There is always that ‘feel good’ and empowering feeling that comes from being one of the first to know something before it’s even mentioned, before it even gets shown to the public, before it even happens, before it even gets released to the press..   

It is like when you discover a girlfriend is pregnant, but you cannot tell anyone. That feeling when everyone finds out and you can finally say - I have known for weeks now! I love that feeling, and today we are about to pass it on to you. It is all about the ‘being first / knowing first feeling’ and this is the blog that is going to give a little glimpse into the future...  

 BUT... not only will I be giving you a firsthand, first insight to our new Spring Summer 21 tummy control swimwear styles that are about to be released in the next couple of weeks, I am going to give you a look at what goes on behind the closed doors of a studio swimsuit photoshoot. I bet everyone is imagining - high fashion, glamorous people sitting around in high back chairs, analysing, and speculating over what the new season swimwear styles are like. Complimenting each other on their hair, nails, the pumps they wore that day and gossiping about the latest in office happenings. Well this could not be further from the truth...

Here is me in my runners and the most comfortable clothes I own. No tummy control for me. I'm getting ready to sprint through just shy of 120 swimsuit styles in a matter of 7 hours. My back is turned as I can’t look at the camera - I have way too many swimwear selects to make (I’ll come back to that later), but if you could see my face - you would see that my hair isn’t done, neither is my face and it’s the look of pure concentration that is my whole style vibe for the day. 

Photoshoot Journal

So let me talk you through how the day started. I wake up early (far too early for my liking but I can’t sleep), there is that buzz in my head like - I have forgotten something, or that something will go wrong throughout the day, it is probably just me being anxious!

I then head down to my favourite coffee shop, the first of many for the day as it is the best way I know how to keep my eyes from blurring and be on it. I couldn’t possibly select a bad photo, it will haunt me for the whole season moving forward!   

 After my first coffee goes down a treat, I decide to walk into the studio to clear my head - and because I woke up early so, I have all this time on my hands! What type of building are you picturing a photoshoot would be held in? An old, converted loft? Maybe a newly renovated old terrace? Well you couldn’t be more off. It is a big old block of units that you would second glance at when walking past. The windows are covered with ceiling to floor blackout curtains so the lighting does not change over the course of the day (it is these little things that I would never think of). And even though I said I woke up early - do not be fooled, I did not take a lot of time to get ready. My hair is up in a bun, my face is washed but makeup free, I am under no illusion that I am the one getting her photo taken today. I have been to these photoshoots many times before and I understand it will be a big day. It will be a day that I eat leftovers for dinner and crawl up into bed at 8pm for a solid 12-hour sleep afterwards.

Enough about me!

I am almost positive no one wanted to hear about my morning routine the day before a shoot, but if you have made it this far - you are lucky enough to know each step I take. Let us move onto the actual shoot and everything that goes behind this enormous day!

The Preparation

When I said I strolled into the studio I bet you are thinking - where are all the swimsuits?! This is prepared days in advance, weeks even. The spreadsheet for the day is created and all of the samples are put together, sometimes I’m lucky enough to have all of the samples in the office (barely ever); our Sydney office is organised, but unfortunately not spacious enough to house all of my 120 photo samples. SO, anything I do not have, or is new and exciting, I must order from our factory or warehouse. This (especially during COVID times) takes a bit longer than you always think.

The Setup

Now we travel back to the studio the morning of the shoot! We started the day with the photographer doing her thing – camera set up, colour matching, studio lighting, there is quite a lot they need to adjust before we can shoot the day away! But it’s also all the background things that go on behind the photographer that is equally just as chaotic and important - it’s the assistants that have had to steam all the garments so there are absolutely no creases in the images, the setting up of all the computer files so that all the images have the correct style number attached (if the images get out of sync - this is a headache for years to come!). The photographers set up their lighting and positions their camera in the best spot. This is done with multiple test shots picking up different colours along the way. I sent on my (colour coordinated) spreadsheet so each shot can be labelled with the correct style, and we do not get a migraine trying to sort them all over the next summer. Yay!

Styling

Whilst all of this is happening our stylist for the day also sets up the swimsuits in line of the spreadsheet - with a little help from myself to ensure they are all in the right order. Every single garment is then steamed so there are no chances of a crease in the shot! 

As well as, of course, the first coffee run!

The Hair and Makeup

But truly the *hard work snaps* really must go to our high energy and always attentive H&M  (for those not in the know - H&M stands for hair and makeup). While the photographer and her assistant get everything ready for a full day of shoot, the model is in a corner of the room getting her hair and makeup perfected by our amazing H&M artist! 

Throughout the day

After this extremely busy morning process, we start our day. The model puts on each bathing suit and stands on her marked cross on the floor (this is to ensure every shot is the same distance). She stands front on and we run in to adjust her hair and make sure the swimsuit is sitting correctly and powermesh is flat against the body. She then turns to her back and we again rush in. With the back shot - we always make sure to adjust the swimsuit back strap sliders to be even, we cannot have uneven sliders! 

This happens, and happens, and happens, until we nearly get to halfway and break for lunch (and without a doubt, more coffee). After lunch, we do it all again, with music to really get the flow happening.

Snaps to the model

We owe it all of course to the swimsuit model who had to be ‘on’ for 240 fast shots plus getting changed 120 times!!! Anyone that’s been shopping and tried on a handful of clothes in one stint and then gets too tired and has to go home and have a cuppa to recover - well then you will understand getting changed 120 times is a work out! Especially with our tummy control powermesh, it really does work wonders while it is on, but pulling the swimsuit on and off takes a lot of energy!

Sneak peek into our 2021 summer swimsuit range! 

Throughout this ecommerce shoot we shot some of our upcoming swimwear collections that are coming to you over the course of our upcoming summer. Today I am going to share with you a few of the styles (do not tell anyone, it's our little secret).

So, there you have it, so much more goes into an ecommerce shoot than you think! I honestly feel like I need another 12-hour sleep from writing the blog, my body feels exhausted for past Jess!   

 It’s the what’s coming out, what’s on trend, I’m planning my summer wardrobe, so what should I be looking for, finding items that coordinate with what I already have, but in a summer 21 kind of way kind of show it all in a blog post!  

In saying all this, I think it is good to point out that after our shots are perfected with makeup and the perfect lighting situation alone, we do not make any touch ups! 

Look at our model, she is naturally drop dead gorgeous so why would we need to!