On my first day back they asked me if I wanted to go on a shoot, which I jumped at! I was even more excited as it was going to be the main fashion editorial shoot, rather than one of the smaller features in the magazine. In preparation for the shoot, I had to note down all the outfits that had been styled ready for the photo shoot, and where they were from and how much they were if they had prices on. I then had to type these up ready for when the feature was being put together, and told it was my responsibility to note down any outfit/accessory changes and made sure the final list was correct. I also packed all the outfits away in suitcases ready to be taken to the studio the next day.
I was majorly excited, but a bit nervous as I had to meet the stylist Sabrina at the studio at 9am. This involved getting different tubes and walking to somewhere I'd never been in central London! The tube I did get was absolutely crammed pack of commuters and was a bit of a struggle as I squeezed in, I really didn't want to have to wait for another and be late. The tubes took alot longer than I expected, and when I got out of the station it was already 9am, oops! I gave the stylist a text and hoped she really wasn't too mad! I got into such a panic I ended up lost for about 10 minutes before finally finding the studio, and arrived hot and bothered at 9.20 am.
When I walked into this top floor open plan studio it all felt very surreal! It was an amazing, huge open plan floor with loads of different props, backdrops, windows, dressing room and hair and make up area, and a kitchen/lounge area. There was music playing in the background, people chilling around a table with breakfast bits on, and everyone seemed really relaxed and chilled out. I introduced myself to Sabrina who luckily was really lovely and said it wasn't a problem I was late (thank goodness as I'm usually 100% on time and didn't want to seem unreliable!), and was also introduced to the photographer. Here are a few cheeky snaps I took..
My first task of the day was to unpack the clothes and outfits, as well as a pile of stuff they had bought in that was 'extra' for any last minute changes.
Sabrina then sent me out on a quick errand. I was told to get shoe insoles as the model had small feet, and all the shoes were 6/7's, and also a checked laundry bag. Yep, you heard me right. The theme of the shoot was 'Ladylike Checks' and was an autumn/winter shoot. Bags which looked similar to those cheapy checked bags you get from pound shops had been seen on the catwalks, so she wanted me to get one to use in the shoot! I was unsure where to go, but she handed me cash and directed me to a small town of shops. I luckily found the right things and she was thankful I'd got the right items!
The next hour or so I was there was spent steaming the clothes and making sure everything was crease-free and perfect. The model had her hair and make up done, and I was told to 'help dress her'. I mean, she was a normal girl and could dress herself, but my job was more to get the next outfit ready, help her in and out of the clothes without too much damage to her bouncy hair, and to do any buttons/buckles or fiddly bits. I also helped Sabrina pin the clothes which were too big, and clip belts and things into place to make sure the outfit looked perfect.
After that there wasn't much else to do but to sit back and grab anything the stylist needed to alter anything whilst shooting. I stood back and just watched everyone work. It was so interesting to see how a professional model and photographer worked, and made me think about what I could do different in my own photo shoots at uni! The images taken went straight onto a screen, so I just sat and watched everything happen.
The model was stunning, and of course, being a little run about work experience girl made me slightly nervous, but amazingly was just a normal girl who chatted with me, and thanked me for helping her with some of the tricky pieces of clothing and shoes. I actually felt quite sorry for her, on a hot day she was being dressed up in layers of jumpers and coats!
There were 8 people all together, the hair stylist, and make up stylist, the photographer and her assistant, the stylist, me, and a man who viewed and edited the images. and I felt really privileged to be there and see it all happen. It was funny to see the make up and hair stylist run in every 5 minutes or so, touching up her lipstick and combing and fluffing up her hair. They even applied skin make up to her hands and knees.. the photographs looked amazing and so professional.
At around 2pm we stopped for lunch, and the studio provided us all with an amazing lunch of roast chicken, potatoes, salad and roasted corgettes, along with a cheese cake for afters. After all the running around I wolfed this down as I was starving!
The afternoon was pretty much the same kind of stuff, and I dressed the model after every outfit had been shot. I found everyone was really chilled out and there was a nice atmosphere. She apologized that I was sat there alot of the day on the side lines, but I just found it really exciting to watch!
At the end of the day I packed up all the clothing and accessories, and labelled it all to be sent back to the LOOK office. I thanked Sabrina for letting me be there, and she said she was surprised it was the first time I'd ever done anything like this, as I was really helpful and fast dressing the model, which was really nice to hear. After a long day I finished about 6pm and headed home. I was shattered and fell straight asleep, but I was so thankful and excited about the whole experience.
The rest of the week back at the office involved emailing lots of brands about prices of clothes that hadn't been realized yet, making phone calls, and organizing and sorting returns.
The shoot is due to be printed in LOOK in 3 week's time so keep and eye out for it, hopefully my name will be mentioned somewhere! I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience this week, even though I was running about and doing the smallest of jobs, people really do appreciate it, and in return I got to experience my first professional photo shoot.
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