Pandora's Thoughts - Making Waves

We don't lead particularly "regular" lives so none of our weekends would be classed as normal - but one weekend a couple of weeks back was pretty random - even for us! We had a shoot planned based on an old piece of our writing and needed the sea as a prop (as if there could ever be a better prop than the sea...) so off we headed to Brighton to stay with our friend Cliff who we met on safari years ago and has since remained one of our best friends and favourite people ever!

Cliff is a managing accountant and your typical mans man who has always been supportive albeit a bit perplexed by some of our more artistic endeavours. To have models, make up and hair artists, piles of clothes and jewellery fill up his flat around him while he attempted to watch rugby must have been something unlike anything he has ever experienced!


The weather was doing just about everything except what we wanted to, we needed it to look a bit cloudy and end with the light looking like dusk, all while having the models and me in the bitterly cold English sea! Cliff made everyone hot tea and coffee and brought it down to the beach where we were shooting and we prepared for the freezing cold doom.

Mel doing her thing!

Just as the light became right I jumped into the water to get the first few shots of our male model Phil. As I went to take my first shot a wave came and completely bowled the two of us over! The wind had picked up and the waves became absolutely furious!

Mel and I had to rethink the shot's and came up with an alternative ending that didn't require anyone to have to go too far into the sea. Though Phil and our female model Jordana (yes you read correctly - it was so weird... Every time Mel would say "Now Jordana could you just lift your chin a little?" I was thinking why the hell is she telling me what to do with my chin!?) did have to experience the terribly cold sea pour over them on the beach - ouch.... Talk about professional!

We managed to get all of the shots for the story on the day but decided to head back out first thing in the morning to get a few photo's of the beach and the water (admittedly quite hung over from many glasses of wine drank over debates about politics with Cliff). We got quite close to the edge and another large wave came and completely soaked us. As we were on our way to return the wetsuits we hired we figured - well, we are wet anyway so why not put on the wetsuits and go in?! Yes, always a great idea to go into the wild sea when you have wine brain and no one is around to drag you out of the water!


Once we fought our way back out of the sea we laid for a long time and watched the waves before walking the distance from the Marina to the Pier to return the wetsuits. Neither of us had been clever enough to bring any money or cards and we were so thirsty after swallowing 6 litres of salt water each that we spent the entire walk back listing what drink we would have if we could choose any on earth.




Mel: Snapple - any flavour


Jordanna: Sicilian Lemonade


Mel: Iced cold Coca Cola


Jordanna: Diet version of the above




and so on and so forth..... We had an amazingly crazy time and still think the sea is beautiful - but next time we won't anger it by calling it something insignificant sounding like a "prop".... Maybe something more like  - Goddess Queen Perfect Powerful Amazing Please Don't Swallow Us Up Next Time We Go Swimming Sea?


Much better....


Please keep your eyes peeled for the shoot which will be up this week!








Credits:
Male - Phil Smith
Female - Jordana Power
Make-up and Hair - Jodie Watts
Coffee and Tea - Cliff Hedley

Her: Top - Vintage Charlotte Halton, Skirt - Vintage, Sunglasses - Gianfranco Ferre, Necklace - , Shoes - Tods
Him: Top - Armani, Shorts - ASOS, Shoes - Tods