A test shoot with April, mostly an excuse to get out at sunset, have a chat and make some portraits with no plan beyond that.


New location, one neither of us had shot before. Half the point was the exploring, seeing what a place has when you turn up without a shot list and follow whatever the light and the setting suggest.


The outfit did a lot of the work. A pintucked mauve dress over a high sheer collar, textured knit, a braided updo. The details were the thing I kept coming back to, the buttons down the front, the ring, the way the fabric caught the low light. Half the frames ended up being hands and collar and the back of a neck rather than a face.


The lilies were a beautiful surprise. A whole area of them at the new spot, and April moving through them in that mauve made the colours sit together in a way I couldn't have planned.


Sunset never really arrived. It clouded over before the good light did, but there was a window before it went where the silhouettes worked, one figure against a bare tree on the ridgeline. Sometimes the weather not cooperating is what hands you the frame you wouldn't have looked for.


That's the case for shooting with no plan now and then. You find the location, you find what the outfit wants to do, you follow an impulse into a field of lilies. The photos come from paying attention on the day rather than executing a list.


— Tony

Woman in purple medieval dress leaning against birch tree in autumn park setting.
Close-up of a woman wearing a mauve pleated vest with buttons over a cream lace blouse, adorned with a gold ring.
Woman in purple vintage dress leaning against birch tree in autumn park setting.
Woman in purple dress and lace boots twirling outdoors among autumn trees on green grass.
Woman in mauve skirt holding bare tree branch in green field at dusk with dramatic cloudy sky.
Woman with braided updo hair accessory and neck tattoo wearing cream cable-knit sweater outdoors.
Woman in cream cardigan leaning against tree with eyes closed in golden hour light outdoors.
Woman in purple dress leaning against birch tree in lush green woodland setting.
Woman in vintage dress with hand on chest wearing gold ring, standing outdoors near trees in soft light.
Woman in purple pinafore dress stands among white calla lilies in a lush garden, viewed from behind.
Woman in mauve dress among white calla lilies in lush green garden, hands in hair, serene outdoor portrait.
Woman surrounded by white calla lilies in a garden at sunset, looking up thoughtfully with hand on chest.
Woman in vintage mauve dress with lace collar, hands touching her upswept hair, photographed from behind outdoors.
Woman in mauve dress standing among white calla lilies in a lush garden, looking upward peacefully.
Silhouette of a woman in a flowing dress standing near a bare tree at sunset on a grassy hill.
Silhouette of a woman in a flowing dress and hat dancing near a bare tree at sunset.
Silhouette of a woman dancing in a flowing skirt at sunset near a bare tree in an open field.
Close-up of two people embracing, wearing vintage Victorian-era purple and white linen dresses with button details.
Woman in vintage purple dress fastening buttons, wearing a ring, with white lace sleeves visible.
Woman in vintage purple and cream grid blouse fastening the back neckline with both hands, rear view.
Woman gazing upward among white calla lilies at sunset, surrounded by lush green foliage in a serene garden.

25th July, 2026

PORTRAITS WITH APRIL, NO PLAN

PORTRAIT
Woman in vintage cream gown standing among lush green trees in a moody outdoor forest setting.

11th April, 2026

SUNSET PORTRAITS WITH APRIL AT HAMILTON GARDENS

PORTRAIT