Rejection

Given that it is something we all have to encounter I thought a little post on it would be nice.

It sucks yes?

I've had to be the rejector and been the rejected, being in either position is quite horrible. I always try and be super nice when rejecting somebody - I will always just remain vague and polite as to the reasons and wish them luck with their projects and photography and thank them for the message. That should be the end of the conversation however its often not. Yes it hurts our pride but we get over it, I remember the first time I was rejected, thankfully the photographer was really professional and polite and he thanked me for the message and I thought "well thats fine at least he had the curtesy of replying and letting me know it wont happen",  I know the reason was because he wasn't interested in my look for whatever reason just like when I have to be the rejector its because I'm not interested in the photographers work or project.

The way not to deal with rejection is to question the persons reason, to tell them they are wrong for saying no - to tell them its the biggest mistake of their lives, to pull apart their portfolios. Somebody has reacted like that with me in the past and its not very nice at all. Instead of just saying "thanks anyway" he took quotes from my profile such as "Happy to work with beginners" thinking that meant that on TF shoots I will work with beginners. I had to point out the section to him which said "if your work is fabulous i may collaborate with you" which made him more angry which in turn made me angry so it was just a big ball of horrible anger which really didn't need to happen. Instead of just a little bit of a hurt ego it ended up leaving us both angry.

Put it this way, if somebody rejects you then their mind is made up - digging further wont make them change their mind if anything it will make them just think you are bitter. Its much nicer to be the person who's head remains high. Don't let it bother you, move on to somebody who will appreciate your skills.

Another good reason to remain confident and in control is that if that person does change their mind at a later date you will either get your shoot or get your own back by rejecting them ;-)

I don't put myself out there very often, I don't think I actually asked anybody who I hadn't been chatting to for a shoot in my first year possibly 2 of modelling. I was quite lucky I guess that those who I wanted to work with also wanted to work with me so I just made sure to be on their radar thus I avoided being rejected but it happens and its part of why we are here, not everybody is going to love us or think we are awesome because peoples tastes vary wildly. One mans trash is anthers treasure they say.

So rejection is not nice, but if you are rejected always say thanks for letting me know. Handle it with grace and be remembered by that person for being polite. I can count on one hand the number of people who I have asked to collaborate with, and I can remember the 1 person who ignored me and the 3 who said no thanks and truth being told if the people who no thanked me sent me a message tomorrow I would still work with them, the person who ignored me wouldn't have a chance :-P

So basically - always say thanks.. Wether thats a "no thanks" or a "thanks for letting me know".
Rejection doesn't feel nice but its something we all have to learn how to deal with, I'm sure even the best most beautiful models on the planet have faced rejection same as the best photographers. Its better to be rejected than to end up working with somebody who's hearts not in the shoot or who doesn't really want to be there.

Oh and here are some images by Rory from the weekend, I have to say I think the collection of hats I have this fortnight are my personal favourite out of every collection I've borrowed, lots of fur and tartan - both things I love so much.

The designer is working on a new website but you can see some of her work

HERE!!

Hat in the cat run some fabulous workshops where you learn to create your own hats at a pretty reasonable price which would be a great christmas present for anybody, if you are local I do suggest a look around the store - Its filled up high with gorgeous hats as far as the eye can see.

For more information on their workshops and details of the location go
HERE!!!

Anyway that is all for now :D

xxx

Another afternoon with John Mcnairn

 Well we had a short studio shoot on Friday, it was rather productive given we didn't really have any plans and its the first time we have worked in a studio together so it was a nice change not being hindered by the crappy weather..

We basically just had a play around, I chucked clothes on and off we went.

I also had my first reiki session, I'm not sure if I'm "fixed" quite yet but I've been feeling much more happy this weekend - not bouncing off walls but just a little more joyful.

I also shot a model this weekend (see picture above). I was really pleased with how it turned out... I will be making more of an effort to be behind the camera more often.

Speaking of which I need to go work on my halloween shoot - which wont be naff, although it might be but I will try not to make it look too naff!

CXX

Experimenting with light.

 Well I did mention I would be on the self portrait express train from now on. This afternoon I decided to just go and hang out with the camera, trigger and lights. I initially was set up for flash but the battery on that is either dead or my machine for setting them off is broken so it wasn't to be. I was all set for "trying something new". I normally avoid flash, I like seeing what the light is doing to my body so move according to that but its something I do want to learn so new batteries will be put in so I can have a go at using flash.

I didn't have any ideas, grabbed that *thing* (I have no idea what its called.. suspender belt?) which I bought a couple of weeks ago. I quite like how it looked on though, I have a really long upper body and I feel like it breaks up the skin a little and makes me look less deformed ;-)

I love my new trigger but I need to figure out how to pose with the limitations of holding it, I swear there is a green light in about 80% of my pictures and there really is nowhere to hide it - unless I use the timer again with the trigger but 15 seconds to spare gives me time to think about what pose I'm doing and decide to change it and I always just like doing something then figuring it out later if it was a disaster or a success. I think sometimes it is like a little model dance I do, if you are fast and press the button at the right time you might capture something nice.

I've been saying for years I wanted a nice photograph of my bottom, some have come very close....
I actually like my bum in the above shot, lots of things I dislike about the picture though so we can focus on the bum and not the upper body or the blurry hand - I will learn and do it again but better.

Anyway that was from today, I really like the first one.. I'm quite proud of myself really, there are things I would change if I had been able to be in two places at once I would have been in more control to change it but its one of my favourite pictures I've ever shot and even if 15 people tell me its shit or point out all the flaws I don't see I still wont give a crap. I'm a happy camper.


Sadly yesterdays little "self" portrait session didn't go so smoothly, I did do a little rough edit on one shot and I'm posting it up just because I can.

Its actually kind of cool closer up, the details in the skin is pretty cool.. Shame about the rest of it but hey ho - I'm learning and having fun.

So I started with something nice and it went downhill... So I will finish with something nice -
By Rory.

My roses were beginning to die and they were starting to stink a little so I attached them to a headband. I still have the petals so I might use them.

Anyhow I think that is all for now.

G'night you lovely people

xx

An Afternoon out with Mr Mcnairn

 Well John and I had a shoot yesterday (gosh it feels like it was days ago)... Anyway we started off checking out a lovely priory type location which I think will look awesome in the snow so we are waiting until the snow comes, although I'm quite rubbish at waiting so the next time we are at a loose end we may well end up there.

This was a very quiet little riverside location, Johns wife suggested we try this area so off we went to have a look and take some pictures.. I wouldn't attempt getting down the hill to the river in the snow so it was perfect for autumn, although the trees just haven't quite "turned" yet!

Love love love this shot, although there is a little detail in it which might have been overlooked.. I will send John back to the drawing board with it but until its replacement arrives its staying on here.

Yesterday was more a location hunting mission with a little shoot if we spotted the right place to work in.. I had a couple of little outfits with me and John was on the hunt for a bridge he remembered from years ago as being cool, we may have found the bridge but it wasn't the way it once was. I spotted out of the corner of my eye something which looked like a big old ruined castle, sadly the road to it was "private piss off" type signs. So we parked up the road and went for a walk. The "castle" was once maybe quite cool but it looked more like a fort with only windows right at the top and a doorway which was half way up the walls, needless to say we didn't get in or use it.

Instead we decided to walk up the road a little, we had seen a little map in the carpark and spotted something called "old church" so we chanced our luck and kept walking up this gravel driveway. I was beginning to loose hope, thinking we had maybe walked past where the "old church" once stood, we climbed up a hill and when we looked down this is pretty much what we spotted, alongside was the old church which we didn't really get a proper chance to look at when we arrived at the location because others were around.

So we went further down the path, waiting for the postman to deliver to a dot in the distance and took some shots.

The rock was really quite slippy, but I managed to just about keep my balance. I did do some full nude ones up on this rock but I dunno if John has came to those yet ;-)

This is the view looking back, you can almost see the gravel "driveway" we arrived on. The reflections in the water were amazing and the way the mist was hovering above the hills was quite breathtaking. I just know that if I ever go again it will end up being really windy and horribly wet. There really is much more which can be done at this location!

We have a wee studio shoot on Friday so very much looking forward to that, the studio is pretty much out in the middle of nowhere though so it might be a bit of a task for John to actually get me through the door of the place, I might end up distracted by the surrounding forest :D

Cxx

Alister Aberdeen and a couple of SP's

 Well I spent a lovely Sunny afternoon recently with Alisteraberdeen (PS), it has been almost 3 years since we first worked together. Its amazing how much lives change in 3 years!

We went off in search of locations and found a new one and used one of my trusty old ones too. Its sad though when it only feels like you have been out for an hour and you are told its actually only 20 minutes before the end of the shoot.

 Big thanks to Alister who sent me over :D I'm looking forward to our next shoot, which is on Monday if the weather holds up. Now to keep my fingers crossed it does!

All images above by Alister Aberdeen.


Oh I got myself a remote trigger yesterday too, its mainly so I can shoot hats while Rory is hat work but  I gave it a little test drive last night when I got home from my shoot with John mcnairn and it works wonderfully..


There was a whole bunch I could have used but I could only be bothered to edit 2. I kind of like them and I learned something while shooting them - but I wont say it here because I need to make the same mistake again to see if its actually been a mistake or if it was just the wrong setting for what I was doing ;-)

And a little more relaxed one :D

Right time to throw some hat in the cat shots onto a media stick and hot foot it over to Perth for the hand over! As always I hope they like what we have done this week

xxx

Hats... hats.... hats!

 The weather has led to quite an uneventful week in Chrissie land, but here are some pictures :D

All hats by Jeanette Sendler of Hat in the cat. I've started taking less hats home with me every fortnight, was really struggling to shoot the ones I was taking so we have cut back, been desperate to get outdoors with them during the weekend but the only time the weather was any good I was already out shooting with somebody else. By the time Rory gets back in the evening its almost pitch black outside.

I've ordered my trigger now, so hopefully self portraits are going to be somewhat easier and less limiting. The above image is a self portrait. I'm quite excited about it arriving actually, the thought of being able to just shoot whenever I want or whenever the light is right is a lovely prospect.

Anyhow I have a shoot tomorrow and will hopefully have another bash at the tartan hat before this collection is to be returned at the weekend. Next time I'm going for more of a "warm" hat selection and hopefully going to get some locations done, I may need to persuade Rory to take a day off work but fingers crossed we can get out. The strange thing is the trees have not yet went proper autumnal, they are still looking fairly summery, can't wait for them all to go orange and lay on the forest floor for me to lie in!

XxX

An afternoon with Jamie Howden

Well a few weeks ago I had a shoot with local photographer Jamie Howden.

We had no plans, just a date set and done whatever we wanted really.. Here are some of the results.

I've had a few shoots recently, fingers crossed I get to see some of the results.. I always love seeing images back from shoots I've done.

To see more of Jamies work go here - http://www.w-photography.co.uk/

xxxxxx

Happy birthday to meeeeeeeee!!!

 Well I turned 27 today, I actually had it in my head I was already 27 so it came as no surprise and doesn't bother me as much as I thought it might.

I had a lovely shoot yesterday on location, the weather was beautiful - well it was a little frosty but the sun soon warmed me up.. Kind of hoping for the same weather for the rest of the week as I have another shoot on Thursday.

Here are some more shots from when Sarah was up...

This is maybe my favourite below :D All my idea, totally original really.. like a medieval glory hole  haha.

I have another blog to do, but I will save that for tomorrow! Time to catch up on an episode of homeland then get a bit of an early night. I got so much lovely things for my birthday, can't wait to have a nice long pampering bath with all my new treats. Got some awesome new boots to keep my toes warm too... Thanks nana

I may even do a "rose petals" shot at somepoint this week, seems like the "in" thing at the moment..

xxxxx