English Mustard
Every year The Clothes Show Live launches a competition to find a young fashion photographer from across the UK, and this year’s finalist Becky Long captured the imagination of the judges. So much so, that it was believed her image was extensively post-produced. “English Mustard” is like staring into a vibrant fairy-tale, far away into a colourful land. But this landscape is not created on a computer. Becky focuses on the pre-production set, and the result is amazing.
The model in “English Mustard” is draped in a luxurious blue dress, which almost takes off into smoke, following the brief this year of Fashion and Motion. The movement produced in the dress is astonishing for a photograph, but the set also grabs the firm attention of the viewer, with a blue arch forming the centre point amongst a vivid yellow rapeseed field.
Becky is a creative fashion and wedding photographer based in Essex, and her work caught the attention of All Walks because of her use of curvy, empowered models. Becky explains that she is obsessed with 1950’s beauty, citing Marilyn Monroe as a big influence. “It’s a feminine thing, nothing is more sexy than confidence, and as long as the model feels comfortable, she will look great.” Becky promotes “being healthy” and loves using models who are “fearless” and bring her striking shots to life.
Becky studied Set and Costume Design at London College of Fashion, so it is no wonder her images take on a fairy-tale-movie composition: “I love special effects and building things and I put a lot of work in before. The arch was only £4.90 from B&Q, and it was set in a in a field near to where I live.” It is hard to believe that the angelic arch started life in a B&Q warehouse, but Becky has the power to transform the mundane into the whimsical. “I like things to be over-dramatised; Disneyfied.” If you scour through Becky’s images, they certainly wouldn’t look out of place in a Disney film. But the theme lies deeper than that, as Becky creates images that celebrate the female form, and leave the viewer feeling empowered.
Snow White
Happy Hour
Visit Becky’s website for more information about her work.
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Elspeth Merry Contributor Elspeth Merry is a recent University of the Arts London Journalism graduate. She was Features Editor of her University newspaper Arts London News, and is the Features Assistant at 1883 Magazine. She has also written for the Huffington Post and spent last summer in New York writing for Zink Magazine. Find her on Twitter @elspethmerry and visit her website www.elspethmerry.com |