The Blue Hill Skittle Alley Photoshoot – Bowling For Fashion

The Blue Hill Skittle Alley photoshoot by What The Saints Did Next.
Model, Gemma Lawrence; Photography, Darrin Henry; Make-up, Sharon Henry

BLUE HILL PHOTOSHOOT PART 2 | Darrin Henry

Here’s our Blue Hill Skittle Alley Photoshoot with the beautiful Gemma Lawrence, it’s the second part of our fashion shoot using the backdrop of the Community Centre here on St Helena.

Squeezing History Into A Photograph

The building is an active social venue for the district of Blue Hill. It was originally part of a school dating back to the early 20^th century as a plaque on the wall attests, a reminder of a time when every district on the island boasted its own school.

The Blue Hill Community Centre, St Helena, previously part of the district’s school as donated by Bishop William A Holbech.

On this photoshoot we wanted to combine the usual glamorous aspect of the photographs with the traditional architecture of this old building. The styling ranged from an elegant floor length gown to ripped jeans, each look shot against a different backdrop. Lighting the shoot involved a mixture of studio lights, strobes and natural light.

The Blue Hill Skittle Alley photoshoot by What The Saints Did Next.
Model, Gemma Lawrence; Photography, Darrin Henry; Make-up, Sharon Henry

The Blue Hill Skittle Alley photoshoot by What The Saints Did Next.
Model, Gemma Lawrence; Photography, Darrin Henry; Make-up, Sharon Henry

The skittle alley provided a natural fashion runway for one look. How could we not. About 20-30 years ago skittle alleys on St Helena were probably at their most popular. The sport dates back to medieval times in Europe, inspiring many variations of the game over the centuries, including lawn bowls and 10 pin bowling. On St Helena nine stocky, wooden pins are targeted by throwing three heavy rubber balls, usually by two teams of nine players each. Concrete alleys across the island attracted boisterous, good natured competition throughout the week. Enthusiasm has waned over the years but a few leagues continue to function; Blue Hill is one.

Blue Hill Natural Beauty

A semi-covered stairwell linking two levels of the building was used for another of the looks, styled with jeans and a floral top. We decided natural lighting was the way to go with this set. Strong sunlight streaming through a narrow window offered a twist on the lighting mood.

A small pair of battery operated computer speakers connected to music on Sharon’s phone brought some rhythm to the shoot.

The Blue Hill Skittle Alley photoshoot by What The Saints Did Next.
Model, Gemma Lawrence; Photography, Darrin Henry; Make-up, Sharon Henry

The Blue Hill photoshoot by What The Saints Did Next.
Model, Gemma Lawrence; Photography, Darrin Henry; Make-up, Sharon Henry

Behind the scenes on the Blue Hill Skittle Alley photoshoot with St Helena model, Gemma Lawrence.

The Blue Hill photoshoot by What The Saints Did Next.
Model, Gemma Lawrence; Photography, Darrin Henry; Make-up, Sharon Henry

Behind the scenes on the Blue Hill photoshoot with St Helena model, Gemma Lawrence. Top left: Watch out for spiders! Bottom left: Can’t have a photoshoot without music. Right: The shoot in full flow.

The Blue Hill photoshoot by What The Saints Did Next.
Model, Gemma Lawrence; Photography, Darrin Henry; Make-up, Sharon Henry

You will notice post-production on these images is quite heavy compared to our usual style. It’s been a two stage process creating this effect. First using a custom made ‘recipe’ in Canon’s, Digital Photo Professional software, then running the output through a ‘vintage’ process in Photoshop.

Restricted Photos – The Blue Hill Skittle Alley Photoshoot

Behind the scenes on the Blue Hill Skittle Alley photoshoot with St Helena model, Gemma Lawrence. Final look of the day, framing in the window.

For the final look we headed back inside the main hall to make use of the classic multi-paned windows. The recessed frame left a window shelf just wide enough to fit Gemma’s slim frame, and she was a trooper in conveying a relaxed ease whilst crammed inside the restricted space. But it was the last shot of the day and a good way to finish.

The Blue Hill photoshoot by What The Saints Did Next.
Model, Gemma Lawrence; Photography, Darrin Henry; Make-up, Sharon Henry