Photographer Simon Wisbey recently did a campaign shoot for Lipsy London, shot at Premier Park Studios. The concept was devised by the creative team at Lipsy London head office and Simon then had to bring it to life. Drawing on his experience as a fashion photographer and his previous work for Lipsy, Simon designed a lighting set up that was in keeping with the Lipsy aesthetic as well as his own love of bright polished imagery. Working with a familiar team was a great way to get things to run smoothly.

When planning the shoot, Simon sat down with the team and focused on what equipment would be needed and how best to achieve the desired look for the shoot. The team sourced the elements that would bring the set to life, furniture, flooring, paint etc. The assistants then went about building the set while Simon set up the lighting.

Having worked with the client regularly was a great advantage and the day ran without any setbacks. The only obstacle was a faulty head, but luckily Premier Park Studios has a large store of equipment so this was quickly rectified!

Equipment List

- Canon 5d Mk IV

- Canon 24-70mm f\2.8 II

- 3 x Profoto Pro-8a packs

- 4 x Profoto Pro Heads

- Profoto Air Remote

- 1 x Profoto XL Deep Translucent Umbrella

- 1 x 12’ x 12’ Silk Screen

- 1 x Profoto 2x3 Softbox

- 2 x Profoto Zoom Reflectors

- 1 x 12’ Arctic White Colorama (hanging to the floor)

- 6 x White Polyboards

- 1 x 12’ Translucent Curtain

- 2 x Double Windups with Scaffold Pole to hang the curtain

- 1 x 10’ Flat painted pink

- Grey Laminate Flooring

- A variety of furniture

- iMac running Capture One

- Tether Tools cables

The client wanted to create a light and airy feel similar to natural light coming through a large window from behind the model. This backlight wrapped around the model served to retain all the fine details of the clothing.

Lighting Setup

To create the feel of a large window Simon bounced 2 heads with Zoom Reflectors into two 90 degree Vs made of polyboards which in turn bounced back onto the white Colorama and through the translucent curtain as the key light. The trick here was to provide enough light to wrap around the model from behind but still keep some detail in the curtain.

For a large fill Simon had a head going through the XL Translucent Umbrella and the 12’x12’ Silk Screen. This not only lightened everything but it also brought out more detail in the clothing while providing a nice super soft light on the models skin. To help knock out any shadow from the model and lighten the hair, Simon bounced a head going through the 2x3 Softbox into the ceiling. This was behind 2 White Polyboards which also served as a fill when the model was turned to the side.

Simon shot at f/8 so that he could keep the model and clothes in focus but also allow the background to slightly drop out of focus, creating a dreamy feel to the images.

During the shoot the team moved the pink flat around to vary the options for the final edit.

Closing

The team shot 16 looks over a 7 hour day. The images are being used in Lipsy’s flagship store on Oxford Street, online, and across all social media platforms.

Client – Lipsy London

Photographer – Simon Wisbey

Model – Cairo Dwek, Storm London

Makeup & Hair – Paula Valencia

Retouch – Gary Patterson

Styling – Hannah Evans

Creative Team – Harriette Miller

Assistants – David Rowland & Gemma Thompson

Studio – Premier Park Studios, London

Images used with permission of Simon Wisbey