AUTUMN WINTER '24
STEP BEYOND THE ORDINARY
As the crisp air of autumn descends and winter's frost begins to settle, our new collection ignites a spirit of boldness and defiance against the urge to retreat indoors. Embracing the seasonal shift, our collection exudes warmth, not just in luxurious materials, but in its message to women everywhere: it's time to step out, to explore, to conquer. Shot on location in Sydney by esteemed photographer Steven Chee, we spoke to him about the campaign and what it takes to craft the perfect shot.
With a career spanning over two decades, Steven Chee has established himself as one of Australia's foremost photographers. Renowned for his stunning fashion and beauty photography, Steven is equally praised for his collaborative spirit and unwavering dedication to exceeding expectations on every project.
Working with FRANKIE4 over the past two years, Steven shared with us his process for capturing the magic shot and provided behind the scenes insight into four unforgettable photoshoots.
Tell us about your relationship with FRANKIE4 to date, what shoots have you been involved in?
I've shot 4 campaigns for FRANKIE4. All on location depicting a different FRANKIE4 customer. Two of them on the streets in Sydney and two house shoots. One was at a beautiful house in Brisbane which gave us ample textures and angles for the shoes to 'live' in!
How do you incorporate storytelling into a campaign shoot? How do you ensure the narrative is told through the creative process?
A lot of time and effort goes into the planning of the shoot before I get to the party! Seasons, themes, and stories are all planned and paired up with a location for me to work in. On the day we work with the talent to create the moments and capture the movements and actions of each different type of shoe. Attention is paid to where the shoe will shine the most and where it reflects the story of each shoe style.
What really makes an image pop and how do you create magic with talent? Is this spontaneous or the result of careful planning?
The prior planning for the overall look makes my job easier as it sets the scene/story for the models to work in. For me, the best way to get the most magic is to tell a relevant story to the talent to help them believe in the moment, what are they doing, who are they going to see, are they running late or who can they see across the street? All of these little stories help them play or act a role and that then naturally achieves their expressions, speed of movement, and attitudes.
Then it's up to me to capture just the right moment where the shoe is on its best angle with minimal creases! Light and shooting at the right time of the day play critical roles in making the magic.
Tell us about the most memorable moment you’ve had shooting a campaign?
During the second shoot on the street we were moving locations to match the light passing over the spots we had selected to shoot in. Towards the end of the day we were chasing the last best bits of the light and matching it with locations. I said, "I think we should go down there, the light will be just going down at the street junction." It was a 400m walk - not close when the sun is setting!
We made the dash and boom! There it was perfectly backlighting the talent with the street dipping down in to darkness behind her. It was my favourite shot of the day. Ha, this is a selfish moment as there was some general pressure to find some magic in the last minutes of the day so yes it was memorable to me!
What would be your dream location for a FRANKIE4 shoot?
Paris or NYC as I know there are plenty of ground surfaces there that we would love and they would provide great backgrounds to tell a fantastic "Women on the Move" travel story!