Faraway!

I used to dream
Faraway dreams
Of faraway things, like you
I used to love
Faraway girls
From faraway worlds, like you

The further I go
The further I get
The further I reach
Aint nothing gonna touch me

I used to wait for faraway wave
From a faraway place, to take me

I used to write faraway notes
With faraway hopes
You'd find me

But the further I go
The furtehr I get
The further I reach
Aint nothing gonna touch me

I fit in the cracks in the pavement

And I think I see a star






I love this poem...cant remember who wrote it or where i read it but its been scrawled on a scrap of paper for a long time now.

Ozora

Ozora… Its an experience hard to describe with words and one that left a big impression on me. After coming back from South America with a broken pelvis...eeek…and spirits a little low, this place really lifted me. It is an experience that nobody can take away and it fills up your heart with energy. Ozora’s website describes is as ‘A playground where we learn to share and care, to express, connect, unify, beautify the world around us, in us.’ And I think that’s perfect. It’s sevens days of smiling. Everybody here, no matter who you are or what you look like at home, everybody looks beautiful. There are some crazy characters, colourful people and everyone fits in. Its such a friendly and loving atmosphere and everyone is there for the best possible reasons. Spirituality, creativity, music and dance.

The Main Stage

Just someones campsite...amazing!

The Chill Out Stage

Drinking water well

One of many chilled Chai Tea tents

A Lakota Woman

As a make-up artist I am always trying to find inspiration for my new ideas. I had recently borrowed a book from the library called Decorated Skin: A World Survey of Body Art and when sifting through its pages, analysing these beautiful painted bodies, an idea for a shoot jumped from its pages. I wanted to shoot a trible themed shoot. This would be difficult as it has been done so many times but I wanted to do something different and a more elaborate shoot than I had ever done before. When asking a friend of mine who is a props maker, if she would be interested in helping she jumped at the chance. Our mutual fascination with all things Native American (and my friends obsession with making a tepee) led us to focus this shoot on the nomadic tribes of Native America. I wanted this shoot to be more of an art project if you like, an editorial that tells a story and really engages you with its subject. A strong, proud and courageous  woman. Chloes ideas and set design really brought my small idea to life. Here are the result below.

Photographer: David Adams,  Concept and Make-up Artist: Francesca Brazzo,  Concept and Props: Chloe Rood,  Stylist: Melanie Tong,  Hair Stylist: Magdalena Tucholska,  Model: Marcella.

Cree Indian Prophecy

If only people would understand this, then disasters like mentioned below would not happen. 

Water and Oil

In Vogue Italia, August 2010 issue, was an editorial which caused much controversy with its depiction of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. When I first saw this fashion story I was blown away and 18 months later it is still one of my most inspiring shoots. Its incredibly powerful imagery has had much criticism, calling it insensitive and condemns it for glamourising such a tragic ecological and social disaster. Although I understand this point of view completely I do feel that this shoots intentions have been misunderstood.

Unfortunately we have become desensitised by the bombardment of images we see from not only this disaster, but many others too that sometimes to help raise awareness of such a important issue, something more visually shocking is needed. These disasters are often depicted through art and the photographer Steven Meisel uses his art the best way he knows how to do the same. Why cant a 'fashion' story be considered as art? 

This beautiful creature has been washed ashore, drenched, worn down and chocking on this oil filled water. But this isn’t of the creatures we have come accustomed to seeing soaked in oil on our screens and in our news papers. This is of a human, a woman, and a face that is well recognised to many of Vogues readers and shown in a style that they will find engaging. Not to everyones taste but you cannot deny how powerful these series of photographs are.

Open That Door!