When you are booked to do a beach-style shoot in Ireland the first concern is always the weather. As a model you typically have to brace yourself to stand in a bikini in near arctic conditions with a beaming smile that would be more suitable for the Caribbean! So when my agency (Assets) informed me about a shoot last week that was to take place on the rocks of Dun Laoghaire, I quickly started praying to the sun!
The PR agent for the shoot, Jane Hildreth, is ultra organised and telephoned to explain the concept: she wanted to capture a fabulously, glamorous shot that would epitomise the Sansana Spa treatments in The Royal Marine Hotel. Jane wanted to photograph me on the rocks in Dun Laoghaire, draped in beautiful handmade shawls.
The day before the shoot I was treated to a luxurious pedicure in the Spa. My feet were grateful for the TLC as I had been training hard for the Mini Marathon.
The morning of the shoot I woke up to stunning rays of sunshine beaming through the windows in my apartment, and for a moment I had to remind myself I was in Dublin.
I met the team at 10am in the reception of the hotel. I had to style my own hair and apply my own make up. This is quite common when you model in Ireland and to be honest; there is something quite nice about doing it yourself.
The team consisted of Jane and her daughter Sophie, who was working as the assistant, the photographer (Paul Sherwood) and Caroline Gray, whose beautiful hand-crafted shawls I would be modelling in the shoot. We had a briefing in the hotel reception and discussed the concepts. None of us could hide our excitement at the glorious weather. It was a crystal clear day in Dun Laoghaire, probably clear enough to see England! Jane obviously has a direct line to the weather gods as the sun was shining and you really could have been in the Caribbean.
After our meeting we took the short walk to the pier. Once down on the rocks I changed into my bikini, whilst the scarves were draped around my body in a suitable way. When modelling, you get used to people dressing you and seeing your body, so getting changed in a relatively exposed place was not something that bothered me.
Once I was dressed we began the shoot. Paul identified a suitable rock for me to pose upon, whilst he climbed further down towards the Sea so that he could position his camera at a good angle. The weather was truly amazing; I was dressed in only a bikini and sarong to keep me warm, but I felt like I was abroad. As soon as Paul began photographing I went into ‘model mode’. It is really important to understand the theme of a shoot in order to capture the best pictures. I knew that Jane wanted some glamorous and feminine shots so I tried to portray this in the poses. The wind was blowing which helped create a magical effect with the shawls and the setting was gorgeous. The team were very encouraging, making positive comments, which is always helpful. There were several passers by who stopped to watch for a while, and some young girls also shouted encouraging words which was nice to hear.
We paused several times during the shoot to analyse the pictures. This really helps you achieve a good shot as you can make corrections to your poses or come up with new ideas. It was the first time I had worked with Paul and I always think it is important to establish a good rapport with a photographer. This was easy with Paul and he was very good at directing the shoot. It is useful when a photographer gives you feedback as they can see how the picture looks from an artistic perspective. Even a slight change of positioning can affect the overall result.
Once we had finished on the rocks we progressed to the spa. The next part of the shoot involved photographing one of the Sansana Spa’s new treatments. This was the easy part for me, as all I had to do was lie down and look elegant whilst enjoying the treatment! It was very relaxing and I was even tempted to drift off whilst they were shooting. We then moved to the Gym.I had to demonstrate some of the common mistakes that occur in gym exercises, before being corrected by one of the gym specialists. I wore gym kit for this part of the shoot which was nice and comfortable. It was interesting working with the fitness specialist as I had to demonstrate some of the mistakes that I would actually make myself and she was able to show the correct technique.
Once we finished the shoot it was time for a late lunch. We went back to the reception and settled down for a bite to eat whilst reviewing some of the pictures. The pictures from the rocks were also to be released as a presscall so it was important that these were reviewed and decided upon within the next couple of hours. It is crucial to respect the deadline that newspapers have, so there was a rush against time to select and send off some pictures from the shoot, accompanied with the press release. When we looked at the pictures from outside we were blown away with the result. The luminous colours of the shawls, combined with the clear blue sky and the marine background made for a fabulous picture.
Jane and Paul decided on the appropriate images and they were sent to the press a couple of hours after the shoot. We had our fingers crossed that they would be a hit…and they were! The Sunday Independent ran a picture in one of their prime slots on page 2, and the tabloids also ran the pictures on Bank Holiday Monday. We were particularly delighted with the front page and spread in the Irish Daily Mirror and a big spread in the The Irish Sun. Caroline was pleased with the pictures from the rocks and they will be used to advertise her shawls, whilst the other pictures will be used by the hotel. Jane will also be sending some to certain magazines.
All in all it was a very successful day and probably one of my favourite shoots that I have ever done! The team were fabulous to work with, they were passionate and set on achieving a good result, and the atmosphere was relaxed and fun.
~Laura Toogood
Links
Laura Toogod - Assets Model Agency
Jane Hildreth- JH PR 087 239 3090
Photography by Paul Sherwood 087 230 9096 www.sherwood.ie
Caroline Gray Silks, Collectible Clothing 0871260206
Sansana Spa, Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire:
Laura Toogood has modeled internationally since 2002. Additionally, she is studying for a PhD at University College Dublin and is an accomplished equestrian competing at an International level in Dressage and Three Day Eventing. Laura has worked for an appeared on behalf of the following designers and fashion houses; Alberta Ferretti (shows), Armani (shows), DKNY (shows), Victoria Beckham Jeans (shows), Vila (shows), Debenhams (shows), ICHI (shows), Nike (shows), Chica (shows), Marks and Spencer (shows), Kyra K (shows), Mango (shows), McElinney’s (shows), Byoung (shows), LA Make Up (shoot), Toggi (campaign), Louise Naughton (shoot), Replay (shoot), Peter Mark (show), DT Make up (shoot), BBC (TV), TV3 (TV), RTE (TV), Hot Press Magazine (Editorial), The Irish Times (Editorial), The Evening Herald (Editorial), The Sunday World (Editorial), Horse and Hound Magazine (Editorial), RTE Guide (Editorial), In Dublin Magazine (Editorial), Living In Magazine (Editorial), The Observer (Editorial), The Evening Chronicle (Editorial), The Irish Independent (Editorial), The Irish Independent Life Magazine (Editorial), The Irish Mirror (Editorial), The Irish Sun (Editorial), The Irish Daily Star (Editorial), The Irish Daily Mail (Editorial)
