Spring has finally arrived and so has our new SPR19 range, hot off the printing press and eager to find its way into the hands of our beloved Longsands Customers. But before an announcement or a release could be made, there one thing was left to do – the SPR19 photoshoot!
Date booked, Models prepped, gear packed and two trigger happy photographers at the ready, everything was set. As temperatures rose and half term week was coming to a close, car radios babbled reports of high pressure and clear skies. A sure sign the unforgiving North East winter was about to offer a peace treaty of warm rays. Early Sunday Morning would be perfect for the shoot. We signed our names on the dotted line and made Sunday official – The allusive golden hour that photographers all know too well loomed.
Saturday morning arrived. Across the entire North East coast, the Sun bore down on golden sands and carved itself through the ocean waves. Northern surfing paradise! Photographers rubbed their hands together with anticipation.
6.00am. Sunday morning arrived. Pairs of heavy eyelids creaked open and peered out to sea. White mist greeted them. Gigantic sheets of thick fog blanketed the air. The sea was invisible! Panic struck!
We could not delay! With odds stacked against us and in true Longsands style, we trooped on. King Edwards Bay, the Fish Quay and the Priory beach were our destinations. While the rest of the world was sleeping, we assembled at the meeting spot. Carrying piles of stock and camera equipment, we trundled down the stairs past Riley’s fish shack and into the mist. The beach was empty.
With a sightline stretching no further than ten meters, models and photographers weaved in and out of sight through the smog like ghosts. Our spring shoot had just become gloomier than our Autumn/Winter one!
After hours of shooting and the fog growing even thicker, time was of the essence and we departed for the studio shoot. Some higher power was surely humouring us! Just as we pulled up to the studio, we watched in disbelief as the skies opened, in a flash the sun appeared and the mist was gone.
Skimming through the foggy shots, they almost seemed fitting, even for a spring shoot. Longsands Clothing has always been about the cold hard surf scene in the North of England, freezing northern winters and a unique British alternative to the sun-filled American surf brands we all know and love.
After a quick studio shoot we decided to head outdoors for a second round. The destination - Longsands Beach. Dodging past Splashing dogs and whistling owners, tiring photographers and new model completed a second session of shooting on the shoreline. Glad to have captured the misty morning, we finally got our golden hour.
So there you have it! Our SPR19 photoshoot. Complete with all things Northern. Grit and determination, unpredictability and the wrath of our weather depict just what the Northern surf scene is all about. We love the eerie results we got from this shoot...what do you think?