Rapper/Singer Chase Fernander kills in ROYALTY: A Maternity Editorial
I wanted to work on something that I'd grown to love in my work. Maternity has been a growing part of my portrait work, and I felt the need to shoot a series that would tie in all the things that are apart of my overall style as a photographer. Lisa Sands, MUA and I have wanted to work together for a while, and when I pitched the idea to her, she loved it. It's just that we needed to put together a team to thoroughly execute the production, oh and we needed a muse!
Several weeks later, during lockdowns and quarantines, we finalized our team and after multiple screenings, decided to approach Chase Fernander, a larger than life rapper/singer here on the island of New Providence. We just needed the ok to meet in person to start work on, ROYALTY.
Our first two looks were edgy, bold and to me, very sharp. Shan, our stylist, really flexed her talent on them so when it came down to look three, I knew I wanted something comfortable, painterly and feminine. In fact, this look was nearly scratched because initially, the team felt it wasn't complete.
The overcoat was mine that conveniently hung in the studio, I usually keep a few pieces for when I shoot male clients. We knew we wanted to use it for the series. So literally minutes to call time I asked Chase in our WhatsApp team group if she'd bring jeans from home. She regrettably had none that fit. I don't know why I asked her to, but I realized that pairing jeans with the coat would be the look I wanted. Shan jumped in and said that she'd turn around, go back home and grab the "perfect pair!" ⠀
This entire shoot was a collaboration between very talented creatives and the planning and time that went into producing the shoot was a massive factor in the success of these images.
ROYALTY ft Chase Fernander
Image: @scharadlphoto⠀
Styling: @_thestylegroup⠀
MUA: @lisa_sands_beauty⠀⠀
Hair: @metamorphosis_bs⠀
Dress: @javiebethell
Props: @jlavishaccents⠀⠀
Film: @truevisionfsc⠀⠀
PA: @amaris_touch @kcbferguson⠀
VIEW THE GALLERY
ENJOY THE “ROYALTY” REEL from TRUEVISION
Beautiful Maternity Couple shoots at Luxurious Location.
Sometimes I feel fortunate to attract a particular type of clientele. I love shooting in new places and exceptionally beautiful homes. When Jaynna and Jamal reached out about commissioning some maternity portraits, I was ready to fill their request. Jaynna had sent me some photos of concepts she wanted to shoot, and that got me inspired to create something memorable for them.
I told Jaynna in our consultation that we needed to photograph at an amazing location. She took a few seconds to reply, but when she responded, she said: “Scharad hold on, I may have a house we can use.” Shortly after sending me photographs, I replied confidently, “this WILL work!”
We met later on that week to do a walk through the site, and this house was nothing short of amazing. Endless ceilings, perfect marble floors, sky-high glass panels and a view to marvel at were just a few of the things that sold me.
Usually, when I’m inspired by a location, I know the shoot will go well. I put together my shot-list in a few days and gathered my team to work. We shot a full day using only a third of the property, ( it was HUGE) but for me, I knew getting that shot outside on the private beach at sunset was vital. Jaynaa looked amazing in her dress and Jamal was equally as dapper in his custom look.
I was trying to be long-winded with this post, but it didn’t make sense because I wanted the images to speak for the work we did. Usually, I would have shot this natural light, but I decided to shoot using 1 strobe and a broad softbox modifier.
Please enjoy the images below.
Makeup: T’s Artistry
Hair: Tara Miller (Metamorphosis Salon)
Jamal’s Look: KIS Bespoke
PA: Kenton Ferguson Tariq Cartwright
Cinematography: Kyle Ferguson (Jiggy Productions)
WATCH THE CINEMATIC BTS VIDEO
"MARCH ON!" Bahamian Flag Inspired Beauty
Model: Tarea Sturrup
Working with a talented makeup artist is always an incredible experience for me. I get these really crazy ideas, and it is still great to know an artist who can help bring your ideas to life. I’ve known Italia of Eye Candy Makeup for some time now, and we’ve worked on epic projects before. We were both coming off a slump due to being quarantined, but when I gave her this idea to collaborate on a shoot where the theme would center around the colours of the Bahamian flag, she did not hesitate.
There was no one else that could do this besides Tarea Sturrup, the reigning Miss Universe Bahamas. We saw via Instagram that she had recently cut her hair too, so her look was perfect for the concept. Italia’s studio was perfect for doing everything. Our concept involved applying dramatic makeup to the model layered with various sizes of gold glitter. I watched her (Italia) like a kid at Disney World for the first time, my mouth hung, seeing her apply everything to the model. It was indeed about an hour and a half build-up that I could appreciate. We sometimes have no idea how much time goes into works of art but experiencing this in person was definitely an eye-opener.
For my lighting, I used a 3 light setup. (see photo) One strobe overhead the model fitted with a blue gel to cast the light over the model's torso while another strobe sits behind the model to her right fit with an orange/yellow gel as an edge light. Another strobe was placed behind me to give the model’s face some fill and what you see are the results are exactly what I wanted. Tarea put the modelling background to the test! I gave minimal direction. Once the flashes began to fire, she moved and danced, slithered and sauntered her head, shoulders, hands and eyes into mystical frames.
I did a BTS (behind the scenes video) of the set so that you guys could see the shoot in its entirety from application to shooting. Please enjoy the images and video. Feel free to leave a comment below. I’d love to hear what you think!
WATCH THE BTS VIDEO
Whimsical maternity session with Star and Carlos Palacious
The more I shoot maternity sessions, the more I fall in love with this type of portrait work. My approach after a client contracts me if to create something different and I usually try to start away from the traditional pregnancy sessions I’ve seen before.
When Anastarcia aka Star approached me about shooting her maternity images, this was just the case. She wanted something unique and told me that she expected me to produce images that were whimsical beautiful and timeless. Even though my focus is the mother to be, Star insisted on including her toddler daughter Cairo and husband Carlos. That’s a lot of pressure for one shoot, right?
Star sent me a few images of what she wanted her and Cairo to wear. Seeing the dramatic dress sparked so much inspiration in me because I knew immediately after seeing the dress where I would want this to be photographed. We also selected a stylish suit and shoes for Carlos to wear which complimented the theme and then went on to think of ways to make the shoot work. We were coming off strict restrictions placed by our government due to COVID-19, so we had to take into account safety as well as her high-risk status.
In the photography world, there are ideas that you think of that are seldomly a “first”, and I googled for days under the search topic “Maternity shoot on a horse ranch.” After coming up with very little, my excitement grew even more, especially since the couple was one of colour. It took a few weeks to put together a mood board and shot list, and since I was quarantined at home, I had lots of time to perfect it. Ironically enough, we were supposed to shoot way before the country was shut down, on a much larger scale but COVID forced us to keep things simple.
We took the couple, their housekeeper and my PA and executed within our social distancing guidelines. Using one large modifier and one light, I was able to mix ambient light and an artificial strobe to create lighting that was effortless and natural. Star performed like a champ and Carlos was a good sport doing everything we needed him to do. Cairo, the couples two and a half year old gave us about 15 mins of her time before she retired back to her quarters, typical toddler behaviour!
We got beautiful shots of the family together, the couple and Mom to be, all in 45 mins before the sun went down. The location, lighting and styling all worked seamlessly together.
Please enjoy the images below.
Makeup and Hair: Anastarcia Palacios
Floral Arrangement: The Greenhouse Bahamas
Dress: Katharina Hakaj Couture
PA: Kenton Ferguson
Portraits of Influencer Kate Knight
Many people refer to influencer, Kate Knight as a mermaid. She’s ALWAYS in the water. Whether the beach or a pool or some body of water, she loves posting images displaying her love for the water. Kate and I discussed doing a shoot that shared the same theme but something more artistic, something anti-swimwear with a “mood” that could be translated to an effortless and whimsical photo shoot.
I called on a colleague and amazing fashion designer Ria Georgina, commissioning her to create a dress for our “mermaid” to wear. Once I explained the vision to Ria, she sent samples of fabric and colors and this glittery, semi cheer golden fabric that was perfect…so much, it was almost like she had read my mind!
One of the things I am a perfectionist with as a photographer is where I shoot. 80% of the time, the client has no idea where to shoot but once Kate explained to me what she wanted to do, I knew the cliffs at Clifton Pier would make for the perfect backdrop. We also chose dusk as the time to capture the shots as well. There was something about the mood of the light around that time that I knew would add to the overall aesthetic.
Kate brought her A-game, moving effortlessly from frame to frame. Our MUA, Y.Aysia placed a palette of bronze and natural colors on the models face that seemed to be barely there. We weren't going for high fashion but a more natural look and she achieved this look perfectly. This combined with the location, wardrobe, and lighting all worked out to be a wonderful shoot.
Please enjoy the images below.
Styling + Photography: Scharad Lightbourne
Dress: Ria Georgina
MUA: Y.Asia MUA
Grips: Stephen McKinney Jr
Bahamas Masqueraders Official Costume Photoshoot
So…I know what you all much be thinking…Scharad shoots a Carnival Band?
Mr. "anti-soca" himself?
Well if you must know, contrary to popular belief, regardless of the genre or scenario, I will always be 100% an advocate for creativity. My impartial favor towards Soca music has nothing to do with the fact that the Masqueraders Carnival Band approached me to shoot their official images and sitting in our meeting, my ears perked at the sound of the phrase, “we want to give you 100% creative control.”
I mean, would you turn away an opportunity like this?
I wanted to see what I was capable of capturing. I knew the costumes would be detailed, intricate and awe-inspiring, all things that I find inspiration from as a photographer so I connected with the concept on a completely artistic level. Can you imagine, showing up at our location, the band’s warehouse to see so many moving parts? Personnel running around trying to get each detail ready? Designers putting the finishing touch on their section costumes. Models arriving to be escorted into makeup and hair? Staff on-call preparing food, snacks, and drink for everyone present. Tractors, trailers and heavy equipment preparing for the Band’s lunch? It was truly a circus and my team and I set up in the middle of all this creative chaos!
The 16-hour shoot proved to be a marathon of lights, cameras and tons of action. The band featured 4 sections, Oriental, Mayan, Grecian and African themes. For someone not immersed in the cultured, I was amazed at the amount of work and detail that went into the designing, building and finishing these jaw-dropping pieces.
One by one, we shot, re-lit, composed and constructed section after section, models both male and female were posed and pushed to give energetic, artistic and fierce stances. We added fog and colored gels for our close up shots just to make them more dynamic. To keep the models energized and hyped, there was a 6 speaker system setup worthy of any fete or concert blasting some of the hottest soca tracks…the entire time! What a time!
The energy was incredible and everyone fed from it. Section leaders, designers, staff, models, and my team all cocooned in what was occurring. The shoot was simply amazing. Once the call “Its a wrap” was made, we all cheered in excitement. We knew we achieved what we set out to, with all the hard work from every single person on board. The band will launch its website soon but in the meantime, please enjoy the images below and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram.
