Portraits

Mosquito nets, Metaphysics and Mississippi Mud Pie

ERWhittington 2 Comments

Is there anything more delicious in a pot than Mississippi Mud Pie crunch corner yoghurt? (No, is the answer.) I think all my future blog posts should have a foodie theme; it’s only right. Anyway, today has been rather indulgent; I spent most of it writing, updating online places, trying on my beautiful new wedding skirt to go with a shiny matching corset for bridal shoots (more to arrive in the post very soon!), taking photographs of my cat and dog as they lounged together (a rare sight; usually the cat tries to kill the dog) on my handmade crochet blanket, flicking through my new Spanish AS/A-level revision guide, looking at my new books on Nothing (a philosophy/science book crucial for a headstart on being able to delve into my new physicist-character’s brain) and Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception, reading Ian McEwan’s Solar and listening to Shakira’s Sale el Sol. Ah, I love it when parcels arrive from amazon; I go through my wishlist periodically and create mini Christmasses for myself all year round… I recommend this habit greatly.

OK, moving on with some imagery…

These next few images are from Mel Brackstone (another Australian, yes!). These were all shot using a lensbaby. I flippin’ love them. So soft and dreamy and I had a great time pretending to be up in the clouds ordering thunder, etc. Do check out her work if you don’t know it; every time I look I find something new to admire. There’s a lot of creativity there, and I particularly love the quirky compositions and narratives, plus some really accomplished and interesting self portraits.

Tones and shadows

ERWhittington 6 Comments

These were shot by Robert Farnham, in a swelteringly hot desert location (seriously: there was a meltdown. Half way through, the shoot was postponed and continued later. Robert wasn’t the only photographer who had to do this!… Things were just about bearable for me, being unclothed, but I was definitely starting to boil and jumping in the pool was a very necessary occasion… later shoots ended up being specifically designed around watery locations, which resulted in absolute bliss all round.)

I really love his compositions here, and the rich blacks in the staircase. It’s also nice to show a bit of ‘bodyscape’ work, which hasn’t been on my blog for a while.

Thanks Robert! 🙂

Lynn Creek Canyon

ERWhittington 4 Comments

Hello!

This is just another quick update, probably the last before I get home to the good old UK on 16th Dec and inflict upon my readers post after post of exciting new photos I have received by email over the last couple of months! I feel so lucky to have worked with some incrediblely talented photographers recently, whose work I have truly admired for a looooong time. I definitely feel like I am achieving things I never thought possible, in terms of modelling – working with people from all corners of the world who I did not (note there is no apostrophe on this Costa Rican keyboard, so everything is sounding a bit convoluted and formal) imagine I would meet let alone get together with as equals and create some cooool stuff. I still feel like I have way more to do though and am looking forward to some shoots I have coming up which will show that I enjoy expanding my range and thrive on new challenges.

Kicking off some updates then, here are some images I received from the brilliant Christopher Ryan. These were taken in Lynn Creek Canyon Park in Vancouver a couple of months ago. Film, as seemed to be the medium of choice in that part of the world. Thank you Chris for a great day and I hope to visit again sometime!

An Update from Guatemala!

ERWhittington 2 Comments

Well hello lovely blog readers! I’ve had a few concerned emails asking if I’m still alive, and this is to say that indeed I am! Just thought I’d take a little time in the middle of my global gallavanting to update you all with some recent images, taken by the wonderful, kind hearted and generally excellent Ron Skei a couple of months ago. I currently have a Guatemalan boy sitting directly behind me, watching my every move (or rather, watching my every keyboard stroke). I have no idea why. Apparently I am fascinating. I hope when I upload the following images he isn’t scarred for life or, most importantly, doesn’t call the authorities… So wish me luck…

(…Just checked, and yep, he’s still here. Ha.)

OK, anyway… Here are a few shots we did together. I love them! Hope you approve and that this might tide my readers over until I return to more comfortable computing conditions in December!

I think the first shot is my favourite – I love the abstract body shape, as if I’ve just been washed up from the water. It was such a nice, relaxed shoot – we initially just thought we might go swimming pre-shoot, then ended up shooting at the beach too. The double exposure shots were also really fun! A perfect introduction to a very successful and enjoyable week of modelling, from which I hope to be able to show more results soon!

I will almost certainly be showing some images from my travels (my colourful snapshots!) once I’m home, on top of the modelling ones. I’m seeing some BEAUTIFUL things and having an amazing time, snorkelling with nurse sharks, seeing sea horses in the wild, liberating baby sea turtles, swimming through caves with Mayan skeletons inside, checking out ancient Mayan and Aztec ruins. If you’re a friend of mine on facebook you’ll also know that I recently lamented the lack of a photographer when I swam around beneath a hot waterfall a few days ago! I am so lucky. Every day is action packed! I’m also somehow learning spanish, presumably through some kind of gradual osmosis, necessitated by the complete lack of english-speaking people here (fair enough) and helped by a 12-day speed learning course I put on my kindle! I’ll be back in the UK in time for Christmas and available for plenty of bookings after that, as well as taking bookings for the European trips I’m arranging too. Just bear with me while I have limited internet access – I might be a little slow at replying to messages at the moment. They say a break from the internet is a good thing though, eh?

Back soon…

The Trees…

ERWhittington 8 Comments

…They called me to go and model for Dave Aharonian, and what an honour it was! We were very excited to be able to make stuff together for his Rainforest Nudes project (see his incredible website if you happen to feel like being blown away). I just adore his technique and finishes; the pure quality of it needs to be seen in physical prints. We had 40 frames available and about 1.5 hours. Luckily everything just ‘clicked’. I hope you like these as much as I do.

Any favourites?!

Also, Dave took these on his iPhone a few mins before we left the house:

 …And, just to lower the tone a bit, here are some shots of me on the ferry (also iPhone-snapped – there’s just no escaping it, is there?), documenting the perils of long hair in strong winds. In the last one, I was actually being attacked by my own hair. Nice of Dave to help…


Rabbits

ERWhittington 7 Comments

Paul Bartholomew has sent me a few more shots from our short shoot at the ruins/river/forest location near me in Oxfordshire. He’s a great photographer; check out his stuff at the impressive site 1x.com, where the last portrait below has just been published.

 
I really love the light and bokeh in these, and how natural the portraits are. For the set in the blue skirt, I was imagining being in a fairytale, lost and distressed, or calling on my animal troupe to help me with some quest, so naturally began channelling rabbits and other small woodland creatures through my poses… Good to have a story in your head! 🙂

Practical Photoshop again

ERWhittington

A photographer I worked with recently has kindly informed me that I’m in the current issue of Practical Photoshop. There are a few pages but my favourite feature is the one below, the results of a competition from the previous issue, in which readers were invited to create their own digital artworks using a portrait of me. It’s kinda strange to think that so many people I’ve never met were staring at my face in such detail and working on ideas for what they could do with it, and interesting to read some of the thoughts behind their work. Click to enlarge.

I like the fiery red ‘girl with a pearl earring’ take on the portrait, and the goth one makes me think it could actually be fun to do a shoot in that style… I am very pale, after all, and quite good at looking haughty, etc… I also like the one with the Burj in the background – although I can’t say my own holiday snaps from Dubai came out anything like that!

…

In other news, anyone who enjoys dabbling in a spot of ‘iPhoneography’ might be interested in a talk award-winner Gordon Fraser is giving soon in London… Flyer (with my face on!) below: