What a Shoot Day Actually Looks Like
We'd already moved this shoot once. Then, on the day, every train into Brighton got cancelled.
That's the bit nobody sees on Instagram: the reschedules, the trains, the small disasters that happen before a single photo gets taken. So here's what the day actually looked like, start to finish.
We got there anyway. Hair first, then on to the studio — Groovy House, a converted church, which turned out to be exactly the kind of light we needed. Makeup came next, done by Maria, who was also our model for the day. Laura Way produced the shoot and kept everything running between setups. Simon Way was behind the camera — a job I'm glad isn't mine, because I am genuinely terrible at photography. Laura and Simon run Way Studio, and this was our second shoot together.
This was only the second time I've done a proper shoot for Cuurve. I wanted it to go well. The pieces we shot that day are ones I've laboured over for almost a year — going back and forth on the design, the length, the fit, until it finally felt right.
Some of that back-and-forth was about the fabric. I wanted lace on this set — I think a set like this needs a little — but I have sensitive skin myself, and I don't like sleeping in anything scratchy. So I designed it so the lace never touches your skin. The fabric itself is lyocell jersey: light, thin, breathable, and genuinely hard to source outside Europe, which is why this set is made in Portugal rather than at our usual Yorkshire studio.
Working with Maria was a joy. She has a natural ease in front of the camera that made the whole day feel less like work. Between Laura keeping pace and Simon behind the lens, we got through in a fraction of the time we'd planned for.
This shoot felt easier than the first one. Just as fun, though — trains and all.
Working with Way Studio has been one of the best decisions I've made for Cuurve. Laura and Simon are organised, professional, and genuinely care about how the images will work for your brand — not just how they look. Laura's own experience building a personal brand with Votch showed in every suggestion, from the studio to the shoot list. The photos are miles beyond what I could capture myself, and I use them across my website and socials constantly. Picking a lovely studio with natural light was so important to me, and I'm glad the photos reflect it.
The set we shot that day is Sweet Sienna, a cami and short set made in Portugal from lyocell jersey. It's up now as a pre-order — I'd rather make what people actually want than sit on stock I can't sell, so this run is limited to however many people pre-order it.