ELLE Croatia | By The River | April 2021
To say this is a dream come true is an understatement. For as long I can remember, all I ever wanted was for my images to be printed on the pages of prestigious print magazines. Now that dream has come true!
The images from this editorial were inspired by the new environment I now find myself living in. Having spent 10 years in Cornwall, it was always the sea that inspired me. Believe it or not, eventually, even the sea becomes a bit “boring.” It felt incredible to explore Berkshire, the greater London area, and see totally new environments. I noticed the subtle changes like how tall the trees are, and how wide the flood plains are. I also noticed how popular angling was in this part of the world - primarily (I think) due to Lockdown. I even heard a statistic recently that said that the “UK National Angling Society” had welcomed 50,000 new members in the last 12 months - amazing!
All this “newness” led to this idea - “By The River,” an editorial entirely inspired by the River Thames.
This was a massive challenge to produce - battling December weather, almost 0°C temperatures, and complicated logistics. Galina, our model, was a photographer/directors dream come true. She totally embraced the idea, and gave me everything she had, whilst having to constantly reassure me that all my efforts to keep her warm were working! (I get very paranoid about my models being too cold, so bring hot water bottles, tea, hand warmers, blankets… you name it, I’ve got it).
A few funny stories:
The fish you see in these images were real, and I stupidly thought it would be a good idea to use them for the first image of the day. This meant that for the remaining first half of the shoot, all the dogs being walked past us thought that the fish smelt AMAZING. My poor assistant Grace ended up spending a lot of her time chasing hungry, curious dogs away. Take note: if you’re going to shoot with real fish, do it last, and then put them away!
A few days before the shoot, I was looking everywhere for a fishing rod. When I looked to purchase one, they all looked horribly modern. I wasn’t after anything that was covered in metal and high tech! In my frustration, I sent a voice note to Georgina (the MUA), saying that for the life of me I couldn’t locate an authentic-looking fishing rod, and I was beginning to think I’d have to abandon the shot. She replied within 5 minutes saying that she had her grandfathers old wooden, authentic fishing rod at home! The rod you see in the shots is that very rod. You can’t make this stuff up.
A huge, massive thank you to the team on this one. I really couldn’t have done it without any of them.
TEAM:
Photographer and Director: Olivia Bossert
Model: Galina Woodroffe Storm Model Management
Makeup: Georgina Yates
Hair Emma Small using Bumble and bumble from Stella Creative Artists
Styling: Zoe Kozlik
Photography Assistant: grace hodgson
Cinematography: Fraser Stephen
Editing: Alicja Rymarowicz
Colour: Marty Webb
Massive thank you to Saša Joka!
Shot on 35mm
Brands featured in the story include:
Zimmermann
SAAD COLLECTIONS LTD
BALENCIAGA
Dries Van Noten
Tory Burch
REJINA PYO LTD
T LABEL
Paul & Joe
MiManera
mytheresa.com
Mary Benson
