It was the morning of the photo shoot and my daughters were
running around in excitement and anticipation of the knowledge that the day of
the photo shoot had finally arrived. I had packed their outfits ready the night
before and all the props that were needed for the shoot were also packed and ready
to go. As an avid list maker, I made certain all that was needed for the shoot
had been ticked off my list to ensure that nothing was forgotten.
The Thames Barrier Park was beautiful as always particularly as the weather
was absolutely blissful. The sun was beaming down on us whilst we waiting for
the models and their parents to arrive. We were sat outside the café alfresco
style making the most of the chill out time, as there wouldn’t be much time for
sitting around once everyone had turned up. Hubby decided to bring out the Frisbee
to keep our daughters entertained and soon after my brother in-law arrived with Niyi the Videographer. And with Oleesha of Precious Red Photography not far behind, I couldn’t help but
feel exhilarated by the prospects of the day ahead.
Whilst the mums and their girls started to arrive the
photographer and videographer began setting up their equipment and making test
shots in preparation for the shoot. I couldn’t help thinking how lucky we were
to be working with such wonderful, enthusiastic and professional people. Everyone
had arrived and as you would expect the girls looked absolutely adorable.
Whilst hubby was offering out beverages I was doing the introducing and our
little models got quickly acquainted with one another, running around the grass
together like they’ve known each other for years. The adults were having so
much fun catching up that we’d almost forgotten we had work to do. So out
popped my clipboard and pen and off we went to begin the shoot. On the way to
our first location in the park, the photographer immediately witnessed a great
photo opportunity when two of the girls were walking up the field hand in hand
through long grass full of meadow flowers. There were plenty of aww’s coming
from the adults who looked on whilst the girls were having their pictures taken
with the products. It was a delightful scene, particularly as the girls were
really enjoying the attention.
I had a schedule on my clipboard of at least 30 different
poses we needed to get through. The list also included the number of girls in each
shot with the names of each girl, so we knew exactly who would be shooting with
who in a mixture of group shots and individual shots. We thought it would be
best to start with the younger girls should they get tired towards the end. I’d
call the girls names out and prepare the props for the next shoot to speed
things up. We used a bubble machine for a few of the shots to add a bit of fun
to the images. This was the girls’ favourite prop and it was so sweet watching
them run around chasing the bubbles. The bubble machine also proved to be a
great tool to keep them occupied whilst they were waiting their turn. The older
girls went off to the playground to have some fun on the playground
equipment that was close by whilst they were waiting for the younger girls to
finish shooting.
I was hugely impressed with how hard the girls worked,
particularly in the blistering heat. As you would expect some of the girls were
a little shy, but the photographer knew exactly how to bring them out of their
shell. She asked what their favourite children’s programmes were and sang them
the theme tune which was delightful to watch as the girls became more
comfortable. A few of the adults, including myself, were goofing around to get
the girls to laugh more. With 2 girls of my own I had no problem playing the
big kid.
We created a picnic scene involving 5 younger girls with the
Lela backpacks next to them. We had them playing with toy tea sets and set up props
around them that included some apples and a large picnic basket which made the girls look even more precious. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed myself and the
whole process involved in putting this photo shoot together. From selecting the
goodies for the girls' goody bags to picking out the props for
the shoot. I’m a girly girl at heart, so I relish any opportunity to get my
creative juices flowing by picking out feminine touches and imagining what my own
daughter would like... this is why I love what I do.
A huge thank you to Esther, Shereen Ricot, Claire, Almaz, Shereen Nelson, Gina, Aida, Mary & Dami for allowing their beautiful daughters to take part in our campaign. Huge thanks to all the Dads that were also on location with us. Thanks for helping to make the photo shoot the huge success that it was!
www.mylela.com
www.mylela.com