A group of students in the Photography program had the exciting opportunity to work with Canadian and International fashion designer Izzy Camilleri on her brand IZ Adaptive – a clothing line designed specifically for individuals with physical disabilities. This opportunity arose as part of the students’ Storyworks course, which allows them to work with clients on real industry projects. This project had students execute a full photoshoot, where they were responsible for organizing the location and models, taking the photos, editing them, and presenting the finished product to the client.
The group was made up of five students who were in their first year of the program: Violetta Nadtochyy, Chiara de Falco, Edgar Sandoval Flores, Liping Zhu, and Meng-ke Hsieh. Each with immense talent, the group was prepared to work with their client and deliver some amazing results within the timeframe of the course.
At the very beginning, Meng-ke says, “Every group of students needed to have interviews with clients, pitch their ideas and collaborate with them. In my group, each and every one of us has a different niche of photography. Therefore, we first created a portfolio website with our best work and presented it to our potential clients. When [IZ Adaptive] decided to work with us, we created a PowerPoint to pitch our ideas and let the client choose what type of pictures they wanted. Then we started executing.”
One of the initial tasks assigned to students in every Storyworks course is to go over the deliverables and expectations with the client. In this project, Chiara explains, “From the beginning, the client told us that they needed material to share on social media. The target, the content, the methods, and all the essential directives were discussed in order to understand how to shape our path. Once we understood the instructions, we as a group discussed and tried to divide the tasks and roles according to our skills in order to have a successful final product.”
Benedict Marsh, CEO of IZ Adaptive, speaks highly of the initial meeting with students. He says, “We set up an initial Zoom meeting to meet all of the students and discuss ideas. They were all keen, and it was wonderful introducing ourselves and getting to know about the project. We challenged them to come up with a number of different pitches for different photoshoots so they could get used to the idea of pitching ideas for a commercial shoot. They went away and came back to a second zoom meeting after a day and presented all of their ideas, from which we picked two.”
Once the students had their preliminary meetings, it was time to get to work. Violetta says, “After we met with the client, we signed a contract, which was part of the course requirements, and determined our goals and expectations. We were always communicating with Izzy Camilleri and Benedict Marsh. Both Izzy and Benedict were very professional and kind towards us. We are very lucky to have had an opportunity to work with them. After speaking to Izzy and Benedict a couple of times, we got to know the brand and were then able to pitch a few ideas which we came up with as a team.” Similarly, Chiara says the experience was really positive. “There was excellent communication between the group and the client, which allowed us to have a clear idea of what needed to be organized and completed.”
In terms of what was expected of the students, Benedict says, “We expected them first and foremost to have fun and to do their best to shoot in a professional manner so that the photography they presented us with would be usable. We helped them connect with our models for the shoot, but then they were expected to execute the shoot from start to finish, including organizing with the models, planning the locations, and executing the shoot. Then they had to edit their photos and present us with a finished product.”
From a student perspective, Chiara says that the previously learned skills from the program really had to be at the forefront. She explains, “Our goal was to use the technical skills acquired during the first semester in order to be sure of producing a quality product. In addition, we tried to be as proactive as possible with the client by informing them of our work-in-progress in order to guarantee a good final result that follows the client’s directives.
Violetta says that the client, Izzy, provided them with IZ Adaptive clothes, such as jeans, jackets, coats, and shirts, while also connecting them with two models willing to work with the group. “We needed to create a few high-quality images of the clothes off a model and on models, within the directives given by the client. We had to contact the models ourselves and organize the photoshoot times and locations which would work for everyone. The final images had to be retouched, of professional quality, and formatted and named to the client’s specifications,” she says.
The final product had positive reviews all around. Benedict says, “We loved what they came up with, and there were some incredible shots. In some instances, it was clear that they were still learning, but that was to be expected, and overall, they did an absolutely fantastic job, and we were so, so pleased with what they presented us with at the end. It was a fantastic project, and it really seemed like everyone benefited.”
Not only did students get the chance to learn and put their photography skills into action, but one of their photographs had the opportunity to be seen by much more than their classmates and client. The photograph posted above was published within an article about adaptive fashion by Vogue Business! Chiara, who took the photograph, says she was speechless when she found out. “It was something I had been dreaming of for a long time, and that has certainly given me a greater confidence and the desire to improve even more,” she shares.
Below are some of the overall thoughts by students involved in this project.
“We are honoured to work with Izzy Camilleri. Before the first contact with Izzy, I watched her TED Talk and was deeply touched by the story that a girl did not wear a skirt for years after the accident, until one day she put on a skirt that was designed by Izzy, and the smile returned to her face. I made a proposal that we took a series of images to show a warm story, and I was glad Izzy accepted it. Through the project, we felt the kindness and care that Izzy and her brand bring to the world and we are surely driven to do the same. Also, I am so proud and excited as one of our group images for Izzy Camilleri’s IZ Adaptive was selected by Vogue Business magazine. Though I am not the person pressing the button, I witnessed the joint efforts and common growth of our group.” - Liping Zhu
“One of my main tasks was creating off-figure clothes images - flatlays, close-ups, etc. I have never photographed clothes before, so it was a new challenge for me. I had to search images online to learn how to style clothes, get ideas and inspiration. I ended up taking most of the photos in my condo by creating a mini studio on my kitchen table. The space I was working in was very small, but I am very happy with the images I created given the limitations. The technical knowledge and advice, which our college instructors gave us during the first semester, were definitely very helpful. I am grateful for this course as it gave me the opportunity to apply my knowledge in a real-world scenario. After this experience I feel more confident in my abilities and not as nervous about taking on projects in the future.” - Violetta Nadtochyy
“I was the photographer for the outdoor shooting with models for this project. This experience helped me learn so much from the very beginning until the end. I have learned how to pitch my ideas, work in a team, have meetings with professionals, and shoot on location with models. Paying attention to little details is also important for this project. We had to make sure that the clothes fit perfectly with the client’s ideas, and we needed to scout perfect locations before the shooting.
Storyworks is a perfect experience that taught me a lot about working with other people. Even when we faced some difficulties, we as a team always helped each other. For example, for the first outdoor shooting, the weather was not ideal, it was almost like a snowstorm. However, we tried our best to photograph under that circumstances, and made beautiful portraits with the snow! This experience working with my teammates, clients and professors helped me prepare for my future career. Overall, I think it is an excellent project and experience.” - Meng-ke Hsieh
“One of my main roles was photographing IZ Adaptive clothes on models. Being passionate about fashion, my classmates and I agreed to entrust me with the outdoor shoots. It was a great experience, which was challenging due to both the pandemic and weather conditions, but overall, it was a very valuable experience that gave me more confidence to take on future projects. Also, the teamwork experience was really informative, giving me the opportunity to improve and enrich myself.
The Storyworks course certainly plunged us into the world of work by giving us a taste of what awaits us outside after college. It is a difficult world, full of competition, expectations, and obstacles, but which is also able to give many satisfactions capable of enriching you both personally and professionally.” - Chiara de Falco
Written by: Alexandra Few