A week that will leave me with no nails.

Test with Caron Kinnaird @ Superior, Make-up: Nikki McMillan

Hello there and welcome back to a long overdue blog! Fortunately, I haven't succumbed to exhaustion just yet, though that's not to say that the past fortnight hasn't been excruciatingly heavy in work! Like everybody else, I've taken advantage of this beautiful weather in Scotland over the past few days and seen to it that I have a rest - which is much needed, especially in light of the coming week! So now my batteries are charged and I'm ready to go!

Test with Christie Eccles, Make-up: Nikki McMillan

First, a quick catch up! Things have been totally manic with campaign and editorial requests coming right, left and centre - it's certainly kept Nikki and I on our toes! In and amongst our regular sets of test shoots, Team McCollective have been shooting for a whole range of publications over the past few weeks, with around four to five articles about ready for publication within the next couple of weeks. I have added a new Tear Sheets gallery to my website for your perusal - keep checking back as I'll be adding more and more over the coming weeks! If you log on to Facebook, you'll also be able to see previews to the MALAM Paris and Parma Vintage editorials!

Test with Holly Pringle @ Model Team, Make-up: Nikki McMilllan

Bringing us to this week, I am nothing short of completely bricking it. Why? I am faced with the biggest campaign yet! Thankfully though, I have an incredible team behind me - armed with the original McCollectives, contributions from my favourite designer and two of the most beautiful models I have ever had the pleasure to work with. The lighting set ups have been designed for several months, though given the scale of the project, it is not so unusual to feel the stress of the shoot! That being said, I am constantly striving to further my skills and I am confident that with this amazing team, we'll be walking away with some of the strongest images of our careers!

What is it we'll be shooting? Well, you'll just need to wait and see. ;)

Beyond the Skyline - Kirsty Fraser

Models: Lisa Cunningham and Ellis O'Connor

Nikki and I recently had the utter pleasure of working with award-winning jeweller, entrepreneur and artist, Kirsty Fraser. As the very first image of this blog may suggest, Kirsty is quite the enigma and I can wholeheartedly say, it was a complete privilege to work with such a talented young lady.

Model: Lisa Cunningham

When I was initially approached by Kirsty, I was smitten by her futuristic style - I'm a true die-hard sci-fi fan, so already I had the fan girl squeals in my head! It was a surprise to find that Kirsty sourced inspiration for her geometric designs from the outlines of Glasgow, itself, but upon closer inspection it is easy to identify the quirky and contemporary take on the city best associated with the 18th century shipbuilding, which is illustrated, not only through shape, but through even the mediums used to create the pieces themselves.

Needless to say, I was honoured when Kirsty put her faith into my team completely and allowed us to let go of the reigns and bring our creativity to the table, which of course meant Nikki already had the body paints out before the suggestion even passed my lips!

Model: Ellis O'Connor

At the mere age of 23, Kirsty is already making her footprint, not just within the Scottish fashion industry, but worldwide. Between commissions, Kirsty is an artist in residence at the Glasgow School of Art and exhibits her pieces all over the country (see the details below for more information.) That's not to mention the ongoing press attention from the most respectable of media and publishing!

I think what is most striking about Kirsty is despite her brilliant and multiple successes at such a young age, including showcasing at the world-renowned jewellery showcase, Inhorgenta - held in Munich, Kirsty is left unfazed, completely modest and very evidently dedicated to producing an honest, high-quality product.

Models: Lisa Cunningham, Ellis O'Connor

 Future exhibitions by Kirsty Fraser: -

 1 June : Burns an 'a' that Festival, Ayr Town Hall

2 June - 9 Sept : Howden Park Centre, Livingston

14 July : Crab Apple Arts Fair, The Lighthouse, Glasgow

22-25 Nov : MADE 12 "Brighton's Design & Craft Fair

You can contact Kirsty for more information via her website or Facebook.

Nikki McMillan Make-up Artistry - Facebook

Ellis O'Connor Model - Facebook

A Quiet Moment

As I sit here in Cafe Nero, milking the biscuit so to speak by taking up an entire leather sofa to myself, I'm lucky enough to have a spare hour to myself to reflect on the week before dashing off to see my next client.

It has been a fantastic week, all things considered! The start of the week saw my team come together for a shoot with a gorgeous LFW couture label - though I cannot reveal who just yet - but in the meantime, check out the little preview below!

Monday saw the introduction of stylist, Megan Flockhart to my ever-growing, gorgeous team! This girl is quite a dynamo - but, I will tell you a bit more about her next week - she has an awesome ace up her sleeve... Monday evening brought me to Clare Kagimu's very first business launch - congratulations, Clare, on becoming a young entrepreneur! I am so excited for this lovely young lady and wish her all the best on her journey - I'm positive she will succeed - her enthusiasm is unrelenting.

A glorious Tuesday marked the start of Nikki and I reshaping our portfolios, exploring techniques associated with using pure natural light. We were very lucky to work with two of my favourite ladies again - Lauren and Jennifer!

Model: Jennifer Gribben, Make-up: Nikki McMillan

Model: Lauren Haggarty, Make-up: Nikki McMillan

 Wednesday was met with a day of editing in the studio - my least favourite part of day, but it gave me the opportunity to have a bit of self-study and get acquainted with Adobe Lightroom 4 at long last! Thursday was followed up with more test shoots with the beautiful Melissa Beattie and handsome Usman Javed of Superior Model Management.

Model: Melissa Beattie, Make-up: Nikki McMillan

Finishing up some loose ends today with a cheeky bit of editing, I am bracing myself for the next week which is set to test my limits! As I mentioned earlier this week on my Facebook page, I am, as always, so grateful for your ongoing support - all your messages and e-mails - it really does mean the world to me - thank you so much!

Oh! And if you have time, please check out my talented friend, Chris Gibson's documentary - featuring a little face you may be familiar with! ;)

Parma Vintage

Model: Iona Stoddart, Make-up: Nikki McMillan.

It's hard to believe just three weeks ago, I was making a pilgrimage from Helensburgh to Gourock to meet illustrious Gillian Chalmers, founder of Parma Vintage. As soon as I had crossed the threshold of the quirky little shop, that it was unlike any other vintage store I had ever been into.

From wall to wall was a scattering of frocks and smocks in all colours of the rainbow - immediately spotting exclusive and iconic boutique labels such as Motel, famed for dressing the likes of Alesha Dixon and Alexandra Burke. Out the corner of my eye, I spotted a plethora of awards - "Entrepreneur of the Year" and as I spotted a beautiful, bright, bubbly blonde bobbing towards me, I knew that this had to be Gourock's pride and joy, Miss Chalmers!

Models: Kirstin Gribbin, Iona Stoddart, Lisa Cunningham, Make-up: Nikki McMillan.

What had started out as a simple hour long meeting, ended up expanding into a lovely afternoon of chatting as Gillian and I discovered our scarily similar quirks from cowboy boots to Louis Vuitton purses. I was lucky enough to hear of the story of Parma Vintage, going back to when Gillian was an air-steward for Virgin Airlines, travelling the globe, sourcing suppliers and vintage from far and beyond, leaving her with the strongest unique selling point of truly original and rare vintage. After a delicious cupcake from Karyn's Kandies and a bag full of Parma Violets, the dates were set for myself and fellow McCollective, Nikki McMillan to return and create some brand new marketing material for the wonderful little Pandora's box.

 As the shoots went on, Nikki and I became acquainted with Gillian's wonderful team, with social media online correspondent, Stephanie Boyle, as well as the fresh faced and enthusiastic Eva, Amy, Amy (yes, there's two!), Gemma and Megan. Each and every single one of these ladies is a pure credit to Parma Vintage - with the best people skills, motivation and team work I've seen in a long time! 

Nikki and I will be shooting consistently for Parma Vintage over the coming months, so keep your eyes peeled for all the new and exotic stock appearing on their website. You can find them here - but be warned, Nikki and I have considered selling off our organs to buy all the clothes!

Also, check out the fantastic behind the scenes video by Cowboy Pictures below!