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Chie

Inspiration: After the Carnival

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Source: Thesepictures from we heart it
I am tossing around some ideas for an upcoming photo shoot in mid May.  I definitely want to use balloons as props, and I want to incorporate bright solid colors such as sky blue, yellow and orange for the clothes. I like to have a “theme” for the shoot, instead of just naming it as “Spring collection” or “Summer collection”. When I told my idea of using balloons for the shoot to Andy, he said, “How about “After the Carnival” shoot?” 
I am thinking that I like the title! What do you think? Now I am imagining things like Ferris wheels, big lollipops, cotton candy and a big bright blue  sky…
These images above are some inspiration photos that I’ve been collecting for the shoot 🙂

Spring makeup goodies

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Spring has come! At least for today. It was sunny and warm during the day today, about 15 degrees (c) which made me really happy.
On top of that, I received a package from my best friend, Kaitlyn with some make up goodies. She put together a lovely package of all Springy make up items..I love them all!

I usually spend less than 5 minutes on my make up, and I’ve had the same routine for years now – a little bit of powder, blush, eye brow, black eyeliner and mascara. But it’s always fun to experiment new items and different colors of eye shadow and lip gloss. After the two photo shoots I did in February, I have become more motivated to learn about make up and how to use them.  It really can make a huge difference! Anyway, here are the items I used today in getting ready to go out to lunch with my friend:

1. Dolce and Gabana eye shadow quad in eden This is so pretty and Springy, comes with pastel green, white, pink and bluish gray. I used the gray (left bottom).
2. annapie perfect veil, souvenir from Korea
3. Kevin Aucoin sensual skin enhancer this concealer is amazing! A little covers a lot. I tap this around my nose and under my eyes.
4. Trish McEvoy sexy petal
5. Estee Lauder DayWear sheer tint release
6. mally evercolor starlight waterproof liner
7. Maybelling the Magnum volume express super film
I think this version might be availabe in Japan only. This super film form is really easy to remove. I only use hot water to remove it, and it comes off very quickly. Best part, no black circle under my eyes! I will most definitely buy another when this one is finished!

I forgot to take a  picture of this, but I also used NARS angelika blush. It’s a pretty blue-toned baby pink with some sparkles…I love this item! I don’t think I had any items that I didn’t like from NARS.

Interview: Meet Amelia Aventine – The photographer behind the "Secret Garden" lookbook

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Hello! I hope everyone had a nice weekend:) Mine was very relaxed – I’m taking things slow now as I’m anxiously waiting for the baby’s arrival. Andy and I finished watching Boardwalk Empire season one this weekend. I really enjoyed the show, and can’t wait for the second season to come out! 

As I wrote before, Amelia was the photographer/stylist/make-up artist and creative inspiration behind the Secret Garden collection and lookbook. I was utterly inspired by her work, and wanted to share with you more about her. I’m so sad that she went back to UK after her short term visit to Japan… 
Anyway, here is Amelia:) 


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1.Can you give our readers a quick self introduction?

I’m Amelia, a UK based photographer. Recently my focus has been on fashion, but I enjoy all type of photography that involve people.

2.When did your interest in photography start?

It actually didn’t really start until I graduated University 2.5 years ago and found myself unemployed. I had in the past thought that photography might be fun, so I decided to use my new found free time to explore it. I started off with self portraits, then also started to use friends as subject matter, and eventually in January last year I started to shoot fashion with local models and creative teams.

3.What was the first shoot you did? How did it go?

It was a bird themed fashion shoot. I found a local model on ModelMayhem, had a artist friend do the make-up, borrowed some lighting equipment off another friend and collected the props myself. I was very nervous and probably a little too shy, but the end results weren’t too bad.

4. Where did you learn about photography and who are some of your influences?

I learnt photography mostly from just taking photos. I also picked up tips from books, internet forums and friends, but definitely a lot of trial and error.
Influences are definitely people with huge creative vision. People like Tim Walker, Annie leibovitz and Kirsty Mitchell. For me photography is about creating something from the imagination, a world more beautiful than is really there.

5.How do you find models and other people to work with?

I mostly use the networking site ModelMayhem. It is fantastic resource, especially in the UK where there are thousands of creatives on there. I am also lucky to have talented friends to use, and when it comes to models there is always the odd person who you see on the street who would be great to shoot.

6.You live and work England but recently spent time building your portfolio in Japan, How long were you in Japan? Why did you choose Japan? How was your experience working here?

I was there from January to March 2011. I actually ended up in Japan because my partner (also a photographer) was given a work opportunity in Tokyo.
I had an amazing time – both traveling and working. Tokyo is full of so many talented people and I was luck enough to get to meet and work with some of them. Every one is so enthusiastic and skilled, and as a result I have ended up with some incredible additions to my portfolio. I feel the whole experience and improved my confidence and fueled my excitement for photography a great deal.

7. You and I recently worked on the Secret Garden photo shoot. How did you come up with the idea?

As usual the path to the final idea was convoluted and involved many small pieces of inspiration. I saw your designs which gave the initial feeling of where the shoot should go, and I also looked through the inspiration posts on your blog and saw that there was a definite feel that linked them all.
I was then out exploring Tokyo and stumbled across the beautiful location we ended up using.  It instantly made me think of of your designs and so the idea began to take form. I then started to look around online for images liked to ‘Secret garden fashion’ and other whimsical fashion images using nature as a backdrop. From there I found a model I thought fitted the look, and formed an idea of the styling I thought would work – and then just let it all flow. 
This is a pretty usual situation, in the way inspiration came from many different things and the idea evolved over time and changed as new components were added.

8.What would you say is your biggest strength as a photographer, in what area would you most like to see your work improve?

I think my main strength is my creative ideas. As I said in the previous question I get inspiration from many different mediums – books, paintings, emotions, nature. I am a very visual person and I find myself taken by a particular element of these mediums and then daydreaming about the visual representation of them.
I often find myself frustrated that I can not produce what I see in these daydreams however, so I would say the area of improvement is definitely my technical abilities. In particular I would like to improve my knowledge of studio lighting, and also my skills in directing models to show the emotion of the ideas.

9. Do you have any up coming projects?

I head back to England at the beginning of April and I hope to keep the creative momentum I have gained in Japan. I would like to continue to build my fashion portfolio (I always have more ideas than time to execute them), and I would also like to explore other areas of photography. One of these is a more art based project, focusing on the visual representation of happiness – and how it is different for everyone.  

10.Do you have any people in particular that you would like to work with in the future? Why?

I am always on the look out for enthusiastic and creative people to work with. My Japan trip was the first time I had worked with designers, and shared creative control of the shoot. I enjoyed this so much – it was great to have another person to give input and bounce idea around with. I was very luck to collaborate with people who had a similar vision for the end result, and so the process flowed wonderfully and the final images were just what we all wanted.

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Check out more of her work on her website, or follow her on twitter❤
Entire Secret Garden lookbook can be viewed here.