Western Sun

Big thank you to the lovely neighbors who let Rowa and I prance about their beautiful, old barn yesterday. This barn is seriously magic. Full of cobwebs and that cow smell that takes me back to my childhood visiting my dad's farm. Magic. Rowa is amazing and game for braving the fields full of cows and a bull we thankfully didn't meet.

Apologies to the cows who were very vocal on their disapproval of two girls invading their turf.















































All images ©Nathalie Donado

Playing in the Walled City

It's time for collaboration number two with Ella Ruth! Our brief was a 60's-70's vibe.

Model is Paola Poveda, who is lovely and was game for traipsing around Cartagena even though the heat was nearly unbearable.

Collaboration numero tres is in planning stages! And looks to be a massive one.


































images ©Nathalie Donado

Daniella

Finally met a fellow photographer in my home town. Dani answered my desperate pleas for willing models and we spent a couple of hours in one of Barranquilla's oldest and prettiest neighborhoods. She also sweet-talked the owner of a gorgeous old house into letting us use it for the shoot. Go Dani! Hoping to meet more local photogs and collaborating with Dani again soon.

Cool bit of coding: now if you hover over the images a little button appears and you can pin them to your Pinterest!

all images ©Nathalie Donado

garlands of smoke

I wasn't meant to be organizing shoots and taking days off to take photos, but that shutter click is deliciously addictive and the prospect of working once more with Sarah Gray was enough to crumble my (admittedly weak) willpower. Sarah is a doll and basically found the location, styled the shoot, did the make-up and hair, AND made the amazing flower garlands on Stevie's and Helen's heads. This shoot's location was one of the most amazing gardens I've had the pleasure to play with. In typical British fashion, massive rain clouds loomed in the distance and ended up soaking the entire team and forcing us to seek shelter in the greenhouse. Armed with a Spar plastic bag wrapped around my camera and an umbrella out intrepid team braved the awful conditions. We also had a bit of fun (and a scare) with some smoke bombs make by Katie Eleanor. Wind and flammable things do not mix. Big thank you to Sarah's parents for letting us set off smoke bombs on their drive and their back garden, feeding us, and just generally being lovely. Also, kudos to the owners of our garden wonderland for letting us prance about their little slice of heaven.

Spring + Summer 2012: bits I love

Despite the fact I got caught in a HAIL STORM yesterday I am optimistically looking forward to slightly warmer temperatures and a bit more sun peeking through the English clouds. In preparation for that wondrous time I have compiled a list of nine trends I will indulge in this year:

Numero 1: Tribal

Tribal is a mish-mash of ethnic influences from around the world, including aztec and African prints. It's also about colour. Lots of it. Aside from the Mexican/African vibes, Peruvian and Navajo prints have been trending as well. As a pop of originality I look to my native Colombia, for hand-made Carrieles, the bag of choice for jinetes (cowboys) and the traditional mochilas made by indigenous tribes and each unique. 

Numero 2: Freckles

This might seem like an odd choice for a trend, but freckles where a mayor make-up trend for the upcoming summer. Natural or DIY, they add a touch of youthful playfulness and memories of childhood trips to the beach.

For a DIY tutorial on a cute freckled look, check out Pixiwoo's youtube channel:

Numero 3: Flower prints

The spring cliche. 

Make them original by choosing less cutesy prints and stronger colours. 

Numero 4: Bright Eyes

Bring out the neon eye shadows! 

The key to this look is making the eyes the central focus and keeping the rest of your face bare. The bright make-up trend isn't eye-exclusive, try bold, pink lips or have fun with nail polish

Numero 5: Americana

This is a melting pot of American staples, from 50's feminine silhouettes, to baseball jackets, cowboy boots and Florida chic.

Numero 6: Geek Chic

This is a personal favourite and a timeless choice. It's more than big frame glasses (which I own, and have a prescription for). Think Dino jumpers a la Sophie Hulme, brogues, and blazers. For the adventurous, try a swimsuit in a galaxy or R2D2 print. 

Numero 7: Pink Hair

I've been wanting to try out this trend since last year. I will probably settle for a less dramatic dip-dye. It's an automatic splash of girlie that will clash wonderfully with more masculine pieces like blazers and tailored shirts.