thoughts: photoshoots (Patreon)

it was always just a part of being a musician/promoting myself that I loathed. shoots of any kinds made me super nervous, very awkward and suddenly v AWARE OF MY LIMBS. I stressed about make up & the amt of it, I stressed about clothes & how well they matched by hair (lol what) I stressed about my facial expressions & trying to reign them in (classic). oh. I had early shoots with photographers that fussed about my face & told me what to wear & how to pose.. it sucked. 

over the last few years I've realised that photographers are much like producers working with artists in a recording studio or songwriting environment. skills aside they both have a huge task at hand in giving direction & guidance, but above all making the subject feel comfortable and feel that it's OK to be themselves. :)

earlier this year the time came to get some press shots taken to launch 'I go crazy' & all that was to follow. GULP. I made an early moodboard & first decided on what kind of photos I DIDN'T want: photos in stereotypical/uninspiring 'singer/songwriter' settings.. (beaches, forrests, fields..), photos lacking colour, photos with too much make up/styling.. and soon I realised there were clear themes in the photos I was always drawn to - colour, simplicity & personality. 

after some insta lurking & asking around I stumbled across my dream photographer - Phoebe Fox (@shotbyphox on insta) - and to my DELIGHT she wanted to work with me. on one sunny day in a studio in Brixon, south London Phoebe & I took the photos I would then use for the rest of the year - the 'I go crazy' main press shot (one where i'm wearing a red hoodie and there's a rainbow background?), the 'between my teeth' main press shot (my current fb/twitter profile pic) & some other pics, including the one on a green background that I'm using for my current UK tour poster :))

Phoebe made me feel sO comfortable that day, it was magical. when I said I only wanted to wear a small scrap of make up, she never questioned it. when I said I wanted to stay casual with the clothes, she never questioned it. when I said I wanted to leave my hair down, un-styled.. yup. never questioned it. she made me feel sO good to be me, giving direction whilst also allowing my own ideas to shine through, topping up lip gloss & encouraging me all throughout the day. heck, for the first time on a set I felt awesome and it rocked my world.

the photo here wasn't taken by Phoebe but another photographer called Dom Anderson, on a recent shoot in Glasgow last month. at the moment I'm not sure what I'll use this pic for & the others we took.. there are a few including this one that I really like ! :) on this shoot I allowed myself to be styled & made up.. after feeling so comfortable with Phoebe I was up for blindly trusting someone else & just trying something new. that also felt awesome. Mikala painted my face + nails. the wonderful stylist Rhiannone lent me this suit and tee, and I wore my own muddy sneakers.. two worlds combined. yAY. fun. SELF CONFIDENCE IS A REAL AND BEAUTIFUL THING.

do I have a moral for this story? well.. not really. other than.. surround yourself with good people. work with good people and you'll soak up their goodness!

o x