Behind the Scenes: Creating a Luxury Med Spa Campaign That Doesn’t Look Medical

My Client

Nino, a proud founder of Bogat, is who I worked with in creating this campaign. She’s excited about her company’s combining of “cutting-edge medical treatments with a warm spa-like atmosphere” and how this helped show that.

Every good photoshoot starts with a great concept, followed by strong visuals. That’s why the first thing that I did was ask Nino what she wants out of this process, how she’s visualizing it. Her response was that she’d like it to not only be elegant and feminine but also bold and fashionable.

I also wanted this photoshoot to be more high-fashion wellness, not clinical, and for these images to be like they belong on the cover of a magazine but also accessible, and Nino agreed. While doing this, I took into account this business’ brand book, colors, logo and mission.

The Beach

Our first location was the beach. We started there because of the beautiful sunrises that we have over the water here on the East Coast. That was even though this plan did make the photo shoot a little more difficult since the models would be wet and sandy before needing to get studio-ready later in the day. It was so worth it though.

At the beach, we combined sand, water, sky and palm trees with teal to create the tropical vibe that fits a luxury medical spa that’s located in South Florida so well.

When the models were wearing their first outfits, it took a little longer to shoot, to find the perfect angles for how they were moving and to get that connection between myself and them, but it all worked out well.

They then had on mini shorts for the second look and, at times, covered themselves with a leaf or their hair. It was also fun to have them all laughing and smiling. That’s when we got so many great lifestyle shots, perfect for social media.

And, of course, how could we shoot on the beach without swimwear? So, we had the models wear three amazing swimsuits next, taking both single shots and all three of them together.

For the last shots at the beach, Jose wore a wet shirt with the waves splashing on her, a very high-fashion look. For Irina, we had her wear a perfect dress that matched Bogat’s primary color next to corals that we’d painted that same teal color. Her eye color even matched everything. With Polina, we did a high-fashion shoot with her eyeshadow matching the brand’s main color and incorporating gold accents with the ocean in the background.

The Big Picture

Whenever I’m doing a photoshoot for a brand, I’m always thinking about how every shot’s going to be used. Will this be for Instagram? Then I can go more vertical. Or if I see a perfect horizontal shot, I know that that could be used for the website or a billboard.

I’m also always analyzing which ones are supposed for their website, which ones for print and which ones for social media. I think about what treatment a shot could be used for and exactly where on the website it could go as well. And, as I do this, I make sure that the images copy the brand well.

Everything had a purpose.

It’s so important to choose the right models as well. For this photoshoot, we had three, who were supposed to look different from each other but also look great together, and they did. They were posing so well too. All three did such an amazing job.

And even their swimsuits were so different from each other but also looked perfect together.

Keep in mind that it’s also essential to remember that things often don’t go as perfectly as had been planned and to know how to adjust and adapt to those changing circumstances.

The Pool

We ended up having to rush some at our second location, the pool, since we only had about 15 minutes, less than originally planned, there and needed to do three of the most important shots, but it all worked out well.

There, we did some more branding, combining that with lifestyle shots, including one that showed a model wearing a gold heel that was resting on top of the logo.

A moment when they were laughing and smiling also resulted in some amazing images.

My Team

I had an incredible team on this day. In addition to myself and my three gorgeous models, helping ensure that everything went as smoothly as possible were Anna, our wardrobe stylist, and Shani and Alona, our hair and makeup artists.

We all knew how to work with each other and understood each other, which is essential, and all of them easily adjusted to our changing conditions throughout the day. That included our HMUAs getting our models fully transitioned from sandy wet hair and messed-up makeup to a nude look with glam makeup and nice hair. Just a few minutes after they’d started, the models were ready for nude-look editorial beauty shots. 

Alex, our videographer, also brought his talents to this photo shoot, ensuring that everything that was done on this incredible day was captured in high quality.

In the Studio

After we moved to the studio, we shot one of the campaign’s main moments, which was probably the day’s biggest challenge: all three models together in one beauty portrait. What made this challenging was that they had to be really close, and every micro movement changed the entire image. So, I kept switching angles, rotating them and adjusting their faces by millimeters, and that’s how we got such powerful high-end shots.

In the studio, I also took some single shots with Jose. I wanted to focus on more detailed moments, close-ups and beauty portraits that display emotion. Images of her applying cream to her skin really showed the sensual, clean luxury vibe that we were looking for. Those photos turned out so well.

Then, it was time for the most exciting outfit and look. It was a very fashionable dress in a color that matched the brand perfectly. Some of the poses done by the model then were really challenging, and we sometimes had two people move the fabric to create amazing images. We got a perfect billboard shot at this time.

Next was having a model wear a pretty gold corset with a creatively mixed lighting setup while using teal again. I also had her on top of foil that made it appear like she was laying down on water.

To end the day, we did some creative shots, having the model wear sparkly makeup while I also used a star filter for those shots. They’re going to be amazing on social media.

Conclusion

I love helping brands visualize their identity through storytelling, creative direction and bringing an entire concept to life, and I felt like that all went so well here. Bogat Aesthetics’ story was clearly told through these images.

If you’re building a brand or launching something new, let me help you plan a great concept and deliver an amazing result. I will guide you through every step and bring your story to life.