Why Communication Between Client and Photographer Is Key + Tom Lane 2017 Lookbook
One of my favourite things to do, above all else, is work with my friends. Not everyone is lucky enough to do that, but I'm so grateful that on many occasions, I am! One of those friends is Jayne, the designer and founder of Tom Lane. Jayne and I met at university, she studied fashion design, and I studied fashion photography. We struck a friendship, and throughout our time at uni, worked together on numerous photoshoots to photograph her creations!
Thankfully, our friendship after university continued, and when Jayne asked me to shoot images of her brand for her, I was thrilled. We worked together last year, and you can see those images here! This year, Jayne has launched incredible sweaters for both men and women. I can't begin to tell you how soft and snuggly these are! I tried one of them on, and it took all of my willpower to take it off and give it back.
One thing I wanted to briefly touch on was the process behind the planning of this shoot, in the hopes that it might help other brands looking to have their images shot! I think that many people can become overwhelmed by the idea of planning a photoshoot, but there really isn't a need to panic. What might seem like a huge task, is actually fairly straight forward, and when you communicate well between photographer and client, I don't see how you can ever have a problem.
The key here is communication from both parties. That means from the brand or client, letting the photographer know exactly what kind of images you're after, educating them on your brand values, showing examples of their own work that you've liked, examples of work you've seen online (ie. Pinterest/Instagram) that you like, and would like to use as inspiration.
Equally, it's important for the photographer to communicate what they can and cannot do. For example, Jayne asked me if I would be able to photograph the garments flat on the floor for e-commerce images. I agreed, knowing that I could do it, but explained that there was quite a lot of skill involved in these kinds of images, and it was a style of imagery that I might not be the best at. By setting expectations right from the start, I took the pressure off myself, and ensured that even if the images looked awful (which they didnt!), Jayne new that this wasn't my forté. What she could count on me for though, was the lifestyle and studio images you see here.
I hope that you love these images as much as I do! If you're looking for an amazing new brand to shop from, I can't recommend Tom Lane enough. A purely British brand (everything is made in the UK), and of such high quality, you really can't go wrong.
Sweaters: Tom Lane www.tomlane.co
Models: Jessie Berryman + Matt Sharman
Hair and Make Up: Make Up By Ione www.makeupbyione.com
