GOLD RUSH: Claudia Wilkinson @ IMG

dress by MAX MARA

On occasion when Melbourne Black Magazine contributing editor Justin Henry visits Sydney, we team up to shoot fresh imagery to inspire for the upcoming season.  With summer just around the corner, Coogee beach seemed the perfect backdrop to showcase the effortless beauty of Claudia Wilkinson from IMG.  Heather Cairns, editor of Tangent magazine, creates a summery allure with outfits and accessories from designers such as Alex Perry, Willow and Dinosaur Designs. Justin Henry created these salty exfoliated hair and makeup looks using Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Fluid Foundation and O & M hair products. Thank you to Ben Pyke for assistance on the day: feel free to click on the pictures to see them in detail! Here comes the summer sun!

dress by LEAH DA GLORIA

dress (worn back-to-front) by MAX MARA 

bangles by DINOSAUR DESIGNS

dress by ALEX PERRY

dress by WILLOW 

bracelet & bangle by DINOSAUR DESIGNS 

bra top (worn back-to-front) by SCANLAN & THEODORE 

pants by SPORTMAX 

necklace by DINOSAUR DESIGNS

bikini top by MARTHA REY 

bangle by DINOSAUR DESIGNS

top by BLESS'ED ARE THE MEEK 

briefs by BASIC INSTINCTS  

belt by SCANLAN & THEODORE 

rings by DINOSAUR DESIGNS 

swimsuit by AZZOLLINI 

bangles by DINOSAUR DESIGNS

SHOUT OUTS! - 2013 IN REVIEW: Flashback time!

2013 - that's a wrap! I thought I would do a quick post that features all the videos from the shoots I worked on this year!

As always it takes lot of people to make the magic so a massive shout out to (in no particular order) Dylan B, Amelia J Dowd, Justin Harrison, Kimberly Clarke, Tasha Tylee, Yasmin Suteja, & Ian Knight - thank you for helping me with all of these video projects and seeing it through to the final edit!

Also big props to the people who helped me in all forms this year from Chris Fatseas on shoots to Ben Scott and Daniel Sangermani for sharing their awesome studio spaces with me. Y'all gotta book their studios people!

Thank you to my wonderful editors of Black Magazine, Grant Fell and Rachael Churchward, whose determination and loyalty inspire me - and lots of gratitude to the incredible Justin Henry who continues to have a massively positive impact on me both personally and professionally! What a guy!

And a very big thank you to all of the designers, artists, models, creatives, bookers, agencies and clients I worked with this year (even the clients I didn't like) - I learnt from everyone! And thank you to my agency Independent for looking after me in what has been a massive year of accomplishments and evolution.

The end of 2013 was a monster of adventure - so many amazing things coming out in the next couple of months with big personalities! Stay tuned lovers! 2014 here we come! Feel free to explore the video gallery below - I love these videos!

CALLING ALL OCCUPANTS OF INTERPLANETARY CRAFT: Thom Kerr & Justin Henry vs. Marthe Wiggers

Thom Kerr & Justin Henry Beauty capture Marthe Wiggers

Those who know me personally understand my obsession with deep space and unexplained mysteries - one of my favourite topics being the existence of UFO's. The inspiration behind this story in the latest issue of Black magazine started when I discovered a series of allegedly true photographs of UFO's taken in a famous case called The Billy Meier Contacts. It got me thinking about how most ufo pictures are taken from a distance and usually somewhat distorted so I thought it would be fun to create a story incorporating that idea - almost a Where's Wally type effect - in which the reader would have to slow down to examine the picture to see if they could spot the craft. Just to see who would notice and if they noticed one, would they go back and scan the other images. Often I star gaze late at night and wonder if anyone is looking down at me... so I thought I would split the story into two - the girl who watches inside the craft and the girl who lives her daily life dreaming of something bigger... Beauty by Justin Henry - Styling by Katrina Sheiles - Art Direction by Lindsay Rose - featuring Marthe Wiggers from IMG models. Click the pictures to spot the flying craft!

Thom Kerr & Justin Henry Beauty capture Marthe Wiggers

HURRICANE LEILA: A preview of my new beauty series...

Hello lovers! Those of you who have known me for a while know that traditionally I haven't done much beauty work in the past. Over the last year though, thanks in part to my co-australian editor of Black Justin Henry, I've been really discovering the genre. To the point now where I've had my first beauty cover for Black featuring Ruby Jean Wilson - you can check it out on Frockwriter if you missed it - and I keep getting approached by different creative directors from beauty brands... fun times!

Leila @ Chic

I think in the past I had been resistant to shooting beauty because I thought a lot of it looked pretty average - same composition, same idea, same lighting etc. However, having now dabbled I'm finding new ways to create magic and discovering how to put the Thom Kerr drama into the genre! I love my beauty story that I shot for Blacklog - I also wanted to share these two setups that I adore that we shot later in the day. Justin and I have shot a body of exquisite beauty work which we're dying to share with y'all! But you'll just have to be patient for the time being! So enjoy! Hair and makeup by Justin Henry modelled by Leila Goldkuhl @ Chic and shot at Studio 501. Studio 501 is located in Surry Hills and super groovy - you should book the space!

Leila @ Chic

JUSTIN HENRY BEAUTY: A little background behind the other Australian editor of Black Magazine...

Annabel Moore wears dress by Rachel Gilbert

Many of you would be aware by now that outside of taking fabulous pictures I am one of the Australian editors for Black magazine. For those of you who don't know, Black is a beautiful glossy publication that has an international team of top notch contributors. All of the content is assembled together and published from the New Zealand capital of Auckland then distributed around the world. I love working with Black as I'm always learning more about the business of fashion - not just the process of creating the pictures themselves. The photos I'm sharing with you now are outtakes from a beauty story I shot with the super lovely Melbourne based stylist Sophie Barker and my fellow Black Australian editor Justin Henry. We shot this story before our featured beauty editorial 'Is Anybody Out There?' which you can see in all it's glory in the latest issue of Black #19 - starring the lovely Annabel Moore.

Annabel Moore wears jacket by Manning Cartell

THAT'S A WRAP 2012: The year that was!

Adventures ahoy!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years darlings! I thought I'd kick the year off by sharing some pictures of Taren Cunningham - a talented artist and musician who mused for some of the biggest names in fashion including Tim Walker and Steven Klein. She is one amazing woman and a delight to shoot! Have a listen to one of her latest projects here - her music sounds like a magic spell. I think that's why the pictures turned out the way they did! Goodness gracious... so much got crushed right into the end of the year there! I've been state hopping as usual. Had a lot of fun, shot a lot of pictures! December saw me visit Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. By the time I got in to see my family I was well and truly ready to sleep for a thousand years. I had a really fun New Years Eve with my pals Sarah Birchley and Jovita Lee hanging out by a lake behind Noosa in a place called... Ccccooooorrrrrooooyyy... I can never pronounce it properly - but it was a good time! I woke up to sunrise in a field wrapped up in a picnic blanket! What a way to welcome in the new year!

The wonderful Taren Cunningham channels some magic

KIMBRA KRAFT TIME: Designing the Backdrop for her 2012 headline USA tour...

Backdrop Illustration by Jose Vigers

Earlier in the year, whilst on Kimbra's video set for her single Come Into My Head, I was asked whether or not I could help collaborate on something visual to add another stage dimension for her US tour. Always up for a fresh challenge I gladly accepted! We needed to create something with colour, depth, imagination but also practicality. It would have to be packed up every evening and because each venue had different stage measurements we had to have some flexibility. Detailed, durable and easy to compact. So it was decided that we would create a beautiful backdrop to extend upon the world created by Kimbra and her band. They're all pretty stellar musicians, so I felt the pressure to do something cool!

'Stay Hard' - Jose Vigers

NON, JE NE REGRETTE RIEN: Who doesn't love a moody atmosphere...

LAUREN MOODY @ VIVIENS

Hello gorgeous creatures! How are you? I've missed you! 
It's been a while since we've sat down and had a little chat together so I thought I would put on a little bit more of a show this time! We all know I'm a big fan of drama so I thought we would do something a little more quirky... a little more unusual... a little more Thom Kerr perhaps?

ABOVE:

Gail Sorronda polka dot button up
Vintage hand painted skirt, tutu and head scarf, stylist's archives

LIFE SKILLS 101: Time to concentrate!

Hello my beauties! I've been really bad with the blogging, I know! I cannot explain to you how much everything has been changing in the last month or so. It's been one of the busiest times I can remember as a photographer - but also equally as exciting. To keep you up to speed I've recently been appointed the Australian editor of Black magazine. I love those guys - they have been very supportive of my career ever since I interned with them six years ago. Making coffees and sweeping floors. We all start somewhere baby! I take pride in working with the magazine and I'm really excited for you guys to see the next issue and all the fresh content. It's going to be ridiculously amazing!

Sapphire @ DALLYS

Some of you may have seen the shoots I've been doing with kiwi super babe singer Kimbra. I've had some of the pictures pop up in places like Teen Vogue and Interview magazine (one of my absolute favourites in the world!) which I'm immensely proud of. I've also been contacted by more international  artists wanting to work with me, so it's been a delicate balance of slowly finishing up my workload and preparing for a big relocation soon. There were so many things that I wanted to shoot these last couple of months but I simply ran out of time! There will be more opportunities I'm sure!

Sapphire @ DALLYS

SPHINXES WITHOUT SECRETS: My Alice McCall Campaign

Winter has finally arrived in the great land of down under! I've been freezing it up in Melbourne as of late spending a little time hanging out with me, myself and I. We all need a little down time occasionally... Now that I've had a chance to slow down I wanted to finally share with you guys my Alice McCall campaign images. Featuring the always engaging Kaila Hart from Chic, I employed the services of my favourite girls, Lauren McCowan on hair and Jovita Lee on makeup. We shot at this amazing prop house where we sourced these fabulous statues. Click here to see a behind the scenes video put together by the very clever Dan Moon. I'm very happy with the final result. 

Working with Alice was great because she really encouraged me to really let loose creatively with the concept. I think she's been a great client who seems to understand the importance of creating hyper unique imagery that can captivate an audience. I think the market is so saturated with repetitive imagery at the moment that it feels like a breath of fresh air to see these images which are more like pop art then advertising. And if you happen to live in Melbourne or Sydney, get along to one of the Alice McCall stores to see these glorious images as giant billboards. Even more fabulous in real life darling!

TO BE OR NOT TO BE: Shanna is the question!

Today I have the pleasure of sharing with you some beautiful pictures of the intriguing Shanna Jackway from Pride Models. I always love my Adelaide adventures because there's a wealth of fabulous new faces to work with, some of which I'll be sharing with you shortly. You may recognise Shanna from her recent appearances in Australian Vogue, Russh and one of my personal favourites, Black Magazine.

I'd heard wonderful things about Shanna via kiwi photographer David Shields so when the opportunity came up to shoot together I setup a studio with the ever charming Becca Gilmartin on makeup and Ashleigh Janssen on styling. Shanna truly is a unique beauty who not only has massive potential, but the calm approach required to keep a steady focus in this somewhat chaotic business! And I think the final pictures speak for themselves!

FRESH FLOWERS: Arts & Crafts time...

Several months ago I sat down with Becca Gilmartin, the fabulously talented makeup and body artist, to have a brainstorm session with her. A particular brand had approached me about wanting me to create some unusual pictures and I thought it would be fun to incorporate her body art. We set a challenge to try and create movement within the visual illusion which we hadn't seen in body art photography before. So up we got at the crack of dawn to buy some fresh flowers, then back to the studio to paint the lovely Liliane Pearl who generously lent us her lovely long limbs. We started by painting her blue, then Becca etched this beautiful tree on her back with branches extending from each human arm. We then created a cap made out of real petals and proceeded to photograph Liliane holding the flowers from different angles whilst a wind machine blew the petals to create the movement. The final result is the visual puzzle you see before you. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it. Sometimes it's fun to step away from the world of fashion!

PS: The birdy on the shoulder is real, courtesy of the pet shop!

PROUD AS PUNCH: It's Fresh Face Time!

Laura

Hello my lovelies! Sorry it's been so long since I posted... Everything got really REALLY busy there for a while with everything coming at once! I'm super keen to share with you all that I've been working on... My latest campaign has launched for Myer Miss Shop and Pedestrian TV, I've got an Alice McCall campaign which will be hitting the streets shortly and I'm finishing up my first film which has led me on an unusual personal journey over the last few months. I also have wonderful new representation which I will be sharing with you shortly. All in all, it's been one of the most challenging periods of my life, but also one of the most rewarding, as I've learnt that you discover a lot about yourself and those around you in the process of chasing your dreams. 

As always I've been travelling around the country and this time have ended up in Adelaide, working with a bevy of beauties from Pride Models. I've had an amazing time, being treated to some wonderful South Australian hospitality, and I'm excited to share with you some of the dynamic new faces that peaked my interest! Starting with these two beauties... Laura above and Sedale below. 

Laura reminds me of those cool eighties french beauties that you see in old school Vogue. At only 14, she already has a lot of international interest but there's no rush as she's in the development period and I'm a big believer in taking your time when it comes to modelling. 17 year old Sedale captivated me with her aboriginal heritage and her exquisite baby doll features. She moved beautifully in front of the camera, and I can't wait to share with you her other pictures. I think she's definitely one to keep an eye on! My partner in crime during this trip has been makeup artist Becca Gilmartin who provided these sensational beauty looks. Perth used to be known as the place to find amazing models, but with all the unique new faces emerging from Adelaide it looks like the game is beginning to change. And as I always say, there's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition! 

Sedale

DANGER DANGER: Nicole Pollard - high voltage!

When I first met the strikingly amazonian Nicole Pollard from Chic I got the distinct impression that she's quite the street wise beauty. Repped by Next in the big apple, she returned to our shores from an exceptional New York fashion week debut, booking twelve shows no less. A great response for someone dipping their toes in the international market. Beyond the hype though, you can see that her take on what seems to be a blossoming career is done with a steady focus and appreciation for all opportunities presented. You'll be seeing a lot more of Nicole over the next year, and hopefully so will I! In the meantime, here are a couple of snaps to get you in the mood. Styled by the uber talented Sarah Birchley, a rising style talent in her own right, and beauty by resident genius Lauren McCowan - the pictures reveal the fiery spark that Nicole delivers to the lens. Bam!

VIXEN EYES: Olivia Thornton - The New Heartbreaker

During the course of 2011, over many industry gossip sessions with my girlfriends, I was amazed by how many straight girls seemed to have a crush on Viviens face Olivia Thornton. She seems to be the thinking woman's beauty! That said though, I'm sure the same spell is cast over the various men who cross her path! I spotted her for the first time in the flesh working it at the Jaime Lee runway show at Sydney Fashion Week, then enjoyed reading her model diary for Pedestrian TV. 

Both of us are originally from Queensland, so when we managed to escape our various families over the silly season, we got together to take some pictures which I'm very happy with. I'm surprised she hasn't shot for Vogue or Harpers yet, but not surprised to discover that she's recently signed with DNA models in New York. 2012 will be your year Olivia - you are one very cool lady! A special thanks to Lauren McCowan for providing sensational hair and makeup as usual, and the uber lovely Sarah Birchley for styling! Make sure you follow all these talented babes on twitter - and add me while you're at it!

TORI TRIGG: My Beautiful Mystery

I think that if a young Jennifer Connelly and Brooke Shields were to have a love child - the final result would be something like the beautiful Tori Trigg. Originally hailing from the lovely land of Adelaide, Tori somehow bypassed Sydney all together, securing a global contract with IMG management. Whisked straight off to the fashion capital of Paris, Tori debuted with an impressive three couture shows (a seperate entity to the traditional Paris fashion week) which is mighty impressive for a fresh face. Her mother agency is Pride and her NZ agent is Red 11 - but its going to be hard task to track this one down as she`ll be based in New York as of the beginning of January. However, in true Thom Kerr fashion, I managed to track her down before she dissapeared! Hence this sneaky beauty shot with hair and makeup by the talented Stacy Lee Ghin... with more pictures on the way. Tori, like many aussie models, possesses a down to earth nature combined with an easy going personality. It also helps that she`s totally beautiful. Keep your eye out on this lovely lass, I see an interesting career ahoy!

CODIE YOUNG: Age of Aquarius!

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius! Age of Aquarius! Oh Yeah Baby! I don't know about you guys but I've had some major changes going on in my life over the last few months. A lot of my friends are having very similar experiences. My advice, you just got to roll with it! Life seems to be getting more and more exciting! The challenges get bigger, the risks get higher, the rewards become greater! My lovely friend Elliot Ward-Fear messaged me this morning to make sure that I send out positive affirmations to the universe today - as it's the 11th of the 11th of 2011. A whole lotta 11's! Whoaaaaa! So I've done mine, now it's your turn! Meanwhile, here is a psychedelic beauty outtake of Codie Young from the Elliot Ward-Fear campaign to get you into that free spirited frame of mind! I can't wait to show you our spread for Black Magazine - it's truly awesome. In the meantime, this should suffice!

SUBFUSCO ELEMENTS 11/12: Jemma Baines

POP! I've been noticing the lovely Jemma Baines from Chic surfacing in some great australian editorials lately (including Harpars Bazaar & Russh) so I thought I'd share with you this beauty shot of her from the Subfusco lookbook collection 'Elements' - Amelia Axton did a divine job with the hair and makeup. Jemma was great fun to work with on the day and took to my strange sense of humour with ease!  Not only does Jemma have strikingly beautiful features, but she also posseses a total willingness to work until you get the photograph you're looking for. A great beauty who loves modelling - an ideal combination that equates to success!

MONSTER & MIDGET: Stella Maxwell @ VIVA

These pictures are from a story I published a while back for a unique little publication called Monster & Midget. The talent featured is viva model Stella Maxwell. Stella has shot a stack of amazing international editorial and worked with some top notch clients and photographers across the globe (think British Vogue, think Alexander McQueen, think Mario Testino). Anyone who has worked with Stella would attest that she brings a fantastic energy into her pictures and her company is always a pleasure. I'm looking forward to when we get a chance to shoot together again! In the meantime, I thought I'd share these pics I took of her... I still really enjoy them!

AVES BEAUTY: featuring Eva Downey

This B&W outake is from a beauty campaign I shot for Aves Cosmetics - featuring one of my favourite aussie models Eva Downey from The Agency. Personally I believe Eva has the potential to become one of the biggest models to emerge out of Australia, so I'm keen to see how her career progress over the next few years! Aves is owned by talented Sydney makeup artist Bonnie Gillies. Bonnie runs one of Australia's most well respected beauty blogs Oz Beauty Expert which investigates all of the latest products, news and services available in the beauty industry. Well worth checking out if you're passionate about your beauty products!