Scharad Lightbourne 3/25/25 Scharad Lightbourne 3/25/25

The Photographer ft Jaime Thompson

The Bahamas has a way of blending relaxation with refined style, and this series captures that duality: lightweight linen shirts unbuttoned just enough to catch the breeze, vintage cameras casually in hand, and accessories that nod to both culture and confidence. There’s an undeniable rhythm in these images—a dance of golden sunlight, patterned tiles, and palm shadows moving in sync with Jamie’s effortless energy.

Mens Lifestyle Shoot — Model: Jaime Thompson
Location: Pink Palms Bahamas
Clothing: KS Moses
Styling: Delano Sweeting
Timepiece: Bahamas Watch Exchange
Jewellery: Island Cache73
MUA: Gail Clarke
Female Model: Michelle Louidor

Planning a photoshoot can feel overwhelming—there are so many moving parts to get just right. For me, everything has to align: the model, clothing, styling, team, and location all need to complement the concept I have in mind. With this shoot, I knew I wanted to feature a male model since my portfolio has very few men. I also knew exactly who I wanted as my muse.

Jamie—pronounced "hi-may"—is a 6'4", 230-pound CrossFit athlete. We met not too long ago on a client shoot, and when I reached out to ask if he’d be interested in collaborating, he didn’t hesitate. I shared my vision, and he was instantly on board, excited to participate.

Some locations do more than serve as backdrops—they bring a scene to life, setting the mood and shaping the entire aesthetic. That’s precisely what happened with this shoot. The Pink Palm, with its soft pink walls, crisp sunlight, and tropical charm, created an effortlessly timeless setting. I had been eyeing this location for a while, waiting for the right concept. When I called the owner, she gave me a list of available dates, and I jumped at the earliest one!

All the clothing was sourced from KS Moses, a local men’s boutique. I collaborated with them to select different pieces, which my stylist, Delano, expertly curated. I called on Bahamas Watch Exchange to source Jaime's timepieces to add another level of luxury. We also incorporated accessories from Island Cache, a Bahamian-inspired jewellery brand, to complete the looks. The result? A seamless blend of island ease and timeless sophistication.

The Bahamas, my home, seamlessly merges relaxation with elegance, and this series embodies that blend: airy linen shirts casually unbuttoned to welcome the breeze, vintage cameras held with effortless grace, and accessories that honour both culture and confidence. My aim was to capture the many facets of a photographer—their look and styling—and how they work within a single editorial.

Scharad Lightbourne 10/8/21 Scharad Lightbourne 10/8/21

Portraits of Realtor. Private Banker & Watch Collector, Bobby Chen

“Working with Scharad was a cakewalk. He’s a consummate professional full of creative energy along with the perfect timing to capture the essence in every shot. He went above and beyond to ensure that the environment and creative process brought out the best expressions in me and my wife. An absolute pleasure to work with and the finished products are indeed timeless to say the least.”

— Bobby Chen

I met Bobby Chen a few years ago when I did some headshots for the real estate firm he worked for, and he seemed to be a pretty cool dude. As I followed his career path, I noticed he had an interesting portfolio that included cryptocurrency, private banking, and more so, a love for collection luxury and vintage timepieces.

You see, photographers are always looking to add more exciting people to their portfolios. Bobby seemed intelligent, accomplished and we both shared similar interests.

I reached out to Bobby via social media and asked him if he would shoot with me. After explaining my concept some more, he eagerly agreed. I explained to him I would photograph him in a way that timelined what a possible day would look like for him. I made up this story that he’d wake up, take a morning swim, have coffee in bed with his wife before heading to work and I also threw a pseudo modelling career for fun and date night with his beautiful wife, Patrice. We all felt this was going to be a great shoot to execute.

The shot list was simple enough, but I called on friend/stylist Shan Oliver to put all the looks together. Bobby had multiple options for wardrobe from his own closet, so we simply pulled from that to make it work. Working with a stylist is very important; I showed Shan a mood board of looks that I liked, and she was able to put pieces together based on my vision and used her expertise to make each outfit pop. She knows my style is clean and straightforward, so she made the styling the same.

The shoot went relatively smooth and we shot the entire day. Bobby got through it like a champ and with his wife by his side, he was able to confidently knock and model his looks out the park. The team had a great time working with this multifaceted Bahamian.