Bahari Season 14 Swimwear Campaign
In 2014, I got an email from a new clothing brand based out of a small kiosk in Circle Mall Freeport. As with all my first-time clients, I was excited and intrigued by how this company would make a mark, or if they even would, in a then void-market for ready-to-wear Bahamian clothing. Four years, 11 Campaign Shoots, 14 Collections and 3 Stores Later; Bahari is now the country's Premiere Clothing brand. Needless to say, the pressure was on for The Season 14 Swimwear Campaign.
Anytime I shoot for Bahari, it's always a large production with many different moving parts. A production that requires a few weeks of planning and production. A location has to be found, models sourced and a style team put together. These photoshoots last 8-12 hours easily and require dedication, creativity and the will to push through until the very last shot is taken. Mentally and physically, its taxing on my team and I but the results are great.
The models were a strong lineup, diverse in size and skin tones and we were excited after seeing the sample suits that mixed with an incredibly scenic background, the shoot would be nothing short of amazing. The team was stacked, the pieces had arrived and the models were excited, certainly for a call time of 8 am, which was not so bad compared to photoshoots I'd done before with much earlier call times. The weather was proving to be perfect and the style team got to work putting the girls' faces and hair together while styling fitted the girls and accessorized them.
We shot non-stop, on a marathon of locations and spaces, poses and sessions with both still and film cameras. The team literally felt like they were on fire. We were moving constantly, changing our looks, models, suits, scenes, etc...We even made a joke because it rained twice that day and we felt it was God's way of cooling us down before we overheated.
At the end of a long day, we were exhausted but happy and feeling satisfied that this would be the best Bahari shoot to date. Please enjoy the images and the official promo video below.
Photography: Scharad Lightbourne | Video: Ashley Whitney | Styling: Cardell McClam
Hair: DC Trends | MUAs: Glamourholics + Makeup by Char
Grips: Tariq Cartwright, Seven Thomas, Rayandra Nairn
BTS Video + Pics: Tyreke Butler
Rain Check Editorial with Atalanta Schulenberg
I remember, just recently, shooting portraits of designer Theodore Elyett. It was on the set when I previewed his latest collection and found myself itching to see the remaining pieces. The patterns combined with his use of color and texture screamed for a photoshoot. I approached Theo about the idea and he jumped with excitement, the prelude to this "Rain Check" editorial.
We planned for weeks what we were going to shoot, who the team would be and where we would shoot it. The only thing missing was a muse to bring it all together. At the time, it didn't occur to me that the perfect subject was waiting for me to ask her about photographing her. Atalanta was a student at the Lyford Cay International School, introduced to me by one of the development coordinators. She was tall, awkward with a fashion frame that my eye knew would be great for Theo's pieces.
No fitting prior to the shoot was made. We introduced the team beforehand and with the location finalized, we were ready for shoot day! The team had not seen the location before shoot but they were amazed at how amazing it was despite the overcast skies. Once we began to shoot, it was like waving a magic wand at each look. Just earlier, Atalanta said to me that she was nervous and that I'd have to direct her a lot but I knew her awkwardness would make the shots great. She'd never done a professional photo shoot before but she gave us effortless posing, frame after frame in designer pieces that fit her like they were made for her in the first place.
Please enjoy this editorial spread and our BTS video displaying amazing pieces from designer Theodore Elyett worn by our model Atalanta.
WATCH THE BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO