There are some photoshoots that begin with a client inquiry, a mood board or months of planning.

This one started with me sitting at home watching the Olympics.

I remember watching these incredible athletes compete and thinking about how we're so used to seeing athletes in one particular way: in competition, in uniforms, training, performing, pushing their bodies to their limits.

And somewhere in the middle of watching, I had a thought:

I want to photograph them differently.

Not necessarily as competitors.

I wanted to create something editorial, feminine, artistic and almost dreamlike.

At that point, there wasn't a team. There wasn't a studio. There wasn't wardrobe or catering or a production schedule.

There was literally just an idea.

And I decided to send some messages.

Behind-the-scenes Polaroid portraits of the creative team from Lara Grace Creative Studio’s Olympic athlete editorial photoshoot in Toronto.

I reached out to Olympic athletes Lia Pereira and Cynthia Appiah with this little idea I had for a shoot.

At that point, it was still mostly just a vision in my head, so having them both respond and be open to creating something with me was incredibly exciting.

Lia is a figure skater, and Cynthia is an Olympian and bobsleigh athlete. They come from two completely different sports, but I loved the idea of bringing them together and photographing them outside of the environments we normally associate with their athletic careers.

They trusted me with the concept, we found a date that worked, and suddenly this idea I had while watching the Olympics wasn't just an idea anymore.

It was actually happening.

And that was the moment I thought:

Okay. Now I actually have to make this happen.

Turning an Idea Into a Production

This is where the project grew very quickly.

I didn't want to simply book a studio, put someone in front of a backdrop and photograph them.

If we were going to do this, I wanted to create a world.

I began thinking about wardrobe, styling, hair, makeup, florals, colours, props, food, drinks, set design, video, behind-the-scenes coverage and all of the little details that make an editorial feel intentional.

More importantly, I started thinking about the people I needed around me.

One by one, an incredible team started coming together.

Fatima joined us as our fashion stylist. Naomi and Livia worked on hair. Joanna joined us for makeup. Kevin came on to capture video. Asya worked on graphic design. Kate was there alongside me photographing, helping with BTS and supporting the production throughout the day.

Wardrobe came together with Chic Bridals and Candy Prom.

And OBJX Studio generously provided us with the space to actually bring everything to life.

Suddenly my little idea wasn't little anymore.

It was a production.

Canadian figure skater Lia Pereira photographed in a peach couture gown during Lara Grace Creative Studio’s Olympic athlete editorial photoshoot in Toronto.

Stepping Into Creative Direction

This project was especially important to me because it was one of the first times I really stepped into the role of Creative Director on a production of this size through Lara Grace Creative Studio.

Photography has always been a huge part of what I do, but creative direction is different.

You're no longer thinking only about:

Where should my subject stand?

You're thinking about everything.

What does the set look like?

What is she wearing?

What colour is behind her?

What does her makeup look like?

What is she holding?

How does the wardrobe move?

Where are the flowers?

What does the image beside this image look like?

What story are all of these photographs telling together?

And then you have the production side.

Is everyone where they're supposed to be?

Is wardrobe ready?

Does hair need more time?

Is the next set ready?

Did the food arrive?

Does someone need help?

What needs to happen next?

There are so many moving pieces that exist outside of the camera.

And I loved it.

It was stressful at times, absolutely. But it also made something click for me.

I realized that I didn't only want to photograph beautiful things.

I wanted to build them.

Canadian Olympian and bobsleigh athlete Cynthia Appiah photographed in a yellow couture gown during Lara Grace Creative Studio’s Olympic athlete editorial photoshoot in Toronto.

Creating the Visual World

The editorial itself became a combination of softness and strength.

We worked with beautiful blues, soft peach tones, deep reds, black, green, yellow, flowers, dramatic gowns and small visual details throughout the sets.

One of my favourite parts of the project was seeing how differently each look transformed the same space.

A simple backdrop could suddenly feel romantic with a huge peach gown.

A black dress against blue could become much moodier and more dramatic.

Something I particularly loved about this project was seeing Lia and Cynthia outside of the environments where people normally know them.

Athletes spend so much of their public lives being photographed through the lens of performance.

Their strength is obvious.

Their discipline is obvious.

Their achievements are obvious.

But there are so many other sides to a person.

With this editorial, I wanted to play with femininity, fashion, softness and character without taking away any of that strength.

In fact, I think the contrast made the images even stronger.

Seeing powerful athletes surrounded by delicate fabrics, dramatic gowns, florals and beauty created exactly the tension I wanted from the photographs.

Figure skater Lia Pereira photographed in a black editorial gown and veil holding a floral ice arrangement during Lara Grace Creative Studio’s Olympic athlete photoshoot in Toronto.

When the Plan Doesn't Go According to Plan

And now for the part of creative production nobody can completely avoid:

Things went wrong.

Of course they did.

You can make lists.

You can make mood boards.

You can send emails.

You can plan every tiny detail.

And then shoot day arrives and something is missing.

There were also ice elements I had envisioned for one of the concepts that didn't make it to the set the way they were originally supposed to. And some other few details went wrong.

At the time, those things can feel huge.

Especially as the person who created the concept.

You've been seeing a particular photograph in your head for weeks, and suddenly one of the things required to create that photograph simply isn't there.

That was one of my first major lessons in creative direction:

The vision matters. But adaptability matters just as much.

You don't have the luxury of stopping an entire production because one element isn't perfect.

You look around.

You see what you do have.

And you make something beautiful with it.

That's exactly what we did with my creative partner Kate!

Canadian Olympian and bobsleigh athlete Cynthia Appiah in a black crystal-embellished gown holding an ice and blue floral arrangement during a Toronto editorial photoshoot.

Creating an Experience Around the Shoot

I also wanted the day itself to feel like an experience.

A big production can be long, and people are giving you their time and creativity. Having food and drinks available wasn't just something pretty to photograph — it was part of taking care of everyone who was there.

And this was another area where some amazing businesses stepped in to support us.

Half Shell Catering created our oyster bar.

The Graze Anatomy provided a beautiful charcuterie board.

Château des Charmes provided the bubbles.

Vellamo provided mineral water for the team.

The table ended up becoming one of my favourite little corners of the entire production.

Thank you for your support to this project!

Canadian Olympian Cynthia Appiah enjoying a charcuterie spread behind the scenes during Lara Grace Creative Studio’s Olympic athlete editorial photoshoot at OBJX Studio in Toronto.

Figure skater Lia Pereira behind the scenes with the Half Shell Catering oyster bar during Lara Grace Creative Studio’s Olympic athlete editorial photoshoot at OBJX Studio in Toronto.

Seeing the Final Photographs

Then came the part that always feels slightly surreal.

Sitting down after the shoot and actually looking through everything we created.

When you're directing a production, you're so inside of it that it's difficult to understand what you've made while you're making it.

You're thinking about the next outfit.

The next pose.

The light.

The schedule.

The team.

The props.

The next photograph.

Then suddenly you're home and hundreds of photographs are sitting in front of you.

That's when I finally got to see the project from the outside.

And I was proud.

Not because everything had been perfect.

It hadn't.

I was proud because we had taken an idea that didn't exist and made it exist.

Figure skater Lia Pereira posing with flowing blue and black ribbons in an emerald green gown during a creative editorial athlete photoshoot by Lara Grace Creative Studio in Toronto.

What This Project Taught Me

This shoot taught me more than I expected.

It taught me that creative direction requires organization, but also flexibility.

It taught me that communication before the shoot matters enormously.

It taught me to double-check the tiny things.

And then double-check them again.

It taught me that having the right people around you changes everything. (Shoutout to my bestie and her hubby)

It taught me that sometimes you have to abandon an idea you love because it isn't working.

It taught me that when something goes wrong, everyone is looking to you to decide what happens next.

But most importantly, it taught me that I want to do this again.

Bigger.

Better.

More intentional.

More ambitious.

Olympian and bobsleigh athlete Cynthia Appiah smiling in a red gown with butterfly hair accessories, surrounded by tropical greenery during a creative editorial photoshoot in Toronto.

Growing Lara Grace Creative Studio

This project also represented something bigger for me personally.

Lara Grace Creative Studio has been evolving beyond simply being the name attached to my photography.

I'm increasingly interested in creating entire visual concepts, bringing together photography, fashion, styling, beauty, set design, video, storytelling and the people required to make all of those things work together.

I still love being behind my camera.

I don't think that will ever change.

But I've discovered that I equally love standing in front of an empty space and asking:

What can we build here?

And then finding the people who can help me build it.

This Olympic athletes editorial was one of the first projects that allowed me to explore that properly.

It certainly won't be the last.

Close-up of Vellamo Natural Mineral Water bottles provided for a Toronto Olympic athlete editorial photoshoot and creative production.

Thank You

Most importantly, I want to say thank you.

Thank you to Lia and Cynthia for saying yes to an idea from a photographer who reached out because she had been watching the Olympics and felt inspired. Keep being awesome and make Canada proud!!

Thank you to every creative who showed up and gave this project your talent.

Thank you to the businesses who contributed products, food, drinks, wardrobe and space.

Thank you to everyone who carried something, fixed something, photographed something, styled something, moved something, reminded me of something, or helped when the plan inevitably changed.

Creative direction might begin with one person's idea.

But a production like this belongs to everyone who helps bring that idea to life.

I'm incredibly grateful this was one of my first.

And I'm already thinking about what comes next.

Château des Charmes Éclat Rosé sparkling wine bottles with champagne glasses and a charcuterie spread, prepared for a Toronto Olympic athlete editorial photoshoot.

THE FULL CREATIVE TEAM

Creative Director + Lead Photographer
Lara Grace Bulut
Lara Grace Creative Studio
@laragracecreativestudio

Athletes
Lia Pereira — Figure Skating
@_lia.pereira

Cynthia Appiah — Olympian / Bobsleigh
@thecynapps

Photographer + Confidence Coach
Kate Enderby
@confidently.kate

Fashion Stylist
Fatima Pasillas
@medicenfafa_

Hair
Naomi
@naomiraymondhair

Livia
@livia.eventstyling

Makeup
Joanna
@facesby.jo

Videography
Kevin
@kev.visions

Graphic Design
Asya Tosun
@asya._design

Studio
Malayika Conners / OBJX Studio
@objx.studio

Wardrobe
Chic Bridals / Candy Prom
@chic.bridals
@candyprom

Athlete Coordination
Nicolas Metayer / Peak Athletes

Sponsors + Partners

Oyster Bar
Half Shell Catering
@halfshellcatering.ca

Charcuterie
The Graze Anatomy
@thegrazeanatomy

Bubbles
Château des Charmes
@chateaudescharmeswines

Water
Vellamo
@vellamowater

See More From the Shoot

There are still so many pieces of this project I couldn't fit into one blog post.

The finished editorial photographs, behind-the-scenes videos, Polaroids, Camp Snap images and more moments from the production are all part of the story.

You can find more from the Olympic Athletes Editorial on Instagram at @laragracecreativestudio.

And as for the next Lara Grace Creative Studio editorial?

I'm already dreaming about it.