(Making of) Loving Wish

L o v i n g W i s h

Loving Wish

My second shoot came around quickly, even more so as it was organised within the days leading up to the shoot. The lovely Najat, who I've worked with on a previous shoot, asked if I would like to shoot with her and the model Red Southwood on that coming Sunday. I very happily accepted and we got to planning... We discussed something fairy tale-esque, with a dark gown and cape in a coastal/forest setting. But, it was not meant to be as yet another storm was due, forecast to be worse than the previous and hitting right at the peak time of shooting. I feared we'd have to cancel and we all searched for a suitable indoor (or at least inland) location as an alternative, struggling to find anything suited to our theme. We were extremely fortunate that Najat was able to secure an indoor location for us to work in. A family friend very generously offered the use of their wooden barn. It had no electricity (and therefore no heating), limited natural light and had been unused/abandoned for a while giving it a lot of charm but presenting a whole new set of challenges to work with - and anyone who knows me knows I love a challenge! The most important thing was it was dry and not leaving us exposed to the raging storm. We changed the styling slightly for the new location and after a brainstorm Red suggested her prom dress, a stunning ivory and gold piece, with matching heels. I dug out my white bridal cape (worn during the reception of my wedding), a gold leaf headpiece, a selection of artificial flowers and various white/ivory organza and tulle fabrics to style with it. Najat sourced some beautiful wallpaper to pin onto the plasterboard, a bag of tealights and a full length mirror. It all came together at the last minute, the final look becoming bridal-inspired.

Loving Wish

I packed my gear, including a new portable ringlight which runs on batteries, and enlisted the help of my loyal husband Steve to carry some of the gear and assist me on the shoot. Najat had prepared ahead, doing Red's make-up before we traveled to the location. She'd also visited the barn the day before to pin a few sheets of wallpaper onto the plasterboard and take a camp kettle with mugs and supplies for tea and coffee, a very welcome surprise! One of her friends was there to let us in, and kindly set to making teas and coffees for us whilst we set up.

Loving Wish

To my absolute horror, my ringlight didn't work. I had foolishly not tested it on battery power the night before and I paid for it on the day. With no other options, I whacked the ISO up and had Steve and Najat alternatively holding reflectors to combat the minimal light I was working in. Despite shooting upwards of 6400 ISO and the slowest shutter speed I dared go for most of the shoot, I was relieved to find the shots were not the grainy mess I was expecting but I will definitely not be repeating that mistake in a hurry! It also helped we weren't fighting against the storm or the tide, and had plenty of hours of daylight left so could take our time with this shoot. It gave the opportunity for more 'set dressing' including the introduction of LED fairy lights, tealights and array of fabrics I'd brought along. Red's fiancé thankfully had a lighter to light the tealights and was happy to assist with lighting them - it turns out I'm pretty useless with lighters! They added that little something extra to the shoot, the whole scene becoming something dream like.

Loving Wish

Red was incredible to work with, she was a natural in front of the camera and completely understood the look we were trying to create - adding her own ideas to the shoot and really elevating the shots. We spent a good few hours shooting and I very much enjoyed not having to worry about the tide or the rain!

Loving Wish

My husband had brought his camera along, although more of a landscape/nature photographer he wanted to take the opportunity to get some abstract shots. I took the opportunity to take a snack break, Najat kindly providing more delicious snacks! We then moved toward one of the windows (having a slight panicked moment when touching one of the curtains revealed a swarm of moths, but after the initial spook they returned to hiding) and we cracked on with some more close-up shots, keen to capture Najat's flawless make-up work.

Loving Wish

I was much happier with these close-ups, the lighting much easier to work with and enabling me to go back down to a more acceptable ISO level. Najat's expert work with a reflector also made a huge difference, softening the harsh shadows of the direct light. My trusty crystal and prisms were also more effective here, another bonus of having more light to work with!

Loving Wish

It was starting to creep toward late afternoon, and although the storm had eased slightly the low temperature was beginning to wear us all down so we decided to wrap. Typically, once we had packed everything away and got ready to leave, the storm finally passed making way for blue skies and sunshine! It was tempting to hurriedly unpack and shoot some outdoors against the galvanized barn next door (sadly far too cold to shoot in during the storm), but I was already knackered, poor Red was freezing and Steve and I had a fair drive home still. We agreed we'd have to arrange another time to shoot there (in better weather) and said our goodbyes, buzzing with ideas for more shoots in the future.