This week Whitehall Farm was the chosen location for a high-profile fashion shoot.
Only once the high-end fashion magazine is on the shelves can we reveal the details, but if I mention that £25,000 jackets were being worn whilst hanging off an old landrover, it really has been an extraordinary week!
So the London crew of 8 came down to the farm for the day. Not normally used to a bit of rough round the edges, the farm location for their fashion shoot was something a little different to a normal photo shoot. But thank goodness, the crew soon saw the upsides and we all had a great day.
Some of the crew, including stylist Ozzy, had not seen a cow since childhood. It was quite some reunion.
Photographer Amar had originally requested a barley field so we’d decided to set up a green room very close by – mother-in-law’s garage none the less. All that was requested was an electricity point and cover which was fulfilled admirably. Needless to say, the crew did pass comment that their trip to the Romney Marsh countryside was more like a Bear Grylls experience than the luxury they were accustomed to!
Lucky for us, the early morning rain cleared and the day was a beautiful one. Overcast, breaking into sun at times, and no heater required. Just plenty of coffees and fresh air.
What an absolutely stunning Autumn/Winter collection we had on the farm for the photo shoot. Naming no names (must wait until the magazine is published) model Carmen certainly had the wow factor when changing from one wooly outfit to another.
Amar was looking for golden backdrops, and the location shoot of a barley field soon extended to a shoot at 7 additional locations at Whitehall Farm. All tonally worked with the colours of the season to come. It was an absolute joy that Amar and the crew loved the authenticity of the farmyard and field scenes, falling for old buildings and Landrovers, old trailers and the natural landscapes of the ripening corn fields.
As the photo shoot at Whitehall Farm organically grew on the day, there were a few near-misses on what might have been. One grass field Amar had ear-marked in the morning was being cultivated in the afternoon – fortunately I got wind before the cultivator had finished and we managed to save half the field for the shoot!
The London crew were a pleasure to work with, and it was such a boost to see the most prestigious of magazines liking the most rustic of locations. A farmyard full of old cow sheds, hay stacks, corrugated tin barns and general agricultural structures really is appealing to the most design-conscious of fashionistas.
The 12 page editorial piece that is soon to hit the shelves (in September) is destined to stand out like no other. I cannot wait to share with you the finished article. Meanwhile, the positive feedback from the crew and the small extra support a photo shoot like this will do for British farming and the countryside is something to savour for the time being.
The photo shoot for a fashion feature in a high end women’s magazine was located at Whitehall Farm, Romney Marsh, Kent. Details of the finished feature will be shared once the magazine is circulated (September 2015).