Bahamas Masqueraders Official Costume Photoshoot
So…I know what you all much be thinking…Scharad shoots a Carnival Band?
Mr. "anti-soca" himself?
Well if you must know, contrary to popular belief, regardless of the genre or scenario, I will always be 100% an advocate for creativity. My impartial favor towards Soca music has nothing to do with the fact that the Masqueraders Carnival Band approached me to shoot their official images and sitting in our meeting, my ears perked at the sound of the phrase, “we want to give you 100% creative control.”
I mean, would you turn away an opportunity like this?
I wanted to see what I was capable of capturing. I knew the costumes would be detailed, intricate and awe-inspiring, all things that I find inspiration from as a photographer so I connected with the concept on a completely artistic level. Can you imagine, showing up at our location, the band’s warehouse to see so many moving parts? Personnel running around trying to get each detail ready? Designers putting the finishing touch on their section costumes. Models arriving to be escorted into makeup and hair? Staff on-call preparing food, snacks, and drink for everyone present. Tractors, trailers and heavy equipment preparing for the Band’s lunch? It was truly a circus and my team and I set up in the middle of all this creative chaos!
The 16-hour shoot proved to be a marathon of lights, cameras and tons of action. The band featured 4 sections, Oriental, Mayan, Grecian and African themes. For someone not immersed in the cultured, I was amazed at the amount of work and detail that went into the designing, building and finishing these jaw-dropping pieces.
One by one, we shot, re-lit, composed and constructed section after section, models both male and female were posed and pushed to give energetic, artistic and fierce stances. We added fog and colored gels for our close up shots just to make them more dynamic. To keep the models energized and hyped, there was a 6 speaker system setup worthy of any fete or concert blasting some of the hottest soca tracks…the entire time! What a time!
The energy was incredible and everyone fed from it. Section leaders, designers, staff, models, and my team all cocooned in what was occurring. The shoot was simply amazing. Once the call “Its a wrap” was made, we all cheered in excitement. We knew we achieved what we set out to, with all the hard work from every single person on board. The band will launch its website soon but in the meantime, please enjoy the images below and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram.
I shot at the dopest wedding location ever! Leo & Keva Creary
Last year Leo, Keva and I had a meeting to discuss their wedding day. It was full circle for me in many aspects because I’d mentored Leo for many years and he’d come to me for a long time whenever he wanted photos of himself. This time was different though. It was his wedding day and I was so honored that he and his fiance asked me to be their wedding photographer. The first question I had for the couple was; “Is it going to be in Bimini?” because I knew of a dope location, a shipwreck on the island that I KNEW I had to use as a backdrop.
So…I’ll skip all the bells and whistles and get right to it. It was particularly exciting for me because I’d done my fair share of weddings, but this backdrop was going to be the delta of wedding locations for me. I told the couple we’d have to shoot at sunset because their wedding was earlier in the day.
I shot in and around the boat and used a strobe to assist me with the lighting. The location and natural light were incredible. The couple even agreed to go in the remains of the ship, part of which was partially submerged in the sand. The images were magical and I was so happy to capture this couple in a way that made me happy as well.
After being featured in both Essence and Adriana Magazines, I now have the chance to post these. Be sure to check out the behind the scenes video below.
THE HINSEY'S: STYLED HOLIDAY PHOTOSHOOT
For the second year in a row, The Hinsey family has charged me with shooting their holiday photos. This time around we all discussed a different approach. Honestly, D’Vanya had everything planned out. I gave my input and we agreed to be on the same accord. She wanted something very upscale and stylish and I knew why. Last year, we shot a pajama themed concept in their home so it only felt natural to move to the opposite end of the spectrum.
D’Vanya had her dress picked out, she had sent me photos earlier and I knew that I wanted to put the men of the household in suits but accessorize them differently. Dad aka KJ would wear a turtleneck under his black suit and the boys would stand between suspenders and a three piece. We took is a step further by taking them to a tailor to have him cut the suits down some more. So the boys came through with the right fit!
Shooting the family was awesome. In real life, we’re like family being so closely knit, so the chemistry and energy was natural. I love and play with the boys as if they were my own kids so it was exceptionally easy to direct them. Keeping things simple this round by shooting the family in studio worked even better. I used both white and black backdrops to really get great contrast in the images. I loved how the photos came out and they were as well.
Be sure to check out the Hinsey VLOG of their shoot day.
WATCH THE HINSEY’S VLOG
I jumped at this opportunity to work with twins!!
Clients: Santia and Anaya Dean
Photography: Scharad Lightbourne
MUA: Ruth Rolle
Hair Styling: Whitney Miller
Hair Provider: Amani Hair
Grips: Catina Ferguson and Rayandra Nairn
When MUA (makeup artist) Ruth Rolle approached me about shooting natural look, I was excited because she’s a very talented and passionate MUA and she’s someone who is always excited about her work. Initially speaking, she expressed that she wanted to shoot something different, natural, with clean looks, very little distracting elements and she wanted to shoot twins! What photographer wouldn’t jump at a chance to work with twins and a professional makeup artist?
Now, the challenge would be finding twins worth photographing and I remembered that a colleague of mine, Lavado Stubbs knew twins but freakishly upon visiting his Facebook profile to find them, in the friend suggestions panel, there in my face was one of the twins! I wrote her a note and the next day she responded with a “yes, sure, we’d love to!”
Now, this is a tricky subject because I am absolutely terrified of approaching people to photograph them because I’m always afraid to hear the words “no, thanks.” and yes its happened to me before but Ruth really liked their look and so I took the risk of asking.
We had a production meeting and kept things simple. Ruth wanted to do a “dewy” look on the twins, keeping the making light and minimal. She said, “I want their skin to look flawless and moist keeping the tones smooth and even.”
We shot in studio and I used 1 LED light on a 5ft Octobox, keeping the lighting consistent to match the even skin tone of the twins. Whitney Miller, my hair stylist is really good with natural hair textures so she styled the girls and added more volume by sourcing pieces from Amani Hair. These inexperienced models were great in front of the camera lens and my team worked well.
Please enjoy the images.
I shot my first fragrance campaign!
There aren't any words that can express how excited I was when I got the call from Bahari.
“A fragrance?? I asked?
“You need an ad campaign?” I asked?
I was over the moon because ever since I became a full-time photographer I would drool over magazine ads displaying different fragrances and colognes and I would marvel at how awesome the photography was. So, to now have an opportunity to photograph my own was mind-blowing. I was happy that Bahari was continuing to push the envelope and produce more incredible products for fans of the brand.
With two incredible models as part of my arsenal, the team and I created images against a romantic and irresistible background. The lighting was perfect, hair and makeup were on point and the team, as always, worked seamlessly to get the job done. What was even better was the chemistry between our models. They were uber professional but followed direction to the letter. This was obviously not their first time working together and by jumping from frame to frame, that very same chemistry carried over every time.
I styled, photographed and directed both the still images and video needed for this campaign. Something I’m trying to do more of. Please enjoy.
WATCH THE BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO
(and be sure to subscribe to my page for more behind the scenes)
Modern Strong: Military Editorial
Photography + Creative Direction: Scharad Lightbourne
MUA: Natalie Black
Styling: Cara Nelson // A Creative Cliche
Model: Crystal Alexander
Photography Assistant: Dezmond Ardis
