Superstar DJ Ignite ( BTS) photographed at World's Top Studio!
Check out this behind the scenes video from my recent shoot with superstar DJ, Ignite shot at the Sanctuary Studios at Albany Bahamas. Using custom vinyl records, earphones and an iced out chain, we branded Ignite with great props and of course Ignite brought the hype!
One of the most amazing aspects of my work is that I often get opportunities to photograph amazing talents from my country ( 🇧🇸), local celebrities so to speak and by capturing their likeness, I somehow cement them in the fabric of Bahamian culture.
Sean Ferguson a.k.a. Dj Ignite is arguably the best DJ in the region and he approached me many months back to produce and style him for an updated press kit. I was already excited to work with him because we had shot him before but now we were both better at our crafts and it was time for an updated look.
Ignite has played for many events as he is one of the most sought-after DJs in the country, he’s played for celebs like Tiger Woods, Shaquille O'Neal, Dak Prescott and many others. I already felt the pressure to get great images of this exciting and dynamic talent!
So during the planning stages, Ignite called me up and asked if I wanted to shoot at the Sanctuary, a state of the art, top 5 in the world music recording studio and without having seen it prior, I agreed without hesitation. I could go on and on but instead, I decided to film this video that should help explain how awesome of a shoot this really was.
Please enjoy.
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
House of Hanna Campaign
Presenting the world premiere of the new collection from HOH boutique. I had the amazing pleasure of directing and shooting both the motion and still images for the boutique and worked with an amazing team for the final results. Please enjoy responsibly.
I had the amazing pleasure of directing and shooting both the motion and still images for HOH boutique and worked with an amazing team for the final results. Our location was truly unique and our team of stylists hit every look with flying colours literally, giving this inaugural campaign a bold, fresh and sexy aesthetic.
Client: @hoh_boutique
Models: @christianrozzay // @sylvercyty2000
Styling: @withloveroxy // @courtneyhmd
Hair: @dc.trends // @exoticbazr
Mua: @glamourholicsmua
Shoes: @statementshoes
Photography assistant: @kenzigthompsom
Video assistant: @thebahamabeauty
🏍: @talybahn
Modern Strong: Military Editorial
Photography + Creative Direction: Scharad Lightbourne
MUA: Natalie Black
Styling: Cara Nelson // A Creative Cliche
Model: Crystal Alexander
Photography Assistant: Dezmond Ardis
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
Courtney Spears. Portraits of a Ballerina
Courtney Spears is an accomplished dancer and ballerina with Bahamian roots with a diverse portfolio that makes her a very recognized figure in her field. There are Bahamians all over the world like Courtney who are doing some pretty amazing things, so when Courtney and I first met, we knew we would be doing some work together. I wanted to capture unconventional portraits of this incredible ballerina. We planned the entire shoot over a few days and I wanted to keep things simple as I always do but in this case, I wanted a bit more in terms of the creative direction. I enlisted the help of designer Ria Georgina to make a dramatic tulle skirt for my ballerina to wear and that was a creative process indeed from choosing the right colour to length and fullness of the skirt.
It took me a minute to decide on where I would shoot Courtney and I mulled over this for days. I didn't want studio shots and the locations I'd scouted prior to just weren't giving me the character I needed. Until...I decided to go back to one of those very same locations, the Potters Cay Dock. I walked around some more and found a space that I couldn't believe I missed. So I took some photos and went back home to finish my shot list.
On the day of the shoot, I met Courtney at the studio of Sarsha Lepeche (MUA) where she applied a dramatic look to her face. My team met me at the location and we shot effortless looks of Courtney moving and contorting her body like it was painted on a canvas. The location of course completely opposed her movements and femininity and the team loved it. Please enjoy the images responsibly.
Photography + Styling: Scharad Lightbourne
MUA: Makeup by Sarsha Lepeche
Grips: Gary Martin, Martin Gray // Video: Ashley Whitney
SEE COURTNEY IN MOTION