The Windmill on Wimbledon Common was the perfect location for our Elys AW17 fashion shoot. With long meadow grass and late summer sun light we were aiming for 70s retro vibe for this transitional season with it’s earthy tones, layering and cosy knits. Only a month’s worth of rain in 36 hours could have prevented this shoot from being utterly gorgeous, but not even that could hold back our crack team.
The opening shot was our priority, the rain satellite showed a ten minute break in the torrential rain so we geared up to nail this shot.
The iconic windmill looks majestic in it’s 200th year, dominating the landscape. The Windmill Museum have done an impressive job restoring the sales in time for this year’s bicentenary celebrations and we are extremely grateful to Asif Malik who generously hosted us for the day.
It was bucketing down for the rest of the day so we had to ‘work’ with the rain, using the tree canopy as a natural of umbrella. John took a killer shot of this vampy look which ended up as the opening shot for the story.
Luckily we were able to step back in time using the interior of the Windmill Museum. The original artefacts dating back to the working windmill were fascinating.
The team were so up for every suggestion, traipsing through the mud and rain, or climbing onto the windmill roof. The original vision for the shoot inevitably changed due to the weather conditions but the final images have a super Autumnal feel, perfect for the September edition.
Thank you to my exceptional team:
- Photographer: John McMurtrie
- Model: Leticia Herod
- Stylist: Helen Ford Canning
- Assistant: Emily Mitchell
- Hair: Sean Hanna
- Makeup: Bare Mineral by Dee Vasey
- Nanny: Veronika from Wimbledon Nannies*
*Renate from Wimbledon Nannies was amazing and found the perfect nanny for me for the day. The process was so easy, I was put in touch with Veronika so we could chat and meet up before the day. Veronika was brilliant on the day and just fitted in – nothing was a problem and my little 5 month old son thought she was ace.
How to direct a fashion shoot in the rain
Don’t panic, devise plan b in the day(s) before
- Create a strong back-up plan and communicate with your team as early as possible
- Find the nearest indoor locations either for shelter or alternative scenes
- Send out your call sheet with weather forecast & instructions for wet weather gear
- Be flexible with your story, either create a new one or work with your photographer to make the most of the conditions on the day
On the day
- Wellies and spares for the model just in case
- Bring plastic bags, see-through ones for camera equipment, black plastic for model to stand on if needed
- Bring lots of golf umbrellas, you can’t have enough!
- Keep the model under umbrellas until the second before shooting starts
- If you have time do some practise shots with the umbrellas so you can get it just right for when the umbrellas disappear
- Check live satellite weather conditions on your mobile for rain breaks
- Keep the team focussed on the end goal
- Hot drinks and bacon sandwiches to stop spirits being dampened
Lucy Kane 
Hi Lucy, just to say that I loved the photos and the whole set up, but specially enjoyed your list of how and what to prepare for the whole shoot – perfect with the provision of the bacon sarnies! Hope youv`e had lots of good feedback, or will get if the magazine has yet to go out! Sounds like Otis had a great day too. Hope the whole family are flourishing – all my love and hugs, Tricia xxxx.