Studio Fashion Photography
for underwear brand BP3
We started working with BP3 Underwear during lockdown, capturing simple ecommerce Photography of some of the new range as they were available. Easy enough to do from the temporary photo studio in my living room! Although this is a far cry from our new fully kitted-out London Fashion Photography studio that we moved into over the summer!
BP3 are all about providing sustainable yet stylish sanitary wear – something of a growing niche and increasingly less taboo in our world, and BP3 promotes an open, real and honest view tone throughout their communication.
The brief for our shoot was to stay true to this tone and create a set of imagery that would show-off the brand and it’s products, in a fun and engaging way. Using our studio for this fashion photography project provided just the destination…
Studio fashion photography has a certain level of expectation to it in terms of quality, which is all to do with the lighting and the direction. Whilst the lighting can follow a tried and tested pattern – we used large softboxes for the key and a more directional rim light from the side/rear – direction was actually the most important aspect.
We were working with a group of ladies who were comfortable with each other, in fact, being in the same ‘bubble’ allowed us to capture closer shots that COVID restrictions would otherwise allow, but still – 5 inexperienced models would usually present a challenge.
It’s fair to say that we probably photograph more people who are less than comfortable in front of the lens, and being mindful of this as a photographer is a good start. It can be daunting, scary, with the expectations flooding through you in a studio environment. But we get better pictures knowing this, and planning accordingly.
Pocket’s lead photographer, Kelly, would be orchestrating the shoot – with myself around to provide some lighting and directional support – and make the odd coffee 🙂 While I love creating fashion photography, I was happy to just smooth the process on this one and give Kelly a well deserved break from photographing so many inanimate projects this past month!
Fortunately, our London Waterloo studio provides a wonderful base for a project like this, and allowed us to create our own little world to be in for the day. We’ve worked hard to make it welcoming and comfortable – for shoots just like this.
Once Kelly and I had the backgrounds in place and the lighting tested, we were ready to shoot. Each of the ladies had an amount of time in front of the lens. Music was tailored to individual tastes, and plenty of encouragement was given by everyone throughout. Having a supportive environment that quickly breaks down barriers and starts to become more fun is the key here – with clear but not overt direction, they could enjoy themselves as each shot was fired.
A sometimes contentious point is having a screen to review shots back. Some hate the idea, as it immediately draws the model’s attention to everything they may hate, whereas for others it’s a huge point of reassurance. We’ll usually play this by ear, but certainly for us and for the client, having this viewpoint in a studio fashion photography shoot is incredibly important. We need to know that what we’re shooting is what the client wants, and for the client to see everything as it’s captured also provides comfort for them.
Kelly rocketed her way though a few hundred shots over the course of the session, singles, groups, and products-only. Keeping things natural in post-production was also important. We couldn’t shoot for a brand like this with real products for real people – shot with real people, and skin retouch until someone looks plastic. That wouldn’t be right, and that’s not our style anyway.
As with most aspects of photography, there’s always a balance to be found. High resolution cameras will find every pimple, spot and wrinkle and display it loud and proud for the world to see. That’s rarely what anyone wants, so we use editing responsibly to just take the ‘edge’ off – smoothing some of the textures rather than removing them.
The results are nice and bright and vibrant – the background brand colours working a treat, and testament to such a great group of people – they pulled some great poses with remarkable ease, and the shots speak for themselves.
“We had a fantastic photoshoot with Steven and Kelly at Pocket Creatives. It was well planned out so that we got the most from the shoot. The photos were of a great quality and there were so many of them! So pleased, I am recommending them to everyone and will definitely use them again. Thank you.”
Kelly Street, BP3 Underwear
Having our own space to work within makes studio fashion photography even easier for us to accommodate than in previous years, and it fits in very much with the supportive and friendly style that we like to work within.
To find our more about BP3, just visit the link to their website, and if we can help with your fashion photography or fashion video project just drop us a line. You can also see much more from our other fashion photography shoots at our dedicated portfolio here.
Steven Mayatt, Creative Director
“Fun, innovative and unflappable. Pocket Creatives are great to work with – whether it’s finding the perfect lighting for trifle to capturing GoPro footage on a whisk, they always approach every situation with a steady yet game-changing attitude. I see the whole team as trusted creative partners to make great content together.”
Kitty Aldis, River Group
“I have been working with Steven and the brilliant Pocket Creatives crew for 3 years – in fact since they started out. They have captured in excess of 100 recipes, produced 7 videos including 2 crowdfunding campaigns, their work, professionalism, and commitment to client satisfaction second to none. What’s more is how they have developed, evolved and grown in creativity, experience, and inspiration.
On a personal front the individuals in the team have to most wonderful personalities – an absolute joy to work with!”
Tanya Robertson-Lambert, Tanya’s Just Real
“I worked with Steven and his Pocket Creatives team to create a recipe video, and I couldn’t recommend their services enough! From the ideation stage, through to filming and editing the finished product, at every stage, the whole team were first-class, going above and beyond to create a compelling, high-quality recipe video that generated heaps of engagement. I would definitely work them again.”
Ben Cullen, OLIO
