References for Gyokko

Kayla

I shot with Raph on my London tour last month.

Lovely photographer to work with! Laid back, friendly, professional attitude, we had a good chat as well as taking some great images, I felt at ease with Raph throughout the whole shoot.

Recommended! Thanks for a fun shoot.

Kayla x

Catrina Rose said...

Had my secondary shoot today with Raph, again can't recommend this guy enough! an absolute pleasure to work with :D

M I S C H K A H

I worked with Raphael twice in two days while I was in London! He's an aaaaabsolute gem! Lovely guy with a very obvious talent; he worked exceptionally well in a very small home studio set up. We tried all kinds of lighting techniques and I found him especially easy to collaborate with regarding styling and and lighting and themes. He listened very well and gave brilliant direction, allowing us to review the sets frequently. An excellent shoot I can't wait to see the images. We even tried some Polaroid shots which was fun. The whole experience was great, very highly recommended, professional and friendly and I'd definitely work with him again. Thanks Rapha

Jem Rose

I had a great shoot with Raphael, he applied to a casting of mine and we shot at his for just over a couple of hours. He has a really great eye and is a true creative using and experimenting with different lighting and angles, he has some awesome ideas.

He is really easy to get along with and conversation flowed, he made me feel comfortable throughout the shoot. The images looked so fab on the back of the camera and I can't wait to see them!

Recommend from me :)

Rebecca Tun

Raphael is a top notch guy to work with - I love his photography and his shooting style, and my shoot with him was an immensely positive and fun experience. I felt very comfortable both professionally and personally, enjoyed our exchange, was super impressed with how he casually transformed his living room into a photographic studio, and definitely hope to work with Raphael again regularly in future. Highly recommended to other models. :-)

Luna Forrest

Raphael was good fun to shoot with. He was very respectful and had lots of amazing ideas. I would love to shoot with him again very soon. Xxx

Amelie Alden.

Had a really lovely shoot with Raph yesterday at his. He's very welcoming, a lovely host, and got along with him straight away. Really puts the model's comfort first, which, as we all know, models - makes for the best result in an image. :) You could tell straight away he is very passionate about photography, and that really charged our shoot with energy. We got some absolutely gorgeous shots, based on a careful collection of ideas he'd put into a mood board, but also as a result of his versatility when it came to expanding on an off the cuff idea when we had one. Would highly recommend working with him

Raphaella WithLove said...

I have thoroughly enjoyed my two shoots with Raph whilst visiting London this autumn.

Raph is incredibly talented behind the camera and his post processing skills are equally as pleasing and a pleasure to pose for.

All round fabulous host and brilliant company and I hope to have the fine opportunity of working together again.

Raphaella with Love x

Rebecca Lotus

Raphael is nothing but a pure gentleman. I felt completely at ease in his company and we got on so well, which made the experience even more delightful.

I felt right at home, cup of tea in hand and flowing conversation. The atmosphere was extremely relaxed and casual, and went by so quickly as we kept chatting. I would recommend Raph to any model, he's such a useful individual to know and has a smart head on his shoulders and lots of advice for any model on how to keep safe.

Thanks angel!

ElenM

I can just say - Raphael is an amazing photographer, and his personality is hugely positive...Really kind person, with wonderful sense for a photography...he can catch the detail, which made from almost ordinary photo something unexpected and beautiful...His photography can say and also catch a story, from fairytales to drama, and in his own art can everybody find itself.

I appreciate of this great time and really looking forward to our next photoshoot... Thank you so much again, Raphael! See you soon! :)

Gestalta

It's taken me too long to leave this reference!!

I worked with Raphael a couple of months ago, and he's also attended one of my shibari workshops :)

Raphael is an incredibly nice person to work with :) He's really relaxed with lots of good ideas, and very kind!

I'm looking forward to working with him again soon and I'd be more than happy to recommend him to anyone else! :D

Johannie

Sorry I am so late in writing about how amazing of a human being you are... I've been so busy with my travels.

You were beyond pleasant to be around.. a humble person aside (of course) from being extremely creative both lighting and composition wise. I felt like we were often on the same page in regards to what we were looking to achieve and I value and appreciate that very much.

Wish I had more time to spend in London to both shoot and hang out but honestly, our day together was still great.

Till next time my friend. Keep rockin' it ♥ ♥

xoxo

Johannie

Catrina Rose said...

Had a lovely half day shoot at Raphaels place. Pre-comms were excellent and I loved shooting with him. He had brilliant ideas and the whole day went by perfectly. Very easy to get along with and I couldn't have felt more welcomed. The images we produced were amazing :) can't wait to work with him again!

Joy Draiki

Raphael is one of the nicest people I've ever met. He offered me a place to stay while I was working in London. He made sure I ate lots of nice food. Had lots of fun. Evenings full of quality conversations and he helped me find my way through the city.

We also did two shoots in the week I was staying at his place. One included sword fighting and he taught me how to properly wield a mighty viking sword! During the shoot he's very relaxed. Fun. Nice. Makes you feel pretty and good about yourself. it's a breeze standing in front of his camera.

But still this really fades next to how nice of a person he is in general. Every model who is lucky enough to meet Raphael should feel truly blessed :)

Thanks for everything Raphiee!

Ifa Brand

So I am here to make things right after my last reference!

He did not fall asleep during a movie this time.

Not once!!

Which is good because I will never ever forget him falling asleep during The Empire Strikes Back but promised him I would not bring that up again. lol ;)

But I can only, and even more, vouch for my first reference as I have been lucky enough to shoot/stay with Raphael for the second time.

And yes, he really is the perfect host and yes he really is one of the friendliest persons I have met in this industry and and above all, he has become a great friend now.

Thank you for everything!

:)

johanna_s

Raphael is one of the kindest, most respectful photographers I've ever had the opportunity to work with. I shot with him in his apartment in London, he prepared everything wonderfully and had artistic and interesting concepts and visual ideas. Our communication prior to shooting was clear and friendly. He is an amazingly kind, relaxed and welcoming person. I'm really happy that we had the opportunity to meet and shoot, it was such a positive experience. I look forward to seeing and working with him again next time I'm in town!

Anete

I had my second shoot with Raphael at his place in London. He is ever so welcoming, friendly and engaging it instantly makes me feel at home, and relaxed. Because we had shot before we got on instantly. I enjoy working with Raphael because he's very laid back and doesn't have high and unrealistic expectations of the model and genuinely takes care of the person he's shooting.

During our pre-communications Raphael sent me moodboard for his ideas so I get a clearer vision of what we're doing and let me review our work as we went on, which was helpful for me as a model. Raphael is very funny, intelligent and with a warm heart, no wonder all the models always want to work with him! :) Looking forward to our next session!

Demari Vi Syth said...

I had a fantastic shoot with Raphael. He was very friendly, funny and easy to work with. His pre-shoot prep was perfect, I had a clear idea of the concepts he was looking to achieve and we discussed the levels we would shoot to. The shoot flowed really well as we were on the same page creatively, I love the shots we got, even straight off of the camera. I thoroughly enjoyed our shoot and look forward to hopefully working together again in the near future. Great photographer and all round great guy. Highly recommended.

B. Ju

I have recently had a shoot with Raphael in London at his place! :) Wow, I do not even know where to start, it is a lot to say!

First of all, a communication before the actual shoot was great! Raphael is very informative and creative. I have received a mood-board as well which was cool to look at - that gave me an idea that this photographer has a good understanding of model/beautiful shots!

Secondly, when I came to his place, he was very welcoming and smiley! That instantly gives a great impression and makes you feel comfortable. We had a bit of time to run through the ideas and agree what we want to achieve in our 4 hour shoot!! :) I also had a pleasure of meeting his lovely girlfriend!

As a photographer Raphael is very professional, really understands the corners and framing - it is very important when aiming for a great shot! I have seen few pics already and they are simply stunning - I truly can't wait to see the final result.

As a person Raphael is simply amazing! :) very very friendly and warm, always has something to say, trust me, you not gonna experience any 'awkward silence' when working with him!! I love his personality and attitude - a lot of positivity and warm energy flowing from him - that is rare with photographers!! :) He has amazing ideas and a lot of enthusiasm to implement them, I am sure his photography will turn into something so much more anytime soon!

I highly recommend Raphael as a person and photographer as well - you will not be disappointed whether you are a beginner or an experienced model. Amazing experience of shooting with him guaranteed!!

Kisses,

B. Ju xx

Ifa Brand

When discussing our shoot up front I noticed immediately how kind & helpful Raphael was.

So kind it made me wonder if it would also be the case in real life... It isn't.

He is even friendlier in person. And more helpful than any person I have met in my entire modelling career!

We had a great shoot together but for me, even more important, he provided me with a home away from home offering me a safe harbor, friendship, companionship and great talks. I can definitely recommend him as a photographer But even MORE as a person. He is one of those rare instant klick-personalities I can get along with from second Nr.1. with a lot of things in common. It is hard to find anyone as friendly as he is in the modern day shark world.

The only bad points he scored, and I am sorry Raphael but I have to point this out, he did fall asleep during The Empire Strikes Back. Oh yes, he did.

But I will gladly forgive him (ever so slightly) for that little error.

;)

Thank you for Everything and until soon I hope!

:)

X

Ifa