Photoshoot Inspired by Laura Jade Stone
So one of my most recent Instagram obsessions has been the fabulous Laura Jade Stone.
Who is she, you ask? Good question.
From what I’ve gathered she’s an influencer with almost 1M under her belt who has earned her stripes by being low-key, mysterious, and absolutely fabulous.
I stumbled upon her page a few months ago and tbh I’m still trying to figure out exactly how she became famous. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t her life-changing captions, and I haven’t been able to find any other platforms/businesses that she' maybe grew her following on… so really, this may be the handy-work of a true instagram influencer.
And like the rest of her 900k followers, I was immediately intrigued by the aesthetics on her page and eagerly clicked “follow”.
As a marketing gal, I’m a total sucker for a cohesive brand, and Laura Jade Stone has built hers well.
Her feed never goes without a dreamy touch of mirror selfies, detail shots of her daily clads, and breezy nonchalant pictures that showcase her with a slightly tilted head and her signature pout.
All of her photos are light and airy, capture the glow of her signature wavy blond hair, and a grain edit that’s so soft you question if it’s actually there.
Overall, her brand is aesthetically pleasing, interesting, but most importantly, effortless. Which I think intrigues me the most.
As an influencer myself, I know all of the work that goes behind a good photo. Nothing is ever truly effortless — from selecting the perfect outfit, to finding the right location, to choosing the time of day when the sun is at the most optimal spot, and let’s not forget that you still have to get the shot. Needless to say, the entire ordeal can be very exhausting.
Yet still, most of Laura Jade’s photos look like she absentmindedly paused for a quick shot on her way to brunch in Paris or whatever the heck she spends her days doing.
Incredible.
Tino and I often send her photos back and forth on a weekly basis — normally to stare in awe at her ability to gain 15k likes on an obscure post of her in linen pants. Talk about some serious clout.
Over the past few months though, she quickly became someone that I looked forward to seeing on my TL. So when my Tino challenged me to use my quarantine hours to create my own Laura Jade Stone inspired shoot, I jumped at the chance.
The Process
I started off by selected two photos that I wanted to base my looks/poses off of. I chose photos that I had not only been initially drawn to for their simplicity and effortless aura, but also because of the neutral color palette. I’m a sucker for a good neutral. :-) After finally selecting my outfits, I then had to move around the furniture in my living room to get the best angle.
In the photos I selected, Laura Jade was against a white wall with a little bit of shadowing - and at one point she’s in front of a mirror. So I leaned my mirror against my couch and stood in front of it.
I didn’t realize that this would make it harder to shoot since the light was coming from a weird angle - and I had to do a lot of editing to lighten it up, but overall the white background was better than my living room/ kitchen views (which is what it would’ve been if I hadn’t changed my location).
I used my tripod, my phone, and self-timer and kept running back to check photos and reset after each take.
Editing
Selecting the right edits were a bit difficult. I use Lightroom to edit and have created my own Corporate Queendom filters, so I used that as a base to start off of. I spent a lot of time toggling back and forth between her photos and my Lightroom app, to make sure that I got certain details right - like the “dehaze" of the photo and the grain. Overall, it was really fun trying to match her vibe but still have “Corporate Queendom” in it.
The Results
If we’re being honest, it was way harder than I thought it would be to get a photo to look effortless. I had to learn how to pose my body in a way that looked good even when my head was cut off. I also had to learn how to create a mood with the edits that were light, airy but not overbearing.
Overall, I liked how they turned out! Of course, I know that with more sunlight flooding into my apartment, I would’ve gotten better shots – but I’m happy with them. And honestly, I think I may start incorporating similar edits into my other photos. I liked how it gave my photos a more mature vibe, which is something that I want to move towards.
I didn’t realize that Tino actually wanted me to post these photos on my feed, which I was very hesitant since this was very different from my normal aesthetic.
But I did, and surprisingly, they did very well. Better than a lot of my other photos. But instead of bombarding the TL with more pictures of close-ups of my light blue button up, I thought I’d share the rest of them here.
Photo Inspiration #1
Take one
Photo Inspiration #2
Take Two
Hehehe, how’d I do? :-)
Thanks for reading and coming on this adventure with me! I hope that it was fun and helped you be able to strike some inspiration. Who’s your favorite influencer? Let me know in the comments below!
Love always,
The Corporate Queen
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For When You Feel Loved
Isaiah 54:10
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
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