January can be a tough month for freelance photographers, the nights close in early and generally the work is thin on the ground with budgets exhausted towards year end. With extra time on my hands last month I decided to pack up my kit and head to the studio for a test shoot.
 
In the fashion industry a ‘test” refers to photographers, models, make-up and stylists working together for the common good, to make something beautiful. In this instance I just wanted the opportunity to practice some new techniques that I could apply to the editorial portraits that make up the majority of my work.
 
My first step was to assemble a team for the day, I already knew a friend who has a start up fashion label and I contacted a makeup artist that I had been working with last year. Models however were a different matter, I had no idea where to source them so I took to twitter and Facebook in search of beautiful women, like buses they all came at the last minute. Eventually securing the services of Abitha and Giada, both whom had a great deal more fashion experience than me.
 

 
Ably assisted by the legend that is Tim Bowditch, we started with a lighting technique that I’ve wanted to emulate for some time. Nadev Kander, lights subjects in this way regularly but he generally does it in a studio with a couple of assistants, my plan was to develop a method for achieving a similar result with 10 minutes in a hotel room!
 
While Tim and I messed around with yards of coloured gel and giant pieces of polystyrene the girls rattled through different looks with their range, carefully keeping an eye on their strategically positioned tape.
 

 
With my winter blues remedied, I was pleased to have worked with some honest creatives trying to be the best they can. I’ll be using more of these ideas this year, so come back and see them here.
 

 
Big thanks on this shoot to:-
 
Giada Combusti
Abitha Pallett
Kate Littlejohn -makeup
Marie-Claire de Sachy (de Sachy-Brown) clothes and styling
Tim Bowditch – Assisting (see his superb photography here)