Magazine Publishing · Chirlyart Photography Cologne
Behind the Scenes: Fashion Shoot on Fuerteventura.
What really happens when a Cologne photographer flies to a volcanic island with suitcases full of clothing.
By Chirly Chantal Hübenthal · Photographer for fashion & editorial in Cologne and worldwide
Fuerteventura in November. The light is different from Cologne – harder, more honest, more unforgiving. No smoothing, no softening through clouds. Either the image works, or it doesn’t. That’s exactly why I love this island.
„The light on Fuerteventura doesn’t lie. It shows exactly what’s there. That’s what makes it so difficult – and so incredibly beautiful.“
The day before the shoot.
Early in the morning I stand on the beach and walk. Not for exercise – but to understand the light. Where does it fall at 7 am? Where at 4 pm? Which dune casts the hardest shadow at midday? That’s my preparation. No moodboard. No briefing document. Just me, the island and the light.
For the Elegance in Blue production, which later ended up on the cover of HIGH VOLT, I waited for exactly this moment on Fuerteventura: just after sunrise, light from the left, wind from the right, model Anna right in the middle of it.
What nobody sees on Instagram.
The sand in the camera body. The moment the dress blows away for the third time and we both have to laugh. The quiet hour when nothing works and I simply wait until the light is right. The walk back with heavy equipment on unpaved paths.
Fashion photography sounds glamorous. And sometimes it is. But mostly it’s patience. Precision. And knowing that the one moment will come – if you wait.
The result
Elegance in Blue · HIGH VOLT Magazine · November 2024
Cover story. The cover image of the November issue. Created one morning in the north of Fuerteventura, in wind and hard light – and by a photographer who got up at 5:30 am so as not to miss exactly this moment.
Why I believe in travel shoots.
Cologne is my home. But sometimes an image needs a different world. Fuerteventura has something no studio can replace: vastness. The feeling that there’s nothing beyond the horizon. That gives images a stillness that’s hard to find in the city.
I’ve returned several times since. Different each time. Each time with new ideas. And each time with images I couldn’t have made anywhere else.
What you can take from this.
If you’re planning an editorial or a fashion shoot – whether on Fuerteventura, Mallorca, in Cologne or somewhere else – don’t come with a fixed plan. Come with an idea and the courage to let the moment decide.
That’s exactly what I do. For over 8 years. And it works.
This is me
Chirly Chantal Hübenthal – fashion and wedding photographer from Cologne. 60+ international magazine features, 25+ cover stories. All publications → · About me →
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Your idea. My light.
Whether on Fuerteventura, Mallorca or in Cologne – I travel for the right image.