It took a couple of months, but I finally managed to grab a photoshoot with Ali Brooks and her new Mazda MX5 Sport Venture at the weekend.
We decided to make it a fashion shoot rather than a lingerie or nude one and our latest order of latex hasn’t yet arrived from Westward Bound or Pandora Deluxe Latex, so we ventured out – geddit? – on Sunday morning to a nearby location, bumped the MX5 up onto the pavement next to the “Curlicue” statue and shot away. Â Ali looked great in her LBD, Gio Manhattan fully fashioned nylons and her new Christian Louboutin “So Kate” heels, accessorised with a hat and satin opera gloves.
I was lucky enough to be invited back again to shoot the Vodafone London Fashion Weekend on 22 February 2014.
The photographers had a briefing beforehand before being given passes to get into the show and grab our places in the pit. I ended up shooting something like 800 images from which I selected a few ones I like, which are now in a separate portfolio called, amazingly, London Fashion Weekend 2014.
This year, I was using a new zoom lens but added a monopod and battery grip to my shopping list (now sourced) to cope better for next year.
Thanks to the British Fashion Council and Canon Professional Services.
Well I was lucky enough to be invited to shoot the Trend Catwalk Show at London Fashion Weekend on 24 February 2013.
The photographers had a briefing beforehand before being given passes to get into the show and grab our places in the pit. I ended up shooting something like 450 images from which I selected a few ones I like, which are now in a separate portfolio called, amazingly, London Fashion Weekend 2013.
Thanks to the British Fashion Council and Canon Professional Services.
Work’s been quite hectic of late, as has my social life (which is no bad thing, of course).
Friday and I was off up to Soho and the Jazz After Dark to catch up with a mate, the excellent James Gillespie, who was over in the UK from Fuerteventura to play a few gigs on a whirlwind visit. Really good to catch up with him and his partner Jess plus a few other people I’d met at the Rock Island Bar as well as a few of James’ family members. Lots of drinks as always – ciders, spirits and shots! It was a great night out and even being grabbed in the bits by a friendly transvestite on my way home didn’t faze me!
Saturday and I was up bright and early to go and look at a house in the next block from mine in the same Crescent: a fair sized house for me with an even nicer garage which has the potential to double as a photographic studio due to its size and the high ceiling height for backdrops, lighting rigs, etc. We’ll see.
The it was off to see GT for lunch and an afternoon watching three hours of “Django Unchained” – spaghetti westerns reinvented for the 21st Century. Then it was off for another excellent curry at Cinnamon Spice.
A nice lay-in on Sunday before heading to Covent Garden for more retail therapy at Dr Martens with GT before I made my way home to pack and change to get to Paris by Eurostar and my hideously expensive but comfortable hotel.
A long day Monday in meetings and giving presentations to the MD of one of our larger Clients, made more difficult by a streaming cold {sigh}. Drinks in the Eurostar Business Lounge obviously help you care less.
Finally back home; my cabbie is also riding down to the Pyrenees this summer, apparently…
Working from home today so that I didn’t spread the sniffles; I took the opportunity to cancel a couple of remaining credit cards having cleared all the balances over the past few months. There’s something cathartic about doing this and cutting up the old ones. They were a safety blanket for me at times over the past years but with the potential to bite back, so it was good to cut them up and cut off more past times. More ties with the past severed for good.
Well since I last updated this blog, a lot has happened. Obviously the main event was my trip along Route 66 on an Electra Glide (posts syndicated below and on my Big Trip Blog). Breathtaking!
A week back in the UK – missing the States a lot – and I was off to Paris for a couple of days again with one of our Clients.
Back in London and the weather was wonderful at last, making walking home from work lovely if challenging – trying to avoid pubs!
Silhouette
Paralympics were on, bringing with it the Mayor’s fun: a big screen on Potters Field between County Hall and Tower Bridge with stalls selling all sorts of food and a bar. Made walking home and indeed lunchtimes different and bringing out the crowds.
Tower Bridge Adornment
GT got us tickets for the weekend’s Paralympics so off we went for a look around and to be awestruck.
Coca-Cola “Bubbles”
I think GT’s favourite part of the Olympic Park was probably the champagne and seafood restaurant where we spent a pleasant hour or two!
Then the following week, it was my daughter’s 21st birthday, so she came down to stay at mine for the weekend, with a trip to the West End shops for a dress and a champagne afternoon tea at Harrods’ Georgian Restaurant (after we’d had the Best Milkshakes Ever!).
Shake It Baby!‘Arrods
My 21st birthday present to her was a vanity plate for her car: 1991 AM (her birth year and initials). This was the end of the weekend that I’d spent with GT shopping in Kingston for an LBD for a do coming up with a lovely vegetarian meal on the Thames.
The following week saw more meals out plus a trip and stay in the Midlands to train a client’s staff. Great fun as always, but hard work.
Last week was fun: GT came with me to a champagne drinks reception at the Spencer House in St James Place, hence the new Karen Millen dress and Jimmy Choo killer heels! Driving in the back of a cab over Waterloo Bridge, we saw a huge ride at the Southbank that we decided we had to go on, so plans were hatched for coming back last weekend to ride on Priceless London Wonderground’s high-spinning swing ride, the Star Flyer, the tallest travelling ride in the country at 60m tall, with amazing views of London (especially when we went back later, after dark.
That was a weekend of film too, seeing “Killing Them Softly” (slow-paced but well done) on the Friday night and “The Sweeney” (which was an enjoyable romp if paying only lip service to the original series) on the wet Sunday afternoon.
Quite pleased too, recently, with the release of iOS6 and the iPhone 5 which is a lovely shiny thing!
And finally, Esther, I’ll leave you with my favourite track during this period which sums up a lot of things (more of which later):
Friday saw Jack coming down First Class as usual with me meeting him at Stratford and then heading to Surrey Quays for dinner at Frankie & Benny’s before heading over to watch Prometheus in 3D – neither great nor disappointing – before heading back to the apartment for a late night.
Mid-morning and we headed off to Surrey Docks Farm for their fabulous Farmhouse Breakfasts and then off to Oxford Street to go suit shopping for Jack. He wasn’t taken with the more expensive suits even on offer at Lewin or Tyrwhitt and Ted Baker, so we settled on the suit he’d seen at Top Man as well as a new pair of shoes. Then back home for Papa John’s pizzas and Euro 2012 on the telly.
This morning, we got up late and then headed off to Liverpool Street for Jack to head back up to Norwich whilst I went off to Spitalfields to buy some Doc Martens for the USA trip.
Now enjoying the television and catching up as always.
OK, that’s August accounted for: a shoot in Kent (outside and inside) and another shoot (street fashion, latex and mainstream lifestyle) with the fabulous Anita De Bauch, who’s also left me some great feedback over on Purestorm:
“I shot with Richard and Madame Bink at Light Spot Studio on 30th July and would happily do so again. He was punctual, friendly, polite and professional, and we were both delighted with the photos. I would highly recommend Richard to anyone and am already planning my next shoot with him!”
Well that was another busy weekend. Friday evening saw me collecting Jack from Stratford and trying to order pizzas using the Domino’s iPhone App. And failing. Repeatedly. Gah! So we rang from Canada Water and our pizzas were delivered just after 9.00pm.
GT rang us to say she was at Waterloo so we jumped in the car to meet her a few minutes later at Canada Water from where we went to Frankie & Benny’s for tea before heading on to the Odeon to watch Hangover II, which was excellent with a lot of belly-laughs for me.
Then back home for a very late night/early morning.
Up to do breakfast – eggs, muffins and cafetière coffee – before  driving GT back to Waterloo so she could get home.
Jack and I then hung out for a while before hearding off to Oxford Street to shop. This included an expensive lunch at Yo! Sushi in Selfridges – our fault as we kept grabbing interesting-looking dishes – before a lightning-fast visit to M&S to buy me a new suit – dark blue with a woven dark blue stripe – for work. Oh and another pair of Jimmy Choos for GT!
Then a horrendously expensive black cab back to the flat to pack us both before driving to Liverpool Street station for a coffee and tea. Jack on the Cambridge train and me back to the car for a drive up North to Wigan again.
It started on Friday with Amy coming over to stay. A lovely meal at the Rainbow Chinese Buffet Restaurant on Brunel Road before Lucy delivering my ironing – all 24 workshirts!
Saturday morning saw us heading up to Norfolk, collecting Jack on the way before heading into Norwich where we went to Wagamama before shopping: a pair of black Adidas Samba originals for me, two pairs of shoes, a Hollister shirt and Jack & Jones skinny jeans for Jack and a pair of Converse trainers for Amy.
Saturday night and we went back into Norwich to Nando’s followed by the Odeon to see “Attack the Block“, which we all enjoyed. Amy is now being followed and is following Alex Esmail on Twitter!
Sunday saw a lie-in at the hotel for me before heading over to see Jack on his birthday. His Mum had made a great strawberry gateau which we scoffed and later we had bangers and mash – again Jack’s request – before Amy and I headed back down to Royal Holloway.
I then popped over to see GT and eventually got in after midnight. A looooong weekend!
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