Leo Creary, wedding photographer models in editorial for his 30th birthday
Leo Creary, a gifted wedding photographer, called me very excited about his 30th birthday. In fact, every year, I shoot Leo for some occasion but turning 30 was a milestone for him, and he shared a few concepts with me. I’ve photographed Leo for years, and you may recognize our work together from shooting him and his wife Keva’s fantastic wedding in Bimini, The Bahamas. I enjoy working with Leo as he always gives me creative control for photographing him, and it didn’t take me long to come up with styling for the photographer.
I wanted a rugged background because Leo was going to be styled in some pretty dapper suits. A cream, pinstripe, and 3-piece suits, but there was one more piece missing. I thought a vintage Land Rover would have been perfect, and in my search, I could not find an owner willing to let me use their vehicle. So I moved onto plan b to source my dream SUV, a Jeep Wrangler JL. I called a buddy of mine who I knew would say yes right away…and he did!
Once we arrived at our location, I tested a few shots with artificial light, but I decided to shoot natural. I hadn’t shot natural for some time. I’ve become a strobe nut, and I’ve been shooting more studio work, but being outdoors in that fantastic location just sparked that in me. The area we shot at was primarily used for landfills, and the white limestone rocks bounced light all around me. It was heaven. I photographed Leo in and around the vehicle, trying to tell a story with the images.
Leo was natural, posing and moving his body to complement the lens. We did shots still, moving and took risks climbing the limestone to get great pictures from different perspectives. I loved how the images turned out. Please enjoy them below.
A FASHION SHOOT: HOUSE OF RAPHELITA SS21 by David Rolle
HOUSE OF RAPHELITA SS21
David Rolle, creative director of House of Raphelita, wrote me one day asking if I'd be interested in shooting his new collection, to which I adamantly told him, "Yes!" David and I worked together for some time now, and I actually pushed him to finish his new collection. We met sometime back in 2020, but that year doesn't count, so David told me he would be ready in the first quarter of 2021 with his new collection.
"You think I should get the 66 Steps for the shoot?"
That's what David texted me one day about a possible location, and I replied,
"Why are you even asking me? That location would be epic!"
The 66 Steps or Queens Staircase, as its historically titled, is actually 65 steps that are carved out of solid limestone in the downtown Nassau area. The steps were carved out by some 600 slaves as an escape route from Fort Fincastle, which sits above, back in the 1700s.
So after that history lesson and seeing some of David's pieces, this was going to be the most PERFECT place to photography the new HOR collection. Topped with David telling me he wanted to use signature models in the country and incorporate straw, the goosebumps on my arms became more visible as the concept developed.
On location, David pulled out all the stops, completely reserving the site for his team, the models and my team, complete with catering and preferred parking! We had a makeup background built just for aesthetics, and I chose to go with a 1 light setup for the shoot. Working with 6 professional models had its benefits as well. The girls shifted, posed and walked into these marvellous compositions. The pieces fit each model as if they were made just for her frame and combined with very Avant grade makeup and hairstyles; the photoshoot's designer, David, took on the form of a master composer.
Thank you so much for sticking to the end of my story. You will find images and a BTS video below. Enjoy!
House of Raphelita SS21 GALLERY
SHOOT HIGHLIGHTS (BTS) House of Raphelita SS21
Design House: @raphelita_
Photography: @scharadlphoto
Video: @truevisionFSC
Production assistant: @alyssaholiic
Hair: @metamorphosis_bs
MUA: @kabukipaint
Accessories: @harltaylorbag
Shoes: @shoeluxxe242
Models
Jessica Frances-Thompson
Kejuana Beneby
Shauntae Miller
Tara Miller
Selvanique Wright
Milan Georges
PORTRAITS with the Nikon Z6 II ft model/actress Chrystal Bethell
Now I’m usually one who stays up on new gear and technology, and when I heard that Nikon was releasing the Z6 II, I was eager and excited to purchase it. Still, for some reason, life got in the way, and I haven’t had the opportunity to buy the upgrade to my Nikon Z6, which I primarily use to photograph 99% of my work.
A colleague of mine and fellow photographer friend Warren Grant, who I’ve also known to be an advocate for Nikon, sent me a text one day announcing, “Hey! I got the Z6 II; when are you getting yours?”
My face, which if it was an emoji, would have looked like this 😑. I reluctantly told him that I had not ordered mine yet and at some point shortly, I would prob upgrade. But Warren is a dope friend. After hearing the disappointment in my voice, he said that he would loan me his Z6 II, and I could test it out firsthand. Backflips and Spartan chants from the movie “300” followed suit.
So what is the point of my story? I will connect the dots right now. Chrystal Bethell is an accomplished model and actress living in NYC, and we’ve known each other since high school (a long time!) She had let me know that she was in Nassau and she wanted to book a photo shoot. So I got the team together, we chose a mood for the shoot, designed the aesthetic and confirmed our location.
On the day of the shoot, I used several lenses with the Z6 II, my 85mm, 70-200m and 35mm all helped me compose a variety of frames to help me tell a story with the photos. I kept the lighting simple, adapting one light with a soft modifier to compliment the natural light. I loved the way the finished images looked. The camera, which was the whole point of this story performed amazingly, it was super fast, focusing was a breeze and I was very impressed with the overall responsiveness of the Z6 ii.
Stay creative!
Chrystal Bethell 📸 by Scharad Lightbourne
Makeup by @Gail Clarke
Styling: @hannahnsimone⠀⠀
Grip: @tpetithomme BTS: @Keith Bryan
Clothing: @signaturestylesbahamas
Video: @Jiggy Productions
Location: @Utopia Gardens
CHALLENGE Yourself! You can shoot anywhere!
Often, I'm asked, "How do you come up with your locations?"
My answer is always the same. I get in my car, drive around town and pull out my iPhone when I see a place or space that looks interesting. I am under the mindset that you can shoot anywhere and make it look great with a little improvisation and creativity. My goal for this post was to push and challenge any of my readers who find it hard to find exciting and different space to shoot their subjects.
My client, Le’Annka, wanted to do something different. She didn't wish to studio portraits. She wanted to be creative and diverse, and so she was adamant that we shoot outdoors. When she and I met for a consultation, I showed her my plans for a shoot to take place in tall blades of grass one would find in nature.
Now, living on a small island presents its issue with always having somewhere new to photograph. New Providence, the island that I live on, is only 21 miles long by 7 miles wide, and there are few public spaces one can gain access to. Some areas are overused repeatedly because of convenience, flexibility and can we say lackadaisicalness?
I knew I wanted to shoot Le’Annka in the "bush" on the side of the road, reminiscent of my earlier days of being a photographer. I had no studio, so I used the beaches, bushes and nature as my set. I thought to use a stunning hand-painted canvas backdrop I'd ordered from Portrait Drops on location, sort of a makeshift studio, and I knew I’d mix ambient lighting with my strobe.
Le’Annka was a great subject to photograph. She was easy to direct and her innocence complimented the images that I tried to capture. The natural and ambient light, grass and overall styling created this ambience that I only could find on Pinterest. Still, here I was, capturing these beautiful images in a location that many of us would simply drive past.
Check the images and my first YOUTUBE video for the year. I knew this topic would be relatable to many photographers as its something I'm challenged with. Let me know what you think in the comments, and I'd love to find out other topics you find interest in.
SEE THE GALLERY
Leannka Rigby 📸 by Scharad Lightbourne
Makeup by @ravensimone_mua
Florals: @kvrh1984
Styling: @hannahnsimone⠀⠀
Grip: @tpetithomme
Dress: @rackconsignmentboutique
Backdrop: @portraitdrops
Video: @truevisionFSC
Neil Dames for Gustavus Augusta, photographed by Scharad Lightbourne
Neil Dames in Gustavus Augusta
Grand Bahama native, Gustavus Cox, the creative director of Gustavus Augusta and I sat down in September of 2020 to plan and produce this shoot. One of the first challenges we had was finding the right male model to fit the looks. We had cast about 3 guys prior to. I didn't think about Neil Dames until later in the creative process so when I showed Gus Neil’s social media profiles, he exclaimed, “we need him, he’s perfect for this!”
I wasn't sure that Neil would even agree to do the shoot. He’d retired from modelling for some time now, but I thought he could pull this off. I reached out to him on Facebook and told him what I wanted to do, and Neil immediately said yes...reluctantly. Neil said jokingly, "Now, I'm not as young and fit as I use to be Scharad, so you will have A LOT of work to do!"
He was in love with the idea that we could collaborate together for a local brand and of course, he'd get to wear custom suits!
We did an initial tape up where Gus got to sit down and chat with Neil. After taping him up, Gus assured me that he would have samples ready in two weeks. However, he clarified for me that the first fitting session would probably call for adjustments. Surprisingly, when we met again for fitting, the suits fit Neil perfectly! Both jackets and pants from each look fit him as if they were sewn directly onto his body. Perfection!
On the day of the shoot, everyone was excited to work. Neil followed direction very well and moved very quickly and kept reminiscing on his former days as a model. We even laughed about his grey hair and tattooed covered body, which worked well with the shoot's overall aesthetic. Neil was still in good shape and his genes had kept his frame, lanky and slim.
I kept the lighting dramatic and the background simple and focused on getting great shots with Neil that showed these amazing handmade suits.
Have a look at the work below, leave a comment or two. I’d love to hear from you.
Model: Neil Dames // Stylist + Designer: Gustavus Augusta // Accessories: The Pico Brand
Naomi Campbell Inspired Fashion Shoot
Georgie and I worked together a lot in 2020 and coming up on the last shoot of the year, she wanted to do something exciting and epic. We searched the internet for days trying to find inspiration when she came across a photo that supermodel Naomi Campbell had posted. The image itself was very controversial because of what she spoke about. She received many negative comments due to the subject matter, but I loved the dress for me. Georgie loved the dress, and she told me she wanted to have it made and do a shoot somewhere in the now-infamous "dress."
Naomi Campbell photographed by Ethan James Green
So firstly, I am NOT a morning person but I told Georgie because of the nature of the dress, morning light would be incredible. We set call time for 6 am and my team and I drove to the location waiting on the arrival of our model.
Georgie showed up a few mins later and we all walked over to a beach where there was an amazing rock structure that I would put the model against. It would be the perfect backdrop to juxtapose her against.
I used a one-light setup, probing my Godox AD600 pro with a Glow beauty dish on a light stand to illuminate the model. I could have easily used natural light but I wanted more contrasting and “punchy” lighting.
Georgie hit pose after pose with the waves crashing behind her. She climbed the rocks, lay on the rocks and shed any fear she had of heights to get great shots again, and again, and again!
Check out this behind the scenes photo of our location and what it looked like shooting this upcoming talent. Please view the gallery below and enjoy. Drop a few comments or questions in the section following this article.
Be creative!
