Fresh Academy Model of the Month January 2012

Take a look at the absolutely beautiful Nadia Musa, age 22,  who came into the Fresh Academy for her second portfolio shoot. Nadia actually told us that once she’d been in, she just had to visit again for more  photographs she was so pleased with the result!  We’re also over the moon with these outstanding photographs and we wish Nadia lots of luck with her modelling future.

Nadia is no stranger to modelling, she’s got through many rounds in the Miss England competition over the past few years and has also raised thousands of pounds for charity in the process. In fact, Nadia was Miss Wirral 2009!  Nadia can also act and a couple of years ago, she starred in a British Bollywood Movie called “My Big Fat Love Story”, a feature length comedy romance. Nadia is obviously very lucky in having brains, beauty and talent! You can follow Nadia on Twitter @missnadiamusa to see what she’s up to.

Fresh On TV!

For those of you who love a good gossip – we’ve had a couple of appearances on the box recently!  If you missed us on TV then you can see it all again here, just follow the link attached to this blog.

On our first appearance, Fresh’s very own Keely Silver was invited into the Lorraine studio last week to have a chat about Jackie Green, one of the Miss England entrants.  Lorraine has met Jackie before as there’s something very extraordinary about the stunning Jackie, she was once a boy and went through gender re-assignment when she was just 16.  Jackie is, in fact, the youngest ever in the UK to have gender re-assignment, and now she is the first ever transsexual to be entered into this prestigious competition.

Fresh scouted Jackie at the Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model Show in the autumn of last year when she was invited to have her photograph taken for Miss England.  As you can see by the photographs attached, she makes a truly striking and statuesque model. 

The great part of this story is that Jackie has always wanted to be a model; with her superb height it was hard for us not to miss her at the Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model show and following our scout, Jackie is now part of the photographic rounds of the Miss England competition. If she gets through, she goes into the semi-finals.  Jackie could very well find herself in the finals of Miss England if all goes according to plan for her!

When Jackie was asked what it would mean to her to win, she says that it would be an amazing experience and will show how transsexuals are very normal – it will also give confidence to young adults and teenagers everywhere who have been in the same position as Jackie, before her life-changing operation.

We wish Jackie, along with all the other entrants, the very best of luck!

Also spotted, earlier this week, was the brains behind Fresh, Charlie Kaufman on Channel 4’s 15 Kids and Counting.  The episode was aired on 24^th January focussing on the Lewis family from West Parley, Dorset.  One of their 12 daughters, Chantelle was last year’s Miss Portsmouth.  The show included footage from the Miss England semi finals where we spied Charlie taking professional photographs!

Anyone want an autograph?!

FRESH ideas for Valentine’s day

READ OUR VALENTINE’S DAY GIFTS BLOG FOR A VIP OFFER..FOR YOU AND OBVIOUSLY…YOUR LOVED ONE!

We know that Christmas has barely passed and New Year’s Eve was less than two weeks ago but we do love a celebration here at the Fresh Academy (small ones and big ones alike!), and we have to have something to look forward to. 

Did you know that it’s only five weeks to Valentine’s Day which is another big calendar date to celebrate everything to do with Love. Love could be anonymous love, boyfriend or girlfriend love, husband and wife love, even baby love…the way we look at it, Valentines Day is when Cupid’s Arrow lands close to your heart and makes you go weak at the knees!

As hard as it is finding a suitable Christmas present for the man or lady or anyone else extra special in your life, it’s also an impossible task for Valentine’s Day.  Flowers and chocolates are notoriously the most popular because they are the traditional gifts for wooing someone, and we all love to receive them (particularly chocolates, the more sumptuous the box the better!) but when you are searching for something different, yet something that does say I love you perfectly, it’s a tough call to find the perfect present.

Look no further as we think we have the answer!  By all accounts, Fresh has something for everyone and we think that we have more than one solution.  If you’re feeling daring, what could be more sexy and sensual than one of our tasteful and indulgent Boudoir make-over experiences?  You will be completely pampered at our state-of-the art studios within rich and opulent settings offering incredible detail. As part of the Boudoir make-over, you will have your hair styled and make-up applied by experts before your photographic session. This is just as much a treat for you as your recipient… enjoy being treated like a top model and then you can give your other half some stunning and sophisticated photographs – guaranteed to show him just how much you love him and we can assure you he will love the results!

If Boudoir photography is not for you – head over to our Fresh Families division where we can offer you and your family (or child) a photographic shoot in our 8,000sq foot studio.  Choose from up to 30 different sets, with a huge variety of quality accessories and props to create the look you want.  You will then enjoy a terrific professional photo shoot, with the studio all to yourself, followed by a cinema style viewing.  There you can choose the photographs you want to use for your gift to the man or woman you love (or anyone else who is close to your heart).  We will then take you through all the different product options, from desk prints to wall hangings, even contemporary styled albums and portfolios.

We definitely have a large range of gifts that will suit your taste and they are guaranteed to tug at the heartstrings of your loved one, as well as giving the gift of forever – because our photographs will last a lifetime.  Call us today to book in and make sure that your Valentine’s gifts are ready for the 14^th February.  01923 212 673.  In fact, to make your Valentine’s extra special, if you call by Friday 21^st January and quote “Fresh AcademyBlog” you will get a FREE session and a complimentary image of your choice (A5 for Boudoir shoots and 5” x 7” for family photo-shoots)…what are you waiting for?

Introducing Anna Pearce, December 2011 Model of the Month

We are very excited about our Model of the Month for December!  Just 15 years old, Anna Pearce flew over with her Dad from Belfast to have her entry shots done for the Face of the Hair Group competition at the Fresh Academy, Watford. We were really delighted with the results, the photographs capture Anna’s youthfulness and beauty perfectly.  Particularly gorgeous is the one of her in a leather jacket with her sparkling smile!

Remember - if you haven't entered the Face of the Hair Group competition, there is STILL time.  Click on the link and go to the enter page.  Upload your best picture and wait for us to be in contact.  Someone out there will become the Face of the Hair Group, and see themselves in national press and magazines, win an all-important modelling contract with Models Plus and a year's supply of Barry M make-up!  

What are you waiting for?  www.faceofthehairgroup.co.uk

Miss Fresh Teen Makes an Entrance at The Clothes Show Live

What a fortnight it’s been for the Fresh Academy!  We’ve been participating at The Clothes Show Live at the NEC Birmingham from the 2^nd December up until last week, 7^th December and it was awesome!  The show was packed full of shopping, shows, exhibitors, fans and of course some really special celebrities who were milling around – we had plenty of visitors to the Fresh stand.  Celebrities included The Risk, Alexandra Burke and some of the cast from TOWIE – we were definitely a little star struck throughout.

For us, the most exciting part of The Clothes Show Live had to be the final of Miss Fresh Teen. Two week’s ago on Monday, 28^th November there were 18 national finalists of Miss Fresh Teen who were invited to take part at the Fresh Academy in our hometown of Watford where they each had the opportunity of a professional photo-shoot, interview round and finally a fun fashion show.  We had a really tough decision to make but finally selected three absolutely incredible finalists, Lucy Whidett, age 18 from Guildford, Tiffany Henley, age 17 from Bristol, and 17 year old Lauren Peters.  These gorgeous girls were whisked to the Clothes Show Live, along with Alize Lily Mounter who is of course, the current famous Miss England and off they went to see who was to be crowned with the Miss Fresh Teen coveted title!

So who won this terrific title?  Well – after a tough contest, we were thrilled to crown Lauren Peters who became Miss Fresh Teen 2011.  Lauren, who comes from Essex, won superb prizes including a whopping £500 to spend on Lipsy clothing, and a shoot with the brand plus a fashion portfolio from ourselves worth £1000 which will be compiled with Lauren’s best images taken at our Watford Fresh Academy studio.  Lauren also wins £1000 prize money, and a sought after place in the Miss England semi-final which is held on 2^nd April at Champney’s Springs.  Phew – that’s quite a list. Lauren takes over from Miss Fresh Teen 2010, Courtenay Thomas.  Good luck Lauren – we hope you enjoy your year as Miss Fresh Teen, look forward to seeing you soon at the Fresh Academy.

Fresh Academy LOVING Katie Price SIGNED – Amy Willerton to WIN!

From 10000 wannabee celebs who paraded themselves in front of the Pricey months ago, a final fifty boys and gals were chosen to enter the Signed House and begin competing for the coveted prize….to become Katie Price’s own protégée.  Here we are then, 7 weeks later when the final SIGNED eighth episode this week will air on Sky Living tomorrow, Monday 28^th November at 9.00pm.  We at Fresh Academy can’t wait and will be Tweeting all the way through @freshacademy on Twitter. This is all uber exciting for us because as you may (or may not) know, Amy Willerton, one of the finalists has been a regular visitor at the Fresh Academy where we’ve had the pleasure of photographing her since she was just 15.  We are over the moon with how far she’s come and hoping she’ll go even further under the guidance of Glamour icon, the Pricey!

Whilst it’s obvious that Amy is an absolute beauty on the outside, there has been quite a lot of controversy over her strong personality.  Frankly, from what we can see, Amy shows all the right signs (pardon the pun) for someone who wants to make a success of her modelling and showbiz career.  You would hardly call Katy Price a wall-flower, known for her candour and explosive lifestyle could it be that Amy, with her “slightly” bossy nature is perfectly poised to walk in Katie’s high heeled shoes?  It’s apparent to us that Amy knows what she wants and is going all the way out to get it.  Good for you – we at Fresh say. 

It’s taken seven gruelling weeks of Apprentice-style and showbiz tasks plus make-overs, photo shoots and bust-ups with the contestants for Amy to get this far.  Definitely bright and savvy, our Bristol born Amy is just 20 years old and is the 2010 Miss Bristol title holder.  We know from the show that it’s true enough to say  Amy loves the high life, is partial to the good stuff (champers and caviar darling) and isn’t afraid to mingle with the celebrities.  A bubby, lively and totally caring young lady, Amy shows plenty of compassion, particularly evident where her younger brother is concerned, he is unfortunately severely disabled and she spends much of her time fundraising to raise money for charity supporting the disabled.  This is not too far away from Katie Price’s own personal trials with her beloved son, Harley.

So who exactly is in the competition for the title and prize of being Signed by Katie Price and subsequently launched into the heady celebrity world of modelling and showbiz – Kirsten, gorgeous as she is, she lacks a certain sophistication that is so obviously there with our Amy, and Amy seems to have a very strong air of confidence, not unlike Katie’s, and definitely more apparent than Kirsten's.  As far as the male contestant we wonder if he is in the final three because he’s male and therefore it’s more politically correct to have a man in the finals.  Secretly we do actually really like Rylan and maybe he will get signed whatever happens, he’s good looking, got a great twinkle in his blue eyes and is just an all round nice guy – but is he going to go all the way?  Not if Amy can help it!

Follow us for up to date Tweets during the final on Twitter @freshacademy – see you there!

FRESH AT BINTM LIVE – THE ULTIMATE GIRL’S DAY OUT (it really was!)

Last weekend, we had the pleasure and the privilege to attend Britain and Ireland’s Next Top ModelLIVE at Excel in London.  We truly had an amazing time and enjoyed every second.  For all of you who came to see us on our stand, we hope you had as much fun as we did and we look forward to you coming to visit us in Watford soon for your fashion photo-shoots and any modelling portfolios you need to organise. 

As soon as the big doors opened at Excel, there was a huge rush and whoop of excitement as the crowds of girls, some with Mums some with their friends, some on their own – hurried inside to feast their eyes on all the goodies and stands.  Many were really dressed up and looked utterly fabulous, plenty of interesting hair styles, short shorts, glitzy tops, and lots of cleverly applied glamorous make-up.  The high heels were clicking and clacking around the floor just waiting to be scouted by Fresh!  We had a really tough job because everyone was looking absolutely fantastic.

We were also extremely lucky to have the gorgeous Mr England (Roland Johnson ) on our busy stand until 4pm helping us give out information on entering for Miss England 2012.  He was so popular that the Mums and the Daughters were both having their picture taken with him as well as snapping him as much as they could themselves.  We also had FREE photo-shoots happening on our stand and the response was impressive so we were rushed off our feet! We were positioned right opposite a great wig stand called Annabelle’s Wigs – and all of us enjoyed watching the passers-by trying on lots of funky coloured wigs. 

Also from our stand you could see one of Britain’s Next Top Model’s faces, Charlotte Holmes who was presenting on the open catwalk.  Being one of Fresh’s girls, Charlotte came to see us after her busy schedule and it was great to catch up with her.

Amy Child’s of The Only Way is Essex had a terrific stand very close to ours and passed us a few times, with crowds of fans who also found their way onto our stand.  We also had a visit from the stunning Anna Watts who was modelling for Lauren Goodger’s tanning product (currently in the TV show Shipwrecked on E4)

We were so busy that we weren’t sure how much time we’d have to walk around the show, when we did finally get a chance (in between talking to all our visitors), we spent some time looking at Calvin Klein watches, Junk Food Clothing, Miss Selfridge,Wonderbra and lots others!

Can’t wait til next year!