Penny, the owner of Jolie Gotique, and I have been working together for quite a few years now. We plan and shoot her new fashion products in Fall and Spring of every year, and it’s a fun and exciting commercial photoshoot with a whole team. I’ve watched Jolie Gotique grow into a team of three amazing women over these years and it’s so exciting to get to catch up and see everyone when we have these shoots. Plus, we get to work with Kelsey from Haus of Pretty!

Since we’ve done this a few times before, we have a pretty good process going for the shoot, too. Everyone arrives around the same time at the location. Kelsey and Penny work on hair and makeup. Stacy starts putting outfits together. And I will walk around and scout locations, syncing up with Stacy to get an idea of what the wardrobe looks like so I can start pairing them together.

This photoshoot took about 4 hours from start to finish, which included that prep time with hair & makeup. We tend to move fairly quickly and were able to photograph 12 different looks during that time, along with scenes that are specific to Penny’s social media like Jolie Gotique’s StayChic PINK tee project to benefit the Breast Cancer Alliance, and some team photos for the business.

The location this time around was really fun too. We photographed in a Lighthouse Living apartment building in White Plains (their One Dekalb property). We had the lobby, rooftop, and outdoor areas to explore, which is both really fun and always challenging. I always try to think about color when pairing locations with outfits, which is why working closely with Stacy, who’s styling everything, is so important. We always want the environment to make sense for Penny, but also not overpower what she’s wearing.

Scroll down below to see some behind the scenes shots (most of which I didn’t actually take since I tend to be photographing Penny the entire time) paired with the resulting final images from the photoshoot!

Model: Penny, Jolie Gotique

Hair & Makeup: Kelsey, Haus of Pretty

Styling: Stacy & Lauren

Photographer: Nataliya Lalor, N. Lalor Photography (that’s me!)

The lobby of One Dekalb, which included a wood accent wall, neutral-colored couch, and beautiful design elements. We paired this location with Penny’s dressier looks.

Utilizing elements within the entrance area created fun vignettes and we were able to photograph one outfit in two different ways fairly quickly.

The outdoor space was so pretty! We made use of a long bench and side staircase around One Dekalb for these two looks.

I always look for locations with open shade for flattering portrait lighting.. and the walkway area to the side of the building was perfect for the striped sweater look! A little pop of pink works so well with this location.

You don’t need a lot of space to create a lot of variety! We spruced up a simple white desk and used a textured white wall in the corner to make sure the outfit and Penny are always the primary focus.

The rooftop at One Dekalb was so cool! Placement was really key here because the sun was very strong that time of day and we always want to make sure that Penny and her outfit is the star of the image.

The other side of the rooftop area offered a totally different look! And yes, we move things around (like those recliners) to set up each shot.

I hope you enjoyed this little behind the scenes peek at Jolie Gotique’s Fall 2019 photoshoot! If you want to know more about Personal Branding and how I work with local brands and entrepreneurs to help them better represent their business online, feel free to click below..