Similarly, Levi’s and King James encouraged Romi to bring her own ideas to the table and trusted her talents and instincts to produce the best possible results. “It’s really unheard of for a client to allow the photographer so much creative freedom. Working with them has been an unbelievable experience and I’m so grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given. I still smile to myself every time I walk past Levi’s stores with my photographs in the window!” Faced with the incredibly difficult task of assessing the hundreds of entries from across the country, the judges eventually found exactly what they were looking for in the form of 26-year-old Capetonian Romi Stern. Her delicate yet striking submission portfolio was not only beautiful, it encapsulated the central attributes of the Levi’s brand: authenticity and originality. “We were looking for a fresh, young photographer who could bring the Levi’s brand identity to life in a unique, appropriate and ownable way,” says Levi’s Marketing Director Debbie Gebhardt. “Romi’s work captured a youthful optimism in a very natural way. We appreciate her talent for composition and her eye for colour, and we loved how her work was not contrived or over-styled.” Romi feels that her entry came with a certain sensitivity and softness that sets her work apart: “It’s sexy, but in a way people can relate to without feeling uncomfortable.”
The client was so happy with Romi’s work for the initial Winter campaign, that they secured her to shoot their upcoming Spring/ Summer ranges too, keeping her busy busy busy. The mother of 14-month-old Liam, Romi amazingly manages to balance motherhood with her schedule as a much sought-after photographer. “Having a child has changed my entire perspective of life. Nothing seems scary any more, and no challenge is too hard.” And her plans for the future? “I don’t really look to the future – only today and how much I’ve achieved.” Judging by her recent success, it’s an outlook that seems to be working perfectly for Romi.
A graduate from the AAA School of Advertising, Romi’s background in Art Directing and work experience in mainstream retail design equipped her with the kind of brand awareness and allround understanding of the creative process that the competition demanded; everything from creating mood boards to portraying the garment in the most effective and aspirational way. Most importantly however, her open-minded approach to shooting harnesses the very best from her team. “I shoot with intuition, and don’t try too hard,” she says. “You have to put your ego aside and let everyone involved in the shoot – the make-up artist, stylist, models and so on – fulfil their roles.”
one small seed
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