Monday 5 December 2011

Nisha Haq Photography > The Kiss 0.2

It's been a while since I did a post on my work. This piece of work is a GIF and I've only experimented with creating these only on a few occasions. Though they look rather simple there is quite a lot of work involved! I made 'The Kiss 0.2' for a short project at uni (BA Photography at Southampton Solent University) to do with time. I was thinking of a few ideas and thought I'd revisit a shoot I did this Jan. 'Kiss Me Kay' (Jan 2011) are stills from a video I made. I was experimenting with time lapse and the subtle differences in each frame in a kiss, a simple act with so  many expressions. For my current time project I wanted to have a slightly different twist but fundamentally have the same basis for the idea. This time I shot outside against a fountain background which was also on a time loop for when the water would shoot out. I also used a tripod so all the shots can be level. Thinking about when to shoot and wait for the fountain all involved calculating correct timing and using a very fast shutter. I shot on continuous shoot mode and as it was outside I could shoot at a fast shutter at a low ISO so more detail. 

To create the image I first resized all the images to 600 pixel width and saved the images again using Fastzone Photo Resizer software I downloaded for free from the internet. This meant I had low risk of Photoshop CS2 crashing due to uploading a lot large images. I then edited the first photo and saved the actions I did to it to apply the action to other photos easily. I added contrast, a few colour filters, soft Gaussian blur and used the sharpen image filter. I opened all the photos I wanted to use one by one and replayed my 'The Kiss' action 26 times. Now all my images were ready to use. I then created a Photoshop document to create my gif. This involved opening all the edited images and simple placing the images on top of each other. I opened the 'animation' window, the tool to use to create gifs. I then selected all the layers and chose the option 'Make frames from layers' from the small arrow on the right of the 'animation' window. I then selected all the frames and chose 0.2 second delay from each frame to the next. To save as a gif I selected 'Save for Web' and chose GIF format, not JPEG.

Here's the image I created: Tell me what you think? Being relatively new at creating GIFs I'm quite happy how it turned out.





M.A.S.H



Sunday 20 November 2011

Video of the Week > Shame Trailer 2

I've been a fan of Michael Fassbender since seeing him in 'The Devil's Whore' which was shown on Channel 4 in the UK in 2008. Since then he's been a rising star and I think it's safe to say he is hot property at the moment! He is currently a well sought out actor in Hollywood with the box office hits such as X-Men: First Class which was amazing, a beautiful retelling of Jane Eyre and 3 highly anticipated films coming out next year: Haywire, A Dangerous Method and Shame. The trailer for Shame really caught my eye which was directed by Steve McQueen. McQueen had directed the hard-hitting drama, Hunger featuring Fassbender 3 years ago which brought Fassbender into the limelight. The pair have teamed up again and Shame looks like an intriguing, mesmerizing drama. Fassbender plays Brandon who has a sexual addiction in New York but when his sister comes to stay everything is turned upside down. Though my very short synopsis of the film seems very shallow the trailer speaks for itself. From just looking at this short trailer it shows that McQueen is certainly a director to watch. My favourite part in the trailer is at 1.00 / 1.34 when Brandon (Fassbender) softly touches a woman's hand on a vertical rail on the NY subway. The mere touch has a sexual energy which I find fascinating.

The film is due to be released 13th Jan 2012 in the UK, rated 18. It also features Oscar nominated Carey Mulligan from An Education, another star in her own right.

Watch it here:



I also love the poster promoting the film. How the meaning of a word can change with the presence of a picture. Text placement and images are powerful tools in advertising. I particularly like how they've used an image of crinkled bed sheets with the simple noun, 'Shame' written in plain sans serif white font. I'm thinking it could be Helvetica however I think the subtext is, not the main title. If anyone knows please drop a comment below! Thanks!


Sources

M.A.S.H

Monday 14 November 2011

Photograph of the Day > Stunning Swarovski Shoot by Benjamin Lennox


My friend Kirsty had just bought the latest issue of Vogue with Gisele on the cover which came with a 'best places to party' guide. On the back of that cover I came across such a captivating image that I was searching the net for the shoot as I only had a glimpse of the image before we left for our train. I took a snapshot on my phone to remind myself to look it up! I think this image is pretty spectacular.

This was shot for Vogue Promotions, Vogue UK Dec 2011 by Benjamin Lennox. I had found these images on Kim Howells blog who was the stylist for this shoot. I think this shoot is beautiful especially the vibrant colours and the model's expression in my Photograph of the Day. I love the styling, fashion and how it's shot. There really isn't anything I can critique on! You certainly see the sparkle in Swarovski.

Source: 

Further Reading: 

Combination top, Jason Wu. Chocker piece Andy Farrow. All designs made with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS.

See the rest of the shoot here:

Dress, Roksanda Ilincic. Hat, Jane Taylor. Earrings, Anton Heunis made with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS.


Jacket and skirt, both Marios Schwab. Hat, Catherine Piederriere, for Crystal Obsession. Necklace, Jacques Fath.

Dress, Marios Schwab. Headpiece made using Chunky Chain necklace, Dannijo; Aquitaine necklace,Simon Harrison; chain, Martine Wester; all made with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS. Earrings made withSWAROVSKI ELEMENTS.

Dress, Giles.

Dress, Kanzi, made with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS.

Dress, Rodarte, made with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS. Headpiece, by Helmut Newton, Swarovski Corporate Archive.

Dress, Mary Katrantzou. Headpiece, Otazu. Cuffs, Holly Fulton. Panther bracelet and Caddis Cascade bracelet, both Simon Harrison. One-stone ring, Janis Savitt. Matching button rings, SWAROVSKI CRYSTALLIZED. All designs made with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS.

Dress, Holly Fulton, made with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS. Headpiece, Jane Taylor. Crystal fringe, stylist's own, made with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS.

Jacket, Jason Wu. Bra, ID Sarrieri, made with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS. Earrings and necklace, both Anton Heunis. Three-stone ring, Miquella. Gold bracelet, Rodrigo Otazu, available at SWAROVSKI CRYSTALLIZED. Red crystal bracelet, Simon Harrison. Matching large and small circle stone rings, both SWAROVSKI CRYSTALLIZED. Small crystal matching rings, Chelsea Taylor. Multi-stonering, The Earring Boutique.

Dress, Jenny Packham. Earrings, The Earring Boutique. All embellished with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS.

Skirt and top, Jason Wu. Body piece, Jose Miro. All made with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS.

Photographer: Benjamin Lennox
Stylist: Kim Howells
Hair: Kenna
Make-up: Ashley Ward
Nails: Zoe Pocock


M.A.S.H


Sunday 13 November 2011

Video of the Week > It Will Rain - Bruno Mars

Following on from my previous post 'Stewart Sizzles in Michelangelo di Battista Shoot' where Kristen Stewart is promoting her Breaking Dawn film I couldn't help but blog about the official song for the film, It Will Rain by Bruno Mars. Despite not being that interested in the new film coming out or the hype surrounding it, I thought Mars' single was beautiful and heartfelt. His vocals are stunning and I particularly love his lyrics and how he puts a song together. His ballads are always a hit and he's only been in the limelight for a year or so yet he's certainly put his stamp on the music industry. I love the soft piano echoes throughout the song and the chilled out beat. I've enjoyed this song so much that I've decided to play it on guitar!

Check out the new video here featuring clips of Breaking Dawn:



M.A.S.H

Stewart Sizzles in Michelangelo di Battista Shoot

It certainly has been a while since I've blogged so to start the 're-vamp' of M.A.S.H I've decided to blog this beautiful set of images by renowned fashion photographer Michelangelo di Battista of Kristen Stewart for November 2011 issue of Vogue Italia. She wears designs by Alexander McQueen, Roberto Cavalli, Blumaine, Marchesa to name a few. Well known for her portrayal of Bella in the Twilight Series she certainly oozes gothic vampire sex appeal. Stewart is certainly the one to watch with her highly anticipated new movie being released, Breaking Dawn and also a new trailer for another new film, Snow White and the Huntsman coming out next summer. Although I'm not really a fan of Twilight or the media obsession with Stewart I love how Battista captures her raw simple beauty with a touch of class and mystery. These images are most definitely captivating and atmospheric which I love. I also think the hair and make up is alluring.










M.A.S.H

Monday 7 November 2011

Sorry Guys! Defo time to revive this blog!

So it certainly has been a very very long while since I've written on this blog and on Blogger in general (since July in fact!?!)...

"WHAT'S HAPPENIN'?!?!" you could ask...

No folks, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, been abducted by aliens and I haven't really been without internet so I have no excuse really except mere laziness which is a horrible thing to hear! Dun Dun Dun.... You could say I've had blogger's block! So I'm very sorry that this blog has been stagnant for 4 months! :( I plan to revive it and blog regularly every week about the things you & I love!

I don't plan to quit this blog and I still stay true to everything I write on here (well probably 95% of it anyway.. views can change over time!). I must admit I have been very busy especially over the past month as I'm now in university studying Photography! Woo Hoo! The past 4/5 weeks have been no easy feat with various things happening (both mad & sad) however I am adamant to change my ways and get motivated to blog again. I have adopted a new attitude: 'Fuck It, Why Not?'; meaning I'm going to get out there more and with a mindset of 'what's the worst that can happen?'. :)

Expect a few changes here and there and I may change the format/layout to an updated snazzier version??
But in the meantime.. let's get blogging!


M.A.S.H

Tuesday 12 July 2011

Video of the Day > Horrible Bosses - 15+ Trailer


A trailer can really 'make or break' a film (hence there's big money in trailer production!) and this new 'red band' (I assume is some American phrase) trailer for Horrible Bosses is very funny. I hadn't heard of this movie until today and watching the trailer (below) has certainly made me want to see this in the cinema! To be honest, I'm not a fan of films that Jennifer Aniston features in (don't get me wrong I love Friends to the extreme!) however this film looks genuinely funny and taps in to everyones' humour from around the world. There are many American blockbuster comedies that I don't find funny, but the Horrible Bosses trailer made me laugh a lot. I enjoyed Charlie DayJason Sudeikis performance in Going the Distance and I think Kevin Spacey is an amazing actor. Also Colin Farrell is totally rocking the half-bald look (reminds me of the Tom Cruise look in Tropic Thunder) and I liked Jason Bateman in Juno. So this certainly has a solid cast, not to forget Jamie Foxx and Ioan Gruffudd also features, so I'm expecting big things!

The basic plot is that 'Three friends conspire to murder their awful bosses when they realize they are standing in the way of their happiness.'- (IMDb.com) This is going to be released 22 July 2011 in the UK.

My favourite dialogue in the trailer is:

KURT                          Wait Wait, what's this for?
WETWORK MAN                   Wouldn't want to a leave a stain now, would we?
DALE                          Your ad says you do 'wet work'
WETWORK MAN                   I urinate on other men for money. Why else do you
                              think my ad was in the 'Mens  seeking men' section
KURT                          You fucking idiot!
NICK                          Could you be any dumber?
DALE                          We are MEN looking for a MAN!



M.A.S.H

Friday 8 July 2011

Video of the Day > Best Thing I Never Had - Beyonce

So I've decided to do a new feature... 'Video of the Day' which will include videos such as music videos, film trailers, fashion films, random vlogs or even a funny video from Youtube.
Just watched this new music video from the fabulous super talented Beyonce, 'Best Thing I Never Had'. This video was just released yesterday yet already has half a million views... the only 2 reasons this is because Beyonce has a huge fan following (as she is awesome) and she looks damn sexy in bridal lingerie! :P I've been listening to this song non stop from her new 4th studio album, 4. I love the upbeat major key to the song and casual beat to it making it a funky 'ballad'. Though this song has 'Beyonce' style written over it, there's nothing wrong in being typical especially when the song is so catchy. Watch her new music video here:
P.S. (I want to look that beautiful for my wedding! haha)

Further Reading:
BeyonceVevo   /   Beyonce Online   /   Beyonce Facebook

Thursday 7 July 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY M.A.S.H! It's been a Year!

Wow, it's been a year since I've been running this blog! Time does go by fast! Technically yesterday was the anniversary since my first post.. so now it's been a year and 1 day!

I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who reads & follows my blog (it's hard to tell sometimes whether what you write goes out to people) however if just one person reads my blog it's all worth it at least. :)

Though running this blog has been tough and I admit there have been long absences when I haven't blogged often (due to college commitments) I've always managed to stick to this and try to blog as often as possible :)

This year I unfortunately got flagged by someone which has meant that I've had to keep an adult content warning. I have since removed objectionable material and hope to make this 'adult content' free very soon & hopefully get more readers!

Despite not having a huge readership (eg. in the thousands) I simply enjoy writing and researching what's hyping and just discovering amazing talent that is out there.

I'm also hoping to change the layout slightly and make it easier to navigate through this blog and easy links to click on. Also do more M.A.S.H street style posts. :D If you have any requests or suggestions on what this blog could do better than comment below, email me at nish.nash@sky.com or 'like' and comment on M.A.S.H facebook page.

However in the meantime would like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY M.A.S.H! and I hope to continue this on for a very long time.. so I 'ain't going anywhere! haha

M.A.S.H

Wednesday 6 July 2011

Photograph of the Day > The Tempest by Jenny & Lee


In the latest issue (#14) of Ones2Watch I came across this wonderful shoot by Jenny & Lee called The Tempest. 'Tempest' meaning 'A violent windy storm' (Google Dictionary) is also a Shakespeare play. I believe this shoot references Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' play (however I haven't read it); also the studio set features blistering garments.

I chose this photo as I really like the expression on her face and the clothes she's wearing is marvellous. The dress is a Kristian Aadvenik design. Black & red are 2 bold striking colours signifying love, power, war, rage, passion. I particularly like the symmetry in this pose and the intense look the model, Lisa Bommerson is giving.
Credits:
Photography by Jenny & Lee
Styling by Nicole Freeman
Set Design by Stéphanie Kevers
Hair by Maki Tanaka using Bumble & Bumble
Makeup by Christopher Phillips
Model(s) Lisa Bommerson @ FM Agency
Photographer Assisted by Catherine O’Gorman
Stylist Assisted by Ronnie Kenlock
Special Thanks to Big Sky Studios

Source:
Ones2Watch









M.A.S.H

Tuesday 5 July 2011

Lookbook > Death by Stripes

I recently did a set of self-portraits (May 2011) originally intended for my Chair A2 Photography project but never got round to editing them in time for the deadline. I sifted through this shoot which I wasn't too happy about but managed to find some editing-worthy photos out of the 250ish photos I took!

I thought these shots were worthy of a Lookbook.nu entry... so Hype / Like it if you like this style!







About This Look: I decided to wear my zebra print dress as I wanted to play the role of a hunted down prey, a zebra, with a fashion twist especially as zebra print is in season this summer. The papers on the floor represent the endless work that is 'killing' me and the chair signifies the countless hours sat down working (on that particular chair).

I have yet to wear this dress out in public (give me an occasion to wear this to!) plus I would like for this to be tailored in as when I bought it online from boohoo.com it was a little big. ... Can a zebra change it's stripes.. hmm?

Anyways Hype away ppl! haha btw, you can check out more photos on Flickr from this set: http://bit.ly/my8sCF

Monday 4 July 2011

Summer Movie Guide (UK)

Despite the majority of posts being about photography and fashion I still love to blog about general things that interest me; in particular I'm a big film fan and regularly spend my evenings being up-to-date on imdb.com.

Due to my local cinema (which only has 2 screens btw!) which has only recently boosted to 3D technology digital screens a few months ago, I've certainly been trying to see as many new releases as possible. So far this year I've been to see (click on film titles to link to imdb.com page)

Spring: 





Summer:






So far this year I would say my top 3 films would be The Hangover Part II, Thor and X-Men: First Class and a special mention to Submarine; one of the best independent British films I've seen in a while.

   
I loved the humour in The Hangover, 'manly' action in Thor, drama and effects in X-Men: First Class...
... and the sweet & simply touching storyline in Submarine.

The films I'm looking forward to this summer (UK release dates) are:

10th June: Kung Fu Panda 2
17th June: Bad Teacher  
 8th July: Super
22nd July: Cars 2
 19th Aug: Cowboys & Aliens
 2nd Sept: Fright Night
 9th Sept: Jane Eyre


 

Looks like this summer of movies looks like a good one! What are your anticipated films of this summer?

M.A.S.H

Tuesday 28 June 2011

Showgirl, Bluey Robinson - New Music Video

I've been playing this song over and over and I think his voice is awesome cool. Haven't heard any recent funky newcomers with a sound like his. :) It's all electronic R&B at the moment so it's refreshing to hear a voice like his. woo.. shoowwggiirrl :)

Watch on Youtube


Bluey, 22 year old funky guy from London is a 'distinct British personality' who echoes the likes of 'Prince, Otis Redding, The Jackson 5, Cee-Lo Green and Bruno Mars in Bluey’s sonic spectrum. “I’m influenced by a lot of old music but I’m also a young guy living in London in 2011, so I want to tie the two angles together,” says Bluey'. The single was produced by hit-making mastermind Labrinth who is most famous for his work on the Tinie Tempah track ‘Pass Out’. - (http://www.blueyrobinson.com/about/)

I think the video is casually cool and doesn't over do it with meaningless special effects; the video stays true to the lyrics and I love the summery vibe. I wanna move like those dancers in the video as well! This song has catchy lyrics and Bluey has an incredible voice. Coming from a design background I think the single cover art could have been more eye-catching and echo the coolness of his Showgirl music video however all in all, the song is all you need! :D Showgirl is going on repeat this summer :D

Ooh & check out this awesome acoustic Street Session of Showgirl.  I love how he's so 'out' there jamming in the streets. Goes to show he's a 'real' musician, not a manufactured vocoded over popstar. :) He's just too cool isn't he? haha



Bluey Robinson Links:
Official Site   /   Facebook   /   Twitter   /   Myspace   /   Youtube

M.A.S.H