Hey, I think I might be back

Very promising title on this one, right? :D I think now that I got my life somewhat sorted out I'm in need of a hobby. A serious leisure you might call it (or as Robert A. Stebbins might). Soooo, I thought why not revive this blog as well. This works as a some sort of portfolio. I might update my other portfolios as well. I'm not even sure if my ModelMayhem account is in function any more. 

Anyway. Earlier this Spring I did an impromptu photoshoot with Nadi Hammouda. It actually felt more like I just went to hang out with an old friend than a photoshoot. I'm not sure which I missed more, him or modelling. :D Although we did some serious shooting. It was interesting to see what would come out of it. Nadi was awesome as usual. He told me I looked different. I mean, not in the sense you would notice from outside just looking at me, but rather something he saw thrugh the lense. And I was totally feeling it. I'm in sooooo different point in life right now - it must show in the pictures! Also, I wasn't posing as much - after all, I was just hanging out with a friend!

(c) Nadi Hammouda 2013

(c) Nadi Hammouda 2013

(c) Nadi Hammouda 2013

Okay, I am willing to do photoshoots again. I'm not promising anyhting though. Maybe it doesnt's work, maybe I cannot do it anymore (doubt it though). Maybe I cannot find photographers to work with me. At least, don't expect to see as many updates as there were before. There's no way I'm able to do as many photshoots as I was before.

And hey, is there anyone following me anymore?! :D

Broken

One image, two different lihgts. Which do you like better? :)

(c) Nadi Hammouda 2011

(c) Nadi Hammouda 2011

 Do you like me to write more - or less? Or are pics enough for you? :D Do you prefer me as a blabbermouth or silent..? x)

Oh, and in case you wish to see these bigger, check Nadi's blog!

Inspiring

"If you wanna get home, stop being so inspiring!" -Nadi Hammouda

(c) Nadi Hammouda 2011

And then we shot some more. :D
(But that was maybe the best compliment ever. For any model. Coming from a photographer who shoots nothing for free. Well, except... ^^)

More of Porvoo..

(c) Nadi Hammouda 2011

(c) Nadi Hammouda 2011

We did a couple of different concepts while in Porvoo. This was one of them. I'll introduce the other ones later and I already did one before.

(c) Nadi Hammouda 2011

The place was pretty awesome and the light pretty much perfect.

(c) Nadi Hammouda 2011

Click the images to enlarge!

If earlier I learned I have a booty, now I learned I got legs. :D Oh the joys of being a model and the life time of learning! ;)

Black lace

Photos by Nadi Hammouda, location Porvoo, Finland.

(c) Nadi Hammouda 2011

(c) Nadi Hammouda 2011

More to come. :)

A little sneak peek

Yep. Before I get to posting actual photos, heres a little something for you. A test video by Nadi Hammouda from our photoshoot. And I was mortified doing this. x) Hehee, well, maybe that's exageration, but it was really scary doing a video instead of normal still pics. O.O I don't know why. I became totally self concious and suddenly didn't know how to model anymore! Oh well, I wanted to give it a go anyway - you need to challenge yourself. And in the end Nadi shot me and didn't tell me when. :D That worked out the best. Hehee. Anyway, this is just a test of what might a video look like.



I did 4 photoshoots in total during 3 days. I enjoyed them all. I'm surprised really, first for actually doing all of those shoots and not a one got cancelled, and second that all the photoshoots were fun and the photographers were cool dudes and we got along great (three of them were new for me, so). :)

So, lots of new pics SOON!

The annoying little things

This is going to be the first ranting post of this blog! Wow. :D So beware..

There are a few things that annoy me in photographers and in people looking at my pictures. These situations described here are exaggerated to some extent and some have happened to me one time only. Don't take this too seriously either. ;)

The photos are chosen on the basis of having me there looking angry or dissaproving. No relation with the incidents mentioned with the photographers. ;)

(c) Sami Saarenpää 2009 w/ Olga

- "Oh you got tattoos", says the photographer on the set. Yes. I friggin do have tattoos! You'd know that if you'd read my profile and chekced my photos on my portfolio anywhere.

- "Oh and remove your nose ring", says the photographer on the set as though surprised I got a nosering. If they'd checked my portfolio in MM (where basically all the photographers have found me in the first place) they'd know this and they could tell me in advance they want a look without the ring. This is easy to fix though.

- "You don't look like yourself at all!" says my friend/mother/anyone who knows me personally after seeing my photo. Well, yeaaah. What'd the point of modelling be if I always looked the same in every photo. O.o The whole point of modelling, my dears, is to be versatile, to look different, even weird. It's not the point to always look pretty and cute either.

(c) Sami Saarenpää 2009

- When arriving to the agreed place at the agreed time all ready with makeup on, ready to poseposepose, and realising the photographer is not ready at all. Ehm.. why did we agree to meet at this time if you haven't cleaned up the place(!)/ set the equipment/ thought of where to shoot and what to do. I could've come later, you know. Obviously there are exceptions to this: if we go to the location together (it'd be great if the photographer was familiar with the location beforehand), if the studio is far and the photographer takes me, also, if we're basically friends with the photographer and can chat about whatever then it's not such a big deal, but when I come to a photoshoot I'm ready. Always with make up on (maybe adding only lipstick), preferably also the clothes. Also, I arrive on time. So why won't the photographer?!

- Photographers expecting me to have a ginormous wardrobe. No, I do not. I shop mostly second hand. I use my clothes till they fall apart. I don't have the trendiest sack-like shirts. I hate leggings. And no, I do not have just that particular style skirt, shoes, shirt, dress. I also have very limited amount of shoes and clothes of a particular historical era/ certain style.

Photoshoot for JoyFactory (c) Sami Saarenpää 2009

- Realising the photographer isn't really that big. Sure it's good to praise pneself, but bragging about stuff when one really isn't all that is just pointless - and will prove to be lie. So if you haven't shot all that much, don't tell me you're very experienced.

- Trying to make the model undress. We agree on implied nude and that nothing's supposed to show in the eventual photographs. During the shoot the photographer keeps telling me to lift my hem or lower my skirt, even asking me to take more clothes off. No, I will not, that is ot what we agreed on. Moron. I will never shoot with you again.

- Photographers that are photographers only to get to see(shoot nekked ladies. Need I say more?

Me doing what I do best.. making fun at serious situations. (c) Nadi Hammouda 2010

New layout

Even though I did like the orange layout of my blog I decided to go for a little more modern one. This one is better cos it allows me to add bigger pics and videos cos this one is wider thann the last one. Blogger has developed since I got started and now it's almost fun to try out different looks for your blog! I used the colour codes from my old layout and got nearly the same colour scheme here. I bit more pink though;).. I've got a bit of an addiction to pink developing. O.o A little scary for a person who's been dressing in black for the last 5 or so years!

But hey, I'll try and post the next part of the "the story" series. Haven't had any photoshoots this year. :( So sad. But thenagain, I've been super stressed out and since modelling for me is a hobby.. well, maybe it's understandable that I haven't organized for photoshoots. But hey, I got one this Friday coming up! So maybe I'll have some pictures to post soon.

(c) Nadi Hammouda 2010

Hugo, my friend

Once upon a time there was a career woman, a business lady. She always dressed smart and looked classy and efficient. She was thought by some to look beautiful, though she did not smile very often. Some were in fact a little afraid of her. She worked in a big busy company full of men, but she had worked her way through from being a coffee maker to an executive with a good position. She was sharp and witty. She was not a floral dresses and giggle -type of woman, no. She was strictly business. No one at her work knew much about her private life. They gossiped though, as they always do. The men in the company had pictures of their wives and children on their desks. When they visited her office there was only one picture on her heavy mahogany desk, a picture the point of which they could not quite grasp: a picture of a pink plastic flamingo. Some said it was merely a question of decoration or design, some however, "just didn't get it", it did not seem to fit her style.

She lived in a big white house. A mansion really. She loved Scandinavian clean white style in decoration. She also loved modern art and had collected some statues and painting to add that finishing touch to her home. After rthe hectic day at the company, sometimes when she removed her heels, the marble floor felt a little cold under her feet.Sometimes the house also felt a little too big and empty and cold. In fact, sometimes she herself felt an odd cold feeling inside, and when she really really thought about this feeling she realised what it was. She sometimes felt, even though she had everything a woman can hope for, a bit lonely.

On moments like this, she sat down, held her pink flamingo, Hugo, on her arms and talked to her about her worries (yes, even hard boiled business women worry sometimes).

(c) Nadi Hammouda

(c) Nadi Hammouda

An afternoon.. pt II (and lovin my hair:D)

Just thought to add some more pics here from the shoot with Nadi.. the one below is my new favourite. ^^

(c) Nadi Hammouda

(c) Nadi Hammouda

(c) Nadi Hammouda

Aaaaand, totally unrelated to these pics (well, not enetirely), I must say I absolutely love my hair. :D Cutting my dreads off was probably the best thing I've done in ages. I would love to give big thank you hugs to those who supported me on this!<3 And do not-sure-what to those who opposed.. But then again, maybe they see it now too how awesome decision this was. Oh and a ginormous extraspecial thankyou to Patsku at Naps of course!^^

An afternoon..

Last week Nadi came to Turku to shoot with me (aaand possibly some other models as well, but this is all about memememememeee! :D So of course he came all the way here just for me;).) one of his Afternoon with.. -series. We had so much fun (again) doing the shoot and ended up trying many different things. It's easy when you have the wardrobe right there and can just improvise as you go! On my last post I was talking about the crazy creative.. well yeah, there was some of that for sure. ;) Oh oh oh, and to make the afternoon even more perfect, Nadi cooked me lunch. :D We became hungry after hours of shooting and since I'm not much of a cook, he took the lead. I just can't help but loove people who cook for me (oooor take me out to dinner, but that's a different story)! :D Hahaa!

Anyway, here are some photos from the shoot. More to come.

(c) Nadi Hammouda

(c) Nadi Hammouda

Went all Flashdance on the below one. :D

Oh and yeah, I need your opinion once again! How do you like the captions with the photographer's name under the pictures? I only recently thought it might be a good idea, since I may talk about many things on the actual text, and I definately want to give credit to those it belongs. I mean, another option would be to just write the name before or after the pictures more clearly. What do you think my darlings??

Hairhairhair

Here's a teaser pic on my new look. I call this teaser because it doesn't relly show the cut that well. More to come. ;)

The picture is by Nadi Hammouda, the hair by Patrick Koskinen at Naps in Porvoo.

One more time in the woods this summer

And more hideous bugs that ate my feet and so on. But leaving that aside, I had a great shoot in Porvoo with Nadi Hammouda. A very nice guy with whom shooting was FUN. :) I didn't have to be scared of  making too many jokes and making the photographer annoyed! x) Hahaa! Okay, his idea of a photoshoot seems to be to create something that hasn't been done before with the model. Which is great. We tried for instance smiling/laughing -which I've never done before- and movement in the shots. The movement-part was a success:), smiling not so much (cos I think my cheecks look like tits when I smile xD!).. ;)

 Here a little darker one. This is something I don't recall having in my port either: dark, heavy shadows.

And then a little brighter pic.. at least when it comes to colours. What do you say about my expression? Annoyed much? :D