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!
Chrystal Bethell 📸 by Scharad Lightbourne
Makeup by @Gail Clarke
Styling: @hannahnsimone⠀⠀
Grip: @tpetithomme BTS: @Keith Bryan
Clothing: @signaturestylesbahamas
Video: @Jiggy Productions
Location: @Utopia Gardens
Naomi Campbell Inspired Fashion Shoot
Georgie and I worked together a lot in 2020 and coming up on the last shoot of the year, she wanted to do something exciting and epic. We searched the internet for days trying to find inspiration when she came across a photo that supermodel Naomi Campbell had posted. The image itself was very controversial because of what she spoke about. She received many negative comments due to the subject matter, but I loved the dress for me. Georgie loved the dress, and she told me she wanted to have it made and do a shoot somewhere in the now-infamous "dress."
Naomi Campbell photographed by Ethan James Green
So firstly, I am NOT a morning person but I told Georgie because of the nature of the dress, morning light would be incredible. We set call time for 6 am and my team and I drove to the location waiting on the arrival of our model.
Georgie showed up a few mins later and we all walked over to a beach where there was an amazing rock structure that I would put the model against. It would be the perfect backdrop to juxtapose her against.
I used a one-light setup, probing my Godox AD600 pro with a Glow beauty dish on a light stand to illuminate the model. I could have easily used natural light but I wanted more contrasting and “punchy” lighting.
Georgie hit pose after pose with the waves crashing behind her. She climbed the rocks, lay on the rocks and shed any fear she had of heights to get great shots again, and again, and again!
Check out this behind the scenes photo of our location and what it looked like shooting this upcoming talent. Please view the gallery below and enjoy. Drop a few comments or questions in the section following this article.
Be creative!
Season 10 from Bahari photographed by Scharad Lightbourne
Season 10 from Bahari Bahamas was a very hard campaign to produce. Designs were redrawn and fabric samples tested multiple times. Being the brands chief photographer, I get a first hand preview before it hits the market. The brands CEO trusts my input (sometimes) and values the feedback that he gets from me. My first response after seeing final samples were, "this is the most mature collection from Bahari yet and I know people are going to love it, its a step in the right direction. " Their newest collection has been a long time coming and shows tremendous growth from the brand.
In planning the campaign photoshoot, there were certain elements that always play an important role in the success of the images. The right team had to have been assembled, the right cast and most importantly the right location. Bahari always seems to discover or use its resources to secure pretty mazing location on the island and this one was no different. our scenic view of beautiful blue Bahamian waters, modern architecture and textured backgrounds gave me all the inspiration I needed to put the mood board together. Once approved, I eagerly awaited shoot day.
My team and I worked consistency throughout the day using the sun to our advantage, and fully making use of the property. Along with the YNGDGRTS team, everything ran smoothly and with great ease from location to location. Shooting in direct sunlight is no joke but I was able to use modifiers, a fan and a powerful strobe to achieve the looks the client approved. See some of the images from the campaign below along with the cinematic shoot video below and do enjoy responsibly.
...until the next post! See you guys again and thanks for reading.
Photography: Scharad Lightbourne
MUA: Erinn Treco
Hair Stylist: Jameelah Thompson
Styling: ProductJoint
Video: Ashley Whitney
Photo Assistants: Kenzi Thompson // Jayden Mcintosh
SEE THE COLLECTION
SEE THE CINEMATIC VIDEO
Sedrick Ward, MMG/ITA model photographed by Scharad Lightbourne
Photography & Styling: Scharad Lightbourne // Clothing Provided: YNGDGRTS
Representation: New York Model Management (MMG)
Representation:International Talent Agency (ITA)
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
"Ha it Go," Ghetto Fashion editorial
This had been for a very long time, just a concept in my head. For years, I found myself fascinated with ghetto fashion, slang, style, and everything else in between. As a photographer, it served as a visual playground and the speech would amaze me. Looking back I realized how much the ghetto influenced my work. Its bold, vibrant and full of energy. The slang is hard, lyrical and edgy. Every part of the world has a term for its urban areas; hood, ghetto, slum translated to the people being termed “trick, hood rat, thug, gangster, jungaless (jun-ga-less) harajuku, redneck etc… Everyone can relate to these terms.
For me, the goal was translating this into art, fashion and photography. How do I relate this to a culture I was raised in? What things should I highlight, what do I title it? What do I focus on? For years I just kept the thought locked up. Then I decided to plan and execute. I did tons of research, driving through the ghettos of New Providence, observing the natives and watching their tendencies and it only made me even more hungry to get this shoot going. Sometime had passed and I only became more hesitant to shoot here where I lived. Crime was definitely a factor so again, I put this idea on hold. Until one day, I picked up the phone and called model Tomii Culmer, I told her the idea and she immediately gave me a resounding “YES!”
Now, Tomii lived in Freeport, the city of one of the out islands in The Bahamas but I was ok with that. I sourced the entire team who conveniently lived in Freeport. It was an opportunity to work with other talented people. Ashley, Gail, Navie, Alfred, Monette all agreed to come on board as team players to make the shoot happen. For weeks we planned and needed one more piece of the puzzle…a stylist.
Now I’d just shot fashion stylist Lavonne Alexis for her blog and I thought to pitch the idea to her. Lavonne jumped up with excited, almost catapulting herself out her living room couch. She loved the concept and she ran with it, sourcing pieces from local stores like Diva’s Body language, Fashion Ova Style, Shop the CC and Stiletto Shoe Loft, she came up with some incredible looks for Tomii all matching the ghetto lifestyle theme.
Freeport was amazing! We shot around different settlements like Pinder’s Point, Hawksbill and Pioneer’s Way. With Assistance from photographer Alfred Anderson and Tomii’s BF GeeJay Cox, the team worked masterfully to create true works of art with each look. Albeit experiencing some conflict with a few residents, we pushed through a 2 day, almost 16 hour set and we made magic!
Credits Model: Tomii Culmer
Styling: LaVonne Alexis
MUA: Gail McIntosh
Hair: Gifted Handsz
Nails: Monette Newbold
Assisted by: Alfred Anderson, GeeJay Cox