The shooting for the Eco-organic clothing label Sealuna was a true adventure not only because it collided with the worldwide pandemic. Thousands of kilometers of India have been traveled during the preparation of the shooting executed by legendary photographer Kieran Partise from London. Everything took an unexpected turn in February though. From 3 planned shootings, ultimately, only one has been done due to unforeseen circumstances. 

Overview

Pre-Story

Preparation:

• Finding talents
• Kieran P.
• Model Scouting
• Location Scouting

How we got the job

In April 2019 I was booked to Nepal where I got to know the CEO of Sealuna.org. Sealuna is an ethical brand that strives to support mountain communities in Nepal while at the same time offer the highest-quality clothing designs to its customer base mainly centered in Europe. The two ended up traveling together through Nepal for 2 weeks. In the closing days of Sams` journey, Max and Samuel decided that they would work together on the web presentation and logo designs.

At the end of 2019, I returned to India and offered to look out for creatives to work on the Sealuna project. Without much expectations, I started to stretch out my feelers in Goa.

One thing leading to another – finding talent

Without any expectations, I started to look for potential Models. On one of the Night Flea Markets in Goa, I came into contact with Shalon Txai from Yakaza, and soon after that, we met at a Restaurant in Anjuna. He introduced me to the model Yasmin Aira. They recently got to know Kieran Partise. Excitedly they told me that they met him at the prestigious W Hotel in Goa during a casting for a big production.

They connected me to Kieran and soon after that, I had a meeting with him.

Kieran Partise

Kieran is a high-profile Creative Director and Photographer from London. He worked with big brands like Sony, Loreal, Nintendo, Gucci Group, and Elle. And on the other hand, the brand at hand was tiny. Sealuna Clothing is a small business that just established it`s branding. When I met Max from Sealuna there was no Web presentation, no branding, no advertisements. The chances that such a highly skilled creative, with explicit experience in the field, would join this project, seemed unlikely at best. But I had one ace in my pocket. My name is creative. I traveled all the world with my musical solo project, and Kieran was aware of that. Furthermore, he respected my work as a musician and appreciated the style of music, which undoubtedly can be classified as good luck. But ultimately it came down to excellent chemistry between the veteran photographer and myself. And it was indeed excellent. In our first meeting, we disclosed the scale of the operation as well as a budget. Our aim was to get all out of our surroundings and the creative potential that was all around us.

Excited, I called Max from Sealuna and told him about the great news. He was very happy with the developments unfolding in front of us and granted additional funds for the operation. Everything seemed to go great.

Casting at the “Hacienda del Kieran”

We organized a casting at Kieran’s house which we lovingly called “Hacienda del Kieran”.  The location surrounded by water was just stunning and had direct access to the water from the garden of the house. The terrace served as the main casting spot. Kieran also took some of the models into the garden to see how they respond under different lighting conditions, backgrounds, perspectives, etc. We decided on 6 models quite quickly. We had a range of different nationalities, characters, and faces. Among our picks was an Iraki Model named Alfi who became a dear friend over the period of the lockdown, Dijana, a dreadlocked girl from London, Empressol, a Californian girl with german ancestors, and of course the dream team that is Yasmin and Shalon. 

Scouting

This was one of my favorite parts of the whole job. Driving through Goa and Karnataka with my Enfield 500cc Motorbike. And I can tell you, this was glorious. Driving the beautiful beach roads of Goa is probably something I will never forget. The most important thing is that you make friends with locals or get a scout. Scouts do not necessarily have to cost money. Be sure to keep an open mind and think out of the box. 

I was on my trusty Enfield 500cc Classic every day for at least 3-4 weeks. Mobility is key, and in a place like Goa, you do not want to drive a car when scouting. Small and cramped roads and unrelenting traffic will quickly and easily destroy and kind of joy in your work at this point. 

Duration: 60 Days

Location: Goa and Karnataka, India

Miles Travelled: 3000

.

Goa is a one of a kind place where the international subcultures mix up with individuals from all corners of the warth to come up with a unique creative cocktail. There are thousands of creative souls in Goa every Season and many Brands are harnissing the fruits of this creative melting pot. The most important thing, is to have the right people on the ground. 

Phase 3

Execution

Catering

Transport

Post-Production