Kat in Digbeth, Birmingham

This Saturday I had the absolute pleasure of working with Kat, who I’ve been following on Instagram for some time. Before meeting up they told me they’d dyed their hair green and I was so excited after shooting Bonita with red hair. We arranged to meet in Digbeth because I’ve wanted to shoot with all the graffiti down there for awhile, but in almost the same way as Bonita’s shoot the morning had started throwing down rain so we were determined to make it work, even though I frustratingly and unknowingly left my super cool clear umbrella behind which would probably have helped.

We started shooting in the Custard Factory area outside the Zellig building in the little lowered seating area. Kat was keen to get shots to commemorate their new hair colour and I was happy to oblige. I think the colour really stands out and looks gorgeous. I wanted to work around this space more but with people coming and going (and cute kids wanting to see what we were doing) we didn’t spend too much time here so we moved to the outer area of the Custard Factory.

Kat had brought along a really cool Killstar jacket and bag (which I definitely coveted) and looked so cool with it up, framing their face and hair and giving separation from the background. The shopfronts work brilliantly here because they’re dark grey so the make for a moody scene. I also wanted to get this full body shot to get in the super cool spiderweb tights and New Rock boots, and love the lounging attitude of leaning on the planter.

I also wanted to practice my hand and movement and walking shots and I think Kat looks super cute walking in this area and again the Nikon Z7’s eye-focus really impressed me with it’s ability to keep up. The final shot in this little set is one of my favourites, and I love how their hair add’s a pop of colour whilst making it clear where we were shooting.

For the next two images I wanted to get a couple of shots of this incredible Love Rokx necklace Kat had brought with them. I can’t get over how cool it is, and it looks gorgeous against their tattoo. They sell out really quickly so make sure you’re keeping an eye on the website.

I really like this bridge area at the back of the Custard Factory and I’d definitely spend more time here next time. Because it was a Saturday there were lots of people and cars coming and going so we moved quite quickly through but Kat had the great idea to get up to the railings and it looks so cool, and I had to get a close up of those gorgeous boots too.

From here we wandered around the streets looking at the super cool murals and Kat said they’d like to shoot with these crushed cards which make an amazing backdrop and this skull looks really amazing, the pink colour compliment their hair. Also check out how awesome that little skeleton on their jacket looks!

When we found the green and purple mural we knew the colours would all look so good together and I was really glad when Kat was happy to crouch because it looks so good with the text around them. and we were lucky with how the wind caught their hair too. I also wanted to get these close up beauty shots which look so soft and the little flick and movement from the wind is gorgeous.

Just as Kat was wondering if there were any cool industrial steps around we came upon this fire escape at the back of a hotel. The light here was really soft in the shade and the bag compliments the outfit really well - it’s such a cool look. The only difficulty I had here was the same thing as always: the 85mm limits how much of the scene I can get in when it’s a small space and unfortunately the bottom of the stairs was gated in.

We carried on our little wander and I just happened to be nosing in a courtyard I’d not noticed before and saw this incredible open-sided caravan. I knew straightaway I wanted to photograph it. How could I not, it’s a photographers dream! I definitely need to go back and do a full shoot around this thing if I’m allowed. I popped my head around the door and asked the man inside if he was happy for us to take a few shots and thankfully he was. What I’ve found so far on my portrait journey is that people are generally accommodating if you just ask.

I love everything we created together but these have to be some of my faves; the colours, the vibe, how Kat looks, everything.

By this point the rain was well and truly on its way so it was time for us to call it quits, but not before Kat suggested this cheeky shot down by the canal. I couldn’t decide whether I like the closer shot or the framed shot better so I’ve included both! The graffiti here both on the wall and on the floor looks really cool, and the industrial setting is super cool too.

Overall I really loved this shoot and even though the weather was less than ideal at times I had a lot of fun and the time flew by. I can’t thank Kat enough for coming all the way down from Manchester, and was also glad we got a cheeky look around the Red Brick market and the amazing cookie we got.

You can find Kat’s socials here, go show them some love:

Personal page @originalgothmermaid

Portfolio page @kaos_lily