someone I really want to work with who also really wants to work with me. Makes sense. And so I plan to do most of my work with these seven models throughout 2010. In addition I plan to shoot with at least one new model each month.
Targets for 2010? I would like to realise at least some of my potential with at least one of the models on the list above. Oh and an exhibition would be nice.
Here's to 2010.
Simon John Harvey (aka Xanda)
First up was Ruby and the snow shoot. Ironically it was a photo that my wife Jean took, of me and Ruby, that proved the most successful from this shoot when it was used in an international charity calender. So I am now officially a model too. How cool is that?
First new model was the lovely Jennie (J Bear). Alas I have not had the chance to follow up the testshoot we did. Maybe in 2010.
Other first shoots were with Alunia who was visiting the UK from Norway, Jessica Ann and Chelsea up in Gravesend, Helen, Sophie (with Phoenix) and Lee. I hope to work with some if not all of these people again in 2010. In addition I did a test shoot with a model who I hope will become a Featured Model on the StudioXanda site and that is the lovely Brett Shannen Deadman who is currently the featured new model on this site.
In April I did a shoot with photographer Dean Wilkinson on West Wittering Beach. It was Dean who convinced me that radio-triggered flashguns were useful outdoors and I have subsequently put together my own radio-triggered flash set which I have already used both indoors and on location. The models for this shoot were Ruby, Evelien Cascada and Phoenix. The weather was fine, the sea was wet and the whole thing was a lot of fun.
Other high points would have to be the tribal shoot with Love de Carvalho, the Stopham shoot with Holly, the West Grinstead shoot with Ruby, the forest shoot with Phoenix and Brett's test shoot.
In 2009 I became a member of Switch Photography Studio and did my first two studio shoots - the first was with Holly, Sophie and Lucy, the second with new model Lee and Ruby.
Ruby has been even more valuable to me this year as she has spent more time doing hair and make up (as True Hair and Make-Up). I hope to work with Ruby in this capacity throughout 2010 and I thank her massively for everything she has done for me. Thanks also to Make-Up Artist Amy Packer who did the styling for Brett's test shoot. I hope to work with her again in 2010.
I was accepted onto Model Mayhem's The List, a list of veteran pro and semi-pro photographers who are dedicated to helping new models. I got my first Daily Deviation on DeviantArt - a photo of Love de Carvalho - and I finally got another Editor's Choice award from ePHOTOzine with a photo of Phoenix styled by Ruby. So I feel that progress has been made but change was necessary too. I put the idea of a Fantasy Art Project on hold in favour of returning to the completing of the novels themselves first.
The best creative relationships spark by themselves. Strangely it is not always easy to define exactly what it is about someone that inspires me. I have enjoyed photographing all the models I have worked with over the years but with some, I have had this sense of some greater potential. It is this potential that the artist in me craves above all else. It can take years to develop (it has taken nearly two years to start Holly's book project) but the potential is there from the start, and by that I mean my potential and not the model's potential. Chances are the model's potential has been, or will be, realised with another photographer. Maybe it is happening while I write this.
I have sensed this potential, for me, maybe eight times now, with Victoria, Liv, Ruby, Holly, Love, Lucy, Hannah and now Brett. I know I can do great things with these people. From this list Victoria has absented herself. Her choice not mine. I am still working with the rest. Yes, Liv, I will get you back in front of the camera in 2010!
This does not dismiss the rest by any means. Ironically many of my favourite shots to date have been with models outside this list, with Lucifera for instance. No. This is about the sense I get, as an artist, that something almost profound is possible and so I try to keep working with the people I believe it is most likely to happen with.
I do not think I have achived my potential with any of these people yet. Occasionally I have felt I was getting close, once or twice this year for instance. I know that if I do achieve something truly significant, it will likely be with one of these models. You might think it strange to include Brett after a single shoot but if I had been asked for a list back in February 2008, I would have included Holly because I clicked with Holly right from the start.
I know that I am likely to do my best work with someone I really want to work with who also really wants to work with me. Makes sense. And so I plan to do most of my work with these seven models throughout 2010. In addition I plan to shoot with at least one new model each month.
Targets for 2010? I would like to realise at least some of my potential with at least one of the models on the list above. Oh and an exhibition would be nice.
Here's to 2010.
Simon John Harvey (aka Xanda)
