Sunday 30th October was our first organised photoshoot for Spirit Original Designs clothing and here we have all the behind-the-scenes from the day. You can see the whole team's profiles HERE and get to know what they do. You can see how we did some shots, as well as how you can also replicate them to suit yours. We at Barnsley Fashion Creatives are hoping to do many more of these projects with local Barnsley people next year, if you'd like to get involved please drop us an email using the contact form. Check our How To's throughout to see how you can improve your photoshoots and other tips and tricks to help you out.

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We began the day at Trish's shop at the Beach Hut, Oh Sew Sweet Shop in Wombwell where we met the models to do their hair & make-up and gather all the items we needed for the day. Nicola brought a wide selection of different colours for eyeshadows and lip colours.

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Nicola set up all her make-up items and brushes, as well as her airbrush tool and the bits she needed to do their hair styling with. She started off by plaiting their hair to hold in til the shoot so that we had wavy, tousled hair. The make-up was of warm neutral tones to match the autumnal backdrops.

How To:

• You don't have to go all out with hair styling, keeping it simple is your best bet.


• Always remember to bring the hairspray where ever you go to top it up throughout the day and keep bobby pins at hand.

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Kevin the photographer came and me and him went off to the location to work out which spots we were going to use. We headed towards the Barnsley main coal-pit to find some areas although there was some dodgy parts and offensive graffiti we had to avoid. We headed across the road to the former slag heap where it was quite woodland-ish and plenty of nice tree areas we wanted to use. Just down the road was Jakto's Transportation Yard, where Trish's husband works on security. They allowed us to use their office as a base and changing space for the models, but we also found some nice industrial areas of the yard that we wanted to use.

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After that, Sammi our first model was ready to start being shot in the first lot of tunic tops and ponchos. We really liked the tree areas for these warm coat type garments to make a more snuggly autumnal feel. Kevin brought one light and a reflector for his set up, but it was a relatively light day so that helped us out loads. Trish was on hand to help with the styling of the outfits, matching some of her jewellery to them and accessories like neck wraps.

How To:

• Styling the entire outfit makes it look more natural, adding little details like jewellery can complete it and also show ways of pairing up different items.


• Think about what you want the outfits to say to your customers, do you want to show an edgier side, or a softer side? Make sure this comes across in the photos.

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Megan, our second model, came soon after and we got her in the first outfit to start shooting. We moved locations further down the path to get the top of the colliery in the background of the shots, this was also a more open area to work with. Nicola also came to re-work the hairstyles and make-up to keep the outfit looks updated.

How To:

• Re-work hair and make-up looks to suit the clothing looks to keep it matching.


• This can also give you a wider variety in images you can use.

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After being here, we headed back to Jakto's to get changed and change the sets we were going to work with. There was these glorious old roller shutters that brought a good industrial feeling to them. We started doing some more edgy and party-time shots here. Kev also brought a second light to help as it had dropped in the natural light that we had. He also had some smoke bombs that we really wanted to use but the breeze picked up and decided against them in the end.

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Just around the corner from these shutters were a pile of wooden stacks, we thought these would make a great background for some more rustic type shots. Megan went on to wear more of the party dresses and Sammi moved to wearing more casual day-time tops with jeans, showing another side to Spirit's designs. We also had a rather annoying breeze that kept blowing the models' hair across their face, so we used the reflector as a wind protector!

How To:

• Check what spots are available to you near by that can work as backdrops for a quick set change.


• Always check health & safety, no nails sticking out, even flooring for stability, nothing loose to fall over onto your models, etc. An accident on set is the last thing you want!

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Nicola continued working on hair styling and the make-up looks to keep evolving them with each outfit. She was also making slight tweaks as the models got into positions, quickly jumping in to replace a section of hair.

How To:

• Jumping in to check hair and make-up throughout the shots ensures a continuity and also gets maximum usage out of the photos. 


• Don't let stray hairs and smudged make-up ruin 20 or more photos in a row. Every shot counts!

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We moved locations to an area just behind us where a beat up metal corrugated wall and concrete blocks were. We played about with some leaves, which was really fun, to echo the earlier location by the trees. Nicola was the brave one to climb up on the concrete and throw the leaves as the shots were being taken.

How To: 

• This simple effect of throwing leaves can create a lot of movement in your photos and have a more flowing effect. 


• Be careful of where you throw things around the models however, health & safety!


• Have a go placing different objects around the set to make different looks, dressing the set is just as important.

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These were Sammi's last outfits and Megan only had a couple more left to do so we moved a few more steps further down and re-set-up the lighting, even I got to help out with this bit as a light test! Trish continued styling the outfits, making sure they were falling nicely for the shots and offering more pose ideas. The light had really dropped by this point so it was getting harder to get nice lighting on them. We did have more outfits that we could have gotten photos of but we just ran out of time for the light.

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And that's a wrap! It was a great day and the whole team was chipping in and helping out. The models were amazing! Even though they had very different looks, they both pulled off the clothing brilliantly showing the many ways to the designs. Watch this space as we reveal the end photographs for the project.

All photos belong to Barnsley Fashion Creatives, Kevin Hinchcliffe, Trish Evans and Nicola Whitfield. Please contact for individual copyrights.