The 2023 fall photoshoot is in the books! I absolutely love shooting days. There is so much hustle and bustle, playfulness, and - thanks to the incredible work of Paprika Southern - creative fun. There’s also a lot more to it than showing up and looking pretty! So, I’m pulling back the curtain to give a behind-the-scenes look at how my most recent photoshoot came to life.
This is the first post in a brand-new series for my blog: A Day in the Life of a Jewelry Designer. Welcome to August 22nd, 2023!
The Inspiration
A great photo shoot starts with great organization. Over the years, the talented ladies at Paprika Southern and I have really streamlined our shoot planning. They always start out by sending a gorgeous mood board to set the tone for the day. What I especially loved about this board is that images from the last shoot were included in the overall inspiration. The goal was for these new images to fit seamlessly into the Graceful Glimmer shoot, so rather than shifting the brand story we were building upon it.
Here’s how they described the vibe: “The goal is to convey Kristen’s brand aesthetic through showing the pieces on a model, emphasizing mixing and matching different pieces. Neutral textural wardrobe to underscore the jewelry. Lighting will be soft and bright but incorporate soft shadows, evoking dappled early morning sun softly streaming through trees.” Ooh la la!
A few days before the shoot, we all get together at the studio for a lighting test, to make sure everything is looking dreamy and ready for the big day.
The Team
I really love working with other small local businesses that have their own vision and style. That’s why Kristen Baird Jewelry and Paprika Southern are a match made in heaven. Photographer Siobhan Egan and Stylist Bevin Valentine Jalbert just get me. Working with them, I always know I’m in great hands. They also brought along their excellent intern, Jax Taylor, who was a dream to work with, and I had Abby by my side.
Local hair and makeup artist Taylor Hendrix created the beautiful, soft, and dewy look for the day. A very exciting addition: Bella Luccesi was our model for the day. Bella is actually the sales rep at the Grand Bohemian Gallery in Greenville, so she knows my jewelry inside and out. I was so excited when she volunteered to come down to Savannah for the shoot. Although she’d never modeled jewelry before, you’d never know it by how relaxed and chill she was. A total natural!
We rounded out the team with two very important additions: the cats Zooey and Scout!!
The Jewelry
Fun fact: I bring over 100 pieces of jewelry for every photo shoot! In the past, I used to show up with as many random pieces as I could grab. Now, I really approach shoots with a specific goal in mind for what I want to shoot and why.
Last year's shoot introduced the Graceful Glimmer Collection. Although there is no new collection to introduce this year, there are a ton of new gold and platinum pieces to showcase across all collections. I specifically wanted to focus on my very first gold additions to the Bonjour Belle and Celestial Collections.
I’ll admit that it was a bit of a rush getting everything I was dreaming up built and ready to go in time for the shoot, but it all worked out in the end. I can’t wait to share the new pieces with ya’ll!
The Big Day!
Here’s how the day unfolded!
8:00 am:
Everyone met at the Paprika Southern Studio. Taylor started working on Bella’s hair and makeup.
8:30 am:
Bevin and I reviewed the various must-have shots for the day while Siobhan and Jax set up the studio for the shoot.
Abby’s big job for the day was to take tons of behind-the-scenes photos and videos. (Thanks, Abby! I couldn’t create this blog post without you!)
9:45 am:
We started shooting Look #1. This was a simple white collared shirt and jeans to showcase some of my newest gold pieces with a casual vibe. I love these images because they can be used all year round!
11:00 am:
We elevated the style with a lovely brown formal dress. I’m obsessed with these images for fall. The brown and the gold together feel so warm and luxurious and the neutral colors really make the bright gems pop!
12:15 pm:
Lunch break! Panera tastes sooo good when you’re hungry. We’ve been going for four hours and we’re only just getting started!
1:00 pm:
Look #3 was a silky pink dress - so glam! These shots truly blend seamlessly into last year’s shoot holiday shoot, with all the soft pink silk. We especially focused on rose gold and pearl pieces. So feminine and elegant! I can’t wait to use these pics for everything from Valentine’s Day to New Year’s to Spring…
2:15 pm:
Time for another casual look: a taupe shirt with jeans. For this section, we really focused on fun and sassy poses, like my famous ring stack pics. Just look how much bling is on those fingers! Bella was such a great sport during this whole process, and the team kept rocking along.
3:00 pm:
We weren’t sure if we were going to get a 5th style in, but we ended up getting that and a lovely holiday flatlay done! Bella threw on a cozy white sweater for some holiday vibes and we incorporated lace, pink silk, and greenery into a dreamy holiday panorama.
We even had time for some fun shots with the kitties!
4:29 pm:
That’s a wrap!! We planned to finish the day at 4:30 and we beat the time by exactly one minute. That’s what great planning will do for you!
I am absolutely overjoyed with the images from this shoot, and I can’t wait to see the final projects. In the meantime, we’ll have to content ourselves with these gorgeous behind-the-scenes shots. (Thanks, Abby!)
Thank you so much to everyone who pitched in for this big day! We did it!
