About Me

My photo
A unique model - Asian, Alternative and Art Nude all rolled into one petite 5"2 (3/4), 8-10 bundle of joy :) I am a creative individual always on the look out for the new and interesting. I love to play with my environment, experiment and drown in art.

28 February 2011

In the Beginning...

...there was a 17year old girl who decided to see if she could become a model...

(Today's post inspired by thinking about my new mentor service for new models).


I wish I had someone looking out for me when I thought about modelling.  I had a few early experiences that taught me lessons very quickly.  They could have put me off modelling completely to be honest.  I am ashamed by one experience/shoot in particular, and horrified at how naive I was at that age.  So with this always in mind - I endeavour to ALWAYS maintain MODEL SAFETY at the heart of the mentor service.

Let me tell you about my first ever 'shoot'.  And yes, I mean 'Shoot'.  What an idiot I was. So, seventeen years old, living in SE London and pretty much skint, reckless and ambitious. I had signed up to a photography site, I can't remember what it was, I didn't stay a member for long!  I posted up a few snapshots of myself to see what would happen - ahhh...the growing fad of internet modelling, eh? And joy of joys! Less than a week later, a photographer had kindly offered to shoot with me :)  I was amazed! He said to bring my favourite clothes, some underwear and such and we would shoot some things to get me started - varying levels and such, as much as I felt comfortable with.  Seemed to know what he was talking about, and has some really nice pictures on his profile (I did at least have the sense to check the quality of work!) and I didn't know any better...so I did just that.  We  were to be shooting at his home studio which impressed me - that he could produce quality of work from his own home ;)

Anyway, he lived in Aylsebury - somewhere in middle of England, very countryside-ish. I trekked for four hours to get there, including a two mile walk from the train station to his house, on my own, with bag and map in hand.  I did have doubts, but I figured that everyone had to start somewhere, and this would be worth the effort.  I will admit that I wasn't entirely sober either -dutch courage and all that...(wow, really starting to reconsider my suitability for the mentoring thing now!).  Onwards a couple of hours to the 'shoot' itself:

The 'home studio' was an upstairs box room, how he even got full length shots (IF he got full-length shots, assuming that he wanted more than thigh to collar bone), I don't know.  I put on some basic make-up, a short skirt and bit by bit stripped to just my knickers.  In those days (coz I'm ancient now, clearly), it was still 'okay' to do topless modelling at sixteen.  He clicked and flashed, and at one point I even let him tie my wrists together with some rope- it was loose and I could have easily escaped, but that's not the point.  Believe me - I want to *SLAP* that stupid seventeen year old.

After the 'Shoot', I signed a release (not that I had ever even heard of one!), he gave me £20 to cover my travel and sent me on my way.  Needless to say, I never heard from him again or received any photos.  And it didn't exactly kick-start an amazing career.  I do remember taking some time to think after that and then being a little more prepared for shoot number two - bringing a chaperone with me and thinking more about my own safety!  From there on end, I learnt skills that to this day, I still keep at the forefront of my mind for every shoot. Simple ways to stay as safe as possible while taking risks - in the end, I always remember, regardless:

I'm still a female with naked/evocative/erotic/sexual images of myself on the internet and the majority of work and contact I get is from some guy in his corner of the Internet with a camera...


(...and hopefully enough money to pay my rates, at least :p)

22 February 2011

Just because....

I'm a) quite tired and b) just got reminded of this:

http://www.universdartistes.com/2009/01/jan-murphy-first-feature.html

A little, teeny, link to an image of myself taken by Jan Murphy and her first feature on such an awesome group :)

21 February 2011

In a Bid to be Organised...

I tend to have  scatty sense of organisation, but I muddle though impeccably, somehow... I think.

But here's a shortlist of the sites I use the most - link me up!  Though mostly it's here so I don't forget them ;)



Now here's hoping I don't forget my Blogger log in... :S

20 February 2011

Find the Zenith!

Let me introduce myself :) 


I am Zenith.  'How narcissistic!' I hear you cry.  I don't claim to be the Zenith, you understand, but I am trying to get there... may take another lifetime or two. So - who the hell is this Zenith claiming to be...well, y'know.

I'm a model - when I'm in front of a camera.  When not in front of the camera I tend to be in trees, or dens, or a little pinny and a pair of Marigolds... hang on, that happens in front of camera too - bugger, not doing to well here, eh? Anyway, yes, I am a model, just like every other teen/twenty something with a photoshopped image on the interwebz - but I really am, I AM, I AM!  (Give me a moment to compose myself...)

Seriously now, I've been at this  long time.  I blatantly haven't ever progressed quite as far as I would have liked in the last eight years, but between becoming a mother and being full-time at University, modelling always came as a second priority.  I suppose as a photographer (possibly, hopefully, or perhaps not so hopefully, reading this) that's not really what you would like to hear :S  You want 'up at the crack of dawn! Available at short notice! Will travel hundreds of miles to get that one spectacular shot in minus temperatures! On foot!' - don't you?  Well, if I didn't have other responsibilities, then that's what you would get.  But I digress.

Eight years in fact - from my first shoddy 'shoot'.  Jeez - I'll leave those early experiences stories to another post.  Right here and now, what the heck am I doing? Well, about six months ago, I decided that the last few shoots I had booked would be my last.  See, I planned on a 'proper' career, something stable, responsible and 'normal'.  It involved working with Special Needs children and adults.  So in favour of this, I sadly said goodbye to the modelling.  And ever since, I have been miserable as hell.

It's not just the income that I miss (well, it wouldn't be with today's market rates :p ).  I miss the buzz from dressing up or dressing down, performing to someone's idea or concept, sharing and collaborating and working in harmony with others to produce something memorable, insightful or just plain pretty or funny. I miss jumping into random, obscure scenarios, locations and sets, playing a character and being able to say at the end of the day 'well, never done THAT before!'.

So, after much soul searching, I decided that I loved modelling far too much to let it go.  It's a big part of the person I am today.  So I have reinstated old profiles, will be updating them and revamping them over the coming days and plan on returning to the crazy photography industry with a small bang.  I'll do the organised thing and add links to modelling site profiles, my modelling Facebook (oh yes!) and such like, will update regularly with new stuff or with random old stuff if the mood so takes me, stories, experiences and whatever else fills my twiddly head :)

Thanks for reading,

Zenith