PIN UP, COSPLAY & BOUDOIR
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love shooting with DollHouse Photography! Not only are they the UK’s leading pinup and boudoir photographers, but Chrissy, their super talented photographer, is also my best friend!
Let me take you back way before Miss Valentine and DollHouse ever existed …one afternoon I was scrolling through my newsfeed and a post from Chrissy popped up. “Wanted: models for pinup/vintage style photo shoot” or words to that effect. My mind ran away with thoughts of Marilyn Monroe, Bettie Page, and other classic pinups in retro swimsuits. I just had to comment! I knew with Chrissy being a hobbiest photographer that she would have plenty of beautiful models apply for this casting, so I didn’t hold out much hope! Later that day, Chrissy messaged me and assured me that my ‘look’ would be perfect for pinup. Unconvinced, I politely agreed and jumped at the opportunity to play 1950s dress up for the day.
I couldn’t remember the last time I travelled that far away from Bristol and I don’t think I’d ever visited Birmingham until the day before the shoot. I stayed with Chrissy that evening and we had a really good catch up. We had been friends for years, you know the keep in touch on Facebook type of friends, but we hadn’t really had a proper girly catch up in such a long time. I was so excited about the shoot that I didn’t sleep at all!
The studio was lovely and Chrissy was fully prepared with pinup themed outfits and accessories. Everyone had brought food but it mainly consisted of cupcakes and sweets! I had my first every pinup make over by Aimee Tink, one of Chrissy’s friends and professional MUA. I cannot even describe the amount of fun we all had dressing up and posing like 1950s pinup girls. The experience really is addictive and it’s impossible to get bored, which is why I love it so much.
A few weeks later, I received the most creatively edited images I had ever seen (see my portfolio for my old images). I will never forget flicking through the images thinking wow, is this me?
Below is one of my latest creations by DollHouse, inspired by Mosh, one of my favourite pinups. I’m always experimenting with a whole host of different looks and I’m definitely not afraid to step out of my comfort zone in order to embrace lots of exciting new looks! I definitely get lost in my own little world and it’s a good place to be.
Chrissy told me I had a natural talent for pinup and that I should pursue modeling and create a portfolio. At the time, I wasn’t convinced and it took her another year to convince me that I could do it! I set up my model page on 14th February and I guess the rest is history.
Anyone who knows Chrissy knows she loves Rock and because I love Rock ‘n’ Roll too, we decided to create this modern pinup rock image (above). It looks like a simple and elegant pose but, in reality, I had to carefully climb and then balance on two music amps, whilst holding a guitar with only one hand (it’s so much harder than it looks!).
We even enlisted the help of Chrissy’s assistant to ensure the amps didn’t move or that I didn’t fall off! I’m quite surprised that my expression looks pretty relaxed and confident, when in reality this was far from the case.
I think we get on so well because we both love to explore lots of innovative and exciting ideas and concepts for shoots, that are not often used. The retro PlayStation pinup (above) is a mix of modern and traditional pinup designed to appeal to all the 90s fans by incorporating the early edition of the PlayStation control, albeit a pink one! The concept of sitting on the PlayStation was going to make this recognisable to almost every gamer and PlayStation fan out there.
Hello Sailor! I could not wait to shoot this Navy Officer image with DollHouse Photography. Military seems to be a very popular style of pinup and the possibilities are truly endless when it comes to experimenting with a whole host of navy inspired props and accessories that really capture life at sea.
Kitted out with nothing but lingerie and a hat, it’s no surprise that these are some of my most popular images. It appears that most of my fans are either from or have a love for the military.
After producing so many cute cheesecake style pinup images, I thought I’d have a go at the ever-popular Boudoir style pinup. This has always been a theme that I had been dying to explore further and I love its edgy, sultry, and dominating feel. These images were completely different from what I was used to and they really made me step out of my comfort zone, which is definitely not a bad thing!
Above all, it reinforced the fact that I absolutely love all aspects of pinup and I think I managed to pull it off! I would definitely like to have another go at perfecting a Boudoir style pinup shoot again.
Which one of these images is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below :)
Heather xx
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