Behind the Sparkle #3
On Location at a Rock Paper Roses photo shoot
Before I started Rock Paper Roses, I had never even been to a photo shoot let alone planned one myself. They’ve come to be an integral part of the year for me.
Twice a year we shoot the new jewellery both as a flatlay and on a model. The flatlay images show the detail of jewellery. The model shots are important to show the size and scale of each piece in real life. And it’s a chance for us to have some fun, be creative
So how does this all come together?
1. Storytelling and mood boards
The first thing I do is create a story around the jewellery. Here’s the creative brief from our statement earrings shoot:
“This limited edition range of earrings will be the statement piece and focal of any look.
Objective: To make this range of statement earrings look accessible as part of a variety looks- from relaxed everyday wear to night time looks.”
I then create a mood board to match this brief. Based on inspiration from a variety of sources I gather outfit images, colours and location settings. I’ll also specify the makeup look that we want to achieve.
2. Models and locations
When I first started Rock Paper Roses it was really important to me to show what our jewellery looked like on a variety of skin tones. We called in favours from friends and acquaintances who fitted the profile. My best friend’s sister was one of our first ever models! More recently it’s been me behind the camera. It’s been great to be able to connect with my audience and customers this way.
We try and keep it simple with locations and shoot outdoors as much as possible, weather permitting. We have been lucky enough to use some gorgeous indoor locations for free- a hotel who likes to support new businesses let us use their best suite and even a local museum gave us access to this gorgeous room.
3. Clothing and makeup
This is the fun bit. Because we had limited access to clothing, we’ve always asked the models to bring their own wardrobe. This ensures that they feel comfortable, given that they are not professionals, and it eliminates any problems with sizes. One lady bought her entire wardrobe with her- leather trousers, bardot tops- we were all drooling over it!
And finally I’ve been lucky enough to work with two talented makeup artists who lovingly created the looks we were after.
4. Click, click, flash
With all that behind the scenes stuff taken care of, the day of a shoot is always busy. Everyone has a running order detailing timings and details. Me and the photographer have a list of every piece of jewellery and which look it goes with, as well as set shooting allocated to help us stick to time frames. And then it’s time for the talented photographers to work their magic. Every shoot I am amazed at how they meet my brief, creating shots that are dreamy or capturing locations that look fresh and Instagrammable.
Every photo shoot takes a lot of thought, planning, precision and concentration. They can be exhausting but fun- and always worthwhile! I love getting the contact sheet of the proofs to choose from, and finally the images themselves.
Genuinely one of the best part of my job!