Valentines Pin Ups

What a month it has been! 
I set about coming up with an alternative sexy shoot theme to pass onto the Pearman Photography  clients for the romantic month of February.  I personally HATE boudoir photography.  For me it evokes notions of oiled up women doing tacky poses, in bad lighting, throughout the 80's & 90’s. 

  










As I'm always aiming to be innovative, I simply had to evolve the theme.
The age of 50’s Rockabilly chic is pretty established as an aspect of fashion.  The big hair, the winged eyes, and trashy vibe entered into a mainstream in fashion with the rise and fall of the legend Miss Winehouse.   Although I love this style, I didn’t want to be too safe and obvious.

I wanted to give my February Valentines shoot’s something a bit different.  Over Christmas I watched the entire Band of Brothers box-set.  I loved the accuracy of the interpretation of the 1940’s and this began to formulate my idea further.  The Pin up was an art form that boomed in WW2.  Soldiers painted beautiful women on the sides of their planes for luck, and the art-form was an indulgence for soldiers missing their women at home.

Recently with Burlesque trends, this vibe has come back into the forefront of styling.  What I love the most about this style is that the whole thing was based around women who were not at all real.  They were illustrated.  Their proportions defy science, similar to all of our magazines on the shelves today.  Instead of using a pencil to draw out our ideal woman, we use Photoshop!

So by taking inspiration from the 1940’s illustrated women, I wanted to offer today’s Newcastle ladies the chance to come and have a photo-shoot, where they had the opportunity to style it in line with who they are.  We’d then work together to add the more fantastical appeal by playing around with technology of air-brushing and retouching.  Before I started shouting about this for Valentines day, I had to test it.  So I invited some bloggers along.   



Amy Lord from Ten Penny Dreams has a great blog, she is an aspiring writer, and uses her blog to document her route to becoming a full time writer.  She attended the Blogcademy down in London recently hosted by famous bloggers Kat Williams, Gala Darling and Shauna Haider.  After chatting with Amy I was impressed that she is very disciplined in her blogging.  At 4 times a week, she puts my monthly posts to shame.  Amy wanted to do something more along the lines of housewife chic with her shoot.  Here is a small selection of what we created together.

You can subscribe to Amy’s blog, and follow her on twitter @tenpennydreams and @AmyWritesStuff 
Next up was Sandra Tang.  I met Sandra at The House of Seduction Fashion show event I covered this month at Newcastle’s Fat Buddha.  You can see their blog about my work on this night here.  Not only does Sandra live and breathe fashion, she organizes Newcastle’s Fashion Week.  Sandra naturally brought a much more fashionista take to the brief of 1940’s pin up.  Her first “piece” to wear was a fabulous suit that a friend of her’s had kept aside especially for her at a house clearance.  These are obviously the people you need to know to get your hands on the authentic items! Sandra blogs about all things fashion every couple of days.  Here is her blog about coming to the studio.

You can subscribe to Sandra’s blog and follow her on twitter @sandiebeach. With these two already very different takes on my brief, I knew that this could evolve into something more along the lines of a long-term project.  So I have decided to keep it in the mix as something available from the studio on an ongoing basis.  In the next few weeks I’ll be welcoming a pin up cyclist to the studio, a pin up medium and even a pin up with a pet puppy!  I can’t wait. There is a long-term offer now featured to the people of Newcastle through NE1 offers (thanks to Sandra).  You can get this by going here.

Family Babies

Half of the stock that I am made from is GEORDIE flavoured.
My maternal grandmother gutted herring on the banks of North Shields fish quay, and I love that part of me is made up with this fascinating piece of history.  Not only did the late and great Minnie Hutchinson work all her life (she had to go and get married in her lunch break) she also bore a lot of children, crazy quantities by today’s standards, but nearer the norm then.  

The Don Herself.

Having 7 children (6 survived) meant that I grew up with a traditionally large Geordie family.  I love working for large families in my studio, and find myself relating to the children who have many cousins and aunties and uncles.  As that is how I remember my own childhood.

5 of the sisters, with Grandma.  We think Aunty Avril was taking the picture.

I can remember regular visits to Grandma’s, at which me and my sister were lavished with huge amounts of sweets (Grandma thought my Mam’s idea of giving us sugar free diets was just “stupid”) and bizarrely fridge-chilled crisps (to keep them “fresh”).  It was at these visits Grandma kept the whole family informed of everyone else’s news.  Keeping in touch with the whole family together was more of a seasonal occasion, saved for Christmases and birthdays.  We’d have big family trips out to places in the North East, or head to “One of the Aunties”.  Large buffets where everyone chipped in a few plates produced a varied smorgasbord of party treats.  Me and the cousins would usually sneak small bowls of this food and go and play in a part of the host’s house that was off-limits.  This usually consisted of criminal activities like finding Aunty Beryl’s rollers, jumping on Aunty Avril’s bed, or transforming a zed bed at my Mam’s house into a huge slide (said zed bed was of course broken).  We were always encouraged to show off our talents at these events.  I can recall tap dancing on a plank of wood in a living room one year, and jamming with a keyboard and recorder at another with my saxophone.  As a bunch of 6 sisters, the aunties themselves were prone to bursting into song, and these performances were usually led by the notorious Aunty Betty, who was always cracking jokes, bursting into song and leaping into dance – which we children naturally found hysterical.

Rocking out at my 2nd Birthday Tea Party

As the group of cousins grew up, we all set off on our own paths.  We have Managers, a Fireman, Fishermen, a Naval Engineer, a Dancer turned Pilates Teacher, an IT guru, a full time Mammy, and me, the photographer in the family.  And as the hands of time “tick tocked” on, we now have the beginnings of the next generation!  With two new babies at the same time arriving into our family, I simply had to get the camera out.

Baby ISLA MAY BIGGS  

Baby John (We Think)

That's John on the Space Hopper

Baby Isla arrived at 01:58 on 4th October 2012.  She is the new twig on the Aunty Glen and Uncle Jackie branch of the tree.  They had John & Richard, and Isla is John’s daughter.  He married the lovely Kerrie.  

Isla is, so far, a very delicate and graceful baby, she was very calm and quiet when we did her photo-shoot at the studio.  I couldn’t resist imposing my strange musings to dress her up in some old lady pearls.  (I love making babies look like old people). 

Baby MAX WILLIAM ANDERSON 

Lindsay grabbing some cake and chill time at my 3rd Birthday Party

Baby Max arrived at 07:42 on 19th October 2012.  Max has sprouted from the Aunty Beryl branch of the tree.  Aunty Beryl married Uncle George, and they had Judy.  Judy had Lindsay and Samantha, then Jessica.  

Baby Lindsay

Lindsay fell in love with the cheeky Paul, and they had Max.  Max blew me away with his strength.  He was already pushing nearly his full weight on his legs, and had no trouble at all in holding his head up and resting on his arms.  Very alert and active, I reckon he will be a “full of beans” boy. He is also the double of his Daddy!
With two technically similar photo shoots, with babies only two weeks apart in age, you can see how different the photography came out.  This is one of my most favourite parts of family photography, no two sessions are ever the same.

Even when the family trees have grown from the same roots.

A Blog for Baby Penny

I was so excited to find out the news that my good friends Helen and Rob were expecting.  I worked with them both in one of my part time jobs when I was studying photography years ago, and we had all become friends.  I had left the job by the time they had the good news, but I was thrilled when they asked me if they could be my very first Baby 1st's Book Clients.

For those of you who haven't heard of my Baby 1st's Books.  I offer a year long service to soon-to-be parents.  They nominate what they'd like all 10 of their shoots to be about, and when in the first year they'd like to use them.  Here is an overview of how Rob and Helen chose to use their book, to give Penny one of the best keepsakes there is.



The Bump Shoot

1st Family Picture

Helen was naturally worried about doing this shoot, but with my encouragement, and assurance of my photoshop skills, she decided to go for it.  It's great to capture that special time of being pregnant, but no lady really wants every single detail on show! 


So I had the chance to work (just a little bit) of my magic to make the shots exactly how she and Rob wanted.

Rob is an illustrator, and comic book fan, so to help make this shoot that little bit more unique we added in these shots.  As Rob is "au fait" with design, we have arranged for him to be able to work with Penny's image files on his own project.  I'm looking forward to seeing his artistic interpretation of the project.

Helen tries to muffle baby's ears whilst Rob reads 
Walking Dead..... Not the best Night-time story!

Penny Arrives
 
Weighing in at 7lbs 14oz on Sunday 20th November 2011 beautiful Penny Mae Powell arrived. 
Rob and Helen were keen to get some photographs as soon as possible so we arranged their first shoot for just two weeks into being parents.
Here are just a couple of photographs of penny in all her newborn glory.

Rob did a quick art attack in the studio!

On-Location Shoots  
Part of the Baby 1st's book service is that you can choose to go out on location for two of the shoots.  Rob and Helen chose to have a day out in Saltwell Park for Penny's 3rd Shoot, and then a seaside shoot at King Edwards' Bay for her 6th Shoot.
 
Here are my favourite images from them:

It has been wonderful getting to know Penny over the last year.  She has developed an inquisitive and very playful personality over the time we have worked together, and I think it is fair to say she now knows when to smile for the camera and give her best smiles.

My favourite photo-shoot that we did of Penny was her 5th session.  Rob and Helen wanted to get really messy with the theme so Helen baked us a huge chocolate cupcake.  We let Penny help herself, which took quite a while (we think she was unsure if she could go crazy) but after a while she let go and it's safe to say she loved smearing the chocolate goo everywhere.  

I always take a copy of this photograph along to fayres and places I am promoting the studio.  People regularly stop in their tracks to tell me how cute the image is.

I'm now about to get cracking on designing her book, I can't wait to work with Rob and Helen to get it laid out exactly as they want, ready to turn it into a beautiful memory all three of them can look through over in the years to come.

If you would like more information about this service for you, or someone you know who is expecting then email me.

www.pearmanphotography.co.uk

07535625675

  

Procrastination Ruling This Nation

It's been an age since I posted..... Here's why.

June: the Big 30 hit. I was relatively jubilant about this ie rather somber. No one likes getting older.
Bit then the tremendous news hit that my last 6 months of endless proposal and bid papers, well, came to an end!

July: I got myself a cute studio space and set about turning it into a Peary Haven for The now Official Pearman Photography business.
Many hours painting....
Some more on testing bonds with loved ones over flat pack furniture....

August: Marketing, Promoting, and more Marketing, websitery, sample making

September: Direct Marketing, Marketing, Networking and Promoting, social mediary, sample producing.

October: Networking, Financial Juggling, Promoting, and FINALLY Booking jobs.


And that is me pretty much up to date.
More Blogs on these last few months to come


SOON!

Xoxo Laura

The Cher-Ching Realities

Well in a bid to be really a lot better at the frequency of my updates I'm back up to speed on completion of this little addition.

I've been really busy, like usual, but this month around it's been in all spheres: Business, Bills Work, Social and on my own. 

My month started with a really motivational day, at a Business Link Event.  I dragged my tired ass along to a local start-up day to investigate the things that I've always been a bit unclear about, with the overall ambition of getting a real picture in my mind of exactly what stage of becoming a true photographic entrepeneur I'm at.  With the company of my ever lovely Mammykins, we tackled what could have been a real bamboozling trip into a systematic zone attack.  I'd heard from an illustrator friend of mine days before going that these events can be dangerous if you aren't prepared.  Imagine a Wedding Fair with hysterical bridezillas, but exchange the bridezilla's for business dragons and salesman wide-boys and you have a rough whiff of the mood of the event.  I'm very glad I got there so early, and was able to quiz the people I needed information from early enough in their day, for them to be focused and really listen to my questions.  In conclusion, I still have a fair way to go - involving a lot of time to be spent on proper planning, but this is still my most precious factor in anything these days.  Finding the bloody time!

In continuation to my latest photographic ventures in shooting events to up my experience, I signed myself up to take pictures at an event at my nearby Students Union.  This was an event aimed to celebrate women, on the 100th anniversary of International Womens Day.  As a feminist myself, I was more than happy to do what I could to help out.
When I arrived at the event I learnt that one of the speakers on the panel was actually in A&E and thus no longer able to be a speaker.  Word had travelled that I was a feminist, and I was rapidly roped into being on the panel myself.  My fully charged camera equipment had to rest in the wings while I headed out and did my best to provide intelligent feminist input to coversations covering "Celebrity DVD's", "The recent headlines on Female Linesman", "Who my Female Idol Was" and so on.  Other unplanned conversations involved debates on Childcare, Katie Price and my giving the audience a rough historical timeline on the feminst movement and a few rants on the misperception of what a feminist in today's society actually is.  What a night!  Excellent times!  I was truely energised and inspired to get back to shooting more feminst themed work.  I'm now currently mulling over possibilities for a new collection - maybe a book on something in this area in my conscious/sub-conscious back burner (my brain being a hob top, this burner being the one you never use cos it's so damn small)......

Another great fun filled and non-photographic day included running into some bins.  I walked through town to meet a friend to go and get our feet nibbled by garra fish Fishy Fun with my Buddy Liz (the new Dr.Fish Spa Craze) and ran a few errands before we met up.  I must have marched right through this interactive art installation about 3 times before I actually noticed what was going on.  By Grey's monument there were two wheelie bins, named Sid & Nancy who were operated from some distance and ran into passers by.  I ended up stopping to watch the effect this had on people, it was brilliant!  Children and old-people -the most aware of their surroundings- instantly noticed these bins were wheeling into their walking paths, or even right into them, whereas the rest of the people were dodging the bins having seen them in their peripheral vision, but at the same time, without noticing that there was a wheelie bin moving on it's own.  Facinating statement!  Here's a link of Sid & Nancy in motion:
Sid & Nancy Vid

With all these varied experiences I find myself much more inspired to start working on new photographic projects.  I've already bought 2 new camera's (both second-hand and bargains, both very different) to start playig with in the hopes to make technical improvements to my new neighbouring blog.  This was inspired by my good friend Dee who studied with me at Newcastle College.  Dee is now up in Edinburgh becoming even more of a photo academic and has recently begun her own blog aimed at tackling her inner darkness.  she's aptly called her blog Photo-therapy.  You can find it here: Dee's Photo Therapy Blog I have to say it is of Dee's usual high-quality and technically impressive finish.  A really great way to explore one's own psyche through a comfortable medium.  So to show my appreciation, and to also greddily aim for a similar amount of satifaction, I too have jumped onto the Photo-a-day bandwagon.  So far my output is jumbled, chaotic, and technically below-parr.  I've found simply taking a photo on a mobile or my little compact to be challenging enough, but I plan to pluck away and hopefully get some good results over the 2 month mark or so.  We'll see how it goes, maybe this jumbled mess will take some shape????
You can find my work here: The 365 Dare

Pro Bono to Accumulate

Since my last update, I've been continuing to look at how to go about really setting up regular business for myself.  As already identified I need a zillion things to get me on my way:

- Reliable Digital SLR

- Lighting kit

- Bank Account

- Funding

- Premises/Space at home to work from

- Colourama & Rig

- Financial Position that's less risky?  i.e can I live on only small means without regular outgoings I've got to commit to?

I feel the rest of the necessary objects are things I have and would be able to create if the above were met.  So I've set up some serious deadlines for myself.  First up, to really get a true understanding of the funding game.  Initial searches show there are vast lists on funding if you'd like to play around with genetics, or build a wind farm but sadly there is little help for the more creative spheres.  I'd already set aside time to meet with people who are more in the know in this field than I, and until then I am really unable to report back with an educated response.

I was hoping to get some regular out-of-hours work with a recent job I was hired for, and since leaving time for the initial "Settle in" period, I've been going about pimping myself out to the people in my department I reckon would be in a viable position to agree work with.  I faced some quite high brick walls.  But never to have been able to take no for an answer (at least on first attempts anyway) I have ploughed on through re-reminding people that I am a photographer who is not only reliable and can shoot to any spec, but I'm prepared to work for free.  And my nagging has finally paid off.  I was given a gig.  Albeit a pro-bono one, but on I hope will lead me onto more regular work and eventually paid work.  It's going to be largely in events coverage, and I had forgotten how fun this can be without the pressure of the event being pre-fixed with a giant capital W!

I had a great time, and really feel that my voyeur gene was over-indulged.  This really is the style of photography that captures real human beings, being themselves.  It's amazing how a macro lens can take the edge off!

That being said, I am still not advocating any kind of a photograpahic career path in paparazzi!

I was shooting an auction event which took place over at The Shed in Gateshead.  It was coordinated by those lovely people at Volunteer Northumbria who work out in the local community to connect students who want to volunteer, and the people who could use their help.  This event was a fundraiser but still made those connections.  This time between artist Corinne Lewis-Book Sculpturer extraordinaire and friends of Volunteer Northumbria who came along to bid for pieces she had inspired local members of the community to create through a tutorial workshop.  The night was punctuated with the witty sounds of the Cobweb Orchestra.  Another great group of people who play together just for the fun of it, but ensure their sound is heard out and about in the local community.

                                            Here's hoping my good karma bank will start to debit my bank account

There ain't nuthin going on but the rent!

Happy New Year to all of you out there reading this!

Now keeping a firm focus on photography is certainly very hard to do in January, I've found.  The financial burden of Christmas excess has taken it's toll and scrimping till pay day has overshadowed all of my creative thoughts.

I'm now working three jobs these days (in addition to my own photography work), in an effort to realign my bleak finances and this is taking the strain on my time as can be imagined.  So with this in mind I thought this blog should be dedicated to that slippery ladder of success I hope most other emerging photographers are clinging to.  The crude oil grease upon each rung of course.... is money............

I've had a splendid time in my adult life so far.  I left home as planned at 18 to go to university.  Having struggled to make anything out of two years studying A-Levels I was never very good at, I jumped onto the 'clearing' bandwagon and jumped into a degree I didn't really care about.  Three years of student life for me were more about the excitement of living away from home, and running my own life as I wanted to.  Academic realisation of my bad decision in degree course only really hit me when I wrote a dissertation that pretty much declared I was unprepared to explore a career in the field I had studied because it just wasn't a very nice thing to do with my life.  So I decided to run away from it.  This was a great time,  I travelled the world on a graduate loan and had a blast.  I grounded in Australia with a slight vibe of unease about where my finances were, and when I took the time out from the party to find out I realised I was in a bad way.  To rectify this I decided to live in Australia, and enjoy the lifestyle.  It beat the hell out of the one waiting for me back home in the UK, so that's what I did.  I made some wonderful friends in this time and despite not giving much of a monkey's about the job I had, it was over-paid which made my new Aussie life pretty cushie.  This came to an abrupt end when my visa was no longer valid, after I was unwittingly double crossed by a troll-like character...... but that's another story.
So without a proverbial pot to squat at, I landed back in Heathrow, sobbed on the plane when it landed and had to face the monetary music.  I ended up living in Norfolk for a while, which again involved many blessings in the shape of some wonderful friends and even the chance discovery of my now boyfriend Thom.  Blessings aside this was a tough time money-wise, I sold my soul to a financial giant and slowly worked my way out of debt.  Again an over-paid job meant this involved a little disposable income with which to indulge in mind expanding activities; festivals, yoga, even a life-drawing night class at one point, and of course very regular social bookings in the shape of many a party.
The travel bug then reared his antennae when I decided to follow Thom on his travels around the world.  I felt I hadn't completed my journey from last time, and the whole idea was just so wonderfully romantic that I got a second job to save up (did it the right way this time) and went for it.
It was on this expedition that I found photography, through assisting Thom on many a sunrise or sunset shoot.  Once I'd learned the principles, I decided I'd give it a go and see if I had anything to say photographically.  Thom agreed to continue to teach me but only if I packed up my digital compact in exchange for something 'real'.  I bought my first 35mm camera in windy Wellington in New Zealand, and fell in love with the passion oozing out of the very awesome dudes in that shop who hung around and chatted with us about photography for at least two hours.
So whilst exploring what photography could be to me in some of the most beautiful places I've seen, I became more and more sure that this may just be my passion in life.  I applied to study full time back home in the wee hours of the night, writing my UCAS application out in an internet cafe in Christchurch. 
With a rough folio and my attempt at what I thought a sketchbook was, I was offered a place.  And with this I re-entered in the financial status of  "Skint -Student".
Having come out the other side fulfilled and happy with life, I'm once again searching for that pot.  And so I'm back to busting my ass off in 4 jobs to make some more adventures possible.  This time around it is all so much more worth it though I have to say.

So in times of recession, what is a girl to do to get herself some good enough equipment to start working more regularly as a photographer?  My first answer has been to ask someone more wealthy -very nicely- for help.  And so, I have commenced an application to the UK Arts Council.  It is a very rigorous matter, you have to submit so many detailed appendices to your application and so on and so forth and then wait with baited breath..........
I've also been on the hunt for some advice and guidance and have booked myself onto a few lectures on self-financing in order to learn more about how this monkey swings out in the jungle that is industry.

While my chips are down, and I save to develop some films of recent times (to show you my latest work)  I have included a few inspirations that have kept my tired face a-smiling.........

PLARN

Plarn is a yarn made out of plastic bags.  You chop up your old carrier bags in such a way to make a continuous string of plastic, and then the idea is you work it into something much more worthwhile than trash.  






Leftover Cookery
Certainly the best thing to come in January.  I have litres of frozen meat liquors that I'm working my way through to make hearty soups, broths and casseroles.

The Shutter Sisters Cup Project

I am a fervent fan of yogi tea and it's lovely messages.  Lately though I have busted into even spicier tea given to me as a present.  Certainly a warming cup in the winter.. here was my entry 



Cleaning
Now I love a good clean at the best of times, but for some reason this month I have been a little bit addicted to cleanliness.  I have cleaned out the studio I work in, I gutted out several storage cupboards in my cinema job, and spent a joyous few hours last weekend cleaning my car and oven with white vinegar and toothpaste solutions (which I have to say worked a treat!).



Keith Richards

His auto-biography is proving to be a real good read.  I haven't got to his 'big-time' accounts yet I've just enjoyed learning how dedicated he always was at being so anti-establishment, and so obsessive in his craft.  Goes to show how unmerciful you need to be to become a real great in your field.







The AOP Foilos (Issue 4)
I picked up a few postcards of Lottie Davis' work and have them dotted about in my home.  I still think her idea's are witty and fresh, especially when she involves children.

LOTTIE DAVIS

Joe Lasky's travelling photography is warming my cockles in this frosty time of year.  Could those antennae be back on my horizon?

JOE LASKY