The McCollective

 (Left to Right: Laura McKinnon, Nikki McMillan, Corrine McConnachie.)

Hello and at long last, welcome to my overdue blog! My name is Laura McKinnon and I'm a fashion and editorial photographer based between Glasgow and London. I've been working just over a year of as a professional in the industry and I've been on nothing short of a rollercoaster - doing everything from becoming a regular at London Fashion Week to travelling as far as the cosmopolitan paradise of Singapore on commission. 

This blog is aimed to be specifically dedicated to the absolute consummate professionals I come across on my day to day travels - it just doesn't feel right to me to not tell you about all the wonderful talent I am privilaged to work with!

It only seems right to kick off the blog, talking about my two main ladies, appropriately nicknamed "The McCollective." The McCollective consists of myself (Swedish-looking photographer), Nikki McMillan (make-up artist extraordinaire) and Corrine McConnachie (fashion correspondent and budding stylist.) 

Asides, from us all mutually sporting a rather excellent haircut and sharing a very Scottish surname, these two ladies are nothing short of an integral part of my team. 

Nikki McMillan

 

Model: Nicole McCubbin

I first met Nikki late August last year - and I cannot vouch how glad I am to have stumbled upon her. She is the true definition of an artist - approaching each and every shoot I send her way with an encyclopedia of research and the appropriate mediums. She uses the face as an actual canvas to paint the most fantastic picture. The particular trait of Nikki that I find perhaps the most mesmerising is her ability to immediately assess a face and just know what will work - be it the eyes, the cheekbones, the lips. Nikki is most definitely an entrepreneur - meaning she is unafraid to take risks - usually in her command of colour and sculpting. Nikki pitches herself ahead of her competitors, knowing that photo shoot make-up has to be accentuated and exaggerated to have the appropriately desired effect. Her creativity never ceases to amaze me - creating polka dot lips with nothing but a bobby pin, to feather-like face illustrations using eyeliner. That teamed with her increasingly ability to work incredibly quickly - completing full body paints and quartet groups of models in under four hours, makes her utterly invaluable.

Model: Sula Powell 

Model: Namate Sililo for Rene Walrus

Check out Nikki's work on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

Corrine McConnachie

Model: Iona Stoddart for Fusion by Cernei

I have known Corrine McConnachie since I was twelve years old. We fatefully met at high school, however, it was not until March, 2011, that we really began working together in a journalistic sense. Corrine initially helped to assist me by writing up press releases, leading to publications in some rather lovely glossy magazines! A good year on, Corrine is a fellow correspondent at the Bite magazine with me, as well as a contributor to other publications such as HADES magazine and TLG magazine. At the beginning of this year, Corrine took a leap into styling and quickly developed a sharp eye and eclectic sense of style for dressing our shoots. Like Nikki, Corrine is truly invaluable. She is simply the best support system I could ever have asked for - I can whole heartedly trust her to source the right clothes, approach the right people and most importantly, write strong, engaging articles - often dealing with sensitive subjects with a maturity and eloquence that is somewhat rare within the younger generation of writers. Words that apply to Corrine - conscientious, selfless and hard-grafting. The level of dedication and effort that goes into Corrine's work would make any prospective employer battle to snap her up. Corrine has brought a breath of fresh air into my work, making working even more enjoyable and providing the best comedy relief at the end of a long, hard-working day. 

 Model: Colette Dryburgh for Sophie Donaldson + Caldow Salon

Model: Amy Ledger for Sophie Donaldson + Caldow Salon

You can read Corrine's blog here and also follow her on Twitter.