A few recent shoots I've put together as collage sheets - by no means exhaustive but containing quite a few of my favourite shots over the past couple of years. See more on Flickr. 

For 2014 I want to completely focus this year on Black & White and Infra-Red images only.

Stylistically I want to go for Victorian and early 20th Century looks and themes. I want to incorporate historically accurate clothing/lingerie as well as occult themes (see the work of historical photographers such as: Man Ray, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Henry Fox Talbot. Or modern photographers e.g.: Kristmort, Sarachmet, Michał Mozolewski, Ellen Rogers etc.)

I want to be able to collate my work over the next couple of years into material geared towards exhibition and a book (as such I'll need releases to be signed).

These shoots will be TF* only I'm afraid. I may be able to contribute to travel fees if they are reasonable. Please only apply if you feel you are suitable for the roles, agree to the conditions and will actually follow through with a booking. I do not mind working with new or established models but please be aware I am on a shoestring budget for the foreseeable future.

The casting is open to male models, female models and bands. Contact me on MM, Purpleport, Facebook or via this website. You can also see more examples of this kind of work on my Flickr page or the galleries on my official website. 

'Bah! Humbug' - Model: Scissor Doll

'Happy Halloween!' - Model: Scissor Doll

'Zebra' - Model: Scissor Doll

'

'Talanas Promo Shoot' - Model: Alivya V Free

'Ghost' - Model: Alivya V Free

'White Room' - Model: Alivya V Free

'Tease' - Model: Scissor Doll

'Soviet Burlesque' - Model: Scissor Doll

'Double Exposure' - Model: Scissor Doll

'Gothic Boudoir' - Model: Scissor Doll

'Summer Infra-Red' - Model: Scissor Doll

'Thornton Abbey In Infra-Red'

Featuring:

Scissor Doll
Alivya V Free
Talanas

'Memento Mori' - © Imago Mortis Photography 2013

As you can see, there have been some changes to the site. My old server added annoying adverts without telling me, and I got sick of the look of the old site. So now, following on from my webzine (http://www.intravenousmag.co.uk – go take a look!) I decided to integrate my Imago Mortis site into my Adversaria blog and merge the two into one.

There are still tweaks to be made here and there, and some pages still need to be uploaded, but overall I'm liking the new look.

I've also deleted some old profiles and created some new ones. Have a look in the LINKS section to visit... or if you're lazy, just look below:

www.facebook.com/imagomortis

www.modelmayhem.com/745193

www.purpleport.com/portfolio/imagomortis

imago-mortis.redbubble.com

www.flickr.com/photos/imagomortisuk

So this year I've got a few shoots under my belt and there is talk of more. Which is always positive.

First of all I did a burlesque themed shoot with Scissor Doll. It was originally supposed to be a quick test shoot to try out some new lights I bought. Anyway we got into it and ended up with A LOT of photos.

First of all I shot some with Scissor Doll's natural short and spikey hair and edited the pictures in a way that, to me anyway, had a hint of the 1980s. For the second lot, Scissor Doll got her new black dropped wig and let her inner Dita Von Teese out. The results I think are some of the best pictures I've ever shot. I liked them so much I did an alternative edit of every shot. This time, rather than just opting for the low-key black and white look, I took my inspiration from ManRay and decided to give the pictures a semi-solarised look.

The second shoot of the year also turned into a three-parter. It was the first time I'd shot with my friend Alivya for a few years and it was well worth the wait. I bought some 1950's underwear for her especially for the occasion and I think Liv found them quite comfy.

First we shot some infra-red pictures in what was, in hindsight, inadequate lighting. I could have done with a fill flash or something really. But the final shots after editing came out rather spooky and cool. For the next lot of pictures we used the camera with no filter and went for a classic black and white look. Finally I got the phone out and got some low-fi shots to edit in Vignette and Pixlr. Again I'm really happy with all of the results.

All the new sets are available to view in the gallery page in the MODELS slideshow, or you can visit my flickr page HERE.

All photographs © Imago Mortis Photography

Model Links:

Scissor Doll

Alivya V. Free

It has been announced that the Teutonic Industrialists will have their album back on display in their nation's record shops. The album Liebe ist fur alle da was banned in Germany after the office for the examination of media harmful to young people (BpjM) declared it (and the song Ich tu de weh) harmful to children and a glorification of violence and unprotected sex. This decision has been reversed by a Cologne court who were convinced by the band's record label Universal, to allow the original album back into shops.

Universal in the meantime had reissued a censored version of the album minus the offensive song and explicit artwork that featured the band in a variety of sadistic scenes. The court ruled in favour of the band stating that the BpjM did not have the right to put the album on the restricted list and that they did not justify their argument sufficiently to show the album would be damaging to the sexual development of children. They also said that the song Ich tu de weh contained surrealistic hint of the actions and not detailed accounts.

The BpjM will prepare an appeal against the decision, meanwhile Rammstein's fans in Germany may enjoy the No 1. selling album in the original and uncensored form.

So atristic freedom has won out in Germany. It's interesting to note that only Ich tu de weh was banned in Germany. Perhaps the English lyrics in Pussy just passed them by. But it is one of those situations where you can't help but think that with an explicit album such as this, why bother? The band's fans are rabid and they can always get an import off ebay, so why fight it?

Either it's all OK, or none of it is...

This article on Wired has got me thinking a little about the declining newspaper circulation in the UK. Essentially Japan has the highest newspaper circulation in the world, or close to it considering the size of the country. I'm sure you don't need to be told that the Japanese are also mad about their comics. They already have Adult, Horror, Sci-Fi, Childrens, and Fantasy comics published daily in print and online... so why not current affairs? Manga No Shimbun (Manga Newspaper), is an online newspaper that presents it's stories in a variety of manga styles to suit the tone of the story (serious stories get the realistic look and lighter news gets a more cutesy or stylized treatment etc.).

The challenge for the artists must be huge. I know that Japenese society is built on a very industrious foundation, but carpal tunnel syndrome must be rife in its comics and animation industry. Not to mention how one would begin to condense a major tragic event into a panel of drawings and speech bubbles.

The fact that the newspaper also has mobile phone/iphone applications to let you view the daily editions is a great way of getting the news to an ever increasingly digitized populous. Although many papers are accessible via the web and many have iphone apps the combination of a pictorial based product is an intriguing thought. Would this work in the west – I know there is a strong following of comics and Japanese culture in Europe and the USA, so an international division may not be a bad idea.

I know there is the temptation to say “But it's dumbing down/It's killing the language!” but it isn't is it? We already have 60 second TV and radio news giving us the day's bulletins in quick digestible bites, so I can't see how this would be much different. Besides, think of the acclaimed writers who are literary geniuses that work in comic books – Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, Alan Moore. If you base the product in good journalistic practice and accompany it with engaging visuals then maybe people will seek out more information, and then where would they go? Well it would have to be to a print or digital newspaper.

If it turns people back on to current affairs, that can only be a good thing right?

Wired article - Have a look at their translated comic pages in the article by by moving you mouse over the pictures.

http://www.newsmanga.com
Translated by Google

This is a transferred post from my previous wordpress blog published on: Oct 10, 2008.

It has emerged that former Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids bassist and Unpop artist Gidget Gein has died.

Gidget (real name Brad Stewart) co-wrote many of Marilyn Manson's early songs and played on the 1994 debut album Portrait of an American Family. He is also credited as the main influence behind the early visual aesthetic of the band.

After being forced out of the band on the eve of the release of the album, Brad moved to New York and formed his own art-rock band The Dali Gaggers, and released one album; Confessions of a Spooky Kid. After moving back to his home state of Florida, Gein worked as a 'bag boy' for the coroner's office, which he recorded on his official website http://www.gidgetgein.com/.

 

He mended the bridge with former bandmate Marilyn Manson and appeared in the video for (s)AINT along with a sculpture (later bought by the video's director, Asia Argento) entitled In Case of Emergency Break Heart.

He moved to Los Angeles in order to further persue his Art and Fashion, and became a member of the Unpop art movement (alongside such notoraries as Boyd Rice, and Adam Parfrey). He was exhibited at a number of shows in the Hollywood area, and made his art available through his fashion line Gollywood. Gidget's art dealt with alot of themes common to the unpop movement - degenerate art thematically heavy with aspects of American pop culture now swept under the carpet. In 2006 he appeared as Detective Jeffery Mourir in the film Black Dahlia. In 2007 he released three new albums of music and recently began playing live again as part of the band People.






The one constant in Gidget Gein's varied and artistic life was his battle with drug addiction and on the 9th of October 2008, it was a battle he finally lost.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gidget_Gein






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I had communicated with Gidget numerous times via his personal myspace page and had always found him to be a wonderfully polite, smart, witty, and obviously a very talented person. As a fan and admirer I am deeply saddend by this news and my heart goes out to his friends and loved ones.

RIP GG