Fashion , beauty and cancer cells.

I came across this article on creating a line of ball gowns inspired by cancer cells.

Take a look,

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2585493/A-fashion-line-inspired-disease-Theatre-professor-designs-gowns-look-like-microscopic-photos-cancer-cells.html

I feel this articles is very very interesting!

Inspiration for Photoshoot!

Searching for inspiration images for my photo shoot has been exciting!

I came across Sue Bryce - an Australian photographer who has been photographing women for over 25 years. She's says in the biography set ion of her website that she, 'wants to give women a feeling of being beautiful.  

 http://www.inbedwithsue.com/about-sue/

Sue met with Jill Brzenzinski-Conley, a 35 year old women with stage 4 incurable spread breast cancer that has now spread to her bones and invited her to take part in a high fashion style shoot in Paris.

Jill says of the experience, 'I felt like Cinderella, not a breast cancer patient, they made me feel like a supremodel'.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2274504/Sue-Bryce-photography-Double-mastectomy-patient-Jill-Brzezinski-Conley-poses-stunning-fashion-shoot.html

I feel that the images taken are amazing, they depicted a woman without a care in the world. They creates a sense of empowerment.

Images taken from Daily Mail website.

Videographer Hailey Bartholomew also followed both Sue and Jill during their journey to Paris and produced a video. 

Click link for video http://vimeo.com/57648966

Bigger, brighter eyes!

 Charlotte Tilbury, has gone where no other make up artist has gone before!!

Her recent press release is a make-up box with a step by step video tutorial embed within the lid of the box. Talk about innovation!

Tilbury's first collection was released in August last year and it has been a firm favourite amongst many. In co-ordination with the release of the products, an online tutorial is also released. However this time she has combined the two together.

http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/news-features/TMG10724102/Is-Charlotte-Tilburys-make-up-box-with-a-video-the-best-press-release-ever.html

Brillant Idea!!

Location, Location, Location!!

I have been out this morning to look for possible locations where I could possibly photograph my advertising campaign. This mornings visit was to Sefton Park and Lark Lane. I came across this section of the Park before which I thought was fantastic and very beautiful. 

Who would have thought this is Liverpool? 

Fairy Glen - Sefton park

Fairy Glen - Sefton Park

Fairy Glen - Sefton Park

fairy Glen - Sefton Park

The Iron Bridge - Sefton Park - I need to discover what is down there.  I didn't feel brave enough on my own but I feel this could produce some very interesting shots.

Fairy Glen & iron Bridge in Sefton Park

Fairy Glen - Sefton Park

Fairy Glen - Sefton park.  Luckily It was sunny this morning, and I love how the sun is shining through the gap , it makes the place seem very whimsical 

Lark lane - I feel that Anthropologie would seem such a fitting store to be placed here. As the brand philosophy is about culture and human behaviour, Lark Lane is full of different cultures, a very bohemian place.

 Liverpool has been used on so many occasions to shoot different feature films as the architecture is very similar to London. Why not use, whats on my doorstep and show how diverse this city is.

I will also be visiting several others locations within the city.

At present, I am in the process of meeting with different photographic studios to organise the campaign aspect of the project, to be photographed professionally.

 I began by the search by posting adverts on both Gumtree and Twitter . The response I received was outstanding, there is so much undiscovered talent in this industry. I am hoping to shoot the campaign within the next 2-3 weeks, after I have installed my window display. 

In the meantime, I have been producing mood boards for both the make-up artists and hair stylists who will assist me with the shoot and I have also produced a mood board for the style of campaign that I want to portray.

Initial concepts for Window display

Initial concepts have started to come together for the window display. Using the theme of cancer cells I have inteprated this theme using recycled materials.

The reason behind his is, Anthropolgie use a lot of recycled materials within their window displays. Paper is featured heavily within their displays, in particular old books. The brand prove that a big budget is not needed to produce such eye catching and spectacular window displays.

 I am going to take inspiration from this and use as much recycled material within my project in particular the window display.

Below is a link displaying a whole variety of Anthropolgie windows which are made from recycled materials.

http://retaildesignblog.net/2011/08/10/anthropologie-window-displays/

Anthropolgie Window display - Recycling tyres for Earth Green day 2011

Suspended rocks - Autumn 2012

Milk cartons

I have began to experiment using different house hold objects that can be recycled, to produce a variety of samples that I could eventually develop further into a window display.

Below is a series of initial concepts that I have began to work upon in preparation for my final outcome.

Initial concept sketch showing inspiration images,  sample and sketches

Another initial concept sketch, showing inspiration image, sketch with annotation and possible merchandise.

So…how does your £3 nomakeupselfie donation help Cancer research?…well let me tell you...

Today, Thursday 20th March I went to the Cancer Research Institute in Manchester. I wanted to understand the process of how cancer develops and I also wanted to know more knowledge about the disease and how it can be treated.

Stuart Pepper, Chief laboratory Officer, introduced himself to the group and I. Luckily it was only a small group of 4 of us , myself and 3 others, who wanted to see the facilities as they are holding a fund raising event through their employers.

The Manchester Institute, started before Cancer research Uk and the site has over a hundreds years heritage into the research of cancer.

£12m per year is raised to help fund the Institute and this helps to govern a group of 12 research groups , which eventually will be expanding to 17 groups. The research groups are made up of 250 scientists. The Institute is situated next to Christies hospital, Manchester and is affiliated with the University of Manchester.

Due to the funding raised via Cancer research UK , the institute is a very independent due to this. Through the research, they are trying to understand cancer, find new ways to treat and diagnose it  which in turn leads to patient  benefits and they also also trying to detect cancer earlier.

Statistic time!

In the UK 333,000 people are diagnosed with cancer. This means 1 in 3 people will develop during their life time and this will result in 1 in 4 deaths. There are over 200 different types of cancer. (Cancer Research UK, 2014)

THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING HOW CELLS WORK

Every minute of each day the following cells are produced

• 300 million new red blood cells 
• 12,000 new gut cells
• 40,000 new skin cells

This is a tight control process and its the process of how our bodies work. In order for this process to work , proteins inside the cells sends signals.

These signals are controlled by DNA , this is made up of a double helix and is known as a human GENO (very important!!)  Damage to the DNA results in a domino effect.

Cancer happens when the instructions inside the cells are faulty. it takes only one cell for this whole sequence to go wrong and this results in a tumour/ cancer growth.

Any way , enough of the scientific theory, however to understand the tour properly you need to understand the background knowledge of how cancer develops.

So here is images from todays tour. A very big thank you to Stuart Pepper, Steve Bagley and of course Hannah Leaton. It has certainly helped me understand things more clearer.

Cancer cell image inside the stairwell - loved the separate panels, hmmm i feel inspired!

Microscope which takes magnifies the cells and takes photographs of the cell development over a 5 day period. this is crucial research as it shows how a call develops over a time period

same microscope as above. These are houses underneath the main offices in the basement and have to be kept at a certain temperature in order for the cells to reproduce.

Another imaging microscope

Cancer cell imaging in process

Slide of a liver cancer cell with added dye to enable the naked eye to see it

this slide has over 100 different cells formations on it.

cancer cell imaging in process

This is another microscopic imaging machine. This image shows how a cell travels which s also key into research. 

A whole room was taken up by this huge microscope (same as above) Laser light beams are used to enable the scientists to get a closer look inside.

Manchester Institute of Cancer research.

Site of new Manchester Cancer research centre being built. I was shown into the visitors centre, were an artists impression and slideshow was shown. The design also integrates the community and allows them to participate in visiting the centre.

Right this is such an important part of cancer research. This machine is a GENO machine. It helps to find out what causes the GENO within a person to make them develop cancer.. This machine costs £250,000 and is used 4 times a month, once a week or 52 times a year.  Over 20,000 people are treated at Christies each year and by using the GENO machine, this helps determine the exact treatment to use to help treat that persons particular cancer.

A scientist within the lab!

Inside the Lab

This robot will decanter out experiments into small petri dishes (see images to gain an insight into how small the space is) This robot costs around £160,000 and can decanter over 96 samples at once.

An example of petri dishes used within the robot above.

More samples of petri dishes

Another example of petri dishes. This sample can hold over 196 experiments. This enables different drugs to be added to a particular cancer sample to experiment how the drugs reacts and whether it is successful or not.

Name badge and research report 2012-13.

By donating to cancer research Uk, your donation will go towards laboratories like the one shown above. The insight after today's tour has helped me understand even more about the disease. 

A very very big thank you to all at the Manchester Institute for allowing me to take my own photographs on the tour and also for their time and help.

Now, Lets get creative!!!!

'nomakeup' Selfie drives awareness campaign!

#nomakeupselfie - Me, my daughter & dad xx

“Cancer is out there so awareness needs to be raised and I think the selfies are a great way to do it.

                                                                                                 Karl Riley, 2014

(as quoted in http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/think-cancer-awareness-selfies-taking/story-20829056-detail/story.html#ixzz2wRTqtNqY)

Over the past 24 hours, what has saw as one person's 2 minutes of harmless fun, has turned into a nation wide awareness campaign for cancer awareness.

#nomakeupselfie now has its own facebook group 'entitled 'No Make Up Selfie For Cancer Awareness and with over 150,0000 like and hundreds of uploaded photos showing women fresh faced and wearing 'no make up'. However as men are feeling a little left out, the reverse has happened and pictures of men WEARING MAKE UP have started to follow.

This shows the magic of social media and how strong a message can be broadcasted across the different social media channels.  Following on from the recent 'neknomination' craze that hit facebook last month, this latest craze has attarcted clebertites to foolow suit an a spokesperson for Cancer research UK commented saying:

 “We’ve been asked quite a lot overnight whether this was something started by us – unfortunately it wasn’t. However we welcome anything that raises a cancer awareness, so we certainly fully support the no make-up selfie campaign.”

However, there has been a series of negative backlash to the campaign. Many say that selfie ‘s can’t cure cancer, so why bother?

A selfie may not cure cancer, but this craze has got you talking? Like it or loathe it, it has attracted a series of donations that Cancer Research UK will benefit from as the saying goes, ‘Any publicity is good publicity!’

I have collected together a series of selfie’s from some of my friends and family, so a BIG THANK YOU to you all!

#nomakeupselfie - Kelly

#nomakeupselfie - Meg

#nomakeupselfie - Laura

#nomakeupselfie - Zoe & her mum 

#nomakeupselfie - Leanne

#nomakeupselfie - jojo 

#nomakeupselfie MAN STYLE - Ricky Gervais

#nomakeupselfie MAN STYLE - the lovely chris!!

#nomakeupselfie

A big thank you to all my friends and family for their permission in allowing me to use their photos!

to donate follow this link - http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/

or text BEAT to 7099 which gives a £3 donation!