Photo Shoot.

Don Curry is coming to Australia! Squeeee!

Who is Don Curry you ask? He’s one of my favourite pole dance photographers. Officially, he’s one of the best photographers in the business. Check out his portfolio here: www.donqphotography.com

These are just a few of my favourite photos taken by him:

Model: Justine McLucas

Model: Maddie Sparkle

Model: Michelle Shimmy

So what does this mean for me? I’ve never done a pole photo shoot before, lots of my friends have, but I am a photo shoot virgin! So I’ve decided to dive into the deep end and just do it! He makes everyone look amazing so surely he can do the same for me? Now I know that all my favourite photos are of professionals and by no means will my photos look like theirs but I’m looking forward to seeing how my shoot will turn out.  I love looking at past photos and performance videos and seeing how far I’ve come. I’ve come a long way from my first front straddle! (Some people call this chopper).

I first decided that I was going to do the shoot about two weeks ago and have started my ‘photo shoot preparation’. Here is what it entails:

Diet

Abs are made in the kitchen! Luckily since I got back from overseas I had already made the decision to eat healthier overall yet not deprive myself. If I feel like some chocolate then I’ll have some, but I know when to stop. So far I’m doing OK, I’m actually enjoying coming up with healthier alternatives and in some instances the food actually tastes better than if I were to grab some fast food.

Having said all that, my body works in strange ways. As soon as I know I’m not supposed to have something I instantly want it. Case in point; I’m actually not a big sweets fan, I don’t eat lollies and I’m not obsessed with chocolate or cake. But now that I have consciously made the decision not to have it – all I want is chocolate! When I first started, if I ate a salad for lunch I would straight away crave chocolate. The start is the hardest part and I was tempted to give up, but after the first few humps, it does get easier. Since it’s been just over two weeks I’m starting to be able to control my cravings and after dinner if I want something sweet, I might have a few squares or chocolate or (just one!) Tim Tam since my boyfriend always seems to buy them. Everything in moderation!

Exercise

As well as pole I’ve started going to the gym to add some cardio and weights to my training. I also did my first Hip Hop class last week and need to get back into yoga. Ever since my trial ended I haven’t been back.. oops! But I intend to! It’s hard when there are so many things you want to do, not just time wise but money wise also.

Tricks

This is the fun part. I’m always trawling YouTube and Instagram to find some great trick ideas. I have a few favourites that I will definitely include but I like learning new tricks. Whenever I have a solo coming up I will always try to learn a few new tricks that aren’t in the syllabus to keep my performance interesting and different to everyone else’s. Also, I just love learning new things!

Costumes

Another fun part! As you know, I LOVE pole wear and what better excuse to buy more? I do have some things that I could wear already (I have a whole drawer full of pole wear – that’s normal right?) but there are a few specific looks that I’d like to create for the shoot so will need to purchase additional pieces to do this. I’ve already found heaps and have started a board on Pinterest documenting my findings. If you’re not on Pinterest yet you should be, it’s amazing! But highly addictive – you’ve been warned!

Heels

This ties in with costume but I need to decide which ones will match my costume and what I’m comfortable in. Also, I only have half an hour so I’ll have to change in a flash! May need to double think those thigh-high lace up boots..

Mock up photo shoot

Some of my friends are also doing a photo shoot so we will get together at practice time and take photos of each other while we practice holding the tricks. I’ve been told to get used to holding tricks for 1-3 minutes!

That’s it so far! Don Curry is coming in March so I have just over a month to get everything organised. I’ve also just recently decided that I will do another photo shoot with my friend first so that I know what to expect somewhat when it comes to my Don Curry shoot. Her name is Simone Ellen and you can check out her work here: simone-ellen.com.au She has incredible shots and I love her style.

Here are some photos she took of one of my solo performances:

Have you ever done a photo shoot? If so I’d love to hear about your experiences and any tips that you may have. Leave me a comment below!

Just one more photo because Don Curry is so amazing, I love how simple this photo is, Shimmy just looks like the coolest kid on the block.

How amazing is she? I have a total girl crush on her and her sister, Maddie.

As always, thanks for reading and I’ll keep you posted on how I’m going!

J xx