References for Helen Diaz

Dave Rudin

I returned home recently from a group photo trip to northern Iceland organized by Helen and her husband, Roger. The trip was originally scheduled for April 2020, but was rescheduled and then postponed again several times due to Covid. I'm sure it was very stressful for them, having to deal not only with frequently changing Covid regulations but also having to deal with photographers coming from (and going back to) four different countries (UK, USA, Ireland and the Netherlands) and their different levels of vaccinations, etc. Somehow, the tour finally and actually happened - and I'm very glad that it did.

I had been to Iceland on my own to photograph art nudes twice before, but one of the primary reasons that I chose this trip was for the chance to meet and work with Helen herself. I don't know what more I can say about Helen than has already been written, so all that I will really say is that if you're looking for a dark, raven haired beauty, Helen is your girl. Not only that, she is a lovely person to get to know, with a persona that is all her own. I definitely look forward to working with her again at greater length in both Iceland and in the UK.

Highly recommended!!!

Chris Burfoot ABIPP ARPS

Helen saved the day for me when we had a mess up with booking another model. I have used Helen many times for my Royal Photographic Society Art Nude course and she has always been reliable and a joy to work with. She is very professional and great fun. The delegates love her and produced some amazing shots of her. I fully recommend her.

TUckedAway

Helen has an infectious personality that cannot but help make shoots fun. Was my first time adjusting my own lighting and this pushed my boundaries, Helen was supportive and patient throughout the shoot. She was helpful in suggesting poses yet allowed me to direct as well going with my ideas no matter how naff they may have been. Was a pleasure and will be repeated

mike arthur-yates

Helen is so easy to work with in all respects. She is thoroughly professional and has an in-depth knowledge of photography which makes the shoot go well. I can highly recommend Helen. Thank you Helen and I hope we work together very soon.

GBrodie1

This was my third shoot with Helen and they're always good fun. We shot in a variety of places and styles, and it was a very relaxed shoot. We took our time and I still managed to take plenty of images

Kevin Connery

Had a fabulous remote session with Helen a couple of days ago.

High energy, enthusiastic, silly and serious, and an absolute blast to work with!

We had discussed the themes before the shoot and she effortlessly switched between goofy (between sets and during light-checks) and full-on professional when we were actually shooting.

She knows her angles and how to pose for the lighting, understands how slight changes in expression can impact the final image and put that knowledge to excellent use during the entire session. This was particularly obvious when we shifted to an alternative mood for one look--she went full chameleon for that set and right back to the core theme when we returned to the main style.

Assisted by her partner Roger, who was on-hand to set/manipulate the lights and the set, we were able to create a wealth of images in a short period of time.

Very highly recommended.

C-Imagery

Half a decade between shoots.....but the years just seemed to fall away today! What can I say about Helen that hasn't already been put eloquently in previous references.

An absolute bundle of enthusiasm,energy,fun, & smouldering looks & posing all wrapped in an amazing package called Helen.

A consummate professional in everything she does & just an incredible model!

Thank you for an fantastic 4 hours & so well worth the 300 mile round trip.

An absolute 11/10 for & very, very highly recommended!!!

random

My first shoot with Helen, a lucky chance as she was travelling through my part of the country.

I was indeed lucky as she is a wonderful model. Helen has a great look, and is very easy to work with. If I was puzzling over what to do next she had a good idea, and she can pose effortlessly.

Even my sillier ideas didn't faze her, and we either produced something good or moved on to the next setup.

Helen's one in a million I think. I can recommend her very highly!!

TimHP

Well what can I say other than it is a complete delight to work with Helen. This is our first shoot since before the pandemic and she is as good as even beautiful , witty , engaging and tremendous fun to work with. An excellent model. We chose to do a bluebell shoot in some woods need to me. She came with her now husband Roger who is also delightful and between us have created some great images. It goes without saying she comes highly recommended and I very much look forward to our next session. Hoping the gap is not as long as the last. Thank you Helen x

Jeff B

This was my second shoot with the wonderful Helen and my first at the excellent Den Studio.

Helen is just a delight to shoot with; stunningly beautiful, highly creative, poses effortlessly and wonderful expressions. Throw a great work ethic into the mix and with great conversation, the time just flew by and it was just so enjoyable.

I am really, really pleased with the images we shot; it was highly successful and yet again surpassed expectations thanks to Helen (and Roger).

Can't recommend highly enough - thank you!

Somersetman

It's been a long, long time since we last worked together, but I think it's fair to say we picked up where we left off! This time we worked in "The Den" which is compact but has everything required: some great modifiers and backgrounds plus a ready supply of biscuits and tea :-)

In between plenty of conversation and a good deal of laughter we worked through a whole lot of portrait, vintage and art nude ideas as well as throwing some fabric around. Helen is a dream to work with, and looking through the images we created I am spoiled for choice - her fabulous looks and natural, elegant poses make it almost too easy! Helen wears her experience lightly but it shows through every time the shutter clicks. She can be serious when serious is needed, but is equally happy to fool around and just try stuff out - and I like that a lot!

Highly recommended.

rhinocer

It has been five years since Helen and I worked together: on reflection, daft to have left such a long gap. We decided to focus the shoot on a single theme ("Cleopatra") and allowed ourselves plenty of time to evolve it. Helen's comms and advice were invaluable and supportive throughout that lead-in period.

On the day of the shoot, a well made-up Hellenistic Cleo greeted me at the door; this was a Helen energised and even more captivating than when I last photographed her. We shot our images in the well-appointed studio "The Den" (see separate reference). With her usual strong commitment, Helen eloquently contrived, interacted and delivered a spectrum of body poses and facial expressions to convey different moods and enable some of Cleopatra's renowned allure to be captured on camera. We kept the pace measured, meshing well with my camera dynamics which are slower than some and include the use of film: Helen shows great patience and can hold a pose longer than many other models; attributes which I find particularly useful.

The images that Helen enabled look very satisfying from my perspective, so I am well pleased with the outcome of this shoot. In addition to her innate professionalism, Helen radiates a vivacious and infectious personality. Working with her is a true delight. I look forward to us working together again in the not too distant future.

Highly recommended.

Joe B said...

What to say?

Helen is an amazing hostess, muse and model. Strikingly beautiful with oh-so-expressive eyes that just dominate the image - there is a saying about eyes being something of the soul and Helen just proves it!

I’ve shot with Helen four times now, and that in itself has to be a testament to the quality of images that even an idiot an imagist as me can achieve with her! If you’ve not shot with her then she’s a must for your portfolio!

Time simply flew by, but I’m convinced with could have shot all day and enjoyed every minute!

100% recommended!

jmfriedman

I recommended Helen in my reference before but left out a very important person--Roger More at The Den. He was invaluable in his help and suggestions during our remote shoot and it couldn't have been done without him. He is also a superb photographer. Please check out his work too.

Fibonacci

Well, you're never going to get a quiet run of the mill shoot with Helen, that's for sure!

What you will get is professionalism, imagination, great communications, patience, biscuits, confidence and some great images.

This was the second time I've worked with her - certainly won't be the last!

The Photo Taker

Helen’s beauty and modelling ability is all too obvious. Her understanding and interpretation of what you are trying to achieve aren’t, but those hidden skills make a shoot with her so amazing and successful.

A shoot with Helen is also never disappointing. She’s a great host with witty conversation, knowledge of many things and never a dull moment!

Helen’s studio has most of what you’ll ever need. If only every home studio was this well-equipped.

Not just a great shoot, which it was, but an amazing experience. Thank you, Helen.

JmBunny

Finally I had the chance to work with the wonderful Helen, which was something I'd been looking forward to do for a long time.

The comms before the session where outstanding which allowed for a very productive and creative photoshoot.

It was a stellar and seamless session, at her place. Helen makes it look so easy. She pulls great and elaborate poses like it was very simple.

We helped create a relaxed, fun and professional environment.

And don't get me started on her wardrobe and props !... So many lovely things, from dresses to accessories, enabling the creation of striking images :)

Looking forward to work with Helen again!... Highly recommended. x

jmfriedman

I shot with Helen today and would enthusiastically recommend her. Do you know how some people are dour and not very imaginative? Well--Helen is exactly the OPPOSITE! She loves what she is doing and her joy is contagious. She at times is like a marionette on a string with arms going one way and legs another and head moving back and forth--a force of nature. Besides all that she was a joy to talk to--we could have talked the 2 hrs as well as shot.

Do yourself a favor and hire Helen, you will certainly enjoy yourself and get great images as well.

David Dacres Photography

I had the pleasure of working with Helen at her home studio. Pre comms was great and throughout the shoot she was funny, charming but maintained a professional attitude with some excellent ideas that enabled us to produce some excellent images. She is truly an amazing person to work with and I will definitely be booking her again. Thanks Helen for a wonderful day shoot, see you again soon.

David

Steve Pearl

Had a lovely third shoot with the beautiful Helen of Troy today. As always there was a warm welcome with coffee and catch-up chatter, plus a whole shoot's worth of music, laughter and frivolity. Lighting assistance from Helen's recently acquired husband, Roger, was kindly on-hand throughout as well.

This time we shot on both sides of their home studio, making use of a variety of fabric and paper roll backdrops, and I tried out a few shots with gels for the first time too (I've still not done much studio-based work yet). Helen had some stunning new garments to show off and was buzzing with energy throughout the shoot as usual -- I don't think I've ever met anyone with so much energy and such a curious and inquiring mind. There's never a boring moment in a shoot with Helen, and it goes without saying that her posing is second to none too, so I would obviously recommend Helen 100% to anyone looking to enjoy a shoot and take home some great pictures, especially in the vintage and/or art nude styles, which she absolutely excels at.

Thanks again, Helen, and I look forward to shooting with you again in the future.

Steve