I first met Grace Kemp, of Grace Amelia Photography on a crackly Zoom call back in April 2020. It was my first cyber shoot, but by that time Grace was an absolute pro. I had admired Grace's work for years: she has a signature use of bright colours, incorporates playful props with ease, and she is the Queen of Retro Vibes. So to finally be face, to screen, to face with her was a pleasure.
We didn't have too much pinned down in terms of inspo for the cyber shoot. I gave her a virtual tour of my house at the beginning of the call and we picked out the spots with the most generous natural light. Then we let conversation flow while she clicked away on her camera or told me to hold a pose just a second longer while she took a screenshot of the scene. PSA: it's always the awkward poses that Photographer's get you to hold for 'just one more', but it's usually always the best shot of the day.
The results of the cyber shoot are already live on my portfolio but for reference here are a few of my favourites.
The zoom shoot was not only fun, it also resulted in work we were both really happy with and the time spent chatting about ideas and our approaches to work, solidified our hopes to collaborate in real life as soon as we could. Confirmation that Photographers could to get back out on location came in mid-June, and we set a date to shoot at a social distance shortly after.
Having just moved house and gaining herself a GORGEOUS garden with lots of cool little spots, Grace suggested we shoot there. Inspired by the glorious sunshine we had been having (Do you remember that? About a month ago when it wasn't piddling down ALL THE TIME. Ah, sweet summer memories.) and holding onto the Grace Amelia Photography aesthetic of bright colours and vintage vibes, the mood board of my dreams was born:
With the aesthetic direction set, I turned to The Boutique (code for my over stuffed hoarders wardrobe and obsessive collection of accessories) to style one or two summer looks. However, I should state that packing lightly has never been my forte; a fact I have acknowledged and embraced. And I will break the news to you as gently as I can my dear reader, we shot six looks.
Between wardrobe changes, chatting all things lock down, and trying to make sure that Grace's cat Olive didn't wander too far, the day flew by. It was wonderful to spend time with someone so warm and friendly; the ideas were bouncing between us and as much as we referenced the mood board, we were both quick to experiment. How else would I have ended up in a greenhouse wearing my favourite stilettos?
We covered all things gardening, had a Carrie Bradshaw moment in a little pink number, went back to basics in an ode to Breakfast at Tiffany's, got lost in a French field, took a trip to the Spanish Countryside and stopped traffic as a real life emoji💃🏻. What a day.
Hopefully these few sneak peeks will have wet your appetite enough for the full course, when I upload the whole shoot later this week.
Finally getting to work with Grace was well worth the wait; she is passionate about her work and so talented at what she does. As I write this she is in her home studio editing our third shoot and we have a fourth planned but not yet booked in, so it's safe to say the professional girl crush is mutual.
Grace shot with natural lighting and a Nikon Df camera with a 35 mm lens during both the cyber shoot and the shoot of many looks. To see more work from Grace Amelia Photography you can find her portfolio online via the links below:
Instagram @GraceAmeliaPhoto
Facebook @GraceAmeliaPhoto
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