Fashion Photography

I was recently approached by local designer Ashraf Valliani, owner of fashion brand 'The Heritage Collection' to do a fashion shoot of her latest summer line of Eastern wear. The collection featured bright colors, stunning hand embroidery and elegant designs of classic Pakistani couture. Ashraf Valliani wanted the shoot to showcase the essence of her brand name highlighting the unique combination of fabrics and color interwoven with traditional hand work and embellishment. I knew right from the get go that I was going to have some serious fun with this shoot.

We chose the Valliani residence as our location of choice focusing on the simplicity of an outdoor setting. Ashraf hand picked 6 stunning outfits and accordingly had set aside accessories and jewelry for each outfit. Our model Ruhee Jaffer was looking gorgeous with her glamour hair and makeup done by Alina G. Karaman. We were ready to go!

It was a bright morning and I had to make sure that the shadows cast were used to my optimal advantage and of course in other cases to avoid them all together. Each outfit had its own personality and I needed to make sure the pictures portrayed that uniqueness. We worked in various props to add another dimension to the pictures without it looking too staged. Ruhee Jaffer was amazing with her poses. She knew exactly what sort of look to work into each picture theme we were trying to achieve. It was our first time working together but we quickly understood each others style and creatively made each outfit come to life.

Needless to say I had a wonderful time at the shoot and got some really fun shots. Thank you Ashraf Valliani for introducing me to a whole new world of creative photography and good luck on your upcoming Summer 2011 exhibition. For more information on this designer please visit her facebook page "The Heritage Collection by Ashraf Valliani".

Heres a sneak peek from the shoot
Warmest Regards,
Khadija

Life's little joys..

The lovely Haq family got in touch with me a couple of months ago wanting to schedule a family shoot highlighting their recent wedding anniversary as well as the birth of their baby boy, Ayaan. Mrs Haq had mentioned that she was not able to get any professional pictures of their new bundle of joy and that at 6 months she really wanted to capture the happiness that their little baby brought to their family. I was of course thrilled to take on the job and started my planning.

We went to a local farm on a bright saturday morning and got right into the swing of things. It was such a treat to meet the Haq's in person. The couple were so calm and relaxed in their business casual attire and baby Ayaan was full of smiles to start off his shoot. All three of them wore relaxed khaki's with white shirts. Mrs Haq adorned her outfit with a bright purple jacket and accessorized with blue. It was just the right pop of color to add to the muted palette. On top of that she brought along blue helium balloons to add a touch of whimsy to the pictures. I absolutely loved it and against the bright green foliage of a Virginia summer it was color galore.

My favorite spot from this shoot was an old wood plank flatbed trailer sitting in front of a red barn. I liked the lines of the wood planks in succession to one another and the organic feel to the whole setting. I got some fun shots of Baby Ayaan with his stuffed toys hanging out on the flatbed. He was very intrigued by the wood grain. I tell you babies have an eye for these things as well. After all they are known to be little explorers of the mind.

I also took advantage of a small field with yellow wild flowers scattered everywhere. Baby Ayaan loved the flowers and wanted to grab at them to eat them. He was adorable in all his glory and I couldn't get enough of his smiles and happy demeanor. The couple was absolutely loving the curiosity and excitement manifesting from within their little baby, the glue that made them family.

Thank you Haq family for allowing me to be a part of your family on this very special weekend where it was all about enjoying life's little joys.

Heres a sneak peek from their shoot.

Warmest Regards,
Khadija