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BTS of a Studio Shoot Day
Let’s take a look Behind the Scenes of a studio shoot with me!
There's always excellent banter, as well as copiously flowing tea and coffee. John and I always make sure that my client is able to choose the right music to get them in the mood for their shoot! I like to think we create a very relaxed environment that always sets my clients completely at ease and enables me to then get the best out of them and their shots.
Being a woman of a certain age, I know how uncomfortable a lot of people feel in front of the camera. If I'm totally honest, I'm definitely more comfortable myself behind the camera, so I’m well versed in the tricks of the trade and all the clever little ways to make my subject feel at ease! However, in Bonnie's case none of this was needed at all, because Bon is an absolute Pro for getting her shots taken! As a natural performer, singer and actress… this young woman knows how to work a camera! She even brought along her own stylist, Lucy.
So, I thought it might be a good idea to tell you about a photoshoot I did recently with local singer-songwriter Bonnie Milnes, because I think it will give you a fantastic idea of what it’s like to book a Leeds-based studio photoshoot with me! I don't have my own photography studio; however, I do have some great friends over at Lenslab, who have a brilliant studio setup, just near the city centre in Leeds. We have a fabulous little system, where I can book out the studio space and use some of the equipment - and even book the marvellously talented Jonathan Turner as my glamorous assistant/ lighting technician for the day! Having John's technical expertise on hand is just brilliant and having done several of these Photoshoots over the years, we've established a great working relationship that always makes for a fun day with my clients!
Hang on, hang on, let me just rewind a moment. I forgot to tell you that a week before the shoot, Bonnie and I started sharing mood board images and set up a WhatsApp group with Lucy the stylist. Between us, we decided on three styles of shot that we wanted to achieve, from the inspiration.
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OK, back to shoot day. I always arrive at least an hour before my subject, so John and I can get the studio set up and do some test shots. Once Bon arrived, I showed her up to the studio, introduced her to John and took her over to the green room, so she could lay out her wardrobe and of course, made everyone a brew.
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Next, Lucy arrived with bags and bags of incredibly gorgeous vintage pieces….many of which were very nostalgic 90's sportswear!
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The three of us had a chat regarding outfits and backdrops and I gave them 10 minutes to get all kitted up in the first look. I went back to the studio and set my mobile up on a tripod, to film all the action in time lapse. I was very proud of myself for remembering, as this is something that often gets overlooked on these days, but it's great to get as much content as possible from all perspectives and devices!
I asked Bonnie what music she would like and she was pretty easy, so I suggested Blondie, as I've noticed that on a lot of the imagery on her Pinterest board she seems to have a lil Debbie Harry obsession, which I’m totally into! The Parallel Lines album worked really well as the soundtrack to our shoot! I recalled the only time I've ever seen Blondie live was on the beach in Barcelona doing that full album. Realising that this holiday was almost 20 years ago now, made me feel very old indeed! Time really does fly doesn't it!
It's always the way that the first few shots of any shoot feel a little awkward until everybody gets to know each other's vibe and relax into it, so I never put too much pressure on myself for the first part of the shoot. However, as I said above, Bonnie is a natural and she’s spent a lot of time in front of the camera, so there wasn't too much messing about with time relaxing into it!
Before I knew it, the first look was shot and the guys were off to change into the next outfit, I took the time to review the photos we'd already got and refreshed myself by looking at some of the poses we’d liked from the Pinterest board. I grabbed a lil step ladder out, as I knew we wanted to play with angles and work with some interesting poses, with Bon’s long limbs.
For this retro-inspired shot we used props such as the vintage telephone and Bonnie blowing bubblegum - there is a brilliant shot of Debbie Harry with loads of cigarettes in her mouth about to be lit, but we decided against this shot, in case we set off the fire alarms of the building! Plus as it's 2025, I don't think promoting smoking is necessarily as cool as it used to be in the 70’s!
The last look of the day involved these awesome pink fishnet tights, so I suggested we brought down the green paper roll, as that would create a brilliant contrast against the pink of her legs…
In under 3 hours, we’d got so many brilliant shots and Bonnie was really happy with the results! And defo had enough Hero Shots to keep her going for a good while! Ever the busy bee, Bonnie had to set off to the recording studio near Hebden Bridge and I had to get home to start the Edit! I always find starting the Edit as quickly after the photo shoot as possible is best, as I always know on the day and in the moment what my hero shots are and want to get them edited just as soon as possible!