Valentines +Vat

In many ways this day of the year disgusts me. Not for the concept of showing your feelings to you other half and remembering the reasons you are together. That part of the day I am fine with. What really annoys me is how commercialised Valentines day is. All over the place is advertisements stating that to show your feelings you should buy them a specified object for an extortionate price tag.

Even went to a gallery in Manchester that was supposedly a Valentine Theme, and half of it was selling flowers artistically arranged. Special made chocolates and over sickeningly lovey dovey things for prices I would never ever consider paying.

So to those couples who can spend Valentines together without spending insane amounts of money, to you I bow my head in respect. I have learnt a couple of things today. 1) If its a gallery with a Valentine Theme, then go to hell, I'm not going, and 2) Valentines day is a commercial holiday, and we should all do our part to stop it. Let people use this day for how it should be used, and not for making rich people richer.

More IMATS Images

Lovely Fella. Full of cheer and happiness

Full body art

One of my favourite Makeups of the event. So Shiny

Just a little bit mangary. A lovely lady though

Close up of the body art

This impressed me

Body Art clothes?

 Thought I'd put a few more images up from the IMATS convention. Gives a bigger perspective to all the different styles that where there.

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3461328/aesthetically-bullst?claim=ax34thdmq4q">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

IMATS 2012

  Imats 2012. How would I describe this. Hmm, a major import of some of the greatest selections of makeup brands around? True, it was. With brands like Inglots and Illamasqua being though to name just two. And Illamasqua offering upto 80% off who can complain. But lets face it, I didn't go there for that. I went to see how it was used on people. The different effects that where created by some of the best in the business, and I wasn't disappointed. From simple application of makeup to the use of prosthetics, IMATS had all I could hope for and more.

Makeup Artists Started from scratch, showing each and every careful step to a masterpiece. and then the models would walk around the show showing of the creations they have been transformed into.

With workshops also available showing the creation of the Harry Potter creations (Gnomes, Goblins, I don't know. The bloke who played Willow in the 80's movie who is also in Harry Potter). Anywhere, although my Harry Potter trivia is lacking, the skill at the event wasn't.

It wasn't all about people who are already professionals though. The show gave students a chance to show off their skill on a competition with a £1000 prize to the winner. The top 5 entries with given a chance to compete with the theme of fantasy creatures as the subject. Admittedly I disagreed with the results, but I'm hardly qualified to judge these things.

The event spanned two days. The 4th and 5th of February, and for anyone planning on going in the future to purchase makeup, I advise going early. With the discounts and brands there at was a mass of bodies literally fighting to get to the products on the big brand names if you turned up late. I arrived at 8:30am though and it was relatively calm then. Saying that I had to wake up at 3am to get there that time from Southampton.

The area's was big though, and plenty of food if you didn't mind cutting your makeup budget slightly for some munchies. Also a nice couch in the Pub style area just right for sleeping - Don't judge, 3:30am in the morning - and good place to rest and chat with friends.

All in All it was an amazing experience and completely worth going. I fully expect to be buying myself tickets for next years IMATS and to be booking myself into a London Hotel. 3:30am in the morning again - No chance.

My name is Daniel Richardson. I'm a photographer that specialises in the area's of Persona's and Light Pollution. I am interested in recreating an individual to create the person they can see themselves becoming or potentially being already. I look into this through the use of light, makeup, locations and of course photography.

I use a Nikon and a Bronica camera in my work and use photoshop to prep my images to internet use. I travel and visit events that interest me. I am not interested in the reviews that try and use the more academically accepted words to make an event more prefessional or intellectual. I want information in simple, blunt and useful terms, and I want to give that as well.

Hopefully I can give many informative reviews on events at regular intervals that cover a wide area of the arts, but I'll probably be biased and go mostly to the events that interest me the most with places such as photography galleries and makeup conventions. Here's to the future.