Photoshoot time again and back to Brighton. A windy and cold Brighton but none the less it was a day out for me to see Violet Blaze and to meet Maria for the first time!

I had hired the Velvet Goldmine Studio in Brighton so we could have somewhere other than the beach as in previous shoots. I wanted a dark area to shoot in as I had bought with me several fairy lights to drape around Violet and Maria. The booking was for two hours and I arrived in Brighton for an hour and a half early. So I strolled down to the beach, stopping off at a shop to buy a packet of balloons to throw at Maria later. Individual balloons, of course, I didn't mean I would be throwing the packet at her. We had only just met and the idea of throwing cheap party decorations at a new friend was not the first thing on my mind.

I don't seem to be able to visit Brighton without taking a shot of the burnt down west pier. There is now a new attraction just opposite called the British Airways i360. I wasn't impressed at ground level, to be honest, so I may visit again later in the year with the wide-angle lens.

I arrived at the studio and met Philippe the owner. We chatted about my work and what the days shoot comprised of and he helped set up for a dark setting. Lights and a tripod were available (didn't have to carry mine!) and there was a small sofa to store my gear on.

Violet and Maria arrived and we set about getting the first few shots. I had sent a shot list to Violet a few days before and we stayed true to it for the most part. I had no idea if the lights would work the way I wanted. They were small led lights on copper wire powered by three AA batteries.

Turns out they worked perfectly! I used the flip-screen on the Canon 6d Mk II (a recent purchase) as I was using the Canon 50mm at an aperture of f1.8 and wanted to use the face detection to ensure a sharp shot.

Maria wanted in at this point so I wound the lights around both of them to produce more shots and a possible mild electric shock for both of them.

After that, we turned the main lights back on and got set up for Maria's shoot. The balloons made an appearance this time along with an array of unicorns. Violet was ready to throw the balloons at Maria but we found out that polychloroprene bags inflated with air are not very aerodynamic at all... no matter how brightly coloured they are. So the shot below is a composite of about five frames.

Things got silly after the balloon throwing with piggy backs, hugs, kisses and basic insanity.

The unicorns went on to form a boy band...

Sorry I just don't know how this happened...

The two hours flew by and it was time to tidy up. The balloons were, unfortunately, put down. Once they had landed their usefulness was over so they had to go. Lights were packed away, bits of the balloon were picked up and we left the studio as we found it.

This was a fun shoot and we will have to do this again!