Shooting a Naturalista ft Rache Josey
Most times, when shooting a client, they often start by saying, "Now I’m not a model, inferring that they have no idea what to do or that they won’t appear as beautiful. I believe that as a photographer, its ones job to make every client look and feel good. It's an art to pull something from the average person and make them appear in a whole different light. Such was the case with Rache.
When we first met up for her consultation, the first thing I noticed was her natural hair and I asked if it was all hers to which she replied, “yes” but she seemed not to care too much for it. I was shocked considering it was so much! She took it down and I knew right away that I would focus this shoot around her hair. I had a makeup artist and hairstylist who wanted to work on someone natural not taking away from their skin or hair and Rache was perfect.
She asked about clothing and I didn't want anything too fussy, I kept things simple; a summer dress and I liked the idea of overalls. I wanted a summer theme in a garden photoshoot. My client, Caribbean Landscape graciously lent me their premises to complete the shoot. This was a great shoot, natural, effortless and free.
Enjoy the images and the cinematic BTS video below.
Model: Rache Josey
Photographed + Styled by: Scharad Lightbourne
Hair: Ryen Fox
MUA: Raven Forbes
Grips: Kenton Ferguson
Video: Sherard Campbell (iFocus Films)
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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
"Twinning" with models Shyloh + Abeba
While I visited NYC this past fall for a photography workshop, I decided to shoot during my stay so I put out a few castings on social media to see if I'd get some attention. Bahamian born model Shyloh reached out to me and said that she'd love to shoot while I was there. I completely forgot that she lived in New York! She also mentioned that her roommate Abeba, modeled as well and when I saw photos, I immediately got excited.
I decided to shoot them both using a "twin-like" theme where the looks would be matching, mimicked styles and looking at them both together, I thought it would be great because they looked very similar but oddly they had no relation to each other.
The day of was great, I met up with fellow colleagues Herman (DC) and Tamara (NJ) and found a great studio down on 36th street which had an amazing space and I was able to book them at a reasonable price. These beautiful women put everything together, from head to toe and being seasoned models, they knew where to shop and how to prepare for a studio session. They even did their own hair and makeup!
Shyloh and Abeba were nothing short of incredible to shoot, with little to no direction, they both ROCKED the set. If they weren't spinning, they were jumping, dancing and embracing one another stopping in between to hold fierce looks long enough for me to find my sweet spots and frames. A photographer's dream!
TRAVELISTA TV’S Teri Johnson Shoots with Scharad Lightbourne in The Bahamas
If the energy and enthusiasm exuded by Travelista TV’s Teri Johnson (NYC) via email was any indication of what was to come, I knew I had to prepare myself for a bundle of energy and nothing less. Teri contacted me to produce new images for her amazing and informative travel brand, a task she would complete during a visit to Nassau, Bahamas. Needless to say, I was not disappointed as I met Teri and she told me her goals for what she wanted to achieve. Teri already had close connections to The Bahamas as her good friend Latoya Moxey, (who happens to be a friend/client of mine) told her of my work initially and recommended me for this project. Teri stated that once she saw my portfolio, she felt compelled to contact me and bring her vision to life.
To capture the full essence of what Teri envisioned, I put together a team and called on stylist, Lavonne Alexis of ShoptheCC to assist me. Of course with Lavonne’s extraordinary energy and work ethic, we created looks for Teri that combined Teri’s southern background with her jet setting lifestyle and love for fashion.
I chose the beautiful Love Beach in Nassau on which to photograph “The Travelista” and with my team behind me, she rocked every look highlighted with jewelry from DVK and Jason Fish (NYC) as well as sponsored swimwear from Allure Swimsuit Boutique and designer Rich McCoy.
Teri took some time out to do a short interview while on set. Here’s what she had to say:
1. How did you come up with the name Travelista™?
When my friend and business partner Andrea and I decided to create our own travel web video show seven years ago, we called ourselves “The TravelGirls”. We were using that name for a few years but we were forced to come up with a new name because there was already a magazine called TravelGirl and we would never be able to trademark TravelGirls and use it commercially.
After a few months of racking our brains to come up with a better name, I happened to be on a flight from Los Angeles toNYC reading a magazine where words ending in “ista”, kept popping up like Fashionista and Barista. I knew immediately that we should call ourselves “The Travelistas”and operate using the Travelist TV platform.
2. What does the brand represent?
A Travelista is a woman who loves to travel and explore the world. She is curious about other cultures and people, she enjoys speaking other languages, sampling various cuisines and meeting interesting and fascinating characters. She is open minded, a global citizen, and loves to look good, especially when she travels. A Travelista combines the style and grace of jetsetters from the 60’s with a fun, adventurous twist that makes her stand out wherever she goes.
3. What brought you down to the Bahamas?
I came to the Bahamas to visit Nassau, write about my experience and to learn more about what’s in store over the next eight months for Paradise Island. I was amazed to see how much growth and expansion is taking place in the real estate and resort market and what this means for US and international tourism.
I also decided to come to Nassau to do a photo-shoot with photographer, Scharad Lightbourne. I needed to update images for my Travelista Teri brand and I felt as though the Bahamas was a perfect backdrop for me because I feel at home here and have an immense love for the Caribbean. Although born and raised in Houston, Texas, I happen to be an island girl at heart who is used to the heat, friendly people and good food, all which are plentiful in the Bahamas.
Prior to last year, I had never had my own web presence apart from Travelista TV and the shows I’ve done for BET, TVOne and Huffington Post. I knew I needed to create my unique web presence that reflects my passion for inspiring people to live better and travel more. From tips on how to look like a rock star when you travel to how to correctly pronounce French wine, I strive to provide my audience with tools, tips and destination highlights in an entertaining video format.
4. Tell us about the shoot?
My dear friend Latoya Moxey, a Bahamian swimwear designer and entrepreneur, referred Scharad Lightbourne and after seeing links to his work; I was determined to shoot with him. I believed in his ability to capture my personality and the essence of Travelista.
The shoot went amazingly well. Scharad’s team of professionals made my job very easy. As a director and producer of my own show, I am usually in charge of production in almost every project I do, but for this photo-shoot, I was able to relax and let Scharad and his talented team run the show. I was extremely comfortable and felt as though I was working with people I’d known for years.
Prior to our initial phone conversation, he watched a few of my Travelista videos and had detailed branding and style questions for me to answer. I knew he got it when he sent a Pinterest Inspiration board with looks that were perfectly in alignment with my brand.
6. How do you think the branding and new images will enhance you as a travel personality?
With my new images and branding, I am confident that I will get a boost in my profession as a travel host and spokesperson. My new look will not only translate well for travel and tourism brands, but for fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands. I was fortunate enough to have been selected as the pro-bono client for the Studio NYC, a digital and animation company, whose summer interns are using their creativity to do a brand overhaul for me. The combination of their work on my logo, color scheme, and animation combined with my new photos by Scharad, I know I am truly blessed to have a powerhouse behind me. With my series on the TravelChannel.com launching later this summer and my current role as the spokesperson for Hampton Hotels, the timing for my new look could not have come at a better time.
"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