Carla Coulson In Harpers Bazaar

Dear Photographers and Creative Folk,

I wanted to share this shoot with you I did recently whilst in Australia for the beautiful Harpers Bazaar.

What a joy to spend a day at Justin Hemmes and Kate Fowlers home shooting them in this incredible setting on the edge of Sydney Harbour.

I am happy to share with you some behind the scenes tips on how I did this:

1. One of things I always do is scout the location. As I am not used to shooting in big bold Sydney light, it was really important for me to understand how the light works in this location and when and where it would be appropriate to shoot in and outside the house. Being able to scout it gave me this information.
2. I went wild about the pool and when a place has been published before,  it’s important not to just reproduce the same images that have already been seen. The pool hadn’t been shot so we decided to use a little ‘Slim Aarons’ inspiration and this felt so at home for me with my love of beaches and the sea.
3. I made a little plan of what areas to shoot and when all based around the light and how it moved.
4. It’s a photographers dream to have a shoot like this, working with a team and super cool people who are happy to collaborate makes for a seamless job. When you have other professionals working with you the photography always goes to a higher level. 
5. I stayed spontaneous and when I heard a plane coming down the harbour and the dog barking I started to run hoping to catch Justin or the plane!!!

6. I was conscious of colours and colour palettes and how we could blend the inside with the outside.

7. I worked with Kate and Justin to create images that reflected their easy way and lifestyle. They were a dream!

8. I was all in with all the props including boats and the pool! To shoot the boat we were lucky to have Super John and yachtsman who came and drove me around and around Kate and Justin’s boat. I was aiming to shoot with backlight to make the image more interesting. The alternative was gassing them with big Sydney sunshine that looked too harsh and uncool.

9. I spend a lot of my time looking at angles and pre-framing shots before bringing in my subject. I am conscious of not wasting my subjects time so I want to be sure I like the frame and light before asking them to step in.

10. I love shooting people in their environments. It has been something I have adored from the beginning, blending my love for travel photography, portraiture and interiors so for me it’s really important what is going on in the background as well as capturing my subjects at their best.