Soft Girl Old Money Aesthetic: Sabrina Carpenter-Inspired Photo Shoot

Baby Blue and White

First up was having our model wear a beautiful baby blue-and-white outfit, and, right away, she stunned me with how much her thoughtful micro-movements were enhancing the images that I was taking.

Already, we had so many amazing shots. The day was off to a great start.

Adding a Red Sofa

Then we brought out a red sofa, and that was such an incredible addition to the set. With our model wearing blue and white but now in front of a blue background, that all blended and contrasted beautifully with the red sofa and her bright red lipstick. Those shots really popped.

We ended up taking almost a thousand amazing shots by this point. It was clear that picking the ones to edit would be a challenge.

Model, Makeup Artist and Stylist

All of this couldn’t be done without Eva, our gorgeous model who actually looks almost like Sabrina and was just as excited as I was about the pictures that were being taken, Nika, our makeup artist, and Maryna, our stylist.

First Lighting Setup

With the first images, we were aiming to create a soft, glowing look, and the soft filter on my lens was one of the things that helped achieve that.

As for the lighting, we started out using an octabox with a grid as our key, which resulted in a very soft light on Eva. A China ball, which was set to about 20%, provided the fill light. An unsaturated blue color was shown elsewhere; it was a little bit like a rim light but was much more so for the background. And we used a baby light from the other side as a rim light, which focused on Eva’s head and hair.

Rack of Outfits

For the second setup, we had our model move around a rack of outfits to create an especially interesting look. We also placed several pairs of shoes on the floor for several of those shots. For all of these images, Eva had on a pink top to go with a baby blue shirt underneath and also wore a tan skirt, glasses and nude lipstick.

Second Lighting Setup

I adjusted the lighting setup a little for the rack-of-outfits shots, and I thought that those changes really enhanced the images that followed.

For this set of photos, I used the octabox as a key light and had a reflector board underneath to bounce light and fill in the shadows on Eva’s face. For the lit color, I changed it from blue to more like beige, nude tones, a little bit of a rose color. I also used two rim lights for this setup. The baby light was one again but from the opposite side as before, and we also used a high spotlight with a projection attachment, which created a stage-like light where the model was standing.

Wardrobe, Props, Makeup and Hair Styling

The wardrobe pieces and props that are being used are very important in a soft girl old money aesthetic photo shoot, in helping that Sabrina Carpenter vibe be realized.

In creating heritage textures, we used very soft colors, like pink and baby blue, a pastel palette. Vintage gloves, corsets and other vintage elements really helped create this old money vibe as well. For makeup and hair styling, going with a bigger volume helps give the images that vintage look as well.

If you want to create this type of photo shoot yourself, you could also consider props such as a velvet sofa, bistro-style chairs and marble tables as well as surroundings like a Georgian drawing room and sash windows. Also, a silk scarf and pearl earrings can add really nice touches to the old money wardrobe that you’re using for your shoot.

In addition, keep in mind that a thrift store can be a great place to pick up items that would be perfect for your photo shoot.

Third Lighting Setup

For the third setup, we once again used an octabox with a grid, but we rotated it slightly so that it was 45 degrees from the model. We also used two V-flats with negative fill to create more of a contrast and to cut the light. There was also the spotlight with a projection attachment, which created nice lighting behind Eva, and a huge white reflector in front, which killed the shadows underneath.

White Mist Filter

Another option for creating a soft, vintage old money look that you could consider is using a white mist or soft mist filter. That’ll help your images have that desired glowing look.

Post-Production

If you are doing your own old money photo shoot, keep in mind the importance of the post-production process.

When you’re at this step, go with warmer tones and lift the shadows a little bit. Also use lower contrast to create that gentle glow that fits the old money vibe perfectly.

Advice for Models

If you’re a model who’s going to be the focus of a vintage glam photography session, I suggest that you go with a softer but still classy look, relax your hands, lift your chin a little and breathe softly through your mouth.

Photo Settings

For this photo shoot, I generally shot at ISO 1000 with a shutter speed of 1/320s. As for the aperture, F 3.2 was my most common setting with some at F 2.8 instead. The focal lengths of these images mostly varied from 28mm-100mm

Final Thoughts

This was an incredible photo shoot. We got so many great shots, and I’m glad that I got to share some of them with you.

If you have any soft girl photo shoot ideas of your own, let me know. I’d love to hear them.

Note that another option that you could take advantage of is getting out of the photo studio and instead using natural light for your shots. Perhaps you’d like to take images on a cobblestone street with a period backdrop amidst classic architecture during golden hour. Do also let me know if you decide to have an outdoor soft girl old money shoot.

And if you’re looking to hire a photographer to take these old money photos for you, consider asking these seven questions before deciding on one.

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