Sophie Ellen Photography

Skeleton

2012-02-10T06:57:00.000-08:00

Chaos

2012-02-09T08:08:00.000-08:00

There is a chaos inside that can't be released.
A disorder. A confusion.

Frozen

2012-02-06T10:05:00.001-08:00

The Start Of A New Month

2012-02-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

Hamster Love

2012-02-03T14:36:00.001-08:00

Bitter Mist

2012-01-30T09:32:00.000-08:00

This Week

2012-01-28T08:35:00.000-08:00

Teaching colour lighting, a foggy field, banana and cinnamon porridge, birds and flowers on my windowsill.

A Good Weekend

2012-01-22T08:18:00.000-08:00

I think my new hamster socks have to be my favourite of all of mine, due to them looking so much like Honey!
The yummy looking food I have photographed here are the outcomes of a day baking with one of my younger sisters. She wanted to try making flapjacks so we made two different kinds: chocolate chip flapjacks (with chocolate drizzled on top) and nut & seed oat bites (a recipe of my own that turned out better than expected!). We also tried making fudge for the first time which was delicious too.

Sickness

2012-01-20T13:36:00.000-08:00

This week I caught a sickness bug and had to take time off from everything. I hate being ill and this week was such bad timing as I'd just started my new job and couldn't make it in for a couple of days. I spent a lot of time resting at home, knitting and playing with my hamster and luckily I'm now on the mend.

Honey and Bonnie

2012-01-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

Awaiting The Tide II

2012-01-18T09:14:00.000-08:00

The day after returning home from Yorkshire I started my new (second) job. Before christmas I done a couple of days work at my old college, teaching photography, and I'm now pleased that they have got me on board as a part time lecturer there. After my previous experience teaching I decided that it is what I want to pursue as a career so I am really excited about being able to start this now. I will also still be retouching for the photography company I have been working for since may last year, as well as continuing my own photography in my spare time. 2012 has started off well and I am excited about what else may happen this year!

Awaiting The Tide

2012-01-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

Yorkshire

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Ambivalence

2012-01-08T11:41:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to work out what it is about windows that fascinate me. They feature a lot in my photography, in my fashion shoots or capturing the light shining through a broken window in a derelict building. Of course as a photographer I am in love with the light they provide as well as a good composition to frame, but there is something more personal behind it.
Throughout my life I have spent a lot of time gazing out of the window and watching the world go by, whilst being stuck behind a barrier of glass myself. The window shows me the world I want to explore but the darkness inside holds me back.

I am caught between the light and the dark.

...

Tomorrow I am going away for a week, with limited internet access. I will have lots of photographs to post when I return.

This Week

2012-01-07T06:31:00.000-08:00

Cakes for friends, our new caravan, new shoes, crafts with my sisters.

A New Beginning

2012-01-06T05:37:00.000-08:00

Usually I don't make new years resolutions: I have found with previous attempts that, like most people, I don't stick to them! But this year feels different, like I need a new start... A new beginning. So with this I have re organized my blog and have set a bit of a promise to myself that I will photograph more. I am going to make more effort to photograph my everyday life and post the outcomes on my blog, it will be my photo diary.

I am stripping away everything I know. I need to find out who I really am, as a person and as a photographer.

Christmas

2012-01-06T04:08:00.000-08:00

Matt & Jemma's Wedding November 2011.

2012-01-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

December

2011-12-21T07:37:00.001-08:00

My last post on here was in October and since then the weeks have flown by. I've been busy working full time as a retoucher so I haven't really had much time to do a lot of photography. I've taken my camera about a few places with me as well as starting to photograph myself a bit more too. Here are a few photographs from the last couple of months that show what I've been doing:

Self Portraits:

A couple a bit more fun playing around in my new onesie!

A beautiful November wedding I photographed:

Out for the day on a trip up Ely Cathedral, whilst teaching college students:

Time spent with friends:

Enjoying the countryside I live in:

I will try to update again sooner as well as posting more photos from the wedding and some new self portraits =)

Update

2011-10-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been taking some time out from my photography as I've been working full time as a retoucher for a photography company, as well as trying to rest.

The months are flying by so quickly at the moment and I forget that I should update this sooner!

Although I haven't been doing as much photography lately, there are still a few things that have been happening:

A couple of my photos were published in High Profile magazine, as part of a feature on designer Omar Mansoor -

I've started trying to work on some self portraits(!). Here is the first one -

I had my graduation ceremony and am officially a Graduate now! -

And of course I'm still taking photos of my lovely pet hamster Honey -

Alongside my work I will be busy over the next couple of months with some client shoots and photographing a November Wedding.

I will try to update my websites a bit more regularly =)

Update

2011-08-21T05:49:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been taking some time out away from my online profiles, so I apologise that this blog post is long overdue.

After finishing uni I decided that I needed a break to enjoy the summer, spend time with my family & working out where I want to go from here.

I finished uni with an Upper Second Class Bachelor of the Arts Degree with Honours. After three years of hard work I am proud to say that and the fact I managed to stick with it.

My course was definitely hard work and a struggle at times, but I totally believe I'm better off with a degree as it gives me a lot more career choices.

The past month or so has gone so quickly and to be honest I'm no closer to a decision about my photography & future career, so for now I'm going to say that I'm continuing to be a bit absent, but will definitely be working on something soon.

I have set up a Tumblr blog that I will be posting more personal stuff on which will probably be more regular than this blog.

I also recently got a lovely little hamster called Honey. Her cage is on my desk next to my Mac & she keeps me company whilst I work -

Also Sandra Reynolds Agency have launched their new website which features my photographs on the main page -

Starchild

2011-07-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

A bit of a different blog post from me, featuring a different photographer and myself in front of the camera...

This series 'Starchild' is by another student on my course - Mate Dobray. A great body of work, this is a perfect example of the high standard of photography graduates now.

In these first two images I am the model, it was a different experience for me being the subject instead of photographer but I enjoyed it!

His Artist's Statement & the rest of the series -

Turning Pro Magazine

2011-07-02T04:01:00.000-07:00

One of my photographs from my 'Sur Les Pointes' series has been published in the latest issue of Turning Pro Magazine. It is a double page spread in their graduates feature:

Theatre De La Mode

2011-06-27T06:26:00.001-07:00

Here are the final photos from my 'Theatre de la Mode' Editorial, part of my Sur Les Pointes project.

This shoot was a great, it was a challenge shooting in such a different location but a great experience. We were able to use the whole theatre so decided to do a mix of on stage & back stage, which worked well to contrast the styling.

Model: Egle @ Sapphires Model Management

MUA & Hair: Rachael Bromage

Styling: Aliya Ziadi

Assistant: Ella Tebbutt

Photography & Retouching: Me

Behind the scenes can be seen on my previous post here.

Cut Grass Exhibition - The Old Truman Brewery, London

2011-06-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

Our second degree show exhibition is currently taking place at The Old Truman Brewery, London, part of the Free Range exhibitions.

The private view was Thursday evening and was a great success with lots of people turning up. It was such a brilliant night, the whole show had a great atmosphere and I really appreciate all the lovely comments and people coming to see my work.

The exhibition runs until Monday at 4pm, more info can be found here, it's definitely worth a visit if you're in London.

Also photos of my work at the Cambridge exhibition can be seen on my previous post here.

Me with my work -

Amongst The Fog

2011-06-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

Here are the final photos from my 'Amongst The Fog' editorial, part of my Sur Les Pointes project.

This shoot was quite different for me as I haven't used a fog machine before, as well as using stronger lighting than I usually do. I'm pleased with the results of both & will be experimenting more in the future!

Model: Tanya C

MUA: Rachael Bromage

Hair: Kasia Fortuna

Styling: Aliya Ziadi

Assistant: Christine Xuan

Behind the scenes can be seen on my previous post here.

Doll's House

2011-06-14T11:02:00.000-07:00

Here are the final photos from my editorial 'Doll's House', another series from my Sur Les Pointes project.

This shoot involved 2 lovely models, Alice & Becci, from Sapphires Model Management, 2 make up artists: Clare Barber & Tori Harris, Aliya Ziadi doing styling, Carla Jones doing hair and Mia B assisting.

Behind the scenes can be seen here.

Sur Les Pointes - Book

2011-06-11T04:38:00.000-07:00

I have now released my book 'Sur Les Pointes' that I made to accompany my prints at the exhibitions, as part of my final major project.

The book consists of six ballet inspired fashion editorials and is available to buy here - http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2126751

Sur Les Pointes by Sophie Ellen Lachowycz | Make Your Own Book

Cambridge School Of Art Degree Show 2011

2011-06-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

The Cambridge School Of Art Degree Show 2011 is well underway and a great success so far!

It opened on Thursday 2nd June with a private view that was very busy and a great atmosphere. Over the weekend we've had quite a few visitors and it is currently still open until 8pm on Friday 10th June.

The range of work from all the students, on all the art courses, is so varied and all so brilliant. There is so much to see that it is definitely worth a visit.

As the end of our final major project, we were due to exhibit our final bodies of work and will be marked on this too.

I exhibited my Sur Les Pointes project and was lucky in being able to display my prints as well as the images on a digital screen.

My photographs on the screen in the Gallery -

(A slideshow of 5 photographs from the series displayed with an Artist's statement, postcards & business cards and my book)

A one-off, cloth bound, book I made specifically for the exhibitions -

My prints on display on the balcony of the Gallery -

(2 of the 3 large prints I had done, displayed with postcards & business cards and an Artist's statement)

Me with my work -

Style Magazine

2011-06-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

A feature on my Sur Les Pointes project has been published in the June issue of Style Magazine (Cambridge). It's great to see the photographs together as a collection & shows new photos that I will be releasing soon..

Feathered Black

2011-05-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

Here are the final photos from my 'Feathered Black' editorial, for my Sur Les Pointes Project. These will be included in the book I will be releasing soon.

Behind the scenes can be seen on my previous post here.

Sur Les Pointes

2011-05-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

For my university final major project I have been working on a ballet inspired project, and can now release the final title.

Sur Les Pointes is a body of work consisting of 6 final series, 1 series chosen to be exhibited and the rest published in an accompanying book.

Artist's Statement -

Sur Les Pointes (on the tips of the toes) is a body of work inspired by the beauty of ballet, establishing a connection between this and fashion. By exploring many different aspects of the dance, this work aims to present a new take on the tradition of ballet.

The chosen exhibited images represent a collaboration between the photographer and the dancer, translating her movement into still images through digital technology. An illusion of fluidity and multiple moods is exposed, aided by the fabric and colour of the dresses.

The six different series in the accompanying book join together to show a broader look at ballet. Studies of movement, fashion, grace and theatrical performance have inspired each photo shoot.

Based on my love for fashion photography and my interest in pursuing it professionally, this collaborative project has explored ballet and fashion whilst pushing my boundaries as a photographer.

Upcoming Exhibitions

2011-05-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

Details of the upcoming exhibitions I am a part of:

1 - Cambridge School Of Art Degree Show -

Thursday 2nd June (private view 6pm onwards) until Friday 10th June (closes 8pm). More details on the website - http://www.cambridgeschoolofart.com/

2. Free Range Exhibition at The Old Truman Brewery, London -

Thursday 23rd June (private view 6pm onwards) until Monday 27th June (closes 7pm). More details on our website - http://www.cutgrass2011.com/ or the Free Range Website - http://www.free-range.org.uk/

Everyone is welcome to both & I would love to see as many people there as possible! I will be at both as much as I can so it will be good to meet people that follow my work & have helped me along the way.

Update

2011-05-21T11:46:00.001-07:00

The past couple of weeks have gone really quickly, without me updating my online accounts much so I wanted to do a brief blog post explaining.

May 12th was the big deadline day for my final major project - the last project of my time at uni & the most important (being worth a third of my degree!).
I really had to knuckle down in the couple of weeks beforehand and get my work finished, luckily I managed to and it was such a relief to hand it in. I'm usually ok with deadlines and have my work done & ready a few days beforehand, but with this project I seemed to slip quite behind with my sketchbook work as I'd spent so much time shooting and editing so I had a lot of this to catch up on.
It's all handed in now and there's nothing I can do apart from await my mark for it. Part of the mark is for our exhibition so I have a little longer to wait while we get this sorted.
We have 2 exhibitions coming up, 1 in Cambridge at our uni & the 2nd is in London at The Old Truman Brewery - I will be doing seperate blog posts soon with full details of these.

After the hand in I had a couple of days to rest (more like collapse, exhausted from all the work!) and I took some time to do a new self portrait -

I was nervous about uploading this as I haven't done any self portraits in so long, but I needed a new headshot for my website etc as I've changed a lot since I took the last one.
I feel like self portraits do show another side to the photographer & I like seeing them from other people, so I will make more effort to do more in future!

The day after this I had an interview for a job with a photography company that contacted me after seeing my website. I got the job and started a couple of days later & have spent 2 full days working there now.
It's a company that does a lot of portrait photography in schools as well as having studios over the country and I am working as a temporary photoshopper in their editing department. Fingers crossed it will be quite a bit of work for me as I'm enjoying the job so far.

From now until the end of June I'll be busy working alongside doing the exhibitions, and will be releasing so much new work from my final major project...

Katie Louise

2011-05-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

Here are the final photos from another test shoot for my current project..

Behind the scenes can be seen on my previous post here.

Model: Katie Louise D
MUA & Hair: Leanne
Styling: Jamilah Toni
Photography & Retouching: Me

Abstract Ballet Photo Shoot

2011-05-11T05:22:00.000-07:00

As well as the fashion photography I have been doing for my project, I decided to do a few shoots with a more experimental aspect. This was mostly inspired by my original test shoots and just wanting to try something a bit different.

For this photo shoot I teamed up with Ellie (who I previously worked with for one of my test shoots) and another ballerina Hana. We spent the day playing about with a few ideas of experimenting with shape, movement and texture.

Here are a few of the photos from the shoot -

Fleur De Ballet Editorial

2011-05-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

Here is the full series of my 'Fleur De Ballet' editorial. It was recently published in INK Magazine - which can be seen here

Behind the scenes photos can be seen in my previous post here

Webcam

2011-05-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

I keep meaning to do some self portraits but haven't had the time lately. In the meantime here's a webcam shot showing off my new hair (that I'm still getting used to!).

INK Magazine - Fleur De Ballet Editorial

2011-05-02T11:37:00.001-07:00

I'm pleased to be able to release my 'Fleur de Ballet' editorial that has been published in INK Magazine's Colour issue.

It can be viewed online here and printed copies bought from here.

This was the second shoot for my current ballet project and I had a wonderful team on board. Collaborating again with Aliya, we went for a very colourful floral theme, with ballet and movement the inspiration for the shoot.

Behind the scenes photos can be seen on my previous blog post here.

Heidi

2011-04-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago I had a shoot with the lovely Heidi @ MOT (I've worked with her before and was impressed again) and Rachael Bromage doing hair and make up. I done the styling for this shoot, we were going for a simple beauty/fashion look, nude tones inspired by my ballet project.

I've finally got round to finishing the series, amongst all my other uni work, and here are the final shots...

Pointe Shoes

2011-04-20T08:19:00.001-07:00

Another photo shoot for my current project, but something a bit different from me!

I decided to do some still life photos of pointe shoes as these are such an important part of ballet, and an obvious symbol of it.

A massive thank you to Nikki Goldup for the shoes themselves, which she gave me months and months ago when the idea for this project was just starting to emerge. Since then they have accompanied me on every ballet related photo shoot but unfortunately not used, so I took them into the studio to photograph them as objects themselves.

The Last Dance Editorial

2011-04-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do a blog post showing the final series from my 'The Last Dance' editorial, as I've previously uploaded Behind the scenes and the Published versions but not the actual photos.

Here is my final series, which is part of my book (due to be released soon!) -

The Print Space

2011-04-19T04:23:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I spent the day at The Print Space getting prints done for my upcoming exhibitions..

I definitely recommend them to anyone needing prints of any size done, there is a wide range of papers to choose from and the quality is great. I was printing mine quite large and had no trouble at all.

We had a retouching booth for the day (free for students printing their degree show photos at the moment) and the free coffee kept me happy!

The prints still need to be mounted etc but I'm looking forward to getting them back & hanging them at the exhibitions.

A sneaky peak at 1 of them -

Behind the scenes - Ballet Fashion Photoshoot VII

2011-04-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I done the last photo shoot for my current project. I had a brilliant team on board: Thea Natalie my stylist friend, Annabelle a lovely make up artist & Ella, a stunning ballerina model from BMA. We all got on really well and it was a great ending to my exhausting weeks of photo shoots!

With this shoot I wanted a darker feel and to bring more ballet back into the project. Thea got some amazing outfits from designers & Ella looked great dancing about in them..

Here are some behind the scenes photos:

Behind the scenes - Ballet Fashion Photoshoot VI

2011-04-17T05:41:00.000-07:00

Another photo shoot for my project took me back to Adrian Pini's studio for a mix of ballet and nude toned fashion.

I had an awesome team on board & it was a great day shooting pretty clothing. The lovely Katie Louise was a pleasure to photograph dancing about in front of my camera!

Here are a few behind the scenes photos:

LuaSarcy Bridal Wear

2011-04-16T09:23:00.001-07:00

Last month I spent the day in London photographing beautiful dresses for LuaSarcy.

They were lovely clients to work for & the team they got on board were great too.

The photos are for their lookbook, we decided to go for something a bit more quirky but still simple (to show off the dresses) at the same time.

Here are a few of the final shots:

Behind the scenes - Ballet Fashion Photoshoot V

2011-04-13T09:33:00.001-07:00

The fifth photo shoot for my project was due to take place in a ballet studio.

I had another great team on board: Aliya styling, Clare & Tori doing make up, Carla doing hair, Mia assisting & 2 girls from Sapphires Model Management.

I've previously shot in this studio so it was great to be back shooting there again & also doing something different. The day went really well & we got through loads of different looks.

Here are some behind the scenes photos by Mia -

Behind the scenes - Ballet Fashion Photoshoot IV

2011-04-11T09:32:00.001-07:00

The fourth photo shoot for my project was just a couple of days after the previous one...

For this I worked with Aliya & Rachael again, Ella assisting and Egle from Sapphires Model Management. The shoot took place in a Theatre, which was great. It was really interesting to work in a location so different. The shoot was still ballet inspired, but it had more of an editorial feel, I wanted it to work with the other shoots we have done but still a separate series itself.

Here are a few behind the scenes of the day -

21st Birthday

2011-04-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to do a quick personal blog post, in amongst all the photography ones, to say yesterday I turned 21!

I had a lovely birthday, spending it with family & relaxing. I also had a bit of a makeover with a new hair cut (see webcam shot below), which I'm slowly starting to get used to.

Today was back to normal with the last photo shoot for my project, which I am sure to blog some behind the scenes photos of soon..

Behind the scenes - Ballet Fashion Photoshoot III

2011-04-07T10:59:00.000-07:00

The third photo shoot for my project was the second half of the day I previously blogged about.

This part was with Tanya modelling and we went for a completely different concept to the first half.

It was an experiment with lighting & smoke, and a mad rush at the end of the day but we got some great photos which I'll release soon. For now here's some more great behind the scenes photos by Christine...

Behind the scenes - Ballet Fashion Photoshoot II

2011-04-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

The second main photo shoot for my project happened a few weeks ago, for this I was back at Adrian Pini's studio with Aliya doing styling again.

We had 2 great models on board & were planning to split the time in half & do 2 separate concepts. (this kind of worked!)

The lovely Christine Xuan also came along to assist & take these great behind the scenes photos, and I had Rachel doing make up and Kasia doing hair.

This first half of the day went well, Aliya got a mix of beautiful floral colourful pieces which looked great on Gina dancing about. These photos show a sneak preview of what is to come when I've edited the finals -

TURN Magazine - 'The Last Dance'

2011-04-06T03:03:00.000-07:00

After shooting it a couple of months ago, I can now finally release the first series I have done for my ballet inspired project.

It has been published in the Spring issue of TURN Magazine, which you can buy online here.

It's always great to have work published, but more so with this as its such a great start to my project and hopefully sets the standard of things to come.

I will be uploading these as the photographs soon, and behind the scenes photos can be seen in my previous blog post here.

Emelie

2011-04-02T04:25:00.000-07:00

Here are the final photos from a recent shoot with the stunning Emelie @ RMG with Make up & Hair by Charlie Ross, also using lingerie from Prohibido boutique.

They were all a pleasure to work with & it was a lovely shoot with no pressure to shoot an editorial, just some great shots for our portfolios.

Although this series isn't directly related to my project, for me it is part of my development work as I wanted to do some more natural beauty, to continue with the theme of identity I am exploring....

Natural Beauty:

Lingerie:

Nature's Way

2011-03-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

This series of photographs is a floral beauty editorial I shot recently, inspired by 'Flowers in the Attic' which is part of my research for my ballet inspired project I am working on at the moment.

It was a lovely, relaxed shoot working with 2 lovely ladies: Sarah J, model & Ashley Kay, mua / hair. I experimented with a bit stronger lighting & used a backdrop I bought recently, which I am in love with!

We also had some floral headpieces from the amazing - www.louloulovesyou.com - which worked perfectly.

The other headpieces were made by me..

Male Dancer Test Shoot

2011-03-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

Similar to the shoot I done with Ellie, Here are some photos I done with a male dancer..

These are simple test shots to experiment with shapes, movement etc, as part of my development work for my current project.

Kieran was great to work with and was a good change for me working with a guy!

Ballet Performance Rehearsal

2011-03-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I attended the dress rehearsal of a ballet performance (The Nutcracker) being put on at my uni.

I couldn't stay long but managed to get some photos of a few scenes, which are great for the development of my project. These are just simple shots to experiment with photographing ballet performances/lighting/movement...

Ballerina Test Shoot

2011-02-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

Recently I done a simple studio test shoot with a ballerina, for the development of my current project.

Ellie was lovely to work with (I'll be working with her again for this project) and it was a great, relaxed shoot just to experiment with poses, lighting & movement.

These are just basic test shots, for reference for future shoots, but I quite like them - Ellie came up with some great abstract poses...

Behind the scenes - Ballet Fashion Photoshoot

2011-02-16T08:47:00.000-08:00

Last friday I had a brilliant photo shoot for my final major project, with an amazing team.

One part of my project is looking at ballet so I decided to combine this with fashion and started planning this shoot.

I got Katy Cee on board first of all, a stunning model and great ballet dancer: what more could I ask for? I've worked with her before so knew she would be perfect for it.

I then got in touch with Aliya to do the styling for the shoot. She got some lovely dresses, great for spring / summer.

We also had Michaela doing hair & make up, and we done the shoot at Adrian Pini's Studio.

I won't go on too much as these are just the behind the scenes photos for now, but I'm really pleased with how the shoot went & need to get on with the editing now!

A few behind the scenes pics -

Why have I got a massive bag of peas on my head? I stupidly hit it really hard on the weight on the light!

Also a video showing Katy dancing about -

(BTS pics by Dave & Aliya)

Tudor Mansion Editorial

2011-02-04T09:32:00.000-08:00

These are the final photos from my recent shoot at an amazing tudor mansion. (See my previous posts for the publication and behind the scenes)

This was such a great shoot, but took alot of planning, I arranged the location a couple of months in advance and then had to sort a team to fit.
The main theme for the shoot was inspired by a story, (I might write about this soon, but I'm not sure how much influence it is going to have over my current project so I'm not revealing it at the moment) so I was in need of a blonde model to fit the character. Sasha Larner replied to my casting call and having seen her work with other great photographers I thought she'd be perfect.
I was also in need of a great wardrobe stylist, I managed to get someone on board pretty early on so I got on planning everything else.
The make up artist / hair stylist for the shoot was Lucy Ridley, who I have worked with before for a couple of beauty shoots.
I also got 2 assistants Dan Heffer and Katie Lawrence, to help out with lighting etc. I rarely have assistants on my shoots, as I prefer to have as small team as possible to keep it comfortable and intimate, but with such a big location I needed a hand.

Everything was going to plan until a few days before the shoot the wardrobe stylist cancelled. (I hate it when that happens!) Luckily, with help from Nikki Goldup and some amazing vintage shops, I managed to pull it around and picked up a load of stunning dresses for the shoot.

The actual day of the shoot went so smoothly, we were left to shoot for the full day and as a team we all pulled together really well to make the most of it and get some great photos.
The suprise of the day was being able to shoot from high up looking down on the black & white floor, which will always remind me that no matter how much I try and plan everything you just have to work with what you can on the day.

A few of the photos have been published, which is such a good feeling to see your work in print. As with all my shoots, I couldn't have done it without everyone involved so thankyou!

Style Magazine

2011-01-28T07:26:00.000-08:00

My photos published in the February issue of Style Magazine (Cambridge)

Behind the scenes photos can be seen in my previous post - http://sophieellenlachowycz.blogspot.com/2011/01/behind-scenes-tudor-mansion-photoshoot.html

Behind The Scenes - Tudor Mansion Photoshoot

2011-01-18T10:49:00.000-08:00

Recently I done a photoshoot in an amazing Tudor mansion, I'm uploading the behind the scenes photos now as the final photos are due to be published soon.

I'll write a bit more about the shoot & team involved when I release the photos, for now these are the behind the scenes that give a sneak peak into the shoot, taken by my assistant Katie Lawrence:

Ballad Of.. Feature

2011-01-07T08:47:00.001-08:00

Today Ballad Of.. Magazine have featured a few of my derelict photos on their website. It can be seen online here - http://balladof.co.uk/2011/01/come-back-in-time-with-sophie-ellen/

(screenshot below)

Inspiration

2011-01-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

One of the most common questions that photographers get asked is 'What inspires you?'

For this I would answer 'Everything'. I get my ideas/concepts for shoots through being influenced by random music, art, photography, films, stories, and it is rare I can pinpoint one example.

Though saying this, I do have favourite photographers and photographs that inspire me, and I am always researching into everything, not just for uni work, to keep me inspired & knowing what is out there in this industry.

Here are a few of my favourite photographs:

(If you haven't seen them before definitely research the photographer!)

Tim Walker

Horst P. Horst

Paolo Roversi

Francesca Woodman

Patrick Demarchlier

Corinne Day

Nan Goldin

2010

2010-12-30T09:27:00.000-08:00

2010 has been a great year.
Though, because I am at uni & term is September - May, it doesn't particularly feel like the end of a year for me. I'm currently half way through my last year at uni and only when June comes will I have time to start anew.

However I wanted to take this chance to reflect upon this year, ready for the start of 2011.
It has been good, with ups & downs like any year, and photography wise I feel my work has developed alot.

I had a term at uni Jan - May, for which I was doing a book project and fashion shoots on the side. Then it was the summer holiday, this year I decided to leave my part time cafe job and do my photography. Luckily this went well, doing weddings and client shoots I made the same amount of money - a great start for my freelance career.
Then the start of my final year at uni! This term has been a challange but great to focus on what I want to do.

In this blog post I want to show how my work has developed over this past year, I've gone through my flickr photos and here is a quick round up of 1 from each shoot -

(Other photos from the shoots, as well as others not featured, can be seen on my flickr)

JANUARY -

Beauty shoot with Emily @ Sandra Reynolds & MUA/Hair - Ria Lingwood

Beauty shoot with Rosanna @ First Model Management & MUA/Hair - Ria Lingwood

Interview published in Bowen's Litebook

Lookbook shoot for Supremebeing finally published

6 page editorial in Fashion Insider Magazine (Model Emma Howl & MUA/Hair by Ria Lingwood)

FEBRUARY -

Photos published in Photography Monthly Magazine

Fashion shoot with Emma Howl & MUA/Hair by Ria Lingwood

Interview published in FaceON Magazine

2nd place 'Student photographer of the year' by Digital Photographer Magazine

Portrait shoot with Victoria

MARCH -

(All shoots from here on are with my brilliant new Canon 5d mkii)

Beauty shoot with Skye @ Oxygen & MUA/Hair by Tracey Woodhouse

Beauty shoot with Thea @ Sapphires & MUA/Hair by Michelle Dacillo

APRIL -

Fashion shoot with Kate @ Face Models & MUA Clare Barber

MAY -

Fashion students lookbook - Emily Wilkinson

Fashion students lookbook - Miggy Borbas

Fashion students lookbook - Kirsty Unwin

Fashion students lookbook - Sarah Graham

Photos published in various hair magazines

Beauty shoot with Ivory Flame & MUA/Hair by Louise Ormiston

Bluebell shoot with Jessica & MUA Clare Barber

An older photo published in Digital Photographer Magazine

Beauty shoot with Katy Cee & MUA Clare Barber

Beauty shoot with Heidi @ MOT & MUA/Hair by Louise Ormiston

JUNE -

Beauty shoot with Sara @ Sandra Reynolds & MUA/Hair by Emily Turnbull

Lake shoot with Victoria, Styling by Me

JULY -

Beauty shoot with Symara @ Sandra Reynolds & MUA Clare Barber

JULY -

6 page editorial for INK Magazine (Models - Laura & Katherine @ Oxygen, MUAs - Clare Barber & Jayde Chorlton, Hair - Jayde, Styling - Sharna Newton)

Client lookbook shoot for Florie Struthers

London fashion shoot with Michelle @ Superior Models, MUA Jak Morgan & Clothing Designer Siobhan Callaghan

AUGUST -

Fashion shoot with Jessica & MUA Clare Barber - Headpiece by Louise Pettersson

Derelict fashion shoot with Skye @ Oxygen & MUA Clare Barber, Styling by Andrew Martin & Nikki Goldup

Published in Velvet Mag

Published in Photography Monthly Magazine

Published in YEAH Magazine

SEPTEMBER -

Equestrian fashion shoot (Models - Linda & Sofia, MUA - Louise Ormiston, Hair - Nicole Geary, Styling - Olivia, Andrew, Nikki)

Collaboration with Ellie Harvey

Published in Agenda Magazine

Lookbook shoot for LouLou Loves You with Skye @ Oxygen & MUA/Hair by Sandra Bermingham

The Secret Garden editorial, Model - Rosanna @ First Model Management, MUA/Hair - Michelle Dacillo, Styling - Rachel West

OCTOBER -

Client shoot for Agenda Magazine

Beauty shoot with Jade @ Bookings models & MUA/Hair by Lucy Ridley

2 of my photos published in Alila Magazine

Beauty shoot with Emma & Shenyue @ M&P Models, MUA Clare Barber & Hair by Nicole Geary

Beauty shoot with Rachel @ Sapphires & MUA/Hair by Lucy Ridley

NOVEMBER -

3 photos published in World Of Photography Bookazine

Published in various hair magazines

Beauty shoot with Mariam @ D1 & MUA/Hair by Jenni Defalco

8 page editorial published in KISMET Magazine (Models = Thea & Morgaine, MUA/Hair - Cara Halstead, Lingerie - Love Baby Grand)

DECEMBER -

Street style photos for Velvet Mag

Beauty shoot with Hannah & MUA Clare Barber

Exhibition at uni (end of project)

I want to say a big thankyou to everyone that I have worked with / helped me in any way over the past year.
I couldn't have done all these shoots without the amazing people involved.

As for 2011, I have 1 more term to go at uni.. This will be great as I am just focusing on 1 big project - which I will be exhibiting in Cambridge and London. And then after uni finishes? who knows, lets see how it goes...

The Nutcracker

2010-12-22T09:02:00.000-08:00

On Monday I took two of my little sisters to see 'The Nutcraker' by The Royal Ballet, which was a special showing at the cinema.

This was part of my research for my upcoming project and was also great to see to put us in the mood for Christmas.
It was a beautiful thing to watch and was really inspiring.

Christmas Holidays

2010-12-16T08:52:00.000-08:00

My Christmas holiday has begun...

Today was the last hand in day for our uni projects this term, my dissertation was due last thursday and 'Multiple Roles' was today.

Now I sit at home absolutely exhausted, thinking back over the work. This term has been a challenge - although we have always had a few projects on the go, this term seemed particularly hard to juggle both.

I have been incredibly busy doing photo shoots and my research work that I've had no time for a social life or anything other than uni work.

For my Multiple Roles module I chose to do a beauty project. This was because it is something I feel I need more of in my portfolio and I wanted to explore a more natural look.

So the main idea for this was to photograph natural beauty, using models in the studio. I was lucky in getting some stunning agency models for this, and I also done a lot of experimentation with 'non models' - which was a great change for me.

(Photos from this project can be seen on my flickr)

For this I have done all the sketchbook work and have 11 final photographs, 2 of which we exhibited at uni:

For my Dissertation (6000 word research project) I wrote an essay on - 'The ideal woman: An investigation into the portrayal of the female nude within the visual arts'

I'm not the best at writing, I got on ok at school but since then I've picked up bad habits and I'm not the best with grammar. So I found this a challenge to do, mostly being getting the motivation to do it. Once I did manage to I found it an interesting project and I've learnt a lot from it.

So now that it is all handed in I impatiently wait for my grades, which we will find out in the new year.

Over the Christmas holiday I will be taking a break, finally I will have a chance to relax.

I will probably be a bit quieter online for a few weeks while I take this time to take a step back.

Though of course me being me, this doesn't mean I won't be doing anything!

I plan to update my website and my wedding photography website, possibly changing the layout too, as well as doing some retouching work.

I will also be making a start on my Final Major Project (This is the exciting project I will be doing next term, that counts for a 3rd of my degree. We get to write our own brief for this and will be exhibiting it in Cambridge and London in June 2011)

I can't wait to make a start on all this in the new year, 2011 is going to be amazing =)

Hannah

2010-12-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

Two more photographs for my natural beauty uni project, These feature model Hannah with make up by Clare Barber:

Mariam Pt 2

2010-12-15T07:20:00.000-08:00

Along with the beauty images I shot with Mariam (d1 models) and Jenni (MUA/Hair), we also done some fashion ones.

For these we wanted to go a bit stronger than my usual work so borrowed some dresses from clothing designer Vergi and went a bit darker with the theme.

The lights we used as props have been at mine waiting to be used for ages, made simply from some cable and lightbulbs they worked really well.

I did have a slight problem with them and tripped out the electric in the studio, which ended the shoot! Luckily we had some good photos by then so all wasn't lost...

Velvet Mag

2010-12-15T07:17:00.000-08:00

Recently I went out and about and took some street style photos, these have been published in Velvet Mag -

Love Baby Grand

2010-12-14T03:53:00.000-08:00

Here are the final photos from my shoot with Love Baby Grand for Kismet Magazine.

Only a few were used in the editorial but as you can see here we managed to shoot loads of different looks so I've chosen 2 per look.

Models: Thea & Morgaine

MUA / Hair: Cara Halstead

Lingerie Designer: Love Baby Grand

Photography & Retouching: Me

Assistant: Laura Borges Ribeiro

KISMET Magazine

2010-12-02T11:08:00.000-08:00

I am happy that my editorial in KISMET Magazine has finally come out!

This is a shoot I done in August, collaborating with Love Baby Grand.

I will upload the individual photos soon..

You can view the magazine online here - http://www.kismetmagazine.nl/11th_issue_nl_2010_2011/11th_issue_nl_2010_2011.html

And Behind the scenes photos in my previous post here -

http://sophieellenlachowycz.blogspot.com/2010/09/love-baby-grand-behind-scenes.html

Mariam Pt 1

2010-12-02T11:03:00.000-08:00

Another shoot for my current uni project was with the stunning Mariam @ D1 & Jenni Defalco doing Make up & Hair.

These are a few of the simple natural portraits we done first, we also done some fashion shots which I will be uploading soon.

(Things are so busy at the moment with uni work etc I will do a proper post with more writing soon!)

Hair Ideas

2010-11-20T07:42:00.000-08:00

Some of my photos published in Hair Ideas, December issue -

Rachel

2010-11-16T08:53:00.000-08:00

Here are the results from my shoot with Rachel from Sapphires Model Management, with make up & hair done by Lucy Ridley (Styling in the 2nd half done by me).

We were shooting for my natural beauty project again so took a similar theme to my previous shoots & done a series of natural shots and then something more creative:

Natural:

Creative:

World Of Photography Bookazine

2010-11-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

3 of my photos have been published in Photography Monthly's new Bookazine - 'World Of Photography'

Emma & Shenyue

2010-11-10T04:23:00.001-08:00

Here's some more photos from my current project, featuring Emma and Shenyue from MandP Models, Make up by Clare Barber and Hair by Nicole Geary

Natural Look -

Creative look -

Alila Magazine

2010-11-04T03:33:00.000-07:00

2 of my photos used for LouLou Loves You's interview in Alila Magazine

Model: Skye @ Oxygen

MUA & Hair: Sandra Bermingham

Accessories: LouLou Loves You

Photography & Retouching: Me

Jade

2010-10-24T08:58:00.001-07:00

This was my first photoshoot for my new uni project.

I contacted Bookings Model Agency about testing with their new faces and if any would fit in with my project and I was lucky in that they said I could shoot with Jade Bigwood.

The shoot was planned for a full day to give us time to experiment with looks. The main idea was to do a series of natural beauty shots and then experiment with make up and do a more creative look.

Make up & Hair was done by Lucy Ridley. They were both lovely girls to work with and I'm really pleased with the results.

Natural look -

A more paler make up look & big hair, change of lighting -

Same look but with hair up, change of lighting/background -

Update

2010-10-20T07:06:00.000-07:00

My apologies for the lack of blogging / uploading new work at the moment. Things are so busy that I barely have a minute to spare.

I've been quite ill with a kidney infection which put me out of action for a full week, leaving me feeling really behind and hating the fact I had to miss uni - I hate feeling behind with my work and having a backlog of things to do!

Luckily, after 3 different sets of antibiotics, I'm feeling better now and back into the swing of things editing, planning photoshoots and all that uni work..

I've been doing a few shoots recently that I will be uploading soon and have a few more planned for the next couple of months.

Yesterday I was at my old college doing a presentation / talk to the first year photography students. I was quite nervous but it was a great experience, they were lovely and asked loads of questions.

I've been thinking more about the future lately and I definitely think I would like to go into teaching at some point so this was a great thing to do to start preparing me.

Oh and here's a sneaky peak of an editorial I have coming out on 1st december in an online magazine.

It was a collaboration with designer - www.lovebabygrand.com - who was lovely enough to send me some amazing knickers as a thankyou for the shoot!

Agenda Magazine

2010-10-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a shoot I got booked to do for Agenda Magazine - photographing the winner of their real woman competition.

Sorry for the rubbish scans, it can also be viewed online here - http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&bypass=true&pnum&refresh=Sw6012XiTy70&EID=e47d6139-dcbe-406f-8478-d3590d6ec013&skip=true

The Secret Garden

2010-09-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

These are the final photos from my shoot in London in August...

It was a great day shooting with a lovely team, my 2nd time working with model Rosanna & Mua Michelle and my first collab with Stylist Rachel.

The location was absolutely stunning, there was so much more that we just didn't have time to capture, so its definitely a possibility that I will use it again sometime. Although it was in London & a public space, I was surprised at how quiet & peaceful it was - we had a few people go past throughout the day but in general it was a really successful shoot.

Model: Rosanna @ First Model Management

MUA & Hair: Michelle Dacillo

Styling: Rachel West

Photography & Retouching: Me

Back To Uni

2010-09-22T07:27:00.001-07:00

This week I started back at uni (Cambridge School Of Art) for my final year studying BA(hons) Photography..

I went back all excited about my projects but now feel overwhelmed by the work I need to do and how much I need to push myself this year.

We have a photography project to do this term, alongside a 6000 word dissertation (which I haven't been looking forward to!) And then next term we'll be doing our final major project which we will then be exhibiting in Cambridge and London.

I can't believe how quickly this has all gone, and that in June I will be finished and 'out in the real world'

LouLou Loves You

2010-09-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

Here are my final photos from my shoot for www.louloulovesyou.com

Behind the scenes photos can be seen on my previous post - http://sophieellenlachowycz.blogspot.com/2010/08/loulou-loves-you-behind-scenes.html

Model: Skye @ Oxygen

MUA & Hair: Sandra Bermingham

Accessories: LouLou Loves You

Photography & Retouching: Me

Love Baby Grand - Behind The Scenes

2010-09-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some behind the scenes photos from my shoot last Saturday in London for www.lovebabygrand.com

These were taken by lovely assistant www.lauraribeiro.co.uk

Derelict Still Life Shoot

2010-09-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

Recently I collaborated with photographer Ellie Harvey - www.ellieharvey.com - on a shoot different from what we normally do.

We're both mainly portrait photographers so decided to try something completely different for a change, but still fashion related.

I borrowed a load of random clothing and props from Nikki Goldup & Ellie came with some beautiful dresses she borrowed from Arisa Fukumoto and other props.

We headed to a derelict raf base and just had a great day of playing about with everything without the constraints of having to get some good photos (also having a laugh hiding from the police!)

Here are some of my photos from the day..

A Behind The Scenes Ellie took of me blowing up balloons -

Agenda Magazine

2010-09-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a scan of my photos of Sian & Pete's Wedding in Agenda Magazine (same spread also in Wedding Days Magazine)

www.sophieellen.co.uk/weddings.htm

Equestrian Fashion Photoshoot

2010-09-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

Here are the final photos from my Equestrian Fashion photoshoot.

Behind the scenes can be seen in another post - http://sophieellenlachowycz.blogspot.com/2010/08/horse-photoshoot.html

Models - Linda & Sofia

MUA - Louise Ormiston

Hair - Nicole Geary

Styling - Goldup / Martin / Howes

Photography & Retouching - Me

Wales

2010-09-03T08:53:00.001-07:00

I've just got back from a few days away in south wales, which was lovely.

It was really nice to have a break before I go back to uni, we spent the few days travelling around the area, photographing derelicts, a waterfall and trying out some landscape photography for a change!

Here's some of our photos from the trip - some snapshots and some of my photos

The sheep didn't seem to like me!

At the stunning waterfall -

Me photographing away at the derelicts

Some of my photos of a derelict hospital & boy's village -

LouLou Loves You - Behind The Scenes

2010-08-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was shooting for LouLou Loves You (www.louloulovesyou.com) - photographing her gorgeous collection of accessories.

It was a great day, all the team were so lovely to work with!

Here are some behind the scenes photos taken by LouLou -

Me wearing one of the headbands -

The Secret Garden

2010-08-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a brilliant photoshoot in London with a lovely team in a beautiful location, It was shot for a magazine so hopefully will be published soon.

Here are a couple of sneak peek's at the location we used -