People

Lifestyle Portraits of Artist in The Bahamas

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I'm a part of an industry where there are some pretty amazing creatives, many whom I've had the pleasure to photograph. I've known illustrator and painter,  Philece for quite some time and I've always admired her creativity. Her illustrations match her personality, soft, vibrant with an energy you have to see in person to believe. 

I called her and said "Philece, let's shoot!" and with little to no reluctance, she adamantly accepted my offer. I told her I wanted to shoot her in her environment, the studio, her front yard with simple styling but capturing her personality and energy.

My approach as the photographer was to capture her in bright surroundings with clean bursts of light and pops of color that would portray Philece the way I saw her. I knew many of the shots would be "in the moment" and with her quirky, awkwardly funny and an aesthetic that bleeds creativity, I knew I'd capture her candidly and create images that truly represent the artist. 

Photography + Styling: Scharad LightbourneMUA: Makeup by LilyGrips: Keron Wood // Video: Tony Williams

Photography + Styling: Scharad Lightbourne

MUA: Makeup by Lily

Grips: Keron Wood // Video: Tony Williams

Braneka Bassett photographs with Bahamian photographer Scharad Lightbourne

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Braneka Bassett, a former Miss Bahamas was flying into Nassau and contacted me asking if I wanted to shoot. Braneka, being local to LA, I knew this was the perfect opportunity to work together. We had tried so many times to collaborate but due to equally busy schedules, we never got the chance until now.

"Sure!" was my response of course and I spoke to Braneka about what type of look we could shoot because we only had a few hours with her! She even had a location secured before flying in and she told me that I'd love it; a house on Lake Cunningham.

With literally an hour before sunset, an incredible suit from Beach Bunny Swimwear, and a few simple Aldo accessories, the team and I captured Braneka doing what she does best and effortlessly at that! We got great frames and everyone was excited to shoot with this Bahamian beauty. 

Photography + Styling: Scharad LightbourneMUA: Antonya Jenoure // Hair: Kelly Pinder Grips: Malik Smith + Kenzi Thompson + Tariq Cartwright

Photography + Styling: Scharad Lightbourne

MUA: Antonya Jenoure // Hair: Kelly Pinder 

Grips: Malik Smith + Kenzi Thompson + Tariq Cartwright

WATCH THE FILM BELOW

Filmed by Tony Williams, Directed by Scharad Lightbourne

Natural Habitat

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As an artist I have a million thoughts about my work and what Im doing and so I decided to portray one of these thoughts through photography.

We often find ourselves reaching a plateau or comfort zone and its unusual to want to stray away from that but I'm learning that you have to step out of that zone in order to grow. This is a scary thing to some because we become comfortable with our current environments, so to venture into some other unusual area is looked at as risky.

Faith and vision keep you focus and protected, so using a female model and a canine model, I drew from them to interpret these feelings. Being on unfamiliar ground is somewhat daunting but your goals and dreams are attainable by focus on whats ahead. I thought it would be interested to portray this and model Joi Broughton did an outstanding job by helping me bring this vision to life with her companion Sniper the Doberman Pincher.

Photography & Styling: Scharad Lightbourne

Art Direction: Kenton Ferguson

MUA: Sarsha Lepeche

Hair: Skyline Designs

Model: Joi Broughton

Grip: Tariq Cartwright

 

Video Direction: Scharad Lightbourne

Video Cinematography: Tony E Williams 

Video Producer: Tony E Williams 

Bahamian pop artist Keeya shoots new visuals for "Hella Good" single

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Keeya and her team met with me a few weeks back communicating that they needed "sexy, fun and hype" images for the artist's new single titled "Hella' Good." We were sitting in Starbucks and upon hearing the song, I was amped and ready to go! I loved the track, especially the lyrics and immediately, I began to visualize the images in my head.

Her energy and artsy demeanor meant that I'd have a creative range with the set and images, plus knowing I'd work with my good friend and stylist, Lavonne Alexis of ShoptheCC meant that the wardrobe would be pin-point creative!

Popop Studios, Nassau, The Bahamas, was the perfect canvas to which we'd shoot Keeya and using props like inflatable flamingos (Luxury Floats Bahamas), tea party sets (The Tea Room) and a simple mattress meant that we'd have a storyboard fitting to the song lyrics. Keeya's edgy look only added to each frame and with a monster team, we banged out look after look like it were frames from an action movie.

WATCH THE BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO!

LISTEN TO "HELLA GOOD" by KEEYA

Rain Check Editorial with Atalanta Schulenberg

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I remember, just recently, shooting portraits of designer Theodore Elyett. It was on the set when I previewed his latest collection and found myself itching to see the remaining pieces. The patterns combined with his use of color and texture screamed for a photoshoot. I approached Theo about the idea and he jumped with excitement, the prelude to this "Rain Check" editorial.

We planned for weeks what we were going to shoot, who the team would be and where we would shoot it. The only thing missing was a muse to bring it all together. At the time, it didn't occur to me that the perfect subject was waiting for me to ask her about photographing her. Atalanta was a student at the Lyford Cay International School, introduced to me by one of the development coordinators. She was tall, awkward with a fashion frame that my eye knew would be great for Theo's pieces.

No fitting prior to the shoot was made. We introduced the team beforehand and with the location finalized, we were ready for shoot day! The team had not seen the location before shoot but they were amazed at how amazing it was despite the overcast skies. Once we began to shoot, it was like waving a magic wand at each look. Just earlier, Atalanta said to me that she was nervous and that I'd have to direct her a lot but I knew her awkwardness would make the shots great. She'd never done a professional photo shoot before but she gave us effortless posing, frame after frame in designer pieces that fit her like they were made for her in the first place.

Please enjoy this editorial spread and our BTS video displaying amazing pieces from designer Theodore Elyett worn by our model Atalanta.

WATCH THE BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO