a selection of random questions from my inbox. if you want to ask something go here and all these posts will be archived (and tagged) under questions.

sorry i haven’t done a Q&A post in a while! some long overdue answers and new york questions here:

Anonymous asked you:
how did you learn to make photoshop curves? x
experiment around in photoshop! there’s no rules on how exactly you can make curves and presets. it’s about playing around until you find something that combines to give a lovely colour.

triplebutter asked you:
two questions: 1. how do you decide who/where you shoot and 2. what would be your ideal shoot?
1. who i decide to shoot might depend on me entirely or the client’s pick. when i test with agencies, they send me a couple of comp cards of models with the requirements (eg. clothing size, shoe size, height etc). if there’s no real requirements, they would usually like for me to test with new faces. or i could shoot with someone i scouted on facebook/online because they have a really unique look. where i shoot is also a varying decision. once again, if it’s up to me, i might go around looking for a place that i think will suit the concept, usually on google maps or even driving there to see. on test shoots sometimes i don’t know what my specific location is until when i shoot or when we’ve wondered around a bit.
2. my ideal shoot wouldn’t be exactly a shoot, more like a memory or moment. i’d love to just have a bonfire on the beach with a couple of friends at time, and photograph that.

Anonymous asked you:
How did you manage to get labels and designers to hire you? Of course other than the fact that you are incredibly talented, did they just start coming to you or did you have to put yourself and your work out there to the world?
thankyou, at first it’s about promoting yourself until you get a few people familiar with what you do. personally, i sent a bunch of emails but i’ve also been extremely lucky with word of mouth spreading to the right people. lots of shoots and jobs i’ve had because i stepped forward and introduced myself to the designers while others magically have found their way into my inbox and asked if i’d be interested.

whyareyousofit asked you:
i love your photos and your style, how do i like/reblog anything though?
thankyou! unfortunately, i blog photos in one big post so if you’d like to reblog only one specific picture, you can get the image URL and re-post it on your own blog. would also be extra brilliant if you could source too. hope this helped!

Anonymous asked you:
how do you get sucha soft look on your photos? like where the bg is very blurry and theres that tinge of softness on your model, like the light is so smooth. and how much editing do you do on ps after a shot.
the blurry background is the aperture on the camera and it is achieved when you have a really low f-stop. i usually have it averaging about 2.0-3.0L and it can get down to as low as 1.2L. in photoshop, i edit the colours mainly and a little bit of airbrushing. how much retouching depends on the type of shoot, the model and what the client wants.

Anonymous asked you:
I want to start photography and i’ve read your other answers about lenses and different settings and i have no idea what they mean… what camera do you recommend for beginners? something preferrably not too expensive :|
it’s okay, you will learn! i don’t think it made any sense for me in the beginning either. settings wise it’s best to fuss around a little bit to discover what does what and remember there is always google. i can only recommend canon cameras and some really good bodies for beginners are: 60d, 600d, 50d and 550d. they’ve all got video mode on them too in case you want HD film. other than that, i recommend buying yourself a decent lens.

Anonymous asked you:
Do you have any tips on directing models? I adore your photos! :)
thankyou. try different things with models. sometimes it work and other times it won’t. watch the lighting and this will affect where/how they stand and move about. but make sure they’re comfortable in whatever pose because awkwardness is very easy to spot in photos. have fun, get to know them, gain their trust and it will show in the final product.

Anonymous asked you:
Hey! I’m 16 and planning on going to college for photography. Fashion photography has been an interest to me lately as well as just playing around with the camera. What are you planning to do with your photography career? I really want to go to SVA in New York City but I don’t know if I should go straight there out of high school. I have a Nikon d5000 and I don’t know which editing software to use, any ideas? Thanks so much! :)
personally, i don’t think college is vital for something so practical like photography but each to their own. i’ve heard SVA has an incredibly modern and beneficial course so i say go for it if it’s what you want to do. and new york is such an inspirational place; i’m sure you’ll have lots of fun playing around. my career wise, i hope to work by freelancing. and i’m not sure what kind of editing software you mean but i love photoshop (for retouching/pictures) and imovie (for film) and i’ve also heard lightroom is a must have!

Anonymous asked you:
Hi, All the people in your photos have amazing skin and I was wondering, how did you learn to airbrush like that, did you go to a proffessional workshop, because I looked at some tutorials online but the finsihed quality never looks as professional as yours. Congrats on being chosen for NYFW trip!
Thankyou, sorry for the delay on the answer. NYFW was amazing! I first started messing about in photoshop at age 12 and never took any workshops or lessons. it’s easy to just pick up these things though. i think the trick with airbrushing is to never go overboard. perhaps the only negative about shooting with a camera with such high megapixels is that it picks up the littlest flaws that we wouldn’t normally notice and retouching is to tone it down to what we would see with the human eye. going beyond that would be a little excessive.

Anonymous asked you:
A tutorial on how you make you photos so amazing - especially the colours i just can’t seem to achieve, would be much appreciated! So if you ever have time hahaha xx
i’ve been getting lots of requests for this so it’s going into serious consideration. photoshop curves will be released shortly to help you out with colours also!

Anonymous asked you:
What film camera do you use?
$5 disposables most of the time and a 80s yashica film camera my friend gave to me. i shoot film rarely though!

Anonymous asked you:
What app do you use for your iPhone photos? They are amazing!
thanks, i have a whole bunch in my phone. i have probably tried out every single app there is in the apple store. i use different ones all the time; my favourites are: camera+, CP pro, cameramatic, luminance, filter storm and super retro.

Anonymous asked you:
Hi, I was wondering in your filming if you used a monopod? Stupid question probably.. haha
hey, i don’t own a monopod. all the filming i’ve done was handheld.

fashion-gone-wild asked you:
Hello love, my name is Brianna Benson. I’m a year younger than you, I’m 16, and I’ve always been interested in getting involved in the fashion industry. Do you have any advice/ideas how to approach this before college? Thank you! xoxo
hey brianna, what do you want to do in the fashion industry? i suggest just getting a good bundle of networks, building up a strong portfolio and doing whatever you think can benefit your career. this means finding and taking opportunities. it’s important to have a portfolio so when you do introduce and approach people who can help you out, you have something for them to look at. it’s good that you’re starting young, and all the luck in the world to you!

pu-rity asked you:
Is it okay to use your flash at a runway show? … I’ve been told it’s a big no no, and so my photos end up blurry and horrible. Is there anything else I can do?
i’m pretty sure it’s okay to use flash. personally, i don’t and i just put my camera on quite a continuous shutter and a high shutter speed to prevent the blurriness. but there’s always alot of flashes coming from the photographer’s pit so i’m sure it’s okay for use.

Anonymous asked you:
What effect do you use the most on your photo’s? And where’s the best place to go/eat in New York?
i can’t answer with one precise effect that i use because it’s always different, depending on the shoot and concept. i have a few presets that are my favourites and they always work when i can’t find any other perfect colours. new york - my favourite place was this bakery called tribeca bakery in soho where they sold fresh fruit salad every morning and made incredible bagels. also the italian restaurant around the corner of the bakery was amazing. hudson hotel’s restaurant was very nice, and any pinkberry and hot dog cart is a must. visit brooklyn, soho for the shopping, central park and google vintage stores. we did that and marked them on a map!

Anonymous asked you:
How did you get to go to New York? Not like as in I bought flights etc, but like who’d you go with and how’d the idea come around? I’m so stoked you went! The pictures are absolutely amazing and I enjoy them ever so much.
i was sponsored by tumblr to go and cover new york fashion week ss 2012. i flew in early with jess (tuula) and jeannine (papertissue) for a few days and then the whole 20 bloggers came together after that. rich tong had the idea of it and they sent bloggers to cover last season’s fashion week so it’s lovely that they continued. thankyou so much, i’m glad you did!

Anonymous asked you:
What camera do you use? Digital or Film? and what would you recommend to be the best film camera? xox
i shoot digital using a canon 5d mark ii. i can’t really recommend a film camera because i haven’t had much experience with it, sorry! 

Anonymous asked you:
Can you please make a vlog!
sure, when i have something to talk about and overcome the weirdness of talking to a webcam, haha.