The Tudor home and Hollow Tree
Last month we found ourselves staying in the most beautiful place in Hastings. I have only put on here about 1/1000th of what we took and saw here. Every crevice of every room was styled impeccably and was just like we were living in the 15th century. The reason we chose to stay here was actually because we had taken the incredible opportunity to become partners with Hollow Tree! (which was our absolute favorite / dream candle company out of Canada. In the past few months Christian has re-branded the candle and it was the most beautiful environment to photograph the new jar. As this next year comes around we are so excited to share more, we all know all good things take time - so we are enjoying every step in the creation of our projects, trying to bring forth and make people feel what we also feel in relation to them. I hope you get inspired by this place as we did! (We got so inspired for our physical shop to com from this place!) Also in these pictures, my dress is from amazing Son De Flor :)
NEW TEXTURE KITS
Below are some of my saved photos over the years - I wanted to share some of the inspiration I’ve had :) I also have a whole tumblr or it! haha - here - http://elle-may.tumblr.com/
I thought to show some examples (on a bigger screen for those of you who would like to see the texture kits activated :)
I will mention these kits have been personally, my most used textures (especially the dust and scratch ones). I’ve always found myself emotionally connecting to imagery and art via texture. When I was younger and in college for design - I found myself mostly drawn to photographing texture to use for other purposes like layering on my designs. SO naturally when it came to photography I liked to experiment in this same way.
it’s an amazing thing to share with you guys, and to see so many of you taking it and turning into something I wouldn’t have thought of! So these are purely made to push your creativity some more, they are layers to pre-existing images or designs that hopefully bring something more to your idea, story, art, moment :)
To check the textures out individually or read more about specs / how they can be applied -you can view the texture via the 1924 store here. (they are made for Adobe photoshop, Indesign, illustrator & photoshop mix - which is a free app on your phone).
Thank you to everyone for your endless incredible support. Christian and I will reveal a Christmas gift soon, which we have been excited - creating! So keep a lookout :)
Elle x
Haven Lea - Lists
This was the first project I’ve had to direct a music video, with a lot of help from Lists (in cutting) & Christian (in the filming department) - we put together a sequence of imagery that resonated with the lyrics of the song. Just last year around Christmas time we were in New Zealand and in a moment of spontaneity, we bought a gimbal. Which we’ve used over and over, not really knowing why - we just wanted to have film as a creative outlet and the opportunity to capture moments better.
Film as well as music have always been in the highest department of inspiration, & meaning to me - something I’ve always looked up to greatly. In fact, when I first heard his music via sound cloud it instantly became something that made me want to better my craft (I think that’s what inspiration does). So I am incredibly grateful that I could work alongside Lists for this video! Everything was shot in New Zealand, Scotland (where the song was formed) and England.
I have put the first version of ‘Haven Lea’ next to this because it is a whole other unique sound, you almost hear them as entirely different songs - both being incredible! And of course, I highly suggest getting all of Lists Ep’s & if you want to support him and the song - links to spotify, soundcloud, youtube etc are here :) If you would like to hear more from him / updates and a little more about the meaning behind the songs, you can subscribe to his newsletters here. Hope you all have an amazing week!!
South east Australia Roadtrip
It’s always an exciting thing to see more of your own country - even more so, to experience it with Christian (who hadn’t seen very much of Australia). So we kind of counted this trip as a 1/4 honeymoon - 1/4 visiting friends - 1/4 antiquing trip - and the final 1/4 work meet ups. There was definitely more we wished to have done but with 10 short days we crammed a good lot in and tooughroully enjoyed it :) Below are some images of places we stopped or stayed with friends, glimpses of some new antiques to come to the store & just little frames of the journey - (we basically drove from the Sunshine coast to Melbourne on the coast route and back again via the inland route). I would highly recommend this part of the world to anyone interested in traveling to Australia, it’s definitely a little world of it’s own, extremely relaxed and full of friendly people.
Below is kind of a sweet / funny song we always listen to when we are in the car, I thought I should include it :)
Texture Kit by Elle-may
A kit of seven high res textures to use across imagery, type, cinemagraphs (any kind of editing really:). I have always used textures to blend edits, however have recently loved using them to experiment further with my images. It's always super fun to see a feeling evoked through editing! All of these textures I have hunted down and photographed myself. They are made for photoshop - with simple layering and blending. They come with an instruction page, just incase you would like to see how to best use them. All seven are $12 & you can get them here - Thank you for your support :D :D :D
Book - Something simple that pretty much works on every image. Book was inspired by torn out pages to give your images a tangible feel.
Oil Canvas - I am always inspired by old oil paintings, this is something that makes you see an image a little different if used well, it's more of a specific texture, but when put over a beautiful colour palate in an image it is seriously so beautiful.
Noise & Scratch - This one is a little more detailed. Kind of like the faint hair-like tangled strands you see on super old images. This gives images a really old feel & looks amazing with black and white.
Pressed - A light paper texture. This one I made initially for blending, both horizontal and vertical, in landscapes it looks amazing, as well as detail shots. The pressed texture is a little more subtle than the others. A favorite of mine :)
Fold - A paper texture. Easy to rotate and line up with an area in your image to bring more dimension. This was inspired by old notes.
Dust - Probably my most used texture. This one is super easy to drop into any image and have it look like it's from whatever time period you wish. The feel is gritty / worn. Also easy to rotate / expand or shrink depending on how many markings you want to show up.
Crinkle - A little more dimension to a flat image is always nice. This one works really nicely over flat-lays and of course images with lots of negative space.
Rust / mustard timeless linen
A series with Kidphilosophy :) The styles are always so elegant and simple for me so it's a pleasure to share some favorites! I am quite picky with colours (usually) too - so these, I thought were beautiful for Summer or to liven up the mild Winter we have here in Australia. The images in the fog, also, were taken outside the place we are staying in Cooroy on the Sunshine Coast, I couldn't believe my eyes when I woke up, there were also kangaroos outside the window skipping through the mist. Of course I couldnt catch them, but you will have to believe me ;)
Cross back pinafore & Mustard skirt by Kidphilosophy
Boots by Okeeffe
8 Days in Israel - Socality x Israel Collective
Israel!!! I have had the strongest pull to travel here since being a little girl. To be able to physically walk and hear and visualize so much history in these places - with such an inspiring group of people was extremely humbling. Every place we visited, I felt I could have spent years there, exploring further. We started in Tel Aviv, headed to the Sea of Galilee, after this, to the Negev desert, up to Jerusalem, down to the Dead sea and finally back to Tel Aviv. I can't really describe it in words, I guess it's the ultimate combination of beauty, history & culture. Below I have a collection of photographs, again, they don't convey half the beauty of actually being there, I could EXPLODE with inspiration from this placel. But mostly the miracle of Israel, the people and their outlook. Amongst so much unrest, there is so much God. We have unending gratitude to Israel Collective & Socality for extending a generous invite to Christian & I to come along :)
Some portraits of strangers and friends from the trip!
A kind man who helped Christian and I find our way when we lost the group haha. I later stumbled upon him in the street so I decided to take his photo to remember this friendly smile.
From the sea of Galilee, we took a boat across to meet on the deck for dinner <3
Bts of early morning Negev shots (I'm still in pyjamas, the usual :/ :). -->
A monastery nestled into the hills.. This was so other-worldly to see. I still think about this place often, what the lifestyle would be like here!
UK travel diary - Scotland to the Cotswolds
I want to start by writing, this past month has been such an unexpected miracle of a time. I thought I was visiting Scotland for a week with Christian, this turned into Extended time across the UK, more time with my good friend Theresa and then even my sister! This is a little travel photo diary for the pure excitement to share some beautiful places and time spent. It's nothing sponsored or for the sake of work. Sometimes you just have to re-fuel and do whatever lights a fire in you, the UK tends to do that for me. The first set of images were take in Scotland in a beautiful small town on the west coast. Christian found this air B&B which has a private little dock, called Bruce Arms the drive there was filled with nonstop deep conversation about, well everything - and when we arrived we ran all over the house opening up many doors to many living spaces. Excitedly skipping out onto the jetty, finally to drive a minute or two up the road to a little inn where we met two older Scandinavian travelers and there cute little dogs. We discussed many things including our intent to marry, their travel plans and the beauty of Scotland! The next day we picked up two dear friends in Edinburgh and returned to the loch where we spent the evening by the fire, photographing some more and of course drinking hot chocolate (whilst watching the movie 'Sing'. Almost falling asleep - we dragged ourselves off the lounge chairs into our rooms ready to enjoy new sheets in a new bedroom (we always say how we love that feeling).
I never mind long drives so much, and this next day we drove further north towards Inverness where we reached a quiet little village. I couldn't help but notice many overgrown, lush gardens in the alleyways, over fences, even in windows of homes. Each little cottage taking on a unique feel of it's own. And from this town we finally reached the beautiful Dell of Abernathy. Which completely caught me off guard. I had seen pictures beforehand but nothing could prepare me for the beauty this place would hold and give and AHHH! I left here overwhelmed in the most incredible way, the hosts were the kind of people who inspire you deeply within five seconds of talking to them. Every detail in this place held it's own function and beauty and history. It inspired both Christian and I for our own future home, even the antique store! We both agreed we would travel back to Scotland just to stay here again.
Below are some images of our breakfast and a little village we stopped in the following morning. The place was exquisitely lit with cloudy light falling onto the old wooden walls. I am not sure if this was the first time we tried black pudding? But we did and it wasn't all so bad!
So the next few nights we spent a little further south, the setting was more medieval feeling. I must have rested my camera for those days because I can't find any images! I recall waking up a little later, visiting a tall pink castle, amazing dinners together, more conversations whilst walking through the forest and drives around the countryside :) After we said goodbye, Christian and I stayed around Edinburgh a little longer. Below are some pictures from another amazing castle and a long walk through the country (to try to reach another castle) however it was under construction - so instead we stared at lambs and cows through this soft mist for hours, taking pictures and discussing the upcoming dilemma which was me getting back into America on my ESTA visa. :/ (haha)
The truth is, the last time I came back in to the US they didn't trust my intentions (although I was not wanting to live there, I had been back too many times. I am NEVER good at confrontation. I normally just get overwhelmed and cry, which double doesn't help my case). I didn't make it past the Scottish boarding gate but I was prepared for it. The next step was to re-arrange our life plans a little. We were always aiming to get married this coming August in Australia. So we are moving the official moving date forward. In a few weeks time I was to meet Christian in Israel, it was a planned trip so it didn't make sense to go all the way back to Australia. We decided that I would stay in the UK a few weeks and just take some time to work. So that I did, (more leisure than work). I met so many amazing people, stayed with Theresa some more and my older sister ended up joining me. We re-visited the small village in the Cotswolds we spent some childhood years. We went back to our old house, shops, re-traced old walking tracks and even drove past our old school! It was INCREDIBLE. Along with that we visited many more adorable little villages, castles, inns / pubs, and of course London!
Above there are glimpses into the Cotswolds, Nyree (my sister) and I stayed in this fairytale air b&b, the outside was a mini tower (actually an old pigeon house), and the inside was this sleek two story mini dome with a giant copper tub - (which we bathed in every night with milk and oils and flower petals. The last images are taken of Amelia and some of THE NICEST men we met as we found our way around Dean village in the rain. Edinburgh is somewhere I could completely fall in love with living, I am sure of it! I wish I could keep uploading all night, but it's time to sleep for me now. I hope this inspired you someway, somehow <3 Lots of love from Australia (lol I finally made it home ^_^.
Preset Launch
The time has come for us to release our next set of presets. Christian and I have been developing these for a while now, not just technically, but also digging down into the tones and mood that truly inspire us beyond an edit. We hope to share what we can of this, through our presets and see you guys also grow in inspiration, passion & new ideas for photography, visual styling & most importantly life in general! To us there is honestly nothing greater than to look across the room and know both or at least one of us is filled with passion for some kind of idea, You really can't buy this feeling, or ideas, however we have found - learning through creativity and opening up to something that pushes you into a direction that continues the quest / spark is really incredible. Thus gave us the motivation to develop these :) It's hard for me to put into words just how grateful I am for other creatives simply using their gifts - so knowing there is the slightest possibility we could do the same, we are extremely excited to let these loose! Below are examples for each one of my presets - beside them I have written a little more about it and why I have created / use it. This set of 5 is $30 - Christian also has a set of 5 for the same price. Or you can get both of ours (10) for $50. With the sets there comes an in depth how to use guide, tips of how we both photograph and the best ways to shoot when using each preset.
We are super excited you guys - YOU CAN GET THEM HERE :)
FADED GRIT - This preset has character. The purpose is to give it a faded antique feel while still being warm and nostalgic. The shadows are a little more green / yellow with a matte highlight to almost make it like a faded textured tangible image.
DUSTY ROSE - This preset is soft with a light rose gold tinge. The shadows are deep with a smooth result. I often add a subtle texture layer over this preset as if gives it even more dimension without turning it into a grainy 'crunchy'’ shot. (Works best for over cast / foggy images, or detail images / taken indoors).
NOSTALGIA - I love this word and I love black and white images that make me feel something that transcends an era! This preset was created to give images a romantic, timeless feel. I created it with lots of grain, lighter mid tones but still a warm depth in the black
MILK - This preset has a cleaner matte approach. The mid tones are also more visible, making it great for darker images too. It has of a modern feel, also making it a great choice for consistant interior / lifestyle photographs.
SOFT ANTIQUE - This is a moody preset which is heavily inspired by period films. Still with a natural feel, the shadows are deeper with a green / blue undertone. This preset works beautifully with a layer of texture added too, also making it feel like it was taken from another era.
