London Is Shopping LHo...

So of late we have had the pleasure of shipping to a lot of fun and unexpected places. For those who keep up with us on Instagram & Twitter, we are often sharing the in-betweens of being a
​global-oriented Small Biz, in Downtown Noblesville, Indiana that ships as much as we do. Some of the international destinations we have been shipping to include the U.K. Given this new wave of traffic and interest our Small Business is receiving, we decided to invite Laura Bloomer, a London native, to share a portion of her fashionable world  as a fashion-photographer and this is what she had to say (and film) in regards to planning a fashion shoot in this lovely city:   

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Picture courtesy of http://www.universal-tourguide.com

A Day On Set: 
Shooting Rooftop locations with French model Nora Azz,
Styled by Ellie Dickinson of Topshop.
       Hair/ Makeup and Photography by Laura Bloomer.    
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​London embodies grace and elegance. While being a busy
major city, that reality is easily forgotten by the never far lush greenery and sense of rich culture.

Today we have access to all this from our rooftop location
in St James Park, Central London. Our team
consists of French model Nora Azz and Stylist Ellie Dickinson (reigning from Topshop glory).
Photographer/ Hair and Makeup are done by yours truly, Laura Bloomer.



​I’m excited to invite you to the behind the scenes insights of what happens on a shoot! This first note is pretty common, and a life skill really! Success for today starts the day before. In other words – we need to ensure we are prepared! Some shoots will have months of planning beforehand; this will consist of:

• Finding inspiration / building a concept
• Looking up trends, what’s going on in the world currently.
• Putting together a team of like-minded individuals, who can help bring the concept to life.
• Sourcing models and clothing for the concept.
• Sourcing a location.
• Locking down a date that works for everyone.

Back to my shoot preparation, I pretty much like to leave NOTHING for the actual day except for me just turning up. In my preparation for a shoot day, I will make sure I have the following things done:
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• Text everyone to confirm the date/time/address of the venue. Make sure everyone has your contact details and that you have theirs. I like to send out a calendar invite as well.
• Create a Pinterest board and add everyone to it. Start collecting inspiration shots.
• I link models to my get shoot ready list (available here) as a baseline. Everyone has different expectations.
• I’ve had a model show up with completely greasy hair once that could just not be saved. Had to do a wet-look.
• All makeup brushes completely cleaned/dried at least 2 days before (to ensure they are properly dry). I use
• Sards laundry soap to clean mine after EVERY time that I use them on someone. Makeup artists – once you use a brush on someone, you can’t use it again on someone else – it’s not fair. It can cause break outs at the very least or even give someone skin infections/cold sores if the previous model was unaware they had something developing. This is really important.
• I always bring snacks in my kit haha. Lollies for sugar/ energy and maybe some crackers/fruit/nuts just to keep everyone calm. I know I sure as hell get grumpy when I’m hungry!
• Full makeup kit packed and ready to go night before.
• Full hair kit packed and ready to go night before.
• Check that camera memory card is completely cleared + my back up one as well. Place both in my camera bag.
• Check camera battery is fully charged + the back up one as well. Place both in camera bag.
• Pack your mobile phone charger.
• Download a music playlist to use on set. I like to have a chilled version + a hyped up version.
• Research your travel plan to get to the venue (don’t be late!!)
• Have your outfit for the day planned the night before (less stress on the day).

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 On the day:

• Never be late. It’s just rude to make everyone else wait for you.
• If you have organised the shoot, do a coffee run and pay for it. I just think it’s a nice thing to do.
• Ask everyone what time they will need to leave. You must be respectful of this and not run over. Ask the stylist how many looks they have and get an idea in your head about how long you can spend taking images of each look. No one likes running overtime, be efficient
• Spend the first 15 minutes talking with the stylist and makeup artist, organising the looks so you can map out which to do first. It makes the most sense to shoot the looks that match a more natural makeup first, as then the makeup artist can build up the makeup as the shoot progresses – instead of having to start again.
• Play some music! Fun/ light/ chill – it really sets the mood.
• Be positive! Make it fun! Tell the model how amazing they look. Tell the stylist how great everything is. It will build their confidence and create even better results! 

Photography: Jonathan Jato. HMUA: Laura Bloomer
Model: Jeremy Moineau