Who was your first love? Bringing you back to the days of innocent flirting, shy smiles, accidental touching, and sideways glances, we wanted to capture that special spark between two lovers. Back to the days of when first love blossomed, when the world was magical and amazing and a peanut shell-strewn floor was just a backdrop to the Beginning of That Sweetest Thing.
One of Studio 3’s specialties is shooting provocative lifestyle photography that tells a story. We are also known for high-end footwear photography. With this project the brief was to combine the two by focusing on some fabulous shoes…worn by a young couple in love. We strove to create a new twist on standard shoe photography by creating a fun, moody, sexy environment, with a setup that could be open to a variety of interpretations. Where is this happening? Is it their first date? Did they just meet? Are they playing? Are they flirting? Is their love forbidden? Are these teenagers? Is the guy just not that into her? Open-ended setups in lifestyle and editorial photography can invite more interest from the casual viewer: extremely valuable for the Client and realizing a good ROI on ad campaigns.
For the set we created a warehouse-style look littered with peanut shells on the floor, inspired by the iconic Rodeo Bar & Grill in New York. (R.I.P., Rodeo Bar – we’ll miss you!) The lighting for this piece was stark, created by an oversized spotlight pointed in through the windows. It was aimed directly at the legs and the shoes to bring attention to the product featured. The contrasty look helped highlight the rich colors of the clothing and set, as well as bring out the roundness and sexy contours of the female model’s legs.
Photographer Henry Ngan‘s ability to capture fun sets and people in their environment was essential to making this shoot work. (The peanut shells were actually his idea!) In his direction, Henry created a simple, casual setup where nothing was absolutely perfect and straight-laced: the look he was going for was fun, young, and sexy but overall realistic. The peanut shells on the floor were placed in a manner where they looked messy…but not too messy. The shoelace on our male model was purposely styled in disarray, and his jeans were rolled up casually. Everything had to evoke a sultry mood paired with a sense of humor to make it work and be thought-provoking.
So how did we do? Are you brought back to your first date and young love in its prime? And how do you feel about those shoes?
If you’re looking for more lifestyle photography that tells a story check out our full portfolio here, and if you’re ready to fall in love with your advertising photography all over again, give us a ring. Dial L for L-O-V-E or 503-238-1748 [Portland] or 206-282-0939 [Seattle] for Studio 3.
Producer: Liz Swales
Photographer: Henry Ngan
Digital Artist: Alex Gumina
Equipment: Canon Mark III, 85 mm lens, Speedotron Fresnel optical spotlight
Featured Footwear: Delman Shoes, Converse