I had a lovely shoot recently with a photographer Tobias Key at one of my favourite nearest beaches, West Wittering. Oxford is possibly the furthest one can be from a beach in England (I’m sure someone will correct me on this, though), and I always feel on some soul level as though I’ve been let out of prison whenever I see the sea. #pisces #ilovewoodlandtoothough

We had an Indian summer, and although it was late September, it was surprisingly hot and the sun was direct and harsh. The wind threatened to topple over Toby’s stands (and all else) but we battled heroically through, frequently changing our position and trying to work out how I could pose without squinting TOO badly… I absolutely love the feeling of being by the water – it’s always magical to me and I never get bored of it.

As we all know, film photography has its own power and allure, and produces images which seem – to me – to have a different kind of depth than digital images (as wonderful as they are). Although I’ve modelled for many different types of art and photography process over the years, it’s always fun and mysterious, nevertheless. I was impressed with Toby’s confidence and expertise even in sub-optimal photographic/weather conditions! Did I mention the tripod-sinking-into-the-sand problem? I’m sure some of you are familiar with that.

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How have you all been? I’ve been updating regularly over on the ol’ insta (you’re following me there, yes?), and working hard on my main business (look no further for Christmas presents or gifts to yourself steeped in natural plant abundance), while loving modelling here and there regularly too.

I’m also writing a book about my decade (and longer) experience of posing as a nude model; a mix of secrets, confessions, really deep dives into how I really feel about everything, and some tips and things I’ve learned along the way. I’ll let you know when it’s finished!

I’m not going to promise to regularly update my blog again (some of you might remember when I updated it multiple times a week for years!!), but I also…. might. There’s something special about taking the time to honour a photoshoot with a display of multiple images and the story behind them, rather than just show one image or possibly two. I’m so grateful for all the images I am sent by those I work with, and for being allowed to share them – I could probably blog for years before showing them all off, even without doing another shoot (though, don’t worry, I’m still happily modelling for now)! 🙂

Have a glorious day.

Ella