Very First Photo Shoot

Well we finally did the photo shoot and old mother nature gave us the perfect weather for it. So we did some shots in Bristol and near Chew Lake, 30 mins south of Bristol by car.

So here sare the two models Stephan and Claudia, James the photographer and Woody my friend who sorted us out with a field to hold the shoot in. My teepee getting some good use. Its a Berghans Tent which is just a shell but great for cooking and sleeping in. Doesn't come with a ground sheet but I just use a tarp which is an easy way of not paying loads of extra money. They are from Norway if anyone wanted to buy one. There wasn't a lot of companies selling them a year ago but more retailers are stocking them. Good product for the money and would recommend them to anyone.

I can safely say that I learnt a lot about how to run a photo shoot. It helped massively that everyone was being very professional. But you have to think about so many details especially the weather when shooting out doors. Have everything ready in case the weather changes to you advantage. We were not expecting any sun the whole day thanks to the weather forecast. But it kept occasionally shining through the clouds which gave us windows of opportunity which we snapped up as best we could. But also we learnt a lot about the location. This is a field left to go wild for native animals to habitat in. We made sure we made as little impact to the grass as possible.

James flicks through the hundreds of photos of the day so far on his laptop with an audience. The owner of the land and two sons, girlfriend and daughters all came to have a look at what we were doing. It was a great mix and everyone got along well. Peter the owner of the land was impressed with the shots we had been taking and told us loads of interesting facts about the area. 

Brand Ethos

Had an amazing surf yesterday. Everything just clicked into place. Every wave I caught seemed to roll on for ages as I trimmed and turned down its face. The waves weren't brilliant but enough to give me that warm feeling inside as I popped off the back of the wave and paddled out to catch another. Its sometimes like that. The two hour journey to get there was washed away from my memory as I dropped into the first one. It felt good.

I can only imagine what it feels like to work hard to be the best and it pays off. What would it feel like if you won the FIFA World Cup?, handed the jacket at the Masters?, lift the trophy at the All English Lawn Tennis Courts at the Wimbledon Final? or any event where your crowned the best for your hard work and dedication. Most of us will never know what that will feel like to be the best on the world. But with every victory, however small, give yourself a pat on the back and remember how far you went to get to where you are.

How does that all tie into our brand ethos? Well, we are working on what our brand is all about and we are having to work out who we are?, how we got to this point and why? It boils down to the fact that all five of us who have worked on it, have come from different backgrounds. How can we make a single statement that sums up what we are all about. All five of us want to get more out of life whether in our working or social life and explore more doing it. Our tagline is the basis of what we are all about, which is simply 'fit more in'. We will have the final ethos worked out soon, but until then I will leave you with something we all liked and sums up how we all feel reflects what we want.

'Wherever you are going and whatever you are doing, don't let your bags weigh you down. Stuff this jacket and go.'

15 mins later. . . .

Got a phone call from from my good friend Tim on Saturday afternoon around 5pm. 'Wind is changing, waves are gonna be small. Going to be leaving in 15 mins. Camping tonight and surfing tomorrow. Are you up for it?' he asked. 'Yep' was my reply. Packed my camping stuff, loaded my Stuffa with a few essential clothes. And 15 mins later I was loading my stuff into his car.

Surf was very small but I haven't been in for 7 months. Very unfit. Good to get wet again. Stuffa worked well considering all my camping gear took up all the space in my small rucksack.

 

Woolacombe is a great place. If the waves are to big you can head further down the beach to find smaller waves and if you want something a little powerful you can drive down to Croyde where the wave packs more punch.

Change is good.

So where did i get the idea for the Stuffa? Well I should explain a little about my last 4 years. I'll keep it concise i promise and wont bore you with a slide show (well there will be a video).

Four years ago, my job quite me, and I had just sold my flat and for the first time had a substantial amount of money in my bank account. I really wasn't happy in the career I had chosen and I had wanted for a while to go traveling. This was a great opportunity to go. My trip had to include surfing as its something that I have loved doing for the last 15 years and i wanted to go places that I would probably not visit on a two week holiday.

Changes to the design and check this out.

So after looking at the samples a little tweaks are needed and I need to realise that extra large is now my size. So the neck needs to be made larger so the chin sits behind the collar rather than on top. It will be way to uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. The zip works but the quality doesn't feel right, so going to get a bette quality zip. We may also look at changing the shape of the jacket slightly to give a better look. All in all it works extremely well.

Sorry if the update is a little dull but it's the fine details that will make the design of a product great. Hopefully going to head to some outdoor shows soon. Will keep you all posted.

Oh I forgot. Been doing a little research on my jacket and to see if anyone out there is doing something similar and I came across this little gem. The 15 Below jacket. Check it out. Similar but different in a real survival way. What a great idea and I hope you like it.

15 Below Project