The Making of a Fashion Campaign
I have been shooting for my good friend and top fashion designer Pamella Roland for many years. In fact Studio NB, creative consultants on all aspects of the Pamella Roland brand and image. By being so integrally involved with the brand it really helps us realize the designers vision and execute the photos so they not just highlight the designs but the inspiration behind why she created the outfits and chose the specific fabrics.
Pamella is inspired by life and her travels, whether it be Greece, Italy or an artist or era. What usually happens is I am shown vision boards with all kinds of things pertaining to that inspiration that the design team are using to collaborate and brainstorm the coming collection.
While all this is happening we are thinking about appropriate lighting and backgrounds. More recently we have transitioned into a clean studio environment with all the emphasis on the drama and movement of the gowns playing with strong shadows and lots of drama! Pamella is known for dressing the stars and her gowns are more regular than many A-list celebrities at the Oscars and Emmy Awards etc.
For the Fall campaign we decided on dramatic hard light but with minimal shadow cast. We wanted the model Tassara to be radiating and glowing with health. It was also important to have movement which we created using wind machines and with Tassara physically jumping through the air. Even when you select a still shot the fact that the model actually jumped helps authentically give a flushed and energized look.
This campaign was shot at Pier 59 studios in NYC and my usual glam squad was Andrew Fitzsimmons and Quinn Murphy with styling done in house. My assistants were, starting with my 1st – Walter Sassard, 2nd – Matt Simmons, Digital Tech – Toby Sprague, Intern 1 – Lindsay Keys, Intern 2 – Jesse Rubenstein with my Studio manager Ali Azios producing the whole shoot seamlessly!
We shot using my usual Sony A900 cameras paired with Zeiss lenses. The back ground is lit by 4 heads with umbrellas on 2 trees to knock out shadows and produce a stark clean background. A single pro fresnel spot was used as a front light high up on an arm to create hard dramatic light from a 45 degree position. We dropped black duvetine material on the ground to stop any bounced light filling the image as we wanted to control the light fully. The use of black V-flats also helps sharpen the light and make sure that there is minimal bounce
The advertising campaign can be viewed on the inside back page of the August issue of Harper’s Bazaar and will be in the September issue as well as many other magazines nationwide. For more of my work specific to Pamella Roland visit www.pamellaroland.com
