there's some things going on ...

It's been a long time ...

*Polstar* — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:47:35 GMT

I shouldn't have left you without a dope beat to step to! Yes ... not good. Mainly because this wonderful world of Tribe was blocked to me. Every time I tried to access it it fell apart at the seams and I ended up frustrated and eventually gave up. But now, it appears to have fixed itself and is working again. So here I am. Back again. I'll try and keep this updated as much as possible however in the meantime please see some of my new work here: http://polstar-photography.smugmug.com/Photo-Shoots

NEW INK!

*Polstar* — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:47:14 GMT

Well - in two weeks I've had two new tattoos. A lotus flower on my wrist and a peacock on my left shoulder. That was done yesterday so I don't have a photo of it not looking sore - so here's one of it not even degunked!!! ;) I'm getting the design repeated on my right shoulder at some point and reversed. LOVE IT SO MUCH! btw. have been super busy at work hence not been around much x

Tribe of Kismet Photoshoot

*Polstar* — Fri, 23 May 2008 04:33:48 GMT

Photos from the shoot with the wonderful Tribe of Kismet at Hadleigh Castle, Essex. There are still a few more to do!

another year older ...

*Polstar* — Fri, 16 May 2008 09:42:14 GMT

... another year wiser? birthdays come around so fast! [the photo was taken about 5 minutes ago on my phone in my classroom - I'm meant to be marking! tut tut]

More photos of Tree

*Polstar* — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:26:09 GMT

I'm slowly getting through them all but as I've taken the photos off my photo album here ... you can see the photos I've taken of Tree here: http://polstar-photography.smugmug.com/gallery/4825379_PZJGs/1#P-1-12

I'VE NOT JUST GOT MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Polstar* — Tue, 06 May 2008 10:23:01 GMT

EEK, THOSE ARE OLD PHOTOS I POSTED! HA HA ... JEEZ ... I WISH I LOOKED LIKE THAT NOW ... WITHOUT THE DROOPING DOUBLE CHIN AND BAGS UNDER MY EYES! Thanks for all the best wishes though! hee hee it's our 6 year wedding anniversary on the 17th :)

My photos ...

*Polstar* — Tue, 06 May 2008 04:52:22 GMT

... are now only going to be hosted on my website or my Tribe. The photos in my album here are just going to be ones of me ... HURRAH! [this one is of my nephew and I on my wedding day ... jeez ... i've nearly been married 6 years :) ]

Murvat Bellydancer, Bodhaia Tribal Bellydance, Gulnahar, Craig and Bettie Blitz photos ...

*Polstar* — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:00:52 GMT

... are slowly going on the site ... check them out here: http://polstar-photography.smugmug.com

Bodhaia Tribal Bellydance

*Polstar* — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:56:50 GMT

What a wonderful day working with these beauties. A day full of combating allergies (prancing around a rape-seed field), battling the elements (April showers and rain storms) and relocating (due to anglers). I had so much fun working in the outdoors, using the gifts that nature gives us to create, what I hope, are some beautiful shots. Am a busy busy bee at the moment ... hurrah! I LOVE it. However the mound of marking is piling up so hopefully the whole shoot will be finished by the end of today ready to start on my mound of marking tomorrow ... BOO HOO

Editing frenzy ...

*Polstar* — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:41:52 GMT

When I should be editing batches - I spend a few minutes doing photos like this one. I like. Don't know if anyone else does. It's different for me and don't ask me how I did it - I have no idea! I've got 3 models coming round to my gaff today for some headshots. Tomorrow is a trip to Market Harborough to work with Bellynut, then Monday another model and Melissa (sword dancer from Shimmyshake). Finally at the end of the week, Tree, Miss Sapphira and then Emilie Autumn. Busy? Moi?

my world is expanding ...

*Polstar* — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:28:45 GMT

i've been asked to cover the craziest things lately ... at first i thought photographing cemeteries did everyone's heads in enough, then bellydancers, burlesque dancers - now i've had stilt walkers and faeries. on top of that being hired left and centre by students' families, friends ... and i feel like ... i'm ... alive again. honestly, energy is flowing out of me and i feel positive and excited. i emailed pixie about going part time at work: "YAY! CONGRATS! :) this is how it starts... with INTENTION... and then soon enough you'll go FULL TIME and you'll get to stay home lots and travel and meet kewl people and we can meet up in airports and talk about how awesome our lives are working at home in our pajamas! lololol! hi-5 woman! you're doin it! " if it wasn't for her i wouldn't be doing this. the comment about the pyjama's made me laugh - it refers to a time i met her at gatwick in between her connecting flights. we had breakfast in wetherspoons and she was in her pyjamas :) i really do feel alive. and goddess it's good!

R.I.P Matty Webb

*Polstar* — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:37:51 GMT

You were a pain in the arse in my classes. You made my first two years of teaching quite hellish at times. However - you made me smile - with your cheeky grin and cheeky ways. You were never unkind and you were never malicious. It's not fair that life is cut so short and so unfairly. You'll be missed by a whole school, the students and the staff.

sooooooooooooooo tired ...

*Polstar* — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 06:00:54 GMT

... not been sleeping well ... i think i'm really nervous about doing Interzone tonight. it's my first time using the lights properly and i just hope i get it right. i've got liam with me anyway, he's my ex-student who's now at uni studying photography. he needed some work experience so i said 'come along'! i'm just so tired though ... and it's on until 7am. not sure i'm going to last that long! and looks as if mart won't be coming - he's really sick. got a really really sore throat. poor thing, he's so run down at the moment. well today at work shouldn't be too much of a hard ship ... i hope. yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn.

Polstar* in e-twisted newsletter

*Polstar* — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:41:41 GMT

ooooh a spotlight on meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :) download here: http://www.britishtribalstyle.com/page6.htm

#2 - POLSTAR'S FAVOURITE IMAGES AND PHOTOGRAPHERS

*Polstar* — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 07:08:47 GMT

Horst. P Horst - Elsa Maxwell at the Ritz, for Vogue , 1937 This is an iconic image - again featuring a corset. The slightly off-centre model, the curves of her body against the sharp lines of the background - really make this image for me. I really love this old-style Vogue photography - he produced some amazing works of legs (Round the Clock) and Hands - 1941 - two of my other favourite things to photograph! In fact, it wasn't until I started looking into his work that I realised how much I truly do love his work. He had such a wonderful understanding and appreciation of the female form. Even his photographs of Edith Sitwell, a highly unusual looking woman, are sympathetic and beautiful. Check out his work here: http://www.horstphorst.com/works.php

#1 - Polstar's favourite images

*Polstar* — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 02:41:13 GMT

This blog will be in no particular order - although I think the first few will definitely, almost, be in alphabetical order. I'll also try and give reasons for my choices ... ___________________________________________________________________________ Image #1 is Boulevard de Strasbourg (Corsets), 1912 - by Eugene Atget. Eugene Atget was a French photographer based in Montparnesse, Paris. He captured the working life of Paris beautifully, his photographs documenting the fading city that he knew. There are many reasons why I love this image in particular. I LOVE shop windows, I've always had a fascination for photographing shop windows (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_polstar/sets/72157594406255095/) and then I discovered the work of Atget, who was by far the master of this (another favourite of his can be seen here: http://www.westga.edu/~preinhar/Eugene%20Atget.jpg). Another reason is that I love corsets, you will discover that a few of my favourite photographs feature corsets! Finally - I love the small amount of movement in this image. The corset that is only tethered by a hanger and is moving in the wind. Simply beautiful. As you can see, I'm not a trained 'art critic' - I know what I like! And these are the reasons why I like this image :)

MOIRAI PHOTOSHOOT

*Polstar* — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:38:14 GMT

Finished - completed - hurrah :) http://polstar-photography.smugmug.com/gallery/4476955_f677B#265222463

The amazingly gorgeous - Princess Farhana

*Polstar* — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:45:36 GMT

Behind the scenes @Shimmyshake What a night! Although I'm sitting at home with some weird stomach thing (if it's not one thing it's another eh?) at least I've had the chance to go through some photos from last night. Miss Sapphira put on one hell of a show with superb performers. It was a joy photographing them - and I also had the pleasure of going backstage and doing some impromptu shots with Princess Farhana and the other performers. She is definitely royalty. The sweetest person you could ever meet - and I love her trick for getting her nails to shine :) Right - now back to bed. I've had next to no sleep so I'm going to pass out for a bit.

So proud of my man ...

*Polstar* — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 06:15:22 GMT

... photo in new 25x4 book by Spin about 25 years of Channel 4. We had the party last night - much champagne drunk and piss-taking of Nathan-Barleyesque media types. (it's the photo of the girl)

Photo of the day - Kerry @Tribalondon

*Polstar* — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 05:06:23 GMT

I'm putting Tribalondon photos on hold for the next few days. Some wonderful ladies paid for my time and I owe them their photos.

New photos of The Tribal Twisterhood now up

*Polstar* — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:46:15 GMT

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Photoshop keeps crapping out on me ... driving me MAD. Still - managed to get a few more shots of these wonderful ladies up. see here: http://polstar-photography.smugmug.com/gallery/4395481_V2EES#258125651 For all other Tribalondon Photos go here: http://www.polstarphotography.com/tribalondon2008.htm

Rashani, Dawn O'Brien and final few of The Uzume photos up ...

*Polstar* — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:10:27 GMT

... I've nearly finished my photos of the main stage. I do have a few more BDSS ones to do - however - the main stage is nearly complete. At the moment I'm listening to Solace - it certainly helps with the editing listening to appropriate music (instead of Russell Brand's podcasts!). Hope you like :) http://polstar-photography.smugmug.com/gallery/4395485_SA5zz#258126525

Photoshoot with the amazing Ozwaldo

*Polstar* — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:33:36 GMT

Or my cat Oz!

First few shots from the Moirai shoot and tales from the classroom

*Polstar* — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:41:37 GMT

Well - I KNOW I still have all the Tribalondon ones to finish but sometimes you want to play with some new photos :) I've posted a couple on Tribe. LOVE those girls :) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ serves me right for wishing - my voice disappeared for the whole of yesterday and I tried talking this morning and it still seems missing. One of my students said that he'd gone around school looking for it but to no avail. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ OH OH OH ... just need to tell you a 'silly student' moment. I did the history of 'moral panics' in rock music with my students on Friday. I went through the press's response to teddy boys, punks, hippies etc. When I was talking about punk I was saying what a state the country was in around those times - and that although I don't remember a lot of the 70s I do remember the black-outs and just remember everything as seeming grey and dull. Then one of my Year 10 students pipes up: "Miss, was the 70s in black and white?" "well we didn't really have colour TV then" "No - was the world black and white?" WHAT??????? He actually thought that we all looked black and white then miraculously we gained colour! I don't know whether to say 'bless' or just cry!

Booking a shoot

*Polstar* — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:48:10 GMT

The following are my available times for booking shoots etc: 21st - 24th March 6th - 18th April 24th May - 1st June 14-15th June 28th - 29th June And all of July's weekends I'd really love to do some work over the Spring Holiday - 6th - 18th April - if anyone's interested in working with me then let me know. I've been really unbearably busy at work - we fully expect the phone-call to come very soon to say that Ofsted is on their way so I'm trying to get my schemes of work done and my books marked. Hence me not perhaps getting round to messaging back as soon as I usually do. I've got a really exciting weekend ahead - I'm meeting up with my friend's bf on Saturday. He's over in the UK from Minneapolis to see The Mission (of all bands!) - she couldn't come (I miss my KT) but it will be great to see him. Then on Sunday - we're going to my best friend's. I found out why she's been a bit crazy (and cruel) ... she's preggars! So my day under the duvet sulking and crying at least had good reason! lol