Friday Inspiration

Who doesn't love a good old mood board for a bit of inspo?! With Valentines Day approaching, I thought I'd be influenced by lingerie and seduction. Check out my Pinterest and Tumblr to see more of my favourite photographs and inspirations.

Company Reshoot

So a couple of posts ago (see here) I uploaded my final outcome for my answer to Company Magazines, Company Academy competition for the photography category. Due to the deadline for the competition being November 1st, and I only finding the competition just over a week before, it was a little bit of a rush to say the least! Although I did the best that I could within that time frame, I knew I could do better.

Due to having to enter the competition as part of my final degree mark, and having a month left till the deadline on the 9th December, I took the opportunity to push my work further and reshoot the whole thing. I slightly changed my concept, whilst still sticking to the pastel trend that is so relevant to the Spring Summer 2014 theme. I wanted to still keep the Company style and aesthetic whilst adding my own touches, such as the change in the use of font. I can definitely see an improvement in terms of my photography and lighting skills, which is something I most definitely lacked in on the first shoot. Livi the model was fab understanding exactly what I wanted and had great confidence. This time I also shot in a studio, which made SO much difference. Although it cost £50 to rent for three hours, it was definitely worth it and the owner James Thorpe was extremely helpful (see his site here). As like before, I laid out the imagery like a proper editorial on double page spreads to the size of Company magazine itself.However, I still am my own worst critic and can still see far more room for improvement. But what's done is done now as it is all handed in. So no looking back!

My boyfriend came along to help carry everything into the studio and for moral support. I got him to do some videoing of me shooting the images. Take a look below.

Photography by me, Hannah Byrne

Model - Olivia Hart

Videographer - Rich Murphy

Sultry Summer

So third year of uni is kicking in and it's stress mania! One of our first projects is competitions, one of which we had to find and choose ourselves. It was so hard to find one out there that inspired me and had an appropriate deadline. But, at last I came across the Company magazine's, Company Academy competition. Although the deadline left me just under two weeks to produce a concept, source everything, photograph and edit, I'm always up for a challenge and so went ahead anyway.

This may not be real life magazine worthy, and I will admit it's not one of my best pieces of work (photography and concept wise), but with the amount of time I had to do everything I will settle with the outcome. I want to thank Jemma Johnstone, my beauts model, as well as the boyf Richard who stood for the whole shoot holding palm leaves infront of the lights, and of course my mother who not only did the make-up, but also made us lunch and provided the school hall for me to shoot in. What our friends and family for hey!

Studio Time

Coat - Topshop / Leggings - Miss Selfridge / Top - H&M / Hat - H&M / Shoes - Valentino Red 

/ Ring - Vivienne Westwood / Lipstick - Kate Moss

 Coat - H&M / Shoes - Christian Louboutin / Top - H&M / Lipstick - Kate Moss (matte)

So, last Wednesday was Student Lockin night in Brighton, i.e. discounts off a number of stores, so students come and spend all your loans. Therefore with new stuff to flaunt, Bethany and I decided to book an afternoon in the white studio at Uni and take some Oufit Of The Day pictures for one another, whilst getting to grips with lighting and our cameras a little more.

Although, I have been in the studio before, as well as having my own mini lighting set at home, it was great to have a play around without anyone dictating to us the rights and wrongs. We had a great couple of hours and at the end an incident that left us nearly literally weeing ourselves with laughter. Ah good times. I hardly edited these images after the shoot, therefore I feel pretty proud of how the lighting and everything turned out. I am eager to get back in the studio though as I wanna get a bit more creative and maybe come up with my own concept and creation, getting more involved with styling and creative direction myself.

I LOVE Beth's new coat buys from Wednesday. THANK GOD she finally found herself a pink coat as she has been wanting one for ages now! It's great photographing Beth as she's not only photogenic, but she moves and poses making it an easy job for me to get some great shots. My OOTD images from our time in the studio which Beth took of me are on their way too. See Beth's blog here.

Flower.

Flowers and plants from my garden. Photographs taken by me.

Brother

Visit his Sound Cloud:  soundcloud.com/sammybyrne

Magazine Final Piece

So today we finished putting out PDF together to send to the printers, for our current magazine project. It was a bit hectic, but we got it done! And boy does it feel good.

This is my finished piece for the magazine:

And if you fancy giving my article a read:::

A NEW WORLD ORDER

We all like to believe that we are free, but what if the world had top leaders in every country, who controlled the media, the banks, and society, who led us to feel like we were free and in control of our own lives, but in fact have our future in their hands?

The Illuminati, a secret society created in the 1700s, is said to be still operating, and now consists of the world’s elite. Members are said to include President Obama, the Pope and Queen Elizabeth II, and their puppets are thought to be the majority of well-known public figures, those such as Beyoncé, Jay Z and Rihanna.

Search the Internet and  an array of YouTube videos, websites and blog posts about the Illuminati come up, along with the vast amount of conspiracies surrounding them. The Illuminati’s plan being to create a New World Order, which is repeatedly implied by Barack Obama and George Bush through their 

public speeches.

The Illuminati, started in Bavaria, Germany, and was formed by one man, Adam Weisshaupt. Weisshaupt, who was obsessed with Ancient Egyptian rituals, set up this society with the aim of abolishing all religions and governments, to have no countries or borders, and for the world to be ruled under one person in order to take control of humanity under a unified state. These aims as they are achieved will lead us towards the New World Order, which in so many words refers to a new way of life.

If we look back at these original aims of Weisshaupt’s and his Illuminati and then analyse what has happened since the society’s creation, even with its apparent abolishment, it does seem as if the cult is still running. Firstly, Weisshaupt wanted to put an end to established government. Most monarchies have lost their power and in the countries that do still have a monarchy, they act more as an ornament of power and a tourist attraction. Then think of the past revolutions, the French Revolution and even the recent Arab Spring, as well as the stand for equal rights for men and women. The creation of the United Nations in 1945, creating a super-national agency capable of passing resolutions that the states involved must apply for or take the consequences. 

Lastly, was his desire to put an end to organised religion. Christianity, the Catholic Church and some other religions are losing their effect, their traditions and commandments losing importance, whilst science and modernity take over. Think divorce, abortions and sex before marriage. The ideals of Adam Weisshaupt and the Illuminati seem to be evolving. 

These aims set out by Weisshaupt are far more believable than today’s Illuminati conspiracies: some that I would say have got a bit out of hand. Take one of the reasons why some people think Whitney Houston was killed as an example. Rather than that she committed suicide or took an accidental overdose, some believe that she was apparently sacrificed so that Beyoncé and Jay Z’s baby, Blue Ivy, could live, and Blue Ivy, being the anagram of Eulb Yvi, the Latin name for the devil’s daughter.

Other celebrities who have died - Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Tupac are just another few of the names that spring up in connection with the Illuminati and who are said to have been killed by them. Marilyn Monroe was said to be killed off as she knew enough to take down the government, whilst others such as Tupac and Michael Jackson were at first part of the Illuminati, but turned against them, tried to break free of their ways, and in turn were said to pay the ultimate price. 

Janet Jackson openly said on a television interview after Michael Jackson’s death, “You must remember Michael told me repeatedly that they were gonna kill him, he was gonna die.” As the presenter asks, and I ask too, who was going to kill him? Is she talking about those elites? The government? The Illuminati? However, in other interviews with Janet she talks about Michael’s depression being the cause of his death.

Another thing that conspiracy theorists have cottonedon to are celebrities referring to the Devil. Katy Perry says in an interview, “My parents are both traveling ministers, and so I kinda sang about, you know, what was going on in my life at 15, and that’s how I got introduced to the music industry. Because I swear I, like, wanted to be the Amy Grant of music, but it didn’t work out and so I sold my soul to the devil.” But can we really take this literally or is this just a figure of speech? As Weisshaupt’s aims didn’t refer to worshipping the Devil, it aimed to abolish religion. Yet today the Illuminati are linked to worshipping the Devil and figures such 

as Bathomet. 

The related symbolism of the Illuminati is now plastered everywhere over fashion items (the All-Seeing Eye, the pyramid and so on). This seems to put to mind that it is cool, a trend. I believe this is down to celebrities promoting these symbols, wearing them on clothes themselves, involving them in their music videos and concerts, as well as posters, and every other media outlet. But are celebrities doing this really to “brainwash” the general public and coerce them into the Illuminati rituals, or the fact they do it means they gain publicity, and as they say, any publicity is good publicity. 

You may question why, if so secret, would there be so much information surrounding the Illuminti and its connection with elites and celebrities? It could be because actually it is made up, or maybe it’s because, as they say, the best way to hide a secret is to shout it in the market place.  In the case of the Illuminati this rings true, as there is now so much disinformation and so many outrageous conspiracies, for example, contact with aliens, Michael Jackson’s ghost captured on film, etc. that it is hard decipher if any of it is really true.

Also, by showing events they have planned before they happen (using fictional media) means that we who see it are part of their ritual whether or not we know it. Like in Eminem’s 2004 Toy Soldiers music video, his best friend, the rapper Proof, is shot outside a club. Then, in 2006, Proof was actually killed by gunshot to the head at the CCC Club in Detroit, Michigan, by club bouncer Mario Etheridge after Proof allegedly shot Keith Bender as they got into a heated argument. By doing this they ensure their success as the subconscious, conscious and super-conscious minds are manipulated in such a way that it helps the Illuminati to achieve the aim of their event.

The Illuminati are said to show or hint at events before they happen, through symbolism, mostly shown through the media. One example is the film The Knowing. The film was released on March 20th 2009, within the film a BP oil spill is mentioned, and on April 20th 2010 this actually happened. When this incident is shown in the film the numbers 666 appear also on the piece of paper, 666 being linked to the devil. All the clocks within the film show the time 11:11, 81 country code for Japan is shown, Japan’s cooling reactors did actually malfunction, the boy’s bedroom window looks like the Illumnati eye, 11113 shows up on the paper , the Japan incident happened on the 11/3/11 and  finally, the clock says Japan at the bottom.

I will admit myself there are some rather weird coincidences. One of the conspiracy theories that always has made me think is that when you type itanimulli.com (Illuminati written backwards) into the web bar it takes you to nsa.gov, the National Security Agency and Central Security Service of America. The NSA and CSS on the website stating that they promise to secure the future.

Then there are the rumours surrounding the Bilderberg Group. The Bilderberg Group, named after the hotel where the first-ever meeting took place in 1954, meet once a year. Members are said to be all the highest elites from both sides of the Atlantic, the people who are said to run the world. They turn up to the meetings in bulletproof cars with blacked out windows and security is extremely high. The meetings are never logged or reported by national newspapers, meaning no-one apart from the members know of what is spoken about or organised.

For most of us it may be hard to realise the power that some of these elites have. Though if you use one of the Illuminati symbols to help deliberate this, it makes more sense. One of the main Illuminati symbols is the pyramid, sometimes with the All-Seeing Eye, the Eye of Horus placed at the top, as seen on the American dollar bill. This pyramid represents the compartmentalization of society, and all organisations.  

At the top of the pyramid is the elite, the members of the Bilderberg Group for example, then as you go down each part of the triangle, each section has more and more people in it as you get to the bottom, and the more people the less they know about the true objectives, the objectives which are decided at the top. 

This doesn’t just relate to our society and the Illuminati, but to every organisation, be it a bank, a university or a secret society. A great example, which I came across, was Freemasonry. When people hear that Freemasonry is involved with secret societies and so on, people automatically think that every Freemason wants to manipulate the world to a single dictatorship. But this is ridiculous as the vast majority of Freemasons never get higher than the bottom three degrees of Freemasonry. The top of this Freemason pyramid lays the Illuminati, which rides in a completely different universe to those Freemasons at the bottom. Then all these pyramids merge together to create the global pyramid. 

The American dollar bill has many conspiracies surrounding it. The Illuminati seems to be  obsessed with using numbers, the number thirteen being an important number to them. On the left hand side of the bill is the pyramid with the All-Seeing Eye at the top and on the right the eagle. There are thirteen layers to the pyramid, thirteen letters in Annuit Cœptus, there are thirteen stripes on the banner the eagle is holding, thirteen arrows, thirteen stars (which make up the star of David) and thirteen leaves. On the top-right hand side of the make of the bill if you look or zoom in closely there is a small owl. The owl is used as a symbol of wisdom as they have the ability to see in the dark. ‘Novus Ordo Seclorum’ beneath the pyramid meaning New World Order. Freemasons created the American dollar bill and this is clear from the use of symbolism. 

9/11 is another huge Illuminati intrigue. Many say that there were sounds of explosions after the plane crashed into the twin towers. There is even video evidence of explosions happening on lower floors. The twin towers were built in such a way that if a plane did fly into them they would be able to take the hit without falling to the ground. However, during 9/11 the towers dropped to the floor in a pancake effect. But people have now begun to question whether the terrorists or the American government itself set up these explosions.

The question is: do you think that these conspiracies are true, and in fact we are moving towards a New World Order, and although some of these conspiracies may have been taken out of hand and emphasised there is an underlying truth? Has a secret occult created by one man in Bavaria over 300 years ago grown so much in both power and intention? Or is it just a load of bullshit?

My First Ever GIF

So having a boyfriend who does Graphic Design does come in handy sometimes. He just showed me how to make a GIF, and I am so impressed with myself! YOU GO GIRL!

Made this one using my images from my recent Illuminati Symbolism shoot.

Illuminati Symbolism Shoot

So for our magazine project I decided to write an article on the Illuminati, the secret conspiracy group I am obsessed with researching. I don't neccessarily believe that Whitney Houston was killed by the Illuminati so Beyonce and Jay z's baby Blue Ivy could live, but the conspiracies surrounding this cult are blooming interesting!

Anyway to go with the article I decided to put together a shoot illustrating different symbolism related to the Illuminati and it's followers.

Here are some behind the scenes shots of hair and makeup:

I was inspired by celebrities that seem to always love covering one eye, think Lady Gaga and Rhianna, as well as the conspiracies surrounding the dollar bill and also Bathomet, the goat, half female, half male that is related to occultism and Satanism.

I am still playing around with my images, editing them and placing different ones together to see which works best, however here are some of the final outcomes so far:

Photography and Art Direction - Hannah Byrne (moi)
Model - Beth  Dowdell
Hair & Makeup - Rosie Mason

Future Perfect

So finally last Thursday we all handed in our Fashion Futures project. This I must say has been the most challenging Uni project to date. BUT I have definitely learnt a lot, including what fashion prediction really is, and scripting and producing websites on Adobe Flash in a rather stressful amount of time.

Fashion forecasting, is basically predicting the future, but as Li Edelkoort, the grand mother and god of prediction rightly says it's not about bing a mystic meg. If you think that the it colour everyones wearing this season just happened by coincidence, think again. There are companies such as MudPie (who came in to give us a talk on next years trends) and WGSN, who research and research and research looking at the world, politics, the streets, food, lifestyle.... and find the links to see how this will effect what we will want to be wearing. Everything influences us, the way we live and what we wear, and there are poeple who work this out and decide what will be big in seasons to come.

Although I am so glad to get this project out of the way, I found the whole fashion prediction thing interesting and pretty cool.

I went on holiday to Abu Dhabi this year and was completely amazed by the country and the culture of the UAE. This along with articles about the "Ramadam Gold Rush", my Arabic/Islamic trend started to develop. I wanted to look into whether Muslim women would ever start to experiment with colour and silhouette, whether they would dare to venture from the black cloaks, headscarves and burkas, and start to embrace the amazing design and colour of their country. I really got into my research and was surprised by a lot of the things I didn't know. I have always loved history and learning about the country and the culture was exciting.

Me and the boyf at the Grand Mosque.

Here is my Editorial layout.

Future Perfect Written Report

Muslim women in one of the richest countries in the world are slowly coming out from behind the veil and embracing western fashion. Their inspiration being the streamlined texture of Dubai, and the gold and glam of the lush leisure venues which attract the world’s elite.

The UAE is the second richest Arab nation and this is mostly definitely reflected in the tax-free regions lifestyle and design. With Mercedes and Ferrari’s, as well as being the home of some of the world’s most amazing architecture such as the Burj Khalifa and the Palm Islands. This is a playground for the rich and the flamboyant.

Although traditionally conservative, behind closed doors the Emiratis of the UAE are actually one of the most liberal countries in the Arab Nation. Foreign workers and expatriates make up three quarters of the UAE population, meaning the country is open and diverse when it comes to cultural influences. But, although very advanced in architecture, design and technology, the Arab women of the country are still quite restricted in the way they can dress, with the likes of their long black cloaks, headscarves and burkas. Yet Dubai is home to some of the greatest malls in the world, filled with the all the best names in couture fashion with Chanel, Dior and Mui Mui heading the list.

The Islamic traditions mean the women can only wear their expensive purchases under their cloaks, or in the privacy of their own home as religious culture dictates they reveal their beauty only to their husbands. However their Jimmy Choo heels, Vuitton handbags, perfect makeup and beautiful perfumes illustrate the underlining craving to express their style and love for fashion more openly. This desire has led to the emergence of Arabic women beginning to design and make clothes, and to even hold fashion shows, which at the moment are strictly women only affairs. And it doesn’t stop at just fashion. The media reveals more Arabic women are continuing their education, getting jobs and even being entrepreneurial with starting up their own businesses.

In just twenty short years, Dubai has turned from a vast desert, into an amazing built-up skyline. By the year 2020 this entrepreneurial and strong-minded approach will have gone through a number of evolutions, with one spin-off being the loosening of restrictions to allow Muslim women to be more expressive with their fashion sense. Muslim women living in the UK and other Western countries have already begun to experiment with colour, pattern and shape whilst still being modest. This is what will slowly begin to develop in the East especially countries such as the UAE, and in cities like Abu Dhabi and most definitely Dubai, who are already very forward thinking and liberal.

Although the Arab state of the UAE is a heavy consumer culture, the country is in advance and is already planning a more sustainable protection plan for the environment. It’s not news that the global dependence on oil has only a decade left of life, and the country is nothing if not forward thinking. The UAE is already building other revenue streams, such as tourism, investments, huge attractions and big business. The next big trend to keep it on the map could be setting Dubai’s status as a fashion capital.

Entrepreneurs and big business are using their funds to increase their passion for technology; for an idea think 3D printing, edible perfume, fabric grown from cellulose and bacteria, garment pieces created on looms rather than lay plans, fabrics and construction sourced in the UAE. Additionally, the Nuue project, which is a synthetic fibre that is pressure heated around a desired form to create a wound fibre 3D moulded garment with a flexible texture. Dubai, with its money, entrepreneurship and devotion to hedonism is an ideal place to trial new ideas in fashion and ecological technologies.

The female consumer will have a craving for style, the love of luxury, and the courage to push the boundaries of their faith. Men may also want a piece of the new technology action with similar influences and colour palette, however it will represent much greater strides for women, culturally and religiously. These women will need be strong, self-motivated and aware of what is going on in the world. They’ll respect and love their culture and religion, but want to bring it into the here and now and celebrate their traditions further. They love quality and opulence, and see luxury as a lifestyle. This indulgence in excellence and wanting the best will start to morph into women’s wear, with inspiration being taken from their innovative and awe-striking design and architecture. The Grand Mosque itself illustrating the feel of the trend, of the new and old coming together. The shapes will be simple yet intelligent, fluid yet structured.

The silhouettes from buildings will be sculptural and bold. Big shoulders, peplums and wide legged palazzo pants. Light and breathable materials such as cotton, linen, agra silk/cotton, jacquard silk and chiffon will be used to keep cool from the desert heat. Fabrics will also be of the highest quality, with the feel of luxury, gathering and layering emphasising the expense of the outfits. The Muslim religion is strong and therefore the rules of covering up flesh will still be in place, however with much more flare and modernism. The trend will be focused on the high fashion market, as the culture’s focus is mostly on the designer and excellence.

Although more muted and safer tones will still be in place such as dark navy blues, clays and rich browns, there will be an introduction of stronger more vivid tones inspired by the countries carpets, tapestries and traditional culture which will be placed tactically in order to regard their God’s wishes, but admire their ethnicity. There will be cerise pinks, gold, and bright blue, elaborating modernity on traditions. Light patterns will be printed onto the fabric inspired by the décor and lines of their construction. Embellishment will be strong from sequins and beads adorning the clothing, to lavish gold jewellery and headpieces.

This trend will be a cause of celebration of the balance between modernity and traditions, allowing Muslim women in the UAE to lift the veil on their strict religious practices and reveal their culture in its true colours.



Some of my photos from the Grand Mosque:

I really wanted to put the website presentation I created for this project, however I am still trying to figure how to do this!!!