February has been a great month for inspiration and it’s
time I tell you a little bit about an upcoming project that I’m really excited
about. Beginning in March, I'm photographing a series of fashion shoots featuring these
beautiful vintage buses, firetrucks and tractors. The concept for the shoots came together over
a short period of time and it’s all moving very quickly. It started when I was doing some internet research
about an old World War II building I’m shooting in next week (see my previous
post “Location Inspiration”). I stumbled
upon this site, the West of England Transportation Collection, and I was
immediately intrigued. Colin Shears, a
local automobile enthusiast, started collecting vehicles in the 1960’s, and
they now estimate that over 200 vehicles have been saved from being scrapped or
abandoned. They are all housed in this huge hangar and a
good number of them have been beautifully restored.
I acted on a whim and immediately contacted
Dan at the WETC, to see if he would want to collaborate on a few shoots. He jumped on board and has been extremely
gracious and accommodating with his time.
My next step was to find a stylist who could help dress the models in
vintage wardrobe reflecting the years of the vehicles. After a few days of heavy digging, I was
lucky to find Kate Sly of Fashion Farmer, who completely gets what we’re doing
and has some amazing ideas for me to bounce off. I was able to visit the hangar yesterday and
was pleased to find the buses are even more charming in person.
So where are we at right now? We’re
in the midst of assembling a fantastic creative team. I’m currently casting for models, scouting
locations and working out the details with hair and makeup. It’s a ton of work but the kind of work that
I enjoy. My budget isn’t huge but I’m
working things out as creatively as possible and I plan to blog about it regularly.
So far this whole experience has
taught me a lot about positive thinking.
People often talk about the Law of Attraction and how a positive
attitude creates positive results. I’ve
always believed that in theory, but it’s even more interesting to watch it
unfold in real life as you go. Personally,
it’s easier to for me to process the concept in a more practical way (rather
than a mystical way). In other words, I
acted on an urge to contact Dan and see if he would want to work together. When I emailed him, I wasn’t thinking about
how much work it would be, or that he probably wouldn’t want to be involved, that
I wouldn’t be able to afford it, or even that I had a baby not too long ago and
it would be difficult to find the available time. There are definite challenges involved but I’m
attacking everything in an organised, proactive way. Instead of keeping a great idea inside my head
and thinking it would be better to ask next year when things are less hectic, I
acted on it, pushed the doubts aside, and now things are coming together as we
iron out the details. It requires a creative
balancing act but I feel grateful to have this many good things on the horizon
and am happy to juggle it all.
Alexandra Gunnoe Photography.
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