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
Lifestyle Photography with Carolyn Carter
Carolyn Carter, Miss US Virgin Islands visits Nassau a couple times a year and every time she comes into town, we always set up a photo-shoot. Carolyn loves lifestyle photography, and so do I. I love the free flowing natural of this particular style and that would make it easy to shoot someone who equally felt the same.
We took a boat out and ventured into the Lyford Cay area to find the perfect spot to shoot several different looks. Being the unapologetically impatient photographer that I am, I began to shoot Carolyn onboard the boat!
Being an island girl at heart, Carolyn pulled looks from brands like BHLDN, LikeToKNowIt, Solid and Striped and Isabella Rose Swim, which helped us get some great shots around the key. The beach was beautiful and has spaces full of character on which to shoot my model against including and old dock which I thoroughly enjoyed retreating under for shade! Overall the shoot went great and using natural light, we got some really nice photos.
Image: Scharad Lightbourne // Swimsuit by: Isabella Rose Swim
Braneka Bassett photographs with Bahamian photographer Scharad Lightbourne
Braneka Bassett, a former Miss Bahamas was flying into Nassau and contacted me asking if I wanted to shoot. Braneka, being local to LA, I knew this was the perfect opportunity to work together. We had tried so many times to collaborate but due to equally busy schedules, we never got the chance until now.
"Sure!" was my response of course and I spoke to Braneka about what type of look we could shoot because we only had a few hours with her! She even had a location secured before flying in and she told me that I'd love it; a house on Lake Cunningham.
With literally an hour before sunset, an incredible suit from Beach Bunny Swimwear, and a few simple Aldo accessories, the team and I captured Braneka doing what she does best and effortlessly at that! We got great frames and everyone was excited to shoot with this Bahamian beauty.
Photography + Styling: Scharad Lightbourne
MUA: Antonya Jenoure // Hair: Kelly Pinder
Grips: Malik Smith + Kenzi Thompson + Tariq Cartwright
WATCH THE FILM BELOW
Filmed by Tony Williams, Directed by Scharad Lightbourne