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

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

LIGHTING UP THE DANCE FLOOR | Darrin Henry

Blue Hill community centre in one of the more remote districts of St Helena was the backdrop for our ‘ Blue Hill St Helena Photoshoot ‘ with island stunner, Gemma Lawrence.

Ironically we opted for a covered shoot after a week of grey and spitty weather, but no sooner had we humped the lights and gear inside, then the sun came out for a freakishly bright and warm winter day. Oh well. Better dry than sorry!

Blue Hill boasts one of the most active community centres on the island with a regular calendar of dances and events. The building itself is a classic example of traditional St Helena architecture and well maintained. Corrugated metal cladding, Iroko wood floor boards and latched four-pane windows.

Behind the scenes on the Blue Hill photoshoot with Gemma. Plenty of space and light for make-up on this shoot.

Behind the scenes on the Blue Hill photoshoot with Gemma.
Plenty of space and light for make-up on this shoot.

Sharon got busy with Gemma’s make-up while I assembled lighting and scouted the shooting spots.

We had planned to use the dance hall for a certain look, but this required a re-think after finding Christmas decorations still suspended from the rafters. We realised it could be a unique look, so improvised the shot and styling with a beautiful red gown of Gemma’s.

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

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

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

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

Behind the scenes on the Blue Hill St Helena photoshoot with What The Saints Did Next. Gemma doing a great job working the dance floor on her own.

Behind the scenes on the Blue Hill St Helena photoshoot with What The Saints Did Next.
Gemma doing a great job working the dance floor on her own.

Gemma has all the attributes for modelling; a great figure, flawless skin and the looks of a natural island beauty. She’s easy to shoot and even has plenty of patience at my faffing with the lights.

The Blue Hill St Helena Photoshoot

Another backdrop we wanted to use was the corrugated metal sheeting around the skittle alley. The metallic reflections brought out superb textures and it didn’t take us long to wrap a set of images.

Here’s a selection from these two styles. Look out for a follow up post with more from our afternoon at Blue Hill with Gemma.

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

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

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

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

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

The Blue Hill St Helena 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 What The Saints Did Next.

Behind the scenes on the Blue Hill photoshoot with What The Saints Did Next.

The Blue Hill 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