Underwear Photoshoot

Today was my photoshoot for the underwear. I am very happy with how it went. First came the make-up and hair. Here are some in-progress and finished photos:

Rose's French-Braid

Camilla's Fish-Tail Braid

Rose's Make-up in Progress

Camilla's Finished Make-up

All hair and make-up was done by Sarah Harrison. I was very pleased with how the make-up turned out. It was very different to see them in the make-up studio and then to see them in the photography studio, they translated well for both. I was there for most of the make-up process and was able to discuss with Sarah what I wanted and what would look best throughout. It was a good collaboration. The hair also turned out well, at first I wasn't sure if the coif in the front was what I wanted but it added so much to their look, making it more relaxed and fresh. The only hiccup along the way was time. Hair and make-up definitely took a lot longer than I had anticipated. It was completely worth it; however for the final dress shoot I will be sure to leave more time for this stage.

On Set:
I was super lucky to have a great team to work with. Nelly Nguyen and Camilla Arnhold were my photographers for the day and they were very efficient and professional. We did three stages of photography to show the three aspects of the costumes. Most of them are with both girls in the shot, although there are few singles of each. The first set was the bloomers and chemise. I was also very lucky to have two wonderful models; Camilla Thompson and Rosalie Tyack. These first few pictures of the underwear were delicate because they each aren't wearing a lot. I wanted to keep it light and simple and to not draw attention to that fact. I think lightness has been achieved through the poses and the lighting.

These are the un-edited photos (so just in the studio):

The second set of photographs are the chemise and the bloomers and both corsets. These images turned out really well and I got some full shots and some detail shots for both.

The third set of photographs was the complete set of underwear each. The hoop-skirts were very interesting to photograph. It was interesting to see how the light could come through the organza hoop and how different it looked for the open cage. Space was also different with these large hoops. Keeping both girls fully in shot without squishing the hoops but maintaining intimacy was a bit of challenge but I think was over-come with some creative posing.

Evaluation:
For me this was very successful and fulfilling experience. It felt great to see things really come together and to see my vision realized. As a designer I was happy to see the relationship the looks had together: different but similar. One was sweeter and demure; one was more dramatic and sexy. As a maker I felt they were finished to a standard suitable for a high resolution photography. What I learned through this experience is to manage my time a bit better. I wasn't aware of how long hair and make-up would take so I think I would will leave more time for that. I also think I could have brainstormed some more poses I would have liked to have. I had one or two for each stage but I should have thought more about how I wanted them to interact together. I feel like this was valuable to learn for the next session; I know more of how my models look and work together and I can plan poses with help from the book and story itself. These are good high quality professional photographs that will enhance my portfolio and showcase my work and for that this was a highly successful experience.