The campaign shoot for Body By Byram was a very special one for me. I have been involved in so many shoots over the years and loved every one (well almost but that is a story for another day). This shoot was the culmination of two years of creating the brand from scratch and this was my opportunity to finally showcase it in all it’s glory.
So why the Vasquez Rocks in the Mojave desert? Well, I was traveling back and forward to LA a lot and each time i flew back to London, I was struck by just how beautiful the glorious Californian sunlight was. Selfishly, I wanted to capture some of that sunshine all for myself and make sure that the first collection was drenched in the gorgeous colours that only nature can create.
Once I knew California was the place to shoot it, I remembered a fantastic photographer and beautiful soul had once taken some photos of me for RED magazine. Her name is Sarah Dunn and within minutes of reconnecting the new project she jumped on board and began to bombard me with ideas, ideas and more ideas. We shared moodboards and chatted about icons and inspiration. Before long, the location was decided upon; Vasquez Rocks. It is an amazing place and at times we felt as though we were on another planet. In fact, the location was once used for an old episode of Star Trek where Captain James T. kirk famously fought Gorn; a lizard man who moves slowly but packs a punch. Check out the clip on Youtube, it’s hilarious.
Meanwhile, the glam squad consisted of my amazing husband Julian, who produced the whole shoot (and also became a pack horse for the day, carrying equipment and half the Body By Byram wardrobe up the rocks in the searing heat). He’s my very own rock! The wonderful Luke Anthony was on hair and make-up duty and his ability to create a natural flawless completion and ‘just stepped out of the ocean’ bed head hair, suited the look perfectly. The day was oodles of fun and we ended up driving further into the desert to catch the sun going down, which is where we took quite a few of the final campaign shots… all thanks to my husband for insisting we catch the light, when the rest of us were tired and ready for bed!
The collection was named after Goddesses because I am passionate about empowering women through sport, health and fitness, so what better way to refer to the layer of armour you face the world in, than that of a Goddess. The Goddess collection is the first of, hopefully many, Body By Byram seasons. And I truly hope you like the finished result, both on the posters and on you!
