I found this location six months ago and thought it would be perfect for an early morning shoot, which are more accessible during the winter months as the sun rises later (I’m not really a morning person). It was a small team, only three of us, Ally Dunlop (talented stylist, hair and makeup artist) and gorgeous model, Holly Susan Leong, who I had not met before the shoot, but I had seen her sassy style on the runway at Undress Brisbane.

When we arrived at the location, just before dawn, there was a beautiful fog over the paddock and I was so excited to shoot, I was jumping around trying to hurry the styling of the first look. In those minutes just before the sun rose, the light was very soft and the fog on the paddock painted a magical scene. Then the sun came out in full bloom and bathed Holly in a lovely warm light. This shoot is the reason I love photography because it allows you to explore many different locations, experiencing amazing scenes that take your breath away.

Thanks to Whim Magazine for publishing our shoot in their latest online issue. Make sure you follow them on Facebook for more amazing photography and fashion by talented locals.

Although it was a cold winter morning, Holly embraced it, looking amazing in hand-made bralettes by Mirandalee Intimates and an Evelyn Curtis skirt.

Credits

Photographer: Yolanda van Kimmenade

Hair, makeup and stylist: Ally Dunlop

Model: Holly Susan Leong

Clothing

White skirt & bralette
Mirandalee Intimates bralette
Asos sheer maxi skirt
Dotti Faux Fur Vest

Black skirt & bralette
Mirandalee Intimates Bralette
Evelyn Curtis maxi skirt
Sportsgirl Faux Fur Coat

Summer may have gone for the moment, but we’re pretty lucky in Brisbane that our winter’s are very mild. This shoot was for ROMM magazine and I was so excited that one of my images was chosen for the cover! It’s always fun working with models who let their beautiful personalities shine through in their pictures. And if you can’t tell we had a lot of fun on this shoot playing with balloons and our always faithful flamingo friend!

As today is a cool and rainy day in Brisbane I thought it was the perfect time to reminisce about summer, swimsuits and cocktails by the pool!

Credits

Team

Photographer: Yolanda van Kimmenade
Models: Aicha Robertson and Emily Kathryn
Fashion stylist, hair and makeup artist: Ally Dunlop
Photography assistant and set design: Alisha van Bone

Clothing

Look 1 – pink swimsuits
Aicha
Molly and Polly – Jet Set Life High neck, Collette Earrings, Lovisa Necklace, Factorie Sunglasses
Emily
Molly and Polly – Lulu High Neck, Collette Cuff, Collette Ring, Factorie Sunglasses

Look 2 – blue flamingo swimsuits
Aicha
Molly and Polly – Flamingo Bay Full piece
Emily
Molly and Polly – Flamingo lovers full piece, Collette Earrings

Look 3 – pink / blue two-tone bikinis
Aicha
Molly and Polly – Beach Cruiser Balconette Top, Molly and Polly – Alma Bay Panel Frill Brief, Lovisa Ear Cuff
Emily
Molly and Polly – Beach Cruiser Balconette Top, Molly and Polly – Echo Beach Panel Frill Brief, Lovisa Earrings, Factorie Sunglasses

The blue and purple tones of the urban environment and clothing, made it fun to experiment with different colours in the editing for this shoot with the gorgeous Mary Hecker.

Mary styled the shoot, selecting 90′s inspired grunge pieces and even threw in some colour, check out the psychedelic top and shorts from Everland Clothing!

The lovely Courtney Bridges Makeup Artist was on set to keep Mary’s hair looking amazing and for touch-ups. I hope you enjoy the images as much as I enjoyed creating them!

Credits

Team

Photographer: Yolanda van Kimmenade
Model and Clothing Stylist: Mary Hecker @Boss Models Australia
Hair and MUA: Courtney Bridges Makeup Artist

Clothing

Look 1
Vintage tartan skirt, vintage Lee denim jacket, Cotton On Body bralette, Doc Martin boots

Look 2
Holographic Topshop shoes, high waisted Cotton On bikini bottoms, ‘Beverly Thrills’ handmade top

Look 3
Top and shorts from Everland Clothing, holographic Topshop shoes

A little bit Clueless, a little big Gossip Girl and a whole lot of fun! A preppy style fashion editorial which was a creative playground for me to explore a different style. This shoot, with the fabulous Ally Dunlop stylist, was a chance to poke fun at the girls who would be likely to say “you can’t sit with us”.

So drink your juice box and enjoy our sweet little editorial.

Miss Stoeger, I would just like to say that physical education in this school is a disgrace. I mean, standing in line for forty minutes is hardly aerobically effective. I doubt I’ve worked off the calories in a stick of Carefree gum.
- Cher Horowitz, Clueless

Mel Hamilton: I’d like to see you have a little direction.
Cher Horowitz: I have direction!
Josh: Yeah, towards the mall.
- Clueless

Cher: Would you call me selfish?
Dionne: No. Not to your face.
- Clueless

This shoot was also published by the awesome Whim Magazine, a digital magazine and blog, who’s aesthetic can best be described as ethereal, feminine and dreamy. They have been lovely enough to support my photography habit and watch out for their next digital issue where one of my editorials will be featured!

Photographer: Yolanda van Kimmenade
Models: Tayla Richards and Yelena Stear @ Que Models
Fashion, hair and makeup stylist: Ally Dunlop
Photography and props assistant: Alisha van Bone

Clothing: All clothing was sourced from vintage stores and stylist’s own wardrobe except:
Look 1
Orange skirt – Sportsgirl
Purple shorts – Valley Girl
Look 2
Red tartan top and bottom – Supre
Look 2 & 3
White shoes – Rubi

Working with Melissa (from Mirror Mirror Agencies) I did a pre-shoot with her in the city, so we could get to know each other and feel comfortable working together on the day. I think this is important as I feel that a great picture has so much to do with the connection between the model and the camera / photographer.

The graffitied walls of Kerbside bar were perfect to bring our vision to life. This shoot was a great learning experience as I experimented with different lighting techniques and was also challenged due to the heat on the day!

This is my favourite shoot to date and I couldn’t have done it without the hard of the team! This shoot was also published in Like a Lion Magazine.

Dress: House of Cards
Swimsuit: Nookie Beach “Mesh” Bandeau from The Gallery Boutique
Earrings: $hampaign Budget

Top: House of Cards “Shikome” Crop
Bottom: Nookie Beach Swimsuit bottoms from The Gallery Boutique
Necklace: $hampaign Budget
Shoes: Models own

Top: Nookie Mesh Crop top from The Gallery Boutique
Skirt: House of Cards Skirt
Earrings: $hampaign Budget Earrings
Shoes: Models own

Team

Photographer: Yolanda van Kimmenade
Fashion stylist, MUA and Hair stylist: Ally Dunlop
Model: Melissa Mickelburough @Mirror Mirror Agencies
Photography assistant: Jareth van Bone

Last year I interviewed Claire Goldworthy who is the designer of Brisbane based, sustainable label, Harriette Hill. Her designs have been featured at Fashion Fridays and Undress Brisbane and uses a range of repurposed, antique, new and natural fabrics to minimise her environmental footprint.

Harriette Hill’s vintage, floral patterns on flowing dresses spoke to me of a hot, summer afternoon at the beach, with a light breeze blowing the soft fabric and the golden sun glistening on tanned skin.

I assembled an amazing team and we drove down to the Gold Coast on a sunny afternoon to create this editorial! With Cassandra Green (a fun, intelligent model with a gorgeous smile), stylist Ally Dunlop and makeup by Bek Kemp we had a great afternoon and were even blessed with perfect golden hour sunlight for our final beach shots.

Thanks to this amazing team!

Model: Cassandra Green @Sass Management Brisbane

Makeup artist: Bek Kemp on Facebook and Instagram

Fashion and hair stylist: Ally Dunlop checkout her portfolio, Facebook and Instagram

Photographer: Yolanda van Kimmenade check out my portfolio, Facebook and Instagram

Harriette Hill clothing featured: Floral Drape Kimono Jacket, Frosting Mini Dress, Ace of Cards Dress, Purple Blossom Maxi Dress.

My first shoot for the year features the gorgeous Ashleigh from The Blonde Silhouette, looking fresh in a bright yellow maxi skirt that co-ordinated perfectly with the beautiful roses at New Farm Park, Brisbane.

On an overcast afternoon we met at the deserted park where only a few dedicated people were exercising so close to christmas. We were rewarded when the sun came out for half an hour to shine its soft light on our shoot!

See all the images on The Blonde Silhouette and rest assured there will be more creative collaborations with Ashleigh coming soon! Make sure you follow the Blonde Silhouette for great styling tips on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

A gothic tea party set in an Alice in Wonderland inspired garden, where a tea party turns sour when it’s a fight to the death for the last cupcake!

When the white queen and the dark queen meet there is always conflict, light wants to shine and dark absorbs the light. Can they resolve their differences to make it out of Wonderland?

If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary-wise; what it is it wouldn’t be, and what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?
- Lewis Carroll

All ways here you see, are the QUEEN’S WAYS!
- Lewis Carroll

Featuring clothing by Brisbane designer Jessica Tovey who is known for her modern gothic style that blends dominant fabrications with edgy detailing and embellishments.

Dramatic white and black floral crowns adorn the queen’s heads courtesy of the talented Blossom Headpieces.

This all Brisbane team saw bloggers Ashleigh of The Blonde Silhouette and Claire of Fashion’s Sweethart team up with hair stylist Faith Williams (who created amazing height and texture in Ashleigh’s blonde hair) and talented makeup artist Chelsea Marks to create the dramatic styling for the shoot.

Decadent violet cupcakes created for the shoot from Babycakes Cupcakes.

Model and stylist: Ashleigh McCallum of The Blonde Silhouette
Model: Claire Nada of Fashion’s Sweethart
Makeup Artist: Chelsea Marks Makeup Artist
Hair Stylist: Faith Williams
Photography: Yolanda van Kimmenade of BNE Style / Yolanda van Kimmenade Photography
Cupcakes: Babycakes Cupcakes
Floral Headpieces: Blossom Headpieces and Accessories
Jewellery: Cotton & Co Ebony Onyx Bracelets.

Only someone of imposing stature can make a great dane look like a normal sized dog, and Aicha (of The Fashion Heist) achieves this with ease! Pairing Aicha with Levi, the monochromatic Great Dane to shoot local designer, Jessica Tovey’s collection was the perfect choice to showcase Jessica’s strong, edgy clothing. Her pieces are tailored to perfection and she is one up-and-coming designer to watch, recently showcasing some of her new collection at Capulet Bar Fashion Fridays.

Collaborating with the very talented Charlotte Reeves, pet photographer, who is a close friend and mentor, and local makeup artist Amy-Louise Blair, made this shoot a fun and educational experience.

Shooting at the Commissariat Store Museum, (thanks to the Royal Historical Society of Queensland) in the historic area of Brisbane city was the perfect juxtaposition to Jessica Tovey’s modern, structured clothing.

On a location scouting afternoon Charlotte and I discovered Brisbane’s historic district and found this amazing building, which was built by the Commandant of the Moreton Bay Penal Colony and is the only convict built building in Brisbane still in daily use. Exploring the lower levels which are still in their original condition is like stepping back in time.

Collaborating with local bloggers, models and creatives is one of the things I love about fashion photography. This was my first time working with the lovely Jemma Lily who has a stunning smile and no hesitation playing with bubbles and embracing the bohemian style of our shoot! She is a young lady with big dreams of being an actress and the ease with which she works with the camera, I have no doubt we will be seeing more of her on our screens soon.

We were lucky to have a perfect golden hour on this afternoon, where the sun is at just the right angle to softly backlight the models. We had a lot of fun playing in the gardens and marvelling at the beautiful spring flowers that were blooming everywhere.

The gorgeous Ashleigh McCallum from The Blonde Silhouette was both model and stylist on this shoot and she will be posting part 2 of this collaboration soon!

The hair stylist was Faith Williams, who did an amazing job creating a wild, curled mane for each of the ladies. Makeup was done by the lovely Alana Williams who has been a collaborator on many of my shoots and of course my talented sister, Alisha van Bone assisted.

These beautiful silk kimonos are from Lisa’s Closet who are based in Byron Bay and create these signature garments with a conscience, read about Lisa’s commitment to ethical clothing production.

“The kimonos and silks are produced by hand using ancient batik hand painting methods. The traditional process of the clothing is a ‘labor of love’ and a beautiful hand crafted journey that transcends to the wearer.”

Playsuits (above) and soft, summer shorts and top (below) from online clothing store Vigari Fashion.

Handmade bohemian inspired jewellery from Gold Coast based Hunter Gatherer, I actually loved this chunky chain tassel bracelet so much I had to get one for myself!

5 Minutes with Jemma

How would you describe your personal style?
My style changes day to day, I go from a bit of a hippie in floral dresses and sandals to a rock kid in band tees and acid wash denim hahaha but I love white shirts/singlets with a cute pair of shorts, and playsuits!

Where do you love to shop?
I shop at City Beach heaps! (Partly because I work there) I can always find something I like there to suit any style. Other than that I just pick up things from anywhere and everywhere, I also raid op shops and make/ customise a lot of my own clothes.

Who is your style icon / someone that inspires you creatively?
I don’t have one particular style icon, but I adore Selena Gomez, Blake Lively, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Benson at the moment.

What do you love about fashion and modelling?
I’ve always had an unhealthy obsession with clothes and fashion so falling into modelling was the sickest thing ever! I love that I can change my entire style day to day. I’m pretty laid back most of the time so I usually don’t take shoots too seriously, I like to just have fun with it! I’m up for anything too which makes for some hilarious behind the scenes shots!

What else are you passionate about?
Aside from my style I love performing, acting, cheerleading and dancing! I’d really love to make a career out of screen acting.