Fashion Editorial: My Girls Have All Grown Up

Hey guys and gals (and undecided), back again for your next dose of modeling medicine, I see? Well I have something really great to let you all in on. I want to give you a little behind-the-scenes look at one of my latest shoots, followed by a little more about what I’m going to do in the future. Straps yourselves in, I’m gonna take you for a ride on the roller-coaster called ‘Kern Thompson’.

FOR THE FIRST TIME
The story behind “My Girls Are All Grown Up” was actually pretty simple – I wanted to go bigger and better. Never had I been in the position before where I had the opportunity to do a major production. My team usually consists of myself, a make-up artist and a stylist. But this time I wanted to do it on a grander scale – more models, several make-up artists and a couple of stylists. I even had an assistant working with me to help make sure everything went as smoothly as possible. It was a bit of a challenge at first but soon everything worked itself out.

Contrary to how I usually work, I let the team have their own creative freedom this time when it came down to what kind of make-up, hair-styling or clothing the models were set up in. I felt that by giving them more room for their own creative interpretations, it would benefit the shoot. The only input I gave them was to make sure that everything had a high fashion styling to it.
Quote:
“Contrary to how I usually work, I let the team have their own creative freedom this time when it came down to what kind of make-up, hair-styling or clothing the models were set up in.”

Working with such a large and talented group of people for the first time, I had to give a speech – whether I wanted to or not. After – fortunately – not tripping over the words that I was finally able to find and getting the team all fired up, we revved up our artistic engines and got the shoot rolling.

Having six beautiful models we decided to send one half to get their make-up done, while the other three got their outfits styled and switched them when they were finished to make use of our time more efficiently. After the models were all made up and their outfits ready to go, I first started to shoot each model individually to showcase her and her styling separately. I wanted to create more shots with more dynamic interactions, so I then paired up models in duos. It was great to see the ladies feed off of each other’s energy and bring that dynamism to the shots. Pleased with the results of the duo shots, I went ahead and made trios for an even more electric shot. With these pictures I wanted to give the viewers more variety – give the eye a little bit of a workout. And finally, one great shot of all the models together – a delicious buffet of different flavors and tastes. I wouldn’t mind taking a little bite of that, if I do say so myself!

What really helped bring the photographs to life was the location. It wasn’t really planned, but it helped us by complimenting the models’ figures and poses well, while at the same time contrasting with the fabric they were wearing. Even though there were so many different things going on in the shots, they still had the look and feel that it was all part of a whole.

BIGGER AND BETTER
Doing a major production for the first time came with a lot of learning on the fly. Some things didn’t go as we planned it at first, but somehow we were still able to make things work to our advantage. It was exciting and thrilling to challenge myself like this.

Looking back at the photographs, the name of the series actually came all by itself. While taking the pictures, I felt like my girls were doing a great job. When I actually saw the pictures afterwards, it felt like my models grew from girls into beautiful ladies. In a matter of hours they were ‘all grown up’, exuding strength and independence in a way only a competent and gracious woman could.

So far the photos seen here are just the first part of a three-part series. Following the “Black and White” edition, there’s also the “Black and Gold” and finally the “Black and Blue” editions. So stay tuned for those! This shoot was one of many more to come. I am excited to see what else the future has in store for me. One thing I can already give you guys an exclusive on is the fact that starting next year I will be competing in several competitions and award shows. I’ve always followed my gut and it is telling me to challenge myself in a more competitive setting to see how I can grow as an artist. I believe it can give me new insights on how I can elevate my work – and myself – to the next level. The added exposure isn’t bad either – it allows me to broadcast my work to a broader audience so that hopefully others get the opportunity to see my work and get inspired themselves. Potentially winning an award would be a huge honor. I don’t exactly know what kind of an effect having the title of ‘award-winning’ in front of my name would do, but it is definitely an intriguing concept I’m looking forward to explore.

GOING IN DEEP
Besides participating in award shows and competitions, I’ll keep doing what I do best – using my unique perspective of fashion and beauty photography to bring a new and deeper meaning to my art. And with that I mean bringing more of a profound, deeper meaning to the themes I will be working on. As some of you already know I’ve done this before with my shoot of ‘The Archer’, which I’ve been blessed enough to have featured in several magazines internationally. Following this concept of adding a deeper level to the themes of my shoots I strive to refine my art and bring more vivid and imaginative photographs to the masses that will hopefully inspire them as well.

Not knowing what the future may bring is exciting in and of itself. Being presented with challenges that you don’t know how to handle yet helps me as a creative entrepreneur to step my game up and come up with new and innovative ideas to keep exciting people. I do this not only for myself, but also to hopefully inspire someone else out there to do what they love. So with that in mind I would love to hear from other people as to what they think of my work. Feel free to comment on what it is you see and let me know what’s on your mind. I always welcome feedback with open arms, so don’t be shy – let me have it!

Don’t forget to check out my work on Facebook. And remember – ‘You’re only one picture away from achieving your dreams’.

FASHION CREDITS:
Art Director / Photography: Kern Thompson Photography
Assistant photography: Janeira Hanenberg
Makeup Artist & Hair: Mua Joyce van Iwaarden
Makeup Artist: Des Warner
Makeup Artist: Zen Dos Santos Soares
Stylist / Designer: Nathaly Pater
Stylist / Designer: Odair Pereira
Stylist: Leyla Frantzen
Designer: Janine van den Bosch
Custom shoes: Odair Pereira Designer
Model: Nancy, A&P Models
Model: Jet, A&P Models
Model: Danique, A&P Models
Model: Bonny, A&P Models
Model: Seija, A&P Models