naturallight

Beauty Photography In A Pool

I was the first photographer to take professional images of Candice, nearly 9 years ago! A lot has changed since then. We have both grown as individuals and as creatives. Candice, undeniably so has been photographed by nearly every photographer on the island so I knew my approach had to be different, simple, easy...you know, my style! I spoke to Candice and she agreed and she became elated because we hadn't shot in such a very long time.

I wanted to keep things simple. My lighting, styling and even the models hair and makeup I wanted to keep clean and light. I wanted to put the focus on her face because she has such interesting features. She has a timeless and classic beauty reminding me of an actress from the 60s. So using my homemade scrim and a circular reflector, I was able to control the light and get great frames while shooting.

Candice was great, she knew how to angle her face so that I got the looks I had envisioned. In post after retouching, I added some Lightroom magic and it really gave the images the finishing look they needed.

Photography + Styling: Scharad LightbourneMUA: T's ArtistryGrips: Tariq Cartwright + Malik Smith 

Photography + Styling: Scharad Lightbourne

MUA: T's Artistry

Grips: Tariq Cartwright + Malik Smith 

Manipulating Natural Light for Portraits with Simple Modifiers

I woke up one morning and decided that I wanted to shoot some natural light portraits and I scrolled through my Instagram to see who I could ask randomly. It's great when you can find someone who actually models and acts also. Elena Bargo was just that person that I had in mind to shoot for such an exercise so when I reached out to her and mentioned what I wanted to do, she happily agreed. We had tried working together before but busy schedules and that cup of tea made it tricky at times. So when I finally locked her down, I think my finals words to her in my pitch were, "let's make it happen!"

Elena mentioned that she lives just off an old golf course and in my head, the greens, trees and foliage would be perfect for the shoot. So after sending her a mood board and agreeing on wardrobe, my team and I set out to capture Elena and shoot a tutorial video at the same time.

Armed with a simple setup, I used two modifiers; 1 large diffuser and 1 collapsible reflector,  manipulating the light on the golf course and illuminating my subject who gave me great looks the entire set. We shot at different points on the course and even threw in a few small props just to give the shoot more of a lifestyle feel. Light retouching and small presets in Lightroom produced a look that I am more than pleased with and I think Elena was too with the entire experience. Watch the Video below and subscribe to my YouTube Channel for more videos.

Image: Scharad Lightbourne // MUA: Erinn Simone

Image: Scharad Lightbourne // MUA: Erinn Simone

WATCH THE TUTORIAL VIDEO. SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE

Video: Tony Williams Media. Editing: Scharad Lightbourne

Theodore Elyett, Fashion Designer Lifestyle Shoot

Theodore Elyett has been a premier designer in The Bahamas for quite some time, so when he approached me about shooting new lifestyle images of him for a brand, I felt honored to do so. Theo has won countless awards, been featured in multiple publications and was the 2015 winner of Mission Catwalk, a reality show competition for caribbean designers held in Jamaica last year.

Theo and I had several brainstorming sessions and we mapped out the look and feel for his shoot. His looks were going to be simple with monochromatic styling and different fabrics that ranged from plaid to houndstooth to tweed. Theo worked with fashion stylist Igee Okafor to help complete the looks. Very clean, very "artsy."

Our location, Harry's Haven was the perfect setting for the shoot combining both victorian and an "island chic" decor. We had really great spaces to work with and TONS of natural light, which I always embrace with a big smile. Theo took direction like a professional and threw in spots of his fun, outgoing personality which made for great frames. 

Video: Ashley Whitney
Styling: Igee Ofakor
Grip: Malik Smith
Grip: Shawn Hanna