PORTRAITS with the Nikon Z6 II ft model/actress Chrystal Bethell

March 02, 2021 in Fashion, People

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!

February 23, 2021 in Beauty, BTS, People

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

Tony & Geena: An Engagement Session

August 04, 2019 in Fashion, Lifestyle, People

I was just as elated as the rest of you when I happened to scroll social media and saw a video Geena had posted where Tony planned a surprise engagement for her. Tony and I worked together several times and I the same with Geena as she modeled for a few of the brands that I have worked with. I was excited for these two. So much that I called a meeting with them both and talked about gifting them with an engagement session.

In our meeting, I laid out my points for what I wanted to capture. I told them exactly what I felt based on their personalities. With Tony being the quiet, shy and subdued individual while Geena being the social, outspoken and expressive member of the bunch, I had the notion to shoot two looks. One of them being a more chill, homely and casual look, fitting Tony’s speed while the other being more fashion-based which would fit Geena’s personality perfectly. In the meeting, the couple laughed over and over as I hit all my points like a hammer to a nail.

I told Tony that he’d have to dress up because if you know Mr. Williams, a pair of dark shorts, a t-shirt and some tennis shoes are his life. This only made Geena excited because she expressed getting her now fiance´ to dress up was always a challenge. Tony agreed and the planning began.

With the help of Realtor Phillipa Newton of C.A. Christie, we found the perfect home to which would serve as the backdrop for their e-session. TONS of natural light flowed through the home and using my mirrorless Z6, I was able to focus more on creating my shots allowing me more time to manipulate, highlight and create a mood to the photos that simply worked. I used a reflector to help me fill in the dark areas, high ISO to let in tons of light and as I directed the two I felt like it was easy because I’d known and worked with them for some time so it was familiar to both parties.

I hope you enjoy the images.

Clients: Tony Williams + Geena Thompson

Photographed + Styled by: Scharad Lightbourne

MUA: Alexandria Miller

Grips: Dayna Pratt

Set Asst: Caneasha Carrol

Photography + Styling: Scharad LightbourneMUA: Regina McCookGrip: Wayde StubbsBTS: Rayandra NairnLocation: Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort — Photography + Styling: Scharad Lightbourne
MUA: Regina McCook
Grip: Wayde Stubbs
BTS: Rayandra Nairn
Location: Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort

Beautiful couple shoot whimsical maternity photos at Ocean Club Bahamas

January 27, 2019 in Lifestyle, People

Heading into the latter part of December 2018, Brent and Kim Mayson approached me about doing a maternity session for them and immediately my first reaction was, “you guys already look like supermodels so that's half the battle!” After sharing that laugh, they were both over the moon with excitement and we began to hash out ideas, looks, concepts and location for this Mayson Maternity session.

I had an “ah-ha” moment and I asked Brent, “Do you think Ocean Club would allow us to photograph on premises?”

He confidently responded, “Bro-skee, if that's what you want, its a done deal!”

Photographers around the world go bananas for a beautiful location and I am certainly no different. At this point, I was literally a minute away from doing a triple back summersault! You have no idea how badly I wanted to do a shoot like THIS on THAT property. Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort would prove to be the amazing canvas on which I would photograph this session.

Now…Kim was beyond prepared bringing her girl scout mentality to our initial brainstorm meeting. She told me she’d already secured several looks, an MUA, made her hair appointment and only needed to know what my team and I ate on set so she could provide catering…talk about a superwoman!

Shoot day was nothing short of breathless, frame after frame, Kim (for the most part) served effortless and beautiful poses. Clearly, her background as a flight attendant helped. I helped put together a few looks for Brent as well and on the brink of becoming a new Dad, I wanted him to be in some of the shots just to validate his existence. We both admitted midway through our shoot that he was just a prop.

“These pictures are beyond amazing!!! We are so incredibly happy we have such beautiful memories and will value them forever ❤”

— Kim Mayson

This was an incredible shoot for me. It took me weeks just to curate the images posted on the blog. It felt different, not the typical “maternity” session. I felt like it was my voice as I checked my camera’s display screen. That was important and I had great clients in Kim and Brent who gave me the creative freedom and the connections to shoot on this property to creatively execute this maternity session. I truly enjoyed working on this.

Please enjoy the images below.

I rethought maternity sessions after this one!

November 25, 2018 in Family, People, Lifestyle

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

Photography + Creative Direction: Scharad Lightbourne MUA: Natalie BlackStyling: Cara Nelson // A Creative ClicheModel: Crystal AlexanderPhotography Assistant: Dezmond Ardis — Photography + Creative Direction: Scharad Lightbourne
MUA: Natalie Black
Styling: Cara Nelson // A Creative Cliche
Model: Crystal Alexander
Photography Assistant: Dezmond Ardis

Modern Strong: Military Editorial

January 14, 2018 in Fashion, Creative