Wednesday 28 May 2014

“Smooth Sailing (30's Picnic Fashion Shoot)” by Alexandra Gunnoe



Wow, I can’t say enough good things about our last shoot.  It was one of those times when everything just came together and things almost felt too easy.  I try to prepare myself for one or two things going wrong so when they inevitably do, I don’t freak out.  When all goes smoothly I’m a little surprised. 
  
Being our sixth Vintage Bus Shoot, it’s nice to feel like you know what to expect and what you’re doing.  I realize that by writing this I now open myself up to all sorts of challenges in the remaining shoots.  But when you have a really good one, you should celebrate it, right?  And the icing on the cake is that two of the images from this shoot were published on "VOGUE Italia" Online.  I wrote a little bit about that in my last post here.

Instead of shooting in Winkleigh, near the hangar where the buses live, we ventured out to Bideford and shot at the home of Dan Shears, Proprietor of the West of England Transportation Collection.  He lives in a beautiful house right on the river with breathtaking views from all windows.  Not a bad place to spend the day.  Thinking it would be nice to change it up from strictly shooting buses, Dan suggested we photograph his beautiful 1927 Austin 12 seater Charabanc.  The automobile has no interior, and currently lacks brakes, so it was important to set it up in the right place.  In other shoots, I’ve sometimes been finicky about the placement of the buses as the light changed.  Luckily Dan had it set up in the perfect place before I arrived.

My fabulous stylist, Kate Sly from Fashion Farmer, picked out beautiful dresses from the 1930’s.  Apparently it is a bit difficult to find fashion from the 30’s and we were lucky with the three she was able to find and style.  They fit our model, Nicole de’Gabrielle very well, and with her classic features, she slid into the era perfectly.   Nicole tells me she is new to modeling, but you’d never know it.  She brought a natural grace and elegance to her poses that was easy to work and I’d highly recommend her to any other photographers.  Trude Bosence returned for her second Vintage Bus Shoot with us and did an amazing job perfecting the look with fabulous makeup and hair styling.  Trude, Kate and I had all worked together before, and Trude and Nicole had previously collaborated, so we knew what to expect from each other.  

Kate even brought her dog, Lennon, to participate.  You always hear about the challenges of shooting with animals, but Lennon was so good and did exactly was he was told.  Oh yeah, and the weather was perfect.  Six shoots in and we’ve not seen rain yet.  Too good to be true?  Hopefully not.  Anyway, here is what we came up with.  And if you want to see the two photos published on "VOGUE Italia", please visit their site here.

To see more images from this project, please visit the Fashion Gallery on my website:  http://alexandragunnoe.com  I've recently changed up the design and photos in my portfolio.


CREDITS:
Stylist:  Kate Sly at Fashion Farmer
MUA & Hair Stylist:  Trude Bosence
Proprietor of the West of England TransportationCollection:  Dan Shears
Photographer:  Alexandra Gunnoe

Wardrobe Provided by:  Vintage Tramp and Hay Does Vintage











 




Monday 26 May 2014

“Published in VOGUE Italia Online” by Alexandra Gunnoe



Last week we had one of the most rewarding photo shoots and I can’t wait to share the details and images from the day.  But first let me tell you about some particularly exciting news. 

I submitted some of our final images to VOGUE Italia Online and so far two of them have been accepted!  Once they are approved you are given a portfolio to keep your images.  Apparently the guidelines are quite strict, as their editors assess each photo one by one, and only accept the images that are of a certain standard.  If yours is particularly good it gets picked for photo of the day and then the top images are published in print in VOGUE Italia’s magazine.    

We’re in great company, as some of the talent on VOGUEItalia’s site is mind-blowing.  I think our team is up for the challenge though, and hopefully these two images are the start of many more to be published.  

I’ll be writing about the shoot in greater detail later this week so please check back!


Tuesday 13 May 2014

"Grease is the Word" by Alexandra Gunnoe



Our latest shoot was a lot of fun and was especially important because it marked the half-way point for The Vintage Bus Project.  I love working with models I’ve previously had a good experience with, and that was the case when shooting Brooke for this Grease / 50’s Youth Culture shoot.  

I met Brooke a few months ago on a bus in the middle of the country.  I knew I had to photograph her and scheduled a test shoot at an abandoned control tower from WWII in Winkleigh, Devon.  That session produced one of my all-time favorite images in my portfolio.  We had great chemistry so I immediately booked her for one of the bus shoots.

Here are some of my favorite images from the day.  Isn’t the bus funky?  I love it.







CREDITS:

Model:  Brooke Cummings
Stylist:  Kate Sly at Fashion Farmer
Hair & MUA:  Connie Dinnage
Proprietor of the West of England Transportation Collection:  Dan Shears
Photographer:  Alexandra Gunnoe
Wardrobe Provided by Vintage Tramp and Hay Does Vintage

Alexandra Gunnoe Photography

Monday 5 May 2014

"Jalopnik Article" by Alexandra Gunnoe





So pleased to share this bit of press we received!  I’m a few days late with the news but this weekend has been jam-packed with work and shoots.  Los Angeles-based writer, Jason Torchinsky, put together this article for us on Jalopnik detailing The Vintage Bus Project.  


I hadn’t previously publicized the intent to turn these fashion shoots into a 2015 calendar but now you know!  We anticipate finishing the project in August and the calendar will be available for pre-sale in early September, hard copies available shortly after.  Then on the 5th of October 2014 we will be selling the calendars at the West of EnglandTransportation Collection’s Open Day, a time when thousands come from all over England to view the incredible collection of vintage buses. 

For more information on this project and calendar, please visit my website: