Grey Cards...BTS of the Summer 2009 Shopalog

From top clockwise: Amy, Hermione and Olivia

The prep behind the Bird Motel Summer 2009 shopalog almost killed me.

A lot of long days, a lot of phone calls and even more emails, a lot of location scouting, a lot of please send me the samples, I really need them, a lot of agonizing over which model to use for which story, a lot of decision making, a lot of wows, a lot praying to the weather gods, a lot of ironing, a lot of quick take that off and put this on, a lot of tears, a lot of laughs, a lot of grey cards.

And after all the blood, sweat and tears, you sit back and think, yeah it came together pretty well, yeah we did ok, and yeah, we're pretty proud.

All three girls from Chic Management were divine: on time, polite, funny, professional.

For 'Nevermind', a story inspired by 90s rock chicks, we unfortunately had to battle incredibly loud road works wafting up from the pavement below the studio. But after a couple of minutes we knew Olivia was going to nail our brief and we knew we didn't need to yell instructions at her over the sound of ear-shattering earth-moving equipment. Olivia, well she just did her thing, and did it so well, and we all fell in love with her.

We totally shocked a family of ten when they arrived back to collect their luggage to find the house in Bondi they had been holidaying in, suddenly buzzing with hair, make-up, assistants, clothes and one beautiful model called Hermione prepping for our Parlez-Vous Francais story. Hermione did not miss a beat all day and is truely one of those girls you can't stop staring at because her beauty is so exotic.

And I don't think the residents and staff of Tall Pines Caravan Park really knew what to think of Amy, 5'11" and atheletic strutting around swimsuits and sundresses. The wind that day was gale force, and wasn't pleasant, but Amy just got on with the job, meeting our brief of 'you're bored, stuck here on holiday for the summer with no friends' perfectly.

Yes, it almost killed me. And almost killed Dan because I wore him down with my nervous energy and hysteria. But will I do all again? Hell, yeah! I am already planning winter.

Hope you like it.

http://www.birdmotel.com.au/shopalog-clothing-catalogue.html

Drop me a line anytime and let me know what your favorite story is?

Wrangler

I adore this Wrangler Ad. Sultry 70s vibe. Nice.

BTS Spring Shopalog...

In Kelly's absense, I attempt to touch up Kristen's lips for our
welcome to the jungle story.

Getting real close to wrapping up our shooting for Spring. A few hiccups at the start - like the old lady who we struck a deal with us to shoot at her amazing federation home and cottage, got her dates mixed up and pulled out on us at the last second, a switch of models at the 11th hour, and missing a couple of clothing pieces I would've loved to include - it all turned out to be for the best.

All three models this time were from overseas, which really added something extra to our work days. Lynsey from the US told me that no barista can make her a black coffee like she gets in New York. Kristen from Germany taught me how to say 'hi, how are you' in German which I have promptly forgotten. And Manja from Amsterdam is just so freakishly tall and blonde, that she was the only choice for our space-race story.

The job of putting it all together is just about to begin. I love choosing the winning shots that will make it into the shopalog, but I have a feeling that it is going to be really hard to cull this time. But that's not such a bad problem to have.

Are you ready to rock?

The three spring birdmotel shoots are coming together. Well the seeds for styling, location, models, make-up, hair, and photography are planted and are truly growing nicely. There are always anxious moments when I panic that the clothing and accessories that I carefully ordered 4-5 ago months ago will actually gel into some nice themes. It always works out, but I was born worried.

The clothes are starting to pour in and I have been creating mood boards with some of my favourite pics.

The first story is 80s rock. I am quite inspired by this shoot because I recently went to an 80s theme party as Slash, and ever since I have been strangely possessed by him. Bleached denim, leather, studs, short bodycon dresses, zippers, dark eyes, pale lips. Bring it on.


Pics: Knight Cat; Fashion Toast; A Perfect Guide; 4th & Bleeker; Vain & Vapid; Hedi Slimane.

And I think I'll watch this a few more times before the shoot!

Natalie by Annie...

Natalie Portman, this time by Annie Leibowitz.

I love the feeling here that Annie has captured 'a moment'. The green cast, the crinkled white blouse, Natalie's porcelain skin with red lips, makes it feel like a Pre-Raphaelite painting. Also love how she is emerging from the blackness of the camellia tree behind her, like it could engulf her. Brilliant.

Film Noir by Leibowitz...

I searched and searched for my favourite all time Annie Leibowitz shot, all to no avail. It is of Tom Cruise. I know. But it is the most amazing atmospheric photo of him walking in heavy rain, the kind that slants like a curtain billowing in the wind. The kind from old movies. He wears a dark blue suit with the collar up, his body is slouched but his eyes, his eyes are focused and piercing at the lens. And it is infused with green light that is in so many of Annie's shots.

I love that photo. It makes me so mad that I know that the large format slide is sitting in a photo agency in Sydney, and has been for so many years, and no one has published it here. If anyone owns the copy of Vanity Fair that appeared in the States, let me know!

So instead, here is her series of her photographs called 'Film Noir' featuring some of the biggest celebs in Hollywood. I also have a soft spot for these: the light, the sets, the drama. Brilliant.

Scarlett Johansson by Giles Bensimon...

The stunning Scarlett Johansson, again in US ELLE, and photographed by Giles Bensimon.