Scharad Lightbourne 2/7/24 Scharad Lightbourne 2/7/24

A Romantic Couple's Photoshoot on a Stunning Island 📸

I met with Steffon and Melissa in October of 2023 at this intimate coffee bar on the western side of town. Melissa, who had initially reached out to me, wanted to take romantic, beautiful and editorial portraits with her beau, Steffon. So, in our early discussion, we went over a few concepts that would make them both happy. Melissa told me how long they had dated and that they had no images to speak for their relationship. She was focused on taking official photos to celebrate their love for one another.

During our meeting, I almost enforced that the photoshoot should be unique and different. I don't know what made me say it, but in explaining my creative process to the couple, I told them we needed to shoot somewhere different, not on the island (we all lived in New Providence) but on another island with a stunning backdrop. I almost jumped out of my seat when the thought hit me. I said, “Let's go to Exuma!"

The couple looked at each other, and while I thought the budget would not allow for such a production, they looked back at me and said, "Yes, that's an amazing idea!"

We worked together to figure out a date, styling and logistics for pulling this whole thing off. Luckily for Melissa, her cousin was one of the country's most talented stylists, so I didn't worry too much about that aspect. I had a few colleagues in Exuma who gave me insight on where to shoot and how to get there, and so, together with the couple, we made arrangements for a boat to take us to one of the sandbanks near Rolletown, Exuma.

This photo shoot had been postponed twice due to bad timing or bad weather, and by the time we finally got around the concrete time, it was 2024! January 16th was the new date, and everyone was sure this would be amazing due to all the previous setbacks. My assistant Tariq and I arranged to get there by plane, only a 30-minute ride, and we found an Airbnb only 3 minutes from the dock! The night before we shot, the team met up to go over the art direction for the shoot. Everyone chipped in and gave commentary to make the couple feel more confident going into the photoshoot.

Shoot day was nothing short of incredible. The weather was perfect, the water looked unreal, and the couple were perfectly styled. We found a sandbank when we left the marina and positioned the couple. I was shooting with natural light, so I had more time to focus on posing and positioning. The boat captain pulled us right up to the bank, and I even left him in some of my frames to show the context of where we were. Steffon and Melissa were amazing to photograph because they didn't pretend much to like each other. You could see that they genuinely enjoyed each other's space, and as a photographer, that helps when capturing portraits of two people together.

The couple had a second look, and we brainstormed on where to photograph them. The team agreed that we didn't want to shoot them out in the water again, so I suggested shooting them in a town near all the hustle and bustle of Georgetown's main settlement. I love locations like these because there is a lot of energy surrounding you. People, cars, dogs and birds are all moving around you. Georgetown gave me so many different spaces to capture Stef and Mel, and I loved that they stood out in stylish clothing against the town's backdrop. This shoot, if any indication of how the year will pan out, excited me, and I loved working with the couple to produce these images.

Please enjoy.

Photography & Art Direction: Scharad Lightbourne

Styling: Shan Oliver ( The Style Group)

MUA: Valincia Rolle

Hair: Tara Miller (Metamorphosis)

Stef’s Hair: Tilly Balinese

Grip: Tariq Cartwright

An aerial view of us on the sand bank with the couple.

Scharad Lightbourne 10/3/22 Scharad Lightbourne 10/3/22

Lisa Nichols and Marcellus Hall Engagement Shoot on the island of Eleuthera

I remember getting a call from Lisa Nichols quite early one Sunday morning. She told me that she'd been approached by several publications to use her and Marcellus Hall’s official engagement photos. She said, " Scharad, before I start, I just need you to say yes!"

I didn't hesitate either. I said, "Lisa, whatever we do, we can't shoot in Nassau. We need to go to Eleuthera!"

I told Lisa that shooting in Eleuthera would give me a playground of different locations that I'd photographed before but not enough. Eleuthera is in my top 3 most beautiful islands in our archipelago. Lisa told me she’d never been, but she trusted me with her vision.

On day 1, we took Lisa and Marcellus near the Hatchet Bay Silos. It was a beautiful sight to see this couple move alongside the road. They were talking and smiling together, embracing and overall having a great time with these impressive structures in the background.

This was one of many locations we used on the island. We shot in Gregory Town, Queen’s Bath and on the beautiful Gaulding Cay Beach. I don’t know if my team were more excited about the images of the couple or about discovering all these picturesque pockets of Eleuthera.

WATCH THE BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO

📸: Photography by: Scharad Lightbourne

🎥: Videography by: TandT Media

👗: Stylist: Anastarcia Palacious

💄: Makeup: Torkel Dawkins

✊🏾: Grip: Tameka Petit Homme

Scharad Lightbourne 3/2/21 Scharad Lightbourne 3/2/21

PORTRAITS with the Nikon Z6 II ft model/actress Chrystal Bethell

Now I’m usually one who stays up on new gear and technology, and when I heard that Nikon was releasing the Z6 II, I was eager and excited to purchase it. Still, for some reason, life got in the way, and I haven’t had the opportunity to buy the upgrade to my Nikon Z6, which I primarily use to photograph 99% of my work.

A colleague of mine and fellow photographer friend Warren Grant, who I’ve also known to be an advocate for Nikon, sent me a text one day announcing, “Hey! I got the Z6 II; when are you getting yours?”

My face, which if it was an emoji, would have looked like this 😑. I reluctantly told him that I had not ordered mine yet and at some point shortly, I would prob upgrade. But Warren is a dope friend. After hearing the disappointment in my voice, he said that he would loan me his Z6 II, and I could test it out firsthand. Backflips and Spartan chants from the movie “300” followed suit.

So what is the point of my story? I will connect the dots right now. Chrystal Bethell is an accomplished model and actress living in NYC, and we’ve known each other since high school (a long time!) She had let me know that she was in Nassau and she wanted to book a photo shoot. So I got the team together, we chose a mood for the shoot, designed the aesthetic and confirmed our location.

On the day of the shoot, I used several lenses with the Z6 II, my 85mm, 70-200m and 35mm all helped me compose a variety of frames to help me tell a story with the photos. I kept the lighting simple, adapting one light with a soft modifier to compliment the natural light. I loved the way the finished images looked. The camera, which was the whole point of this story performed amazingly, it was super fast, focusing was a breeze and I was very impressed with the overall responsiveness of the Z6 ii.

Stay creative!