References for XScL Photography

Emily87

Had a lovely first shoot with Andrew in the Scottish Highlands last month he made me feel very relaxed and confident would definitely recommend a photoshoot with him.

Keira Lavelle

My first Scottish tour post-pandemic/lockdown madness... It was all a bit up in the air and almost new territory hitting the road again for several days working on the go! 🙈 Part of me was like: will I even know what to do anymore? 😂 But; I have to say that having familiar lovely faces to work with on the trip made an entire universe of difference for me. ☺️ Thus I can’t thank Simon enough for feeling confident enough to get on board for a shoot during my trip and make more magical images as we have always done on past shoots! My reference will be largely repeating what I have said before - that basically this gent is a total pleasure to work with!

Now: summer time in the Highlands... What could possibly go wrong. 😂 Except as a native Yorkshire lass myself: I know only too well that these beautiful hilly landscapes hold a tendency to be VERY unpredictable when it comes to weather. All year round! Nonetheless - Simon and I remained in communication in the lead up to our shoot (Simon always communicates well and likes to be brilliantly organised) and it was actually looking very positive forecast-wise. That is; up until the very last moment! 🙈 I think the only other time I’ve seen rain like this was in Mexico during a monsoon burst! Similar temperature funnily enough as it wasn’t cold at all... Just WET WET WET. Alas; did we let that stop us? Not at all! 🙂 We headed up to the location as planned, and just went for it - taking breaks if we needed and just making the best out of the situation. As it happened: the intense rain actually added a very atmospheric feel to the images that you just couldn’t recreate if you tried! It was a very unique effect, and despite us both looking like drowned rats by the end of the shoot, it made for remarkable artistic on-the-spot inspo which is very much what location work is about and why I love it. 😃 Fair play to Simon for being wiling and ready to take that plunge and adapting to the environment, even though heavy rain poses quite the challenge for a photographer!

Second location was a pretty river - the rain had settled (a bit) by this point. However; we found a whole army of keen campers right at the section where we wanted to work! (Rude!) so once again - we improvised and took a little hike up to a slightly quieter area of the stream and river systems. As a result; we got some beautiful images in the water and across the heather - I feel like the obstacles actually enticed us to possibly think more on our toes and subsequently be more creative maybe? The teamwork was real though, and we were bouncing off each other like no mans business. 😁

So a quality shoot pulled out of what could have been a complete flop! It just goes to show the value of having that good rapport and working with people willing to make it work - as Simon is.

On top of the rest; he was great company for the afternoon! Simon is a total good egg with his heart in the right place. He approaches his shoots with total professionalism and always wants the model to feel comfortable working with him. 🙂 We’ve always got SO MUCH to chat about - it’s also good fun!

So thank you so much once again Simon! And I do hope we get to catch up again before long. 😃

Keira

Aurora Violet

My fourth session with Simon outdoors on location, this time up around the Aviemore area doing some fashion, art nude and erotic nude in the wilds. We enjoyed another wonderful shoot together.

Simon was on time to meet me off the train and had scouted some fabulous places beforehand for us to shoot at that made awesome locations to get creative at. His pre shoot communications were spot on and during shooting he is great at giving direction but also takes into account any ideas you may put forward.

The weather was not so kind to us to begin with as the day started off rather dull and damp however we were positive and we worked with what we had and then as if by magic it turned into a lovely afternoon. Simon likes a challenge though and even with the tricky weather either too bright or not enough light he will revaluate his settings and surroundings to get the best result possible. He also knows that I am more than happy to pose in all weather situations and love a challange also.

Simon is very friendly, welcoming and such a lovely person to spend your time working alongside with some great banter and alot of laughs. He is professional and we always have a nice relaxed but also productive shoot. The time always goes so fast though and this shoot flew by.

Respectful and always looking out for your safety. Making sure you are warm enough and happy with everything at all times.

I highly recommend Simon to all creatives. Don't miss out.

You will have a lovely shoot with a really energetic and passionate photographer who will go out of his way for you and is looking to produce some excellent images. Can't wait to see some of the final results.

Again another fun and postive shoot.

Looking forward to next time.

Thanks again Simon,

Aurora :)

ChloeSLM

Had a lovely shoot with Simon, and looking forward to working woth you again real soon. Would highly recommend.

KourtneyM

This is my second time working with Simon and it was excellent again! We had a lovely shoot in the beautiful Scottish highlands and we got through quite a few sets before the end of our shoot. I can’t wait to see the images and I highly recommend Simon to any other model 😊 thanks again for another great photoshoot!

ShaunaG

Had my first shoot with Simon today. He instantly put me at ease, gave me lots of helpful advice and was a real treat to work with. He was very creative particularly when me and tree didn't see eye to eye. Can't wait to see the shots. I would highly recommend him and look forward to working with him again.

AccebeR26 said...

I had the pleasure of working with simon again. Very respectful and gave me some good tips. Had good fun playing around with lighting. Looking forward to seeing what we have created.

Keira Lavelle

This was my second shoot with the lovely Simon and a total contrast to what we had done before! This shoot was more “studio style” taking place at Simon’s own place in Inverness. Considering the concept we were shooting, Simon put things in place and prepared very well for the messiness that was to come! An idea that I wouldn’t dream of suggesting that a photographer executes in their own home, so fair play and full credit to Simon for being ready to go for it! We achieved some stupendous images too! :D

The general brief that we focused on this time largely involved poster paint. At a lot of the stuff! It was a concept that Simon had shot before and wanted to explore further, and certainly something creatively fun for me to get stuck into on my Scottish tour so it was full speed ahead: after just a few easy emails (as it was before with Simon) we were all set to take on the splodge! :P I’d come across from Aberdeen that day with it being a “travel between cities day” and Simon was kindly on-hand with lifts and drop-offs to help me out massively. Even though we commenced shooting straight after he had finished work! Working through the hectic-ness and as Simon efficiently multi-tasked to also have something to eat and re-arrange his house in-between the other prep, all while transitioning from work mode to creative mode: the shooting began and before long there was colour galore on the messy marathon which saw us nail several different “looks” as it were achieving very different results in each! :D It was challenging stuff! Even though at first glance you think it’s a relatively simple concept shooting the body at different crops in different states of “paint dressing” there was a lot to think about from exerting the best out of the space and lighting resources, to Simon framing each shot carefully and then knowing when to cease as the paint gradually went with gravity!! Plus the repetitive cycle of creating dust-sheet stepping stones to the bathroom to clean off before the paint touched anything it shouldn’t! There was EPIC levels of thinking power on this shoot for sure, but we smashed a great system and the killer images just kept coming. :D Top appreciation to Simon for his prep on such an idea because you are certainly relying on the photographer to have essentials in place to tend to the things you’re going to face with such a complex style of image. Even though you look at the pictures at probably think; oh yes, paint on the body... What could go wrong? :P It’a largely a case of implementing things behind the scenes to be able to shoot something like this as efficiently as we did.

The images in the back of the camera massively spoke for themselves. :) Because it was mostly “parts and sections” of the body, it was very much on Simon to seize each moment nicely after I poured the paint. Often it was a case of “catching the right second” and being highly aware of all the other elements of making a good photo whilst all the other stuff is going on! Needless to say; Simon has a brilliant eye for a lush photograph (as well as the awesome thinking power to initiate the shoot concept!) The yield was pretty next-level to be fair, and reflects highly on Simon’s drive and creative interest in his photography. :)

As I’ve noted previously: Simon was professional, accommodating and courteous towards me at all time’s making for a nice and comfortable/safe working atmosphere. We chatted a huge amount as we worked as well which always brightens the vibe... It’s always nice to catch up, especially when you’ve shot a previous time and get filled in on one others creative pursuits between shoots. :D He’s a great guy who I would happily recommend to any model... We’ve now shot in two different shooting situations, and I’ve only good things to say about both occasions.

Thank you so much Simon, until a third shoot? :D

Keira

Seren Wise

I had a very positive shoot with Simon today while on my Scotland tour. He collected me from my train and we drove into the countryside to some quiet locations to shoot. Despite the very changeable weather conditions we got some lovely shots, which I look forward to seeing.

Simon was kind and respectful throughout, and even put me up for the night on his comfy sofa bed! His attitude is very professional and organised, and I have no hesitation in recommending him to other models :)

AccebeR26 said...

I had a very nice evening with Simon, he is very chatty which eased my nerves and has a good sense of humour. He gave me good feedback and tips. He also helped me carry my shoes as there was alot of mud 😂. More than happy to work with Simon again and look forward to having more shoots with him.

KourtneyM

I had a great shoot together up in the highlands! I think we got some great shots despite the Scottish weather and all the midges bugging us lol! I definitely recommend him and I would work with Simon again.

Thanks again for a great shoot,

Kourtney

Aurora Violet

I really enjoyed my shoot with Simon on location yesterday doing some art nude and more erotic nude also. We had a really fun afternoon and it was lovely meeting up with Simon again since the last shoot we did was about five years ago.

Simon is so friendly, such a gentleman, confident, organised and very professional. He picked me up at the train station and got me back on time for my train home.

He had looked out a couple of great locations and the weather actually stayed nice and dry for us throughout starting to rain just as we finished, how about that. Also Simon always has a few ideas up his sleeve and is good at giving direction but happy for you to pose freely.

We had a productive time with some fabulous results.

I highly recommend Simon to all creatives, do not miss out on the opportunity to work with him, he produces lovely work and is such a nice person, knowledgeable, fun and always looking out for your well being. You will walk away with a smile and have a superb shoot.

Thanks once again Simon.

Until next time,

Aurora :)

Scottishbelle

Applied for simons casting call

We met up in huntly

Travelled to a abandoned house and farm

Did a great shoot few diff styles clothing

Simon was friendly chatty and felt comfortable with him

We had a lovely sunny day for the location shoot and can’t wait see the finished images

Keira Lavelle

First time shooting with Simon, and a lovely/almost unexpected one actually because when we first got chatting I was very much under the impression that he was still based on Shetland - which would have been a great deal more challenging to incorporate into my usual Scotland tour routes of course! Instead, we enjoyed a very productive shoot around the Inverness area with a selection of spectacular locations which Simon had picked out with good knowledge for landscape beauty as well as privacy from spectators which were just perfect for the shots we were going for.

The first location we went to (huge rock formations) was almost like a prehistoric scene - amazing rocks for me to clamber all over and Simon would carefully frame up in each moment to get the very best shots. He faced challenges with the dull skies/too strong a backlight from some angles but persevered with the set to draw out a beautiful picture from the scene with the best level of impact. Location photography is undoubtedly the most challenging because you just have to work with what is given to you on the day, you cannot hire the ideal weather or lighting conditions so fair play to Simon who looked around and analysed the shots from top to bottom in order to generate some lovely art nude in the dramatic landscape images. We then moved on to further places including a little roadside farmhouse and a nature-trek/loch with dozens of interesting opportunities. We did become blessed by some sun peeping out occasionally by this point and Simons friend who assisted on the shoot was amazing as she helped with holding reflectors and then also quickly passing me my big coat to warm up in-between sets. Teamwork considerably increases the productivity level because without it, you could have several people all singing of different hymn cards and not a lot getting done as a result, but when teamwork comes together and the minds work incognito with each other, you nail what you came to do in no time at all. :D Some of the places I was posing were occasionally difficult to frame, sometimes the sun was just a few degrees too far around, sometimes a bit of foliage was just photobombing the view... But it always came together and the photographs looked magical.

Simon is a respectful and decent guy who I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to other models. :) He communicates well in the pre-shoot period where you're planning all the details and always got back to me promptly which is a god-send if you are running on a tour and might have several shooting sessions in that area to coordinate. He kindly collected me from my accommodation where I was staying in Inverness and dropped me off again afterwards which was a huge help. He's got awesome visions with his photography work and has genuine artistic interest in making imagery which tells some kind of a story/has artistic value. I have only seen the shots out of the back of the camera, but they look pretty awesome indeed. :)

Thank you ever so much Simon. You guys were fab to work with, I hope we can do it again in the future!

Keira

Belle Eve

When Simon gave me the opportunity to travel to the Shetland islands to work with him I couldn't refuse

I think it's only right to start by thanking Simon for this wonderful opportunity, for showing us ( Miss Sassy su came too) around the island and for a wonderful day.

We spend most of the day on several beaches around the beautiful island, doing a large range of images throughout the day, from swimwear and fashion to Miss Sassy shooting art nude (I played look out) whether it was in the sea ( wich I still can't believe I got in!) to climbing in and around sand dunes.

Overall it was a fantastic experience to travel to such a wonderful place and to work such a great photographer.

If you get the chance to work with this man please take it!

I highly recommend.

Much love,

Eve

Saskya

Super sandy shoot in Shetland with Simon! After surviving the ferry to Shetland myself, Simon and La Belle Eve had a fun shoot on the gorgeous beaches. We shot loads of ideas in beautiful locations either individually or myself and La belle eve as a duo.

Would recommend Simon 100% to all models. Looking forward to see the edits. Thank you for showing us around the island :)

PeachPeach

Lovely shoot! XScL was patient and fun to work with!

Chealsie Victoria

Had an amazing first shoot with Simon, Unfortunately i'm leaving this review over a year later as I got locked out of my purpleport account! Sorry Simon!

The shoot was so relaxed and I felt really comfortable and shot lingerie for the first time ever with Simon. He gave me direction and was happy to focus on some of my ideas and his own. I received a lot of final images and was really happy with the outcome.

Thanks a lot and keep up the good work, would highly recommend!

Melissa waters said...

Today was my second shoot with Simon, this time on location in two lovely abandoned buildings!

Once again was full of chatter and the time just flew in.

I suggest you get a shoot in before he disappears to the forgotten land.

Would still recommend.

kereecolville

Had a shoot with Simon last week, absolutely lovely person, made me feel very at ease! Would highly recommend! The photos were lovely too.