Credits

Photographer: Brett Williams
Designer/Styling: Diana Ra
Label Owner/Design Direction/Styling: Glenn Williams
Hair and Makeup: Monika Monroe
Photo Assistant: Ryan Hattig
Model: Nora Salem for NEXT LA

Comments from Diana and Brett follow the images. Click on any image to see it larger.

Design and wardrobe styling comments from Diana Ra:

I’m the creative director and designer of this line. Glenn and I met at Lucky Brand about five or six years ago and creatively, we just spoke the same language. We spoke of collaborating on a line together for some time, and then finally started SNT Workshop.

This photoshoot was for our spring lookbook so we wanted a lighter and airier feel. The concept for spring was of a traveler, so it didn’t make sense to shoot the studio (as we’ve done in the past). The idea of the plants and flowers in the background was a test Brett did, but we all ended up liking it so we just ran with it.

Styling-wise, we wanted to stay true to the concept of the delivery so we imagined the traveler wouldn’t have too much on her and her jewelry would be pieces she picked up during her travels. Everything was clean and simple so the focus would really be on the clothes. I always bring personal jewelry and our model had great sandals, but that was about it.

Although I don’t design our line as a collection, all our pieces are really easy and wearable. They pretty much go with everything one should already have in their closet…like tights and an old pair of jeans….so it’s always easy pulling outfits. I usually pull the initial outfits and then wait for Glenn, Brett and our model to comment. The process is pretty simple and organic. Everyone helps out. The day of the shoot was really hot, and we were in Altadena [editor's note: an inland suburb of Los Angeles, prone to high temperatures in the summer], so lots of fruits and drinks kept us energized.

I love photoshoot days! Its all about making the model and our clothes look pretty so that can’t not be fun. And Brett’s so weird and funny….plus he’s amazing at what he does. He should really be a photographer.

Photographic comments from fashion photographer Brett Williams:

I’ve worked with Glenn Williams consistently over the past 12 years of my career, on more than thirty shoots. I’ve photographed Glenn’s clothing while he was designing for brands including Lucky Brand Jeans, Capital Tailors, Z. Cavaricci, ABS clothing, A.Gold E. and Liberty Love. We met a very long time ago prior to me becoming a photographer, because he’s a very close family member.  Glenn was actually one of the main influences for me starting my career in photography. He introduced me to a friend of his, Robert Ferrone, who is a seasoned fashion photographer and one of my early mentors.  Glenn just continues to hire me because we always have a great time on shoots, and are always trying to improve creatively and try new things.

We had been shooting a lot in my studio prior to this season, so the designers suggested we instead shoot on location. We shot at a private residence located in the hills of Alta Dena (California).  It’s a pretty expansive property, probably covering over a couple acres with multiple manicured garden areas, citrus orchards, little trails and of course a nice pool. The only problem was trying to narrow down the possible shooting areas and trying to stick to one general location because of the size.  We had a lot of product to shoot, and wanted to avoid moving equipment setups in order to save time.

I have worked with Monika, my hair and makeup artist, pretty much exclusively since I met her. That was probably over a year ago, via recommendation from another photographer friend. Normally I will forward photos to her of the model beforehand, so she can see her face and hair in advance.  Then typically I’ll forward some tear sheets via email for hair and makeup reference. Monika is pretty damn good at her job, so I just try and give a little influence of how I see it looking. Then I just let her run with it; I trust her to do her job.

We had a casting call and go-see from a handful of agencies in town.  I ultimately booked Nora Salem through Linda Solis at Next LA. I’ve used her a couple times since, she’s very pro and gorgeous ta boot.

This was a one day shoot, about 10 hours. I captured the images with a Nikon D2x, using a 70-200mm f/2.8 VR. I also used a Canon 5d with 85mm F/1.2. As for lighting, it’s all done with natural light. I used a Mathews 20×20 Frame with 1-½ stop Silk overhead.  I also hung one silk off the back and one on each side to create a nice outdoor light box [editor's note: the rear silk was hung behind the flowers].  We also used a 12×12 black duvetyne sheet, laid out on the grass in front of the model to soak up some green reflective light, and a couple soft silver California Sun Bounces for some front fill. You’ll notice a few images at the end with a completely white background. That’s not retouching. It was just a slightly different setup, basically just turned the whole silk frame 90 degrees because it was at the end of the day and we were chasing the light. I do most all of my retouching when required but honestly I did not have to do too much on this shoot, just a basic clean up…nothing too major.

Aside from not bringing enough sand bags to keep the 20×20 secure and running out of beer, we had a great time on the shoot. It was a really hot day, 95 degrees plus. One of the reasons I choose the flower bed to shoot around is because it was directly next to the pool!  So needless to say, it was a fine day with a little bit of swimming in between shots.

Fashion+Light is operated as a labor of love, and a benefit to the people who participate. We don’t charge anyone anything. But we would appreciate if you’d click a product link above, and go buy something at Adorama (our affiliate partner). That way we can keep the lights on and the servers humming. Thanks!