After the huge response we had from the first shoot, the second had to be booked asap! This time it was the turn of Sadie and Jenni, both young and beautiful disabled ladies with more guts and bravery than anyone I knew. They were prepared not only to show off their disability in front of my camera, but do so whilst being filmed by local documentary videographer, Jennifer White, and TV’s Mik Scarlet who was there to write an article on the shoot itself. A little bit about the ladies: Sadie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on her right leg in 2008 and had chemotherapy and an above knee amputation in Feb 09 so she has a prosphetic leg and currently uses a walking stick for long distances. Jenni has Juvenile Chronic Idiopathic Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis. She’s been ill from around the age of 5 and all of her joints are affected – however my hands have perhaps suffered the worst deformaties. She had my hip replaced two and a half years ago aged 22. Although being disabled has got her down in the past and made her miserable as a teenager she’s now determined not to let it stand in the way of her future happiness. Both were amazing for volunteering to be part of the project, so I organised a bit of a surprise to say thank you: MAKEOVER!!

The ladies were pampered rotten by make up artist, Katie Jane Ford and Jamie Boot was on hand for hair.  The pair gave up their time and talent for free and I was massively impressed with the duo’s skills. Will be seeing more work from them again in the future! Now dolled up, Sadie worked the lens owned it. Even when standing with just the one leg, her poise, expression and grace were second to none. When it came to Jenni’s turn, she too came into her own in front of the camera, and we produced some stunning shots of confidence, pride and power. Here are the results:

Always nice to get through new accessories to play with! The fabulous Evie Wolfe brought me round some of Sophie’s spectacular headwear and jewellery this week, and we had a right old play in the studio. Incidentally, this was also the very first shoot done in the new studio! Very happy with my space, and am even taking to shooting on white!

Many thanks to Evie Wofe, Zenith and Abyss for their beautiful faces, and of course to Sophie for donating her wares for the shoot!

For those who are familiar with my work and ongoing projects, raising awareness of cervical cancer has been a massive part of my life ever since I was diagnosed four years ago. Each year on Cervical Cancer Awareness Week I try something a bit new, a bit different to help those with the disease and also help to raise awareness of the symptoms and preventions of the disease.

Cervical cancer is caused on majority by HPV, which is contracted sexually by four out of five people at least once in their lifetime. However, a small number of those who are female will not be able to kill the virus and it may turn into pre-cancerous cells. These cells again have a high chance of going away on their own (these are also to cells picked up by a routine smear test), but some later develop into cancer if left untreated.

Cervical cancer not only is life-threatening, but also if you’re lucky enough to survive it, you might completely lose your fertility. This is why it’s so important for ladies to attend their smear tests, and to be aware of the symptoms: abnormal bleeding, discomfort during sex and unusual discharge. If you do experience any of these symptoms, please go see your doctor and ask for a smear test just to be safe. You are the only one responsible for your own health! Another important point is the fact smear tests are only available to ladies over 25 years. I was 21 years old when I was diagnosed and am proof of the disease happening under this age. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms and you are under 25 years old, please keep insisting you are given a smear by your doctor. If they decline your request, go see another doctor!

Anyway, enough lecturing, this week I took photographs of two lovely ladies who have suffered from gynae cancers, and gave them a bit of a pamper session for a treat. Katy from Adore Hair kindly donated her time to giving the ladies a full makeover, and they then popped down to the studio for a shoot unlike no other! I also photographed the Royal Derby Hospital’s cake sale which was held to raise awareness of the disease as well as raise funds for Jo’s Trust – the UK’s only cervical cancer charity. Photos of each are below:

So I’ll admit it, I’ve been a bit quiet over the past few weeks. The business is currently undergoing a bit of a change as I move premises! Myself along with some rather lovely friends of mine have been constructing the new studio from scratch at a secret location in Derby city centre. The final studio will have two separate shooting spaces, a make up room, tea/coffee room as well as access to the interior of one of Derby’s most stunning buildings. We even have showers, so messy shoots are entirely possible! More info to come in the next week….

For a few months now, fellow creative entrepreneur, Zalika Earle, has been coming to me for photos for her new business venture: Celeb Hair. She specialises in creating hair extensions and hair solutions for all hair types and I myself have even been a customer (and I’m so ungirly it’s untrue). I’m always one for supporting fellow independent female business owners and so I’m so pleased to announce the launch of her website! Please check it out here and here’s some of the photos featured: