Every day Toowoomba surprises me with the amount of talent and creativity that’s waiting to be discovered.
This project was no exception.
I am so happy to reveal: One Twisted Fairytale, a conceptual photo shoot showcasing the creative talent, styling and event management services on offer in Toowoomba.
Being involved in this shoot was all kinds of fun.
In my corporate roles I’ve worked on lots of photoshoots before. They’ve usually involved high vis, hard hats, machinery, powerlines. Never before have I had the chance to spend a day immersed in a fairy wonderland, playing with pretty clothes and witnessing some amazing creatives just do their stuff.
Here’s the behind the scenes story of how One Twisted Fairytale came together.
Behind the scenes: Leah and Amy doing their thing. Photo by Darcy Campbell
The concept
It was all Corrie Van Brooks’ idea. As a florist for weddings and events Corrie has a distinct style – her arrangements are generous with quirky details. She wanted to show her clients what was possible if you give her a little creative free reign.
She’d been dreaming of designing an overhanging floral centerpiece for a while. Preston Peak Winery, with that incredible chandelier in the cellar door was the place to do it. The venue also offered a variety of photo locations like the olive grove, tree lined driveway and lower fields.
The styled feast by Corrie, photo by Leah Cruikshank
With the look and location in mind the shoot came together. She asked Shana at marketing agency Rigani and me to help brainstorm and project manage the shoot.
The brainstorming phase was all about bringing the vision in Corrie’s head to life. Pinterest boards and some meetings over wine were involved. We used this time as an excuse to watch a lot of Vikings and Game of Thrones while we got together our ideas and refined the concept. We wanted it to feel like a decadent medieval feast, a white wedding that had fallen down the rabbit hole and was styled to bring in themes of indulgence and lust.
Once we had the concept sorted Corrie put together her team. They’re all listed on the team page of the One Twisted Fairytale, so I won’t list them all here again.
However, I will say: it was a dream team.
Everyone involved was asked because we loved the quality of their work and we thought they’d be super fun to work with. Absolutely everyone delivered on this. When the day finally rolled around to shoot everyone was on time, professional, enthusiastic and committed. They all donated their time, skills and resources because they were just as excited as us about showing Toowoomba what they can do.
The day
We chose a wintery day – because have you seen the driveway at Preston Peak when all the trees are in colour? Stunning. Plus, spring gets a lot of love here, but we wanted to show winter has its charms too.
On the day the models were up super early getting their hair and make up done. They were all stunning and they arrived at the shoot eating McDonald’s which made me simultaneously surprised and jealous. Most of them had never worked together before – they got along great. So great in fact that our little shoot started a love story – these two hotties Dan and Shaelee are now a couple.
Dan 4 Shaelee. Photo by Leah Cruikshank
I watched Corrie set up and it was a sight to see. She’s fast and focused, it was unbelievable how quickly a plain table transformed into a medieval style feast.
Corrie in action
Josh and I made our major contribution to the shoot by collecting leaves from the Preston Peak grounds for our hero shot.
The models arrived around 1pm and got changed and had last minute hair and make up fixes.
Then it was action.
Corrie art directed every shot, working with our main photographer Leah to get the set ups we’d already mapped out.
The Preston Peak team not only delivered a suckling pig for the table setting but kept the whole team fed with some super delicious sandwiches.
Behind the scenes at Applebom Beauty, Hair and Wellbeing. Photo by Darcy Campbell
As the light faded to magic hour the models had a costume change and moved outdoors. The late afternoon sun shining through the olive grove and driveway trees produced some of my favourite shots of the day.
Shaelee in the olive grove. Photo by Leah Cruikshank
The girls in the olive grove by Leah Cruikshank
Driveway love! By Leah Cruikshank
To show you that you don’t always need designer, we also snuck down to the overgrown fields take a few extra photos of a wedding dress we sourced for $35 from Lifeline in Toowoomba.
Chloe making that $35 Lifeline dress work for her. Photo by Leah Cruikshank
Photo by Leah Cruikshank
Behind the scenes, dream team Leah and Amy
We wrapped up just after sunset and had a glass of Preston Peak wine to celebrate.
The final steps
The hard work didn’t stop after the shoot. I wrote copy for the website, Josh built it and the photographers and videographer had the task of editing their raw material.
The result is something I’m so proud to have been a part of.
These photos, this styling, the concept: it’s all truly beautiful, and best of all, local.
If you want to work with any of the talent involved in this shoot, you can find their contact details on their profile page at onetwistedfairytale.com.au We’ll also be posting some more photos from the day on Instagram @onetwistedfairytale
Gorgeous work by Leah Cruikshank
