I had a photoshoot with some of Accra’s finest bartenders at HoneySuckle Labone for Beefeater gin.
It was a fun session and one which had a few challenges which were mitigated fairly quickly.
Some of the bartenders had never been individually in front of a camera and so did not know what to do. I always find such experiences fun because it gives me a chance to give people a good experience and quell their nerves.
For every shoot I conduct, I always have a plethora of references for my subjects. I do this to start the conversation.
Before the shoot begins, there is already a direction to start with and a story as well so what happens after the first shot and some coaching is my subjects become more fluid and comfortable in trying different poses and their ideas.
It’s always important to be in a state of flow when shooting, so there’s no right and no wrong, there is only motion to be captured. Doing this easily allows photos to come out looking natural and fun.
In 2019, I got the opportunity to work on the Chalé Socks brand. If you’ve not heard of them, Chalé socks creates and produces amazing Ghanaian inspired socks and sweaters.
The company has been in business since 2015 and have created some visually outstanding products you’d stylishly show off.
In contributing to the brand’s journey, I wanted to create visuals that were aesthetically pleasing and I used natural hard light in this particular shoot which I felt would create a sort of vibe while keeping the socks in focus.
I also ensured I had a conversation with my models on the wardrobe choice. This was to ensure that the were no significant color clashes with regards to my models and the product was king.
Chicken Man (Mock Photoshoot)
I created these brand commercial photos with a team of amazing, funny, talented and witty individuals.
The goal was to show friends of different nationalities sitting down together to watch their respective teams play it out for a ticket to the World Cup and while they watched enjoy some chicken and fries courtesy ChickenMan.
Also it was to highlight the relatable emotions that we’ve all had while watching a match with friends supporting various teams.
Club Beer (Mock Photoshoot)
With this mock photoshoot I created, I used Club beer as my brand of choice and centered my lens on the bartender. I wanted the bartender to be the hero and not the customer.
Such stories are not told as often in our demographic. The bartender when he/she is off work can be a customer too and not just a body that brings drinks to the customer.
As such he/she must be represented in a way that shows their profession is one of repute and one to be increasingly proud of and never something to be ashamed of here. My character was created to do that, to challenge what it means to be a bartender in Ghana and start a conversation of fully owning what feeds you.
The photos show him interacting with in ways not seen. Notice how he stands out based on the colour scheme and pairing of clothing. All colours being present in the brand.
There are stories to be told to uplift the human in various roles sometimes looked down upon in Ghanaian society so they see their reality presented to them from a different angle.
