From around the end of December last year, I had in mind to do an Edwardian style shoot with a modern flare to it. I wasn't yet sure of the finer details but began looking for a suitable model for the job. My only criteria was that the model must have a clear, rosey complexion, hair long enough to style and generally have a 'look' that fits with vintage themes. I could not have been more lucky when I discovered Lois J Elise, a vintage fashion blogger and model. Not only did she fit the theme perfectly, she also had a huge wealth of vintage pieces suitable for our project.
To ensure the best results, I got in touch with talented makeup artist Bryony Robertson to ask if she would like to collaborate and after seeing my mood board, she happily agreed.
MOOD BOARD:
find me on Pinterest for my shoot mood boards: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/shootwithellie/
The Edwardian period was roughly 1900-1910 give or take, and I wanted to keep a few key elements for this look. This included the wispy, rolled hair, cinched in gowns, elegant gloves and natural dewy skin. I was looking to play with colour palettes that may not have been so prominent at the time and a more dramatic makeup look. As for the background, I wanted to keep them dreamy, but again in more of a modern colour scheme. We decided on two looks for the shoot; one more playful and bright, and the other more delicate and sombre.
The day before the shoot, I popped into a florist to get a little basket and flowers you'd most likely find in an English country garden. I didn't want to pick anything too bright as it would draw the eye away from the subject but I also wanted a little variety. I stuck to pink and purple tones as I thought they would accentuate both looks. That evening, I set up my work space ready for our session. This included clearing the space out, ironing backdrops and setting up lights.
On the day of the shoot, I collected both the MUA and model from the train station and we clicked straight away! We set up the kitchen as our base, Bryony unpacked all of her kit onto the table and Lois showed us all of the beautiful garments and accessories she had brought along. A company called Kiku Boutique very kindly lent us a violet corset and peignoir which completely tied in with the vibe of the second set. We started with the lighter of the two looks so we could transition into the darker look without too much disruption.
Once Bryony had finished working on both hair and makeup, we helped Lois get dressed in to the first outfit. Immediately, we were all excited to start shooting as she looked amazing! Here are some behind the scenes:
After the photo shoot, I was very eager to sit down and edit the work as we were all very pleased with the outcomes. I wanted both sets to have a vintage 'feel' to them to add to the overall narrative and look.
SET 1:
SET 2:
Click here to find these in my gallery: https://www.shootwithellie.com/modelling
From early on, Lois suggested that we enter our work into a magazine once the project was complete. Even though I loved the idea of it, I never really expected it to materialise for one reason or another. After sending the girls the final images, we agreed to submit the second set to FEMME Rebelle Magazine, which features high end, interesting, quirky portraiture of female models. The day after submission they emailed back to say we had been successful and the full set had been accepted! We were of course over the moon! Fast forward nearly a full month and here it was! We appear in FEMME Rebelle Magazine - March - Book 1 under the title "Lady in Waiting."
So as you can imagine, this was a super proud moment for me and a massive achievement. The team all worked incredibly hard and put lots of time and effort in and it really paid off. Hopefully this will be the first of many to come :)
Please check out my team mates here:
Lois J Elise: https://www.instagram.com/loisjelise/
Bryony Robertson: https://www.instagram.com/facebybryony/
Kiku Boutique: https://www.instagram.com/kikuboutique/
Publication: https://www.femmerebellemagazine.com
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