Marseille, France-based photographer Lisa Tichané recently took all the pictures for the launch of London-based baby clothing brand Olivia Yves. The company creates garments for young babies made out of pure organic cotton – as Lisa says, “Comfortable clothes for happy babies!” Lisa photographed the spring/summer collection in her studio, with the help of four adorable mini-models.
First off, can you tell me about this project and how you got involved with it?
It all started with a simple email in my inbox coming from my website contact form asking if I was interested to talk about a project for the launch of a brand new babywear collection. I think it took me less than 5 minutes to reply that I would LOVE to know more about their exciting project!
What was the goal of the project?
The brand owners were about to launch their new brand of baby garments and were looking for a photographer to do the Spring/Summer collection for their future online store and PR materials. They were in need of images that would present the garments, but also of more generic baby images to illustrate the website. Their very unique collection is made with the softest organic cotton you could dream of (Pima cotton, produced in Peru). The goal was to create images that would fit their brand values: soft, pure, organic and eco-friendly to both nature and skin… Comfortable clothes for happy babies!
Can you tell me what was involved in planning/preproduction?
At first, we considered the opportunity to work on location, but the budget for this new brand was tight so we ended up relocating to my little studio. The client being in the UK and my studio being in the south of France, I had to coordinate the casting of the babies myself, which was really fun to do I must say!
What was the shoot itself like?
Oh the shoot was crazy, as always with babies! Babies are incredibly cute and totally irresistible but they are also unpredictable and follow their own rules so you need to be patient and calm, reassuring and funny, creative and flexible. There is never a minute of boredom! One of the babies simply refused to get out of her mom’s arms. It took us a full hour before we were able to take her first picture! We gave her the time she needed to get used to this new situation and environment, and entertained her as best as we could… and finally won her over! When you look at the images, you would never guess that she was anything but blissfully happy about the project. That being said, the nature of the work itself, which was entirely focused on babies being themselves and natural/authentic moments and attitudes, really helped in getting the most out of the day. I was able to go with the flow and catch what the babies had to offer spontaneously.
Did you face any challenges and how did you overcome them?
One of our baby models had to travel a lot before arriving at the studio so she was tired and cranky when it was her turn. We rearranged the schedule of the day to let her rest a bit in the morning and photograph her later on. It worked like magic, especially thanks to her parents who were the best at making funny things to keep her entertained during the shoot, they truly were my best assistants!
What has the reaction to the images been so far?
The client was really happy about the images! Their website went live a few days ago only so it’s a bit early to really gauge the public’s reaction, but as soon as I started sharing the images I got awesome feedback! Frankly, even though I’ve stared at those images for hours, these adorable faces never fail to make me smile. I hope they will win the customers over too!
What was your favorite part of the project?
I absolutely LOVED being involved in the very beginning of this adventure! Seeing the first steps of a new brand is incredibly exciting, it made my work even more meaningful!
Any future plans for this project?
I can’t wait to capture the Fall/Winter collection! I haven’t seen the samples yet and I have to admit that I’m really impatient to discover the new designs!
See more of Lisa’s images on her website!
Credits:
Client: Olivia Yves
Modeling Agency: Enjoy Models Kids
Models: Elliot, Olivia, Bonnie, Gioia