Shooting: Sharon Rooney

Over the past few years, life has proved that if nothing else, I am one of those people that seems to find themselves in the most unrealistic and unpredictable of situations. From quivering in a press pit at London Fashion Week at the age of 18, through to shooting an advertising campaign, barefoot on Venice Beach in the city of angels (LA) itself, barely into my 20s, it certainly has been an adventure. Or rather a series of adventures. 

One particular adventure that I will never forget was the day I shot Sharon Rooney. We'd been briefed by my close friend and work colleague Corrine McConnachie (assistant editor at the Bite Magazine) that we had a very special lady in our midst - right at the tip of her career - and she was set for big things and we were to interview her about her fantastic leading role as Rae in E4's "My Mad Fat Diary", based on the book by the inspiring real life Rae Earl.

 Believe me, excited did not cover it for us all.

The shoot itself, could not have gone better - and my fears of people being held up in traffic were assuaged when everybody on the team turned up very early. Using beautiful styling from the likes of Marks and Spencers, Biba and Mary Portas, we sat Sharon down for her interview, hair and make-up - and within about ten minutes, we were developing six packs from howling at her natural wit and charm.

I used my trademark lighting - shooting on flash with an octobox as the key light, reflectors right, left and centre, as well as a little honeycomb for some nice fill and hair lighting. Sharon was a complete natural in front of the camera - never too pouty or too contrived - making my job very easy and above all else enjoyable!

All in all, Sharon was a complete pleasure to work with. The team left on a high, buzzing with the anticipation of the release of the photos. It is rare to meet a lady as genuine and talented as Sharon and I say this with the full backing of my team, that I wish her the best of success for a long and prosperous career. 

You can read our interview with Sharon here. 

Lx

Team

 Interview: Corrine McConnachie

Stylist: Stephanie Boyle

Make-up: Elaine Burns

Hair: Jenn Mathieson

Assisting: Allen Stewart

Shooting with: Valerie Coleman

Recently, I had the pleasure of testing again with the stunning, voluptuous plus size model, Valerie Coleman. Signed to the prestigious plus sized agency, Hughes in London (listed under pseudonym Elysse), Valerie has graced the pages of many a magazine and elite campaign and racked up an impressive amount of experience during her modelling career. She is the ultimate lady - carrying herself with a refined grace - it makes it very easy to see why she books so much runway! 

I was lucky enough to steal some time with Valerie and ask her a few cheeky questions about her experience in the modelling and fashion industry: -

How did you get into modelling?

I started working as a model at the age of 16 through a competition run by the Daily Record. I never worked very much as a straight-sized model so I decided that perhaps it wasn’t for me and resigned from my agency to pursue other things. A couple years passed, I gained some weight and I bumped into my old agency booker who emphatically suggested that I should pursue a career as a plus size model. That was in 2004 and I haven’t looked back since. I have worked for big brands like The Body Shop, Evans, Matalan, Marisota and Ann Harvey to name a few.

When you're not on the runway, what do you do?

When I am not on the runway my most rewarding job is being a Mum to the most amazing little girl. To pay the bills, I also work as a cake designer in my own business, Cakes with Love. It’s just as well I work as a plus size model because I LOVE cake.*

What advice would you give to aspiring plus size ladies out there?

My advice is take time to learn about the industry. Look at the top models working in the industry & what are they doing. Learn to love yourself and be comfortable with your body so that you can perform in front of a camera. Know your shape and what angles work for your body size and shape. Practice moving and posing in front of a camera.  My final piece of advice would be that do it with determination and as much self confidence as possible. People with a determination to succeed usually do.

  

Tell us a funny story about modelling!

I think my story is more embarrassing than funny! I was asked to model on "Lorraine" a few years back. I was picked up and dropped off at the ITV studio. On arrival I was shown to the lift where someone had held the lift door open for me. I am not the quiet retiring type so I started speaking to the person in the lift and I said “I’m so excited I wonder if I will get to meet Lorraine” at that point the lift door opened at the next floor and someone else walked into the lift and said “Hi Lorraine, how are you?” EEEK!!!

Name one item from your wardrobe you cannot live without.

Oh man! One item is really hard to choose. I will say my UGG Boots. I know, it’s not a particularly glamorous choice but they are the most comfortable boots ever, especially on a day walking around London going on go-sees**. I wear my heels when I meet the client and change back into my UGGs as soon as I am out of sight.

*I can personally verify that Valerie's cakes are so good, they made me cry when they were finished.

** Go-see - A go-see is a term used in the modelling world when a model will go and visit a prospective client on an appointment basis. It is usually the first step in the casting process.

Team

Make-up: Elaine Burns

Stylist: Victoria Martin

Ongoing Series - Natural Beauty

Model: Samantha Bennett @ Model Team

If you've been having a snoop around on my Facebook or Twitter, then you will have likely have seen snippets of my current ongoing personal project, nicknamed "Natural Beauty". Following the advice of a fantastic photographic agent last year, I began to develop some personal projects, running alongside my client commissions and editorial work in my spare time. 

Wanting to develop my skills as a re-toucher and beauty photographer, I began to work on a long-term beauty project, stripping my lovely muses of their fabulous false lashes and luscious lipstick, pulling the models back to their original features, and celebrating their natural beauty! 

Over the past few months of working on this project, I have found that my initial love of a heavily made up face is taking a bit of a metaphorical U-turn, and I have developed a love for clean, fresh face (though that is not to say I don't love a great creative make-up!) 

Take a peek at the images below to see some of the beauties in the series so far.

Long live natural beauty!

L x

Model: Nicole McCubbin @ Superior

Model: Ruth McGlynn @ Model Team

Model: Taylor Collier-Brown @ Superior

Model: Jeanmarie Hamilton @ Model Team

Model: Rebecca Ross @ Superior

Model: Heather Sanford @ Superior

Model: Megan Malloy @ Model Team

With thanks to:

Elaine Burns

and 

Tyler McKay