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

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

Thanks to Brisbane’s ROMM Magazine, my photo was featured on the cover of their May 2014, party issue! Full editorial images coming soon…

In the meantime I asked editor, Zara Duffy a few questions to discover more about her digital magazine and creative inspiration.

5 Minutes with Zara Duffy, editor of ROMM Magazine

Why did you start ROMM Magazine?

I started ROMM as another creative outlet for Brisbane creatives. So often we hear about the art and culture of other cities, but not of our own!

As the editor of ROMM what do you look for in submissions?

I look for submissions that are unique, fit the theme, and were made by young creative with something new to offer!

What inspires you?

It sounds very cliche, but I am inspired by everything! Studying photography and art at university taught me how to be inspired by arbitrary things, as well as looking broadly for inspiration in fields other than your own.

What is your creative outlet?

My creative outlet at the moment is the label I’m working on!

How would you describe your personal style?

My personal style is a mix of op shop, vintage and local labels.

How would you describe Brisbane’s creative aesthetic?

Brisbane has a very interesting creative aesthetic – it is constantly changing. There are so many exciting newcomers alongside many well-established creatives, so it is quite balanced as well!

This is my second collaboration with Amber of Fashion Avenue, the last was shot in October 2013, when the beautiful spring flowers were in bloom.

I love the simplicity of Amber’s outfit, just 2 colours. This made it easy to find red and white flowers to match her outfit and add an extra pop of colour.

Don’t take life too seriously, laugh A LOT.
- Amber

Catching up with Amber

What are your must-have items for autumn?

Knee-high boots and anything grey!

What are you wearing today?

I’m wearing a top from Pemba Boutique, my shorts are from Forever New and my shoes are Windsor Smith.

Who is another blogger you admire and why?

Maiden Sydney. I love her style and love that she posts regularly. We’re actually related which is pretty cool!

Top 3 goals you are looking to achieve this year?

Fashion – I have some really amazing collaborations planned with my blog and am really excited to see how it grows this year, as I hit my 3 year mark in April!
Travel – I’m travelling to the Greek Islands mid-year and am also hitting up Barcelona, Paris and Amsterdam.

Fitness – My best friends and I bought Nike’s to motivate us to work out (haha), so I would love to get a bit stronger this year.

Life – With life, I’m really understanding a lot of things that I couldn’t wrap my head around a year ago. I’m learning patience and I know what I want in all aspects of my life. Also, I am loving uni. I’m just really happy! It’s important to always be yourself and be a good person.

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

It has been a while since I collaborated with Ashleigh, aka The Blonde Silhouette. So it was fun to have a catchup and explore the industrial area of West End! We found this beautiful graffiti alley and knew it would be a perfect setting for her monochromatic look. With plenty of smiles and silly faces to capture there is never a dull moment shooting with Ashleigh!

I love Ashleigh’s styling of this St Frock Outfielder Dress with Jo Mercer platforms and Seed Heritage wide brim hat. See more on Ashleigh’s Blog, Facebook and Instagram.

Bird Gallery and Studio had a brilliant idea, instead of getting artists to submit images of others, why not challenge them to capture their own likeness for an exhibition called ‘Oh! You Pretty Things‘. This is not something I do on a regular basis and I can honestly say that I don’t feel very comfortable in front of the camera. But, many photographers say that self portraiture is one of the best ways to test ideas about lighting, composition and different techniques as you have plenty of time to experiment.

This shot was actually one that I never intended to publish. It was a test inspired by a book I was reading called ‘Creative Portrait Photography’ by Miss Aniela, a fine art photographer based in London UK. She stared her career doing many experimental, levitation style images, something I thought would be fun to attempt.

Shot in my garage with the help of a tripod, a chair to lean on (which was later removed), my boyfriend clicking the shutter and then compositing a few images together, this is the result! There are definitely a lot of things I would do differently if I were to attempt this again but it was a good learning experience.

The closing party for the exhibition at Bird Gallery is on March 7th, check out their Facebook event for more information.