Stables, a smithy, a hay cart, horses, a rooster and chickens, a vintage hearse replete with coffin and undertaker, a winchester rifle and hand gun, harness room, milk churns, and a pitchfork or two were all put to good use during our most recent Session Day event, ‘A Day at the Stables’, held at a farm in Ashton under Lyne on Saturday 20th July. A LOT OF FUN…….is probably the best word to sum up the entire event experience for all involved with so much going on across the five sets.
Our models for the day included Alan Andrew as the hillbilly, Miss Modesty Baird as the Black Widow (accompanied by her best accessory……….Dean Turner the Undertaker), Lauren Howell as the Equestrian, Amy Jones Curve Model as the Milkmaid, and Jonny Simpson as the Cowboy. Here is a selection of shots of each model taken by those who attended the event.
ALAN ANDREW by Sue Hartley/Notts CC
JONNY SIMPSON by Janice Barton/Warrington CC
MISS MODESTY BAIRD by Paul Bullock/Warrington PS
AMY JONES by Geoff Reader/Alsager CC
LAUREN HOWELL by Maggie Bullock/Warrington PS
It was another early start for the Session Days team to be on site and ready in time for the 8:00 AM model briefing and meeting. Lights set up and tested, urn filled and heating up, trestle table with drinks and biscuits laid out, signs on the roadside where to turn in to the farm complex and each model’s set carefully laid out with an alternative location for each set should the weather gods be against us.
The event started exactly on time as each set sprung into life. It wasn’t long before Alan was spotted on top of the hay cart wielding a pitchfork, and Amy was seen chasing a rooster around the coop. We were all introduced to Daisy the Wonder Horse who was paraded across each set and somehow managed to go through four packets of polo mints. A rather noisy stallion in the stables was very keen to make his presence felt at each set changeover with some masterful neighing which almost certainly accounted for the other four packets of polo mints.
By late morning, Alan had been seen falling out of a wheelbarrow and the rooster was becoming increasingly compliant every time Amy went to fetch it. Jonny had been seen with his six pack as well as his six gun, and Lynda was grieving uncontrollably for her imaginary loss. By the final set changeover it was time to serve ice cream cornets with a flake to each photographer. As the morning session ended, it was time to get ready for the afternoon arrivals………..a quick spot of lunch and a tidy up, recharge batteries, reset props and get ready to meet and greet.
The afternoon event kicked off in a similar vein. Alan wielding a hammer on to the anvil in the smithy and Lauren leading Daisy the wonder horse down the track at the side of the barn. Milder weather in the afternoon meant that ice creams went down well although what the customers didn’t see was the mild panic when we thought we were going to have to go out and buy more cornets. The sight of the undertaker serving ice creams was indeed one of the funnier moments of the day.
Our brand new foam board also made its first appearance as can be seen here as Graham and Emma posed with the horse that couldn’t quite reach the polo mints.
We did manage to get a shot of each photographer in their team with one of the models during both the morning and afternoon session, just for a bit of shameless publicity. You can see the full set below and the happy, smiling faces that show just what a fun time was had by all.
As the afternoon session came to a close and we said our goodbyes to the photographers, the cleanup operation began…………check the sets, general clean and tidy up, pack up all of the equipment, take down the signs, drive home and relax…………………or rather check on social media, create a new post, review the images being posted, update the website, and start planning the next event. You know we love our jobs!!!!
You can view behind the scenes video footage and stills from the event here.
Thank you to all the models and to those of you that came along. Your support always means a great deal to us.
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