So earlier this year Veronica Wotton asked if we could do a joint shoot with Stephanie Dubois and of course I agreed instantly, as you do…..only then I found out that I would have to model with Stephanie as Vron wanted to do some Jack Vettriano inspired ideas. Anyways I agreed to it and besides its always fun working with Stephanie. As the shoot day drew closer I realised I needed braces to complete the costume, this turned out to be a bit of a nightmare as I felt they were crucial to the feel of the shoot. I looked online but it was hard to choose without seeing them…..the high St shops were very expensive for them, I was running out of time however at the eleventh hour I found them in Tescos cheap as chips! ain’t life funny!

Anyway on the day of the shoot we headed out with a picnic and costumes to Tentsmuir beach, this was an all day shoot and the afternoon had the promise of a storm to come. The morning though was dusted by small fluffy clouds. The idea was that Vron would shoot Stephanie and myself and I would click a remote trigger for my camera on a tripod, sadly the remote’s signal didn’t reach far enough and Vron had to be my human remote trigger and press the button on the camera when I shouted. In the end it worked out quite well. Though I didn’t really know where I was in the frame….so a little editing was needed to get the compositions right, I also gave the images a painterly effect….and dare I say it….it used pure white. Blasphemy and Outrage!!

 

Location shoots can often be an adventure and opportunities can crop up, and this one proved to be no different. Vron accosted a horse rider walking with her horse and Vron got some excellent shots of Stephanie with the horse, I didn’t take much of the horse because I was at the wrong angle and it was very much Vron’s idea. However they looked fab on the back of the camera.

After a break for lunch and well earned cake we carried on and Stephanie made a lovely floral head piece whilst Vron and I lounged in the sand with full tummies. A quick outfit change and a wee splash about in the sea…

By now the promised Storm was starting to head our way, so we changed tack and took advantage of the clouds…

Things were getting a bit stormy now, the wind picked up and the light was fading fast, although it was still warm the temp dropped a bit..

By this time the clouds were disappearing into a horrible blanket of greyness and the rain looked like it wasn’t far behind. So we called it a day and managed to get one last scene before leaving Tentsmuir. On the way out Vron parked her Figaro in a wooded lane and we bagged a lovely shot of Stephanie in a 1920s style dress. We were accosted by a ranger who asked us if we were in trouble but left once we explained what we were doing.

 

By the time we took the final shot the rain started and it pelted down in a grey fug all the way home, so it looks like we definitely made the most of the day. All in all a fun day out with laughs and dancing and paddling about in the sea. And of course Stephanie was lovely to work with and made shooting every scene effortless. There are still some images left to edit as it was a very productive day. Hopefully maybe more Summer adventures next year.

PS. The next time I model I’ll need to lose some weight, damn this middle age spread malarky!!