Clothing catalogue photo shoot
I have decided to post a few photos from a recent commercial photo shoot for Two Ruffles.
Two Ruffles is a new online clothing boutique run by local designer and entrepreneur, Coco. Her work ethic is “to create contemporary feminine styles of high quality, vibrant, versatile, but affordable“.
Quality affordable clothing
Before I became a photographer my interest in clothes was virtually zero. I think the only clothes I ever appreciated were Indian sarees – which can be incredibly elegant.
It was only after I became a professional photographer that I started to appreciate clothes from a more “artistic” viewpoint. I confess I felt a strong urge to touch the coats and scarves in the Two Ruffles collection (I didn’t because we were working in a way that minimised the potential risk of transmitting a coronavirus infection). I particularly love that blue coat.
Commercial photo shoot in my studio
Since the original coronavirus lockdown earlier this year I have only done two photo shoots in my studio in Kingston upon Thames. This commercial photo shoot, and a body painting photo shoot (I intend to post about this on my blog soon). Neither of these photo shoots could have been done outdoors.
Fortunately most photo shoots can be done outdoors. In principle at least! The weather is a constraint of course, but if you have the necessary kit it is possible to “fake” a studio photo shoot outdoors.
Photos for clothing catalogue
There is no point in showing lots of similar photos, but if you want to see more you can visit the Two Ruffles website.
Excellent professional model Delina
This shoot was arranged at very short notice – in fact just two days prior to our new coronavirus lockdown. Fortunately Coco had already booked a model who arrived with her make up already done. I was happy that we could work with only three people, because the fewer people are involved the lower the risk of transmitting a coronavirus infection to each other.
The model’s name is Delina and she was brilliant. She is beautiful, cheerful, experienced and professional.
Delina is agency represented, but you can also find her on instagram at @delinacleo.
The value of a good experienced model
A good professional model makes a commercial photographer’s job so much easier because she (or he) needs very little direction. Delina was a real pleasure to work with. For this commercial photo shoot we wanted a “happy smiley” model, and Delina managed that role with ease. She has a cheerful personality, and it was a very enjoyable commercial photo shoot. Many commercial photo shoots and fashion shoots require a model to have a straight face all of the time.
Delina also loves cats! I believe a love of animals is a sign that someone is a good person.
Here is a “behind the scenes photo” of Delina making friends with one of the studio cats. But please be careful! That cat sheds white hair like nobody’s business, and we don’t want them covering the clothes! It has happened.
Two Ruffles’ winter scarves
With just 6 minutes of the shoot remaining (Delina had to leave for another assignment and Coco had to collect her kids from school) we rushed outdoors for some natural shots. It was a bright sunny day and I used the natural sunlight as my light source.
Shooting in direct sunlight can be tricky, but I think it worked well here. The main risks are that it is virtually impossible for anyone to avoid squinting if they look in the direction of the sun, and the very hard shadows and strong contrast can be problematic (depending on what you are photographing and the kind of “look” you want).
The sun was low in the sky and this helped create a “warm” autumnal feeling for the winter scarf.
