I have to admit it... I am kind of obsessed with the work I recently did for Elaine Turner Designs. Working with the team at Elaine Turner is always the highlight of the season for me, and Spring '09 was no different. We started the process of the Spring 09 shoot all the way back in September, before Houston was hit by IKE. Because of Ike's wrath, we were left shooting the campaign in the middle of December... fog, 40 degree temperatures, holiday music and all. Since chatting with Elaine about her inspiration or this line, I wanted to shoot at the Dos Brisas. Elaine immediately jumped on board with the plans, and we were off!
Elaine has put together a hand-picked team to work on the creative shoots each season. From the ET gang, there is Elaine of course, design guru Lauren Graham, PR maven Heather McLeskey and the hard working Lauren Gallagher. On the creative team side, I work side by side with Élan Rogers of
Élan Styles and
Fashion Houston to create the concepts for each shoot. This season, hair was done by Pattie-Nichelle and makeup by
Jen Marine. This was my first time to work on set with Jen Marine, and I was very pleased! Christin's makeup was.... flawless.
Back to the photo shoot:
We knew we would be hard-pressed to accomplish everything we needed to on the day of the shoot. (Sunlight in December is fleeting...) so everything was checked and re-checked in advance. We left for the Dos Brisas in the dark and proceeded further and further into the foggy abyss. The entire way to the ranch I had a knot in my stomach... this was NOT our anticipated environmental conditions... but we were up against a deadline, with no other options. Once we arrived at the ranch, I knew the day would be perfect. The fog provided just the right effect to the scene.... ethereal and soft. LOVES IT!
The entire day for me was about staying on schedule and getting to two shots. Through each setup, I only had about 20-30 minutes to shoot before we had to change hair and makeup and wardrobe if we were to make it through the day. Can you say "Pressure"?
There were four shot setups that Élan and I were committed to getting. While everything was important, to us... these three were the most. We had created these setups to communicate the Elaine Turner brand. The Elaine Turner brand is about attainable luxury, and we wanted to create the following aspirational shots.
Up first... my baby... a shot in the rose garden.
Élan and I traipsed throughout Houston to find as many rose petals as possible. (Thank you to Fannin Flowers for being open and willing to give us everything they had!) From the time we scouted the location, I have envisioned a shot of Christin laying in roses. Once I saw the bags, I
knew that
Bianca would be the one. She is just elegant enough, but fun and youthful as well. I took this shot from above Christin on a ladder, with everyone on the creative team huddled below. Christin was wrapped in a sweater from below the waist, and you can't even see the coldness in the shot! Major props to Christin for that one. I'm kinda surprised you don't see the fog from my breath. ;-) brrrrr. The dress élan pulled here is SPOT on.
(Click any image to see a larger version)
Is that gorgeous or what? Teamwork is what it's all about here.... I wanted one bag, Élan threw them all in.
The next SUPER important shot was a shot Élan had envisioned to fully represent the Elaine Turner brand in a unique way. From the minute Élan saw the newly revised
Leah bag, she wanted it outside in the resort collection used as a sun blind by Christin. I was questionable, but élan persevered.... and BAM... magic:
Of course, how could we forget the other Elaine Turner Model, featured in every campaign we have done thus far,
Houston Dog Blog's own Isabella. This shot was designed to be on the cover of the Elaine Turner website, and it is GORG!
Next up, our perspective shot. I knew the graphic nature of the fences in combination with the Dos Brisas in the background would SCREAM Elaine Turner... and that is exactly what happened:
And finally, we were waiting for nightfall to shoot our first nighttime shots for an Elaine Turner campaign. At just the right moment, we were able to capture this:
Beyond these shots, there were a few others that ultimately captured the Elaine Turner brand in a way that I think is really special:
All in all, the Dos Brisas shoot was our most successful shoot for the gals at Elaine Turner. We thank them so much for working with us on this project, and cannot wait for more creative endeavors! Make sure to check out the images below for more of our exciting work at the Dos Brisas, and do NOT forget to check out the Elaine Turner store in Houston and Dallas!
Posted by:
Brett Chisholm
