T-Girls Aloud
Photo shoot
Jenny Banford
T-Girls Aloud
Photo shoot
Jenny Banford
t has been a kind of dream of mine for a long time to do a photograph based on an all girl band, me being a member of that band.
I was sitting chatting to Teela-Jane of Transpose in Ellesmere Port one day and the subject got around to photo shoots. She happened to mention that she would really like to do a version of a particular photograph she had on her computer of the hit group Girls Aloud, using nothing but T-Girls. I said, “hey, we could do that”, and so I was given the task on the spot of getting 5 girls together who were not only willing but able to be at the Transpose studio all at the same time – a huge task in itself, I thought!!
I had a word with a few friends and within minutes we had the whole line-up.
The other 4 girls were so up for it, getting a day we could all get together was easier than I thought. It seemed that most people were off for the Royal Wedding and Teela was also free that day. And so the date was set……..I was so excited, I couldn’t wait!!
On the day, we all arrived about tennish with a welcome and cuppa from Teela-Jane – we
were all buzzing and so exited, how on earth Teela-Jane got us all to sit down for the make-up was beyond me, but she is a professional and managed to get us sat still for 5 minutes.
With the help of Sue, Teela-Jane applied the make-up and fixed the wigs. It was a bit like a factory production line with Sue putting on the foundation, swapping over seats for Teela-Jane to do the eye make up, then swapping seats again for Sue to apply the eyelashes and back to Teela-Jane for the finishing touches. Believe it or not, we were all ready for the camera in an astonishing 90 minutes.
Picture the scene though – it was manic – five T-girls in front of the camera all at the same time, each of us trying to outdo the others in front of the camera. Most of all, we had such a laugh, it was just so friendly and fun. Poor Teela-Jane though, she was moaning quite a lot because on each photo she took, four of us behaved while one of us was mucking about!! Trying to get one decent picture where we were all doing what we were supposed to do was very difficult (so she said).
Just as the shoot was winding down and Teela-Jane had got the shots that she wanted, I had a surprise lined up for everyone. I had bought pink satin jackets for each of us with our names printed on. Sue’s had “Roadie” on the back of hers and Teela-Jane had “The Boss” on hers. She doesn’t like getting in front of the camera at all but made an exception in this case. – She loved the jacket too!!
What a great day and one I will always remember and cherish.
Jenny Banford
All photography by www.transpose.tv
So, makeup on, frock on – time to step into the limelight for ‘lights, camera’ and that all-important posing.
So, with Jennie setting up the backdrop, lighting, and camera, Izzy the floor manager sorting the props for the first scene, poor Holly the makeup artist got left with the hardest job of transforming male me into Tabby – not that she hadn’t done it before, so we were both comfortable around one another and with the whole process of the makeup routine. There is no doubt in my mind as a crossdresser, that taking your male clothes off and stepping into female garments and having your makeup done by sometimes a complete stranger, can be one of the most daunting prospects of the whole transformation process. But luckily for me I am no longer the shy retiring type of girl I was a couple of years ago, and knowing and trusting the people around me certainly helped.
(…) and I had two of the best jaw-dropping moments I have had in a long time.
Now there is nothing more a girl likes to see than the reactions from others, and I had two of the best jaw-dropping moments I have had in a long time. Although Izzy had seen, sold and helped me try on many dresses, she had never seen Tabby fully made-over; the look on her face was just priceless. As for poor Jennie, we all thought we would have to pick her up of the floor – she was so astonished at the transformation and just couldn’t believe her eyes.
So I suppose the questions remaining are,
Was all the hard work worth it. Have a look at the photographs and you decide?
Would I recommend Rosie’s Retro and Vintage Studio?
Are they really that transgender friendly?
Will I be going back?
HELL YEAH!!!
Tabby xx
