Meg and myself first started to brainstorm what we have in common in relation to fashion. We first thought of using sunglasses as our product, however, after discussing and creating mind maps we realised that sunglasses would not be the best to shoot since it will be difficult to reduce reflection and flash on the glass. We eventually decided that jewellery was our best option and agreed on using gold and rose gold as we shared a common interest in that type of jewellery. Our final idea was to create a luxurious and minimalist brand and named our brand Opulencia – opulence in English and this defines great wealth/luxuriousness. 

We then started discussing what our colour palettes would be and both started searching for ideas and influences on Pinterest in order to create a shared moodboard. We decided on a neutral colour palette consisting of gold, cream and beige colour tones as these would compliment and bring out the jewellery. We also aimed for a summer campaign, so using fairy lights and natural sunlight will make the jewellery stand out. In terms of model clothing, we thought of having neutral colours like white or beige as we intend to grabs the user's attention on the jewellery and not on the clothes. After gathering all the images we created the moodboard below to portray our ideas and concepts. 

The next step in planning our assignment was finding more inspiration and group influences for our test shoots. We did this by researching different jewellery fashion magazines/companies on instagram and Pinterest to find more inspiration on how to design our gallery, how to fit colour schemes and to also get some ideas on model positioning. These instagram accounts were chosen as they all follow the same colour palette which is pleasing to look at. Their models also follow the same style in every shot, allowing the gallery to be consistent and tidy. 

We each found the following groups as influences and competitors: 

After analysing multiple social media accounts for ideas and inspiration, we decided to try out some test shooting for the jewellery. Since these were test shoots with our mobile and no proper studio, we just took simple shots as ideas.

We would need better lighting for our next shoot, also, we would need to focus on one type of jewellery rather than an image with loads of different types of jewellery.

- Initial ideas and concepts, group influences and mock-up images.

Our goal for this second shoot was to go for minimal shots of our models, focusing mostly on the jewellery. Even though the lighting and shadows in these images are better than our previous test shoots, we still thought of ways of having better lighting for our next shoot for better shadows.

I did not realise the model was wearing the hair rubber band during the shoot, so I made use of Photoshop tools such as cloning and the spot healing tool to remove the hair rubber band and blend in the skin as much as possible. 

I also increased the saturation and warmth of the image to give her skin tone a better and warm look. 

We required an updated moodboard to properly direct our model during the shoot for better and more accurate poses.

We were unable to shoot these photos ourselves, however, we directed every step of each shot. We rearranged the lighting for better shadows and focus on the jewellery and we also directed and guided the model in her poses. 

After getting the experience of directing, we were ready to shoot our own final shots in the studio.