Kenton Ferguson fashionably conquers Downtown Nassau in "9-5"
Kenton Ferguson approached me several months back to help him produce a model portfolio for him. He’d been on this fitness journey for some time and he was starting to get some attention from agencies both local and abroad but the one thing they kept telling him was that he needed more photography. More photos they said! We did a few headshots, simple studio shots and a few lifestyle images of the upcoming model.
So if you press fast forward a few months later, Kenton said that he’s ready to build his portfolio again but with fashion images outside of the studio. As the light bulb goes off in my head, I'm 10 steps ahead of him, thinking of the perfect location and looks Id want him to wear. I told him that this was definitely possible and that we could start planning right away. All the key pieces were already in place.
I had wanted to produce and style a men’s shoot for some time involving suits and style them with multiple pieces and so in this case, Kenton would be my muse. Fine Threads, one of my long-standing clients provided clothing for the shoot and I would call on some of my fashionable friends like Kedar Clarke, Giorgio Knowles, Relish Socks and The Pico Brand to fill in the gaps.
Only 1 thing was missing…a female accomplice for one particular scene. You see, I set up the concept to involve Kenton as a working professional in the Downtown Nassau area. So the frames would consist of him in and around downtown, tagging his co-worker along the way. After we cast Katrina to play the role, local Boutique Chic Couture added specific looks for Kenton’s partner in crime.
2 and a half days of shooting, 1 damsel in distress, nearly 20 hours and 2000 frames later, this is perhaps the biggest shoot I’ve produced for the year. The team came together to kill (figuratively speaking) each set. A water ferry, scooter, closed streets, coffee shops and a trained beast all pieced together this smorgasbord of photography.
It was perfect.
CREDITS
Photography + Styling: Scharad Lightbourne
Model: Kenton Ferguson
Model: Katrina Toothe
Men’s Clothing: Fine Threads
Men’s Accessories: The Pico Brand
Men’s Accessories: Relish Socks
Women’s Clothing: Chic Couture
MUA: Charlene Rolle
Hair: Whitney Miller
Canine: Savage Bullies Kennel
GRIPS
Rayandra Nairn. Tariq Cartwright. Tameka Petithomme. Lynden Gibson. Malik the Photographer
SPECIAL THANKS
Kedar In Style, Giorgio Knowles. Starbucks Bahamas
I rethought maternity sessions after this one!
Tonya Lightbourne
As an artist, I never want to get comfortable with my skill set. I want to push myself, think out the box, challenge my clients and my own creativity. I want to embrace my fears and take risks with a team who will trust me and follow my lead.
I strayed away from maternity sessions for a long time because I felt I couldn’t be creative enough in a genre that is widely popular. I kept seeing the same themes over and over but i knew I wanted to create something different and equally as beautiful. I needed the opportunity and the universe listened.
When my wife and I found out we were with child, one of the first things I thought was “I know she’s going to ask me to take pictures of her once we’re in our third trimester.”
My wife challenged me to think outside the box. To, “do something different.”
Now, you know this was an opportunity for me because wives rarely listen to their husbands (lol) but she allowed me to push my creativity. The location I had in mind was a very risky one but I knew she would be a tough camper to get the shot. I had shot at Clifton Heritage National Park before and the cliffs were the perfect place to put my near parturient partner.
1 dress later via Amazon, some extra fabric, a few safety pins, an incredible floral artist and MUA were the perfect additives to bring my vision to life! The results left me and the team breathless as we climbed, jumped, lifted and risked much to capture these divine images of Tonya.
Please enjoy.
📸 Scharad Lightbourne
MUA: Ge-Ah Smith
Floral Stylist: Marie Buds
Grip: Travis J Bastian RayAndra Nairn
Superstar DJ Ignite ( BTS) photographed at World's Top Studio!
Check out this behind the scenes video from my recent shoot with superstar DJ, Ignite shot at the Sanctuary Studios at Albany Bahamas. Using custom vinyl records, earphones and an iced out chain, we branded Ignite with great props and of course Ignite brought the hype!
One of the most amazing aspects of my work is that I often get opportunities to photograph amazing talents from my country ( 🇧🇸), local celebrities so to speak and by capturing their likeness, I somehow cement them in the fabric of Bahamian culture.
Sean Ferguson a.k.a. Dj Ignite is arguably the best DJ in the region and he approached me many months back to produce and style him for an updated press kit. I was already excited to work with him because we had shot him before but now we were both better at our crafts and it was time for an updated look.
Ignite has played for many events as he is one of the most sought-after DJs in the country, he’s played for celebs like Tiger Woods, Shaquille O'Neal, Dak Prescott and many others. I already felt the pressure to get great images of this exciting and dynamic talent!
So during the planning stages, Ignite called me up and asked if I wanted to shoot at the Sanctuary, a state of the art, top 5 in the world music recording studio and without having seen it prior, I agreed without hesitation. I could go on and on but instead, I decided to film this video that should help explain how awesome of a shoot this really was.
Please enjoy.
House of Hanna Campaign
Presenting the world premiere of the new collection from HOH boutique. I had the amazing pleasure of directing and shooting both the motion and still images for the boutique and worked with an amazing team for the final results. Please enjoy responsibly.
I had the amazing pleasure of directing and shooting both the motion and still images for HOH boutique and worked with an amazing team for the final results. Our location was truly unique and our team of stylists hit every look with flying colours literally, giving this inaugural campaign a bold, fresh and sexy aesthetic.
Client: @hoh_boutique
Models: @christianrozzay // @sylvercyty2000
Styling: @withloveroxy // @courtneyhmd
Hair: @dc.trends // @exoticbazr
Mua: @glamourholicsmua
Shoes: @statementshoes
Photography assistant: @kenzigthompsom
Video assistant: @thebahamabeauty
🏍: @talybahn
Manipulating Natural Light for Portraits with Simple Modifiers
I woke up one morning and decided that I wanted to shoot some natural light portraits and I scrolled through my Instagram to see who I could ask randomly. It's great when you can find someone who actually models and acts also. Elena Bargo was just that person that I had in mind to shoot for such an exercise so when I reached out to her and mentioned what I wanted to do, she happily agreed. We had tried working together before but busy schedules and that cup of tea made it tricky at times. So when I finally locked her down, I think my finals words to her in my pitch were, "let's make it happen!"
Elena mentioned that she lives just off an old golf course and in my head, the greens, trees and foliage would be perfect for the shoot. So after sending her a mood board and agreeing on wardrobe, my team and I set out to capture Elena and shoot a tutorial video at the same time.
Armed with a simple setup, I used two modifiers; 1 large diffuser and 1 collapsible reflector, manipulating the light on the golf course and illuminating my subject who gave me great looks the entire set. We shot at different points on the course and even threw in a few small props just to give the shoot more of a lifestyle feel. Light retouching and small presets in Lightroom produced a look that I am more than pleased with and I think Elena was too with the entire experience. Watch the Video below and subscribe to my YouTube Channel for more videos.
Image: Scharad Lightbourne // MUA: Erinn Simone
WATCH THE TUTORIAL VIDEO. SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE
Video: Tony Williams Media. Editing: Scharad Lightbourne
Lifestyle Photography with Carolyn Carter
Carolyn Carter, Miss US Virgin Islands visits Nassau a couple times a year and every time she comes into town, we always set up a photo-shoot. Carolyn loves lifestyle photography, and so do I. I love the free flowing natural of this particular style and that would make it easy to shoot someone who equally felt the same.
We took a boat out and ventured into the Lyford Cay area to find the perfect spot to shoot several different looks. Being the unapologetically impatient photographer that I am, I began to shoot Carolyn onboard the boat!
Being an island girl at heart, Carolyn pulled looks from brands like BHLDN, LikeToKNowIt, Solid and Striped and Isabella Rose Swim, which helped us get some great shots around the key. The beach was beautiful and has spaces full of character on which to shoot my model against including and old dock which I thoroughly enjoyed retreating under for shade! Overall the shoot went great and using natural light, we got some really nice photos.
Image: Scharad Lightbourne // Swimsuit by: Isabella Rose Swim
