Behind The Scenes of a Photoshoot for ELLE Croatia
My latest editorial for ELLE Croatia is out!
I've been so excited to share this shoot since we created it back in November 2021, but I've had to be patient.
In today's newsletter, I wanted to take you behind the scenes, chat about why I wanted to create images like this, and a bit on how we did it.
I'm always looking for gaps in my portfolio, and one that really stood out to me was that I didn't have anything that showed I could bring real atmosphere to a studio shoot. I wanted to be able to show clients that, even in the middle of winter in the UK, in a studio, we can still create images that feel hot!
I put my moodboard together, and began to send it out to magazines to see if they would be interested. It took a few weeks to get anyone to take it on (and of course as soon as I got one reply, I got another 3 magazines asking to work on it with me the next day - it's all or nothing!) Once ELLE Croatia came on board, I booked the studio, hired the kit, and gathered the team together.
I contacted set designer Kiara Gourlay and asked if she would like to be involved, and was thrilled when she said yes. She worked alongside Lorella Bianco to hand paint the backdrop in the images - it's completely unique, and is literally a work of art. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was when it arrived on set. Kiara also brought sand to add to the desert scene, and they made a huge cactus as well!
As for lighting, I knew I wanted something extremely warm toned, and as Fraser Stephen (the DOP of the fashion film) was going to be shooting alongside me, we needed the lights to be continuous. To state the obvious, you can't use flash in moving image!
My assistant Sasha, Fraser and I all worked closely on how we wanted the light to look, and I must give them both most of the credit for lighting this set. Fraser and Sasha are both incredibly talented when it comes to light, so they took the lead. You can see the light set up here:
I wanted it to feel like sunset, and not like midday sun, so it was important that the lights were placed fairly low, and to the side of the model. That creates that “end of the day” feel. We put black poly boards on the other side to absorb some of the light, and add a bit more drama to the shadows on the other side of the model.
The final results are more than I could ever ask for. Shoots like this are a HUGE team effort (total number involved was 15 people!), and it's never just me. Every person brings their skills, their input, and their help to make the images what they are. Your team is everything when it comes to creating your very best work. Treat people kindly, help them, and I promise that they will help you in return!
I hope that you've found this interesting! If you'd like to see the shoot in full, you can do so here on my portfolio website:
