It's always fun to get a peek behind the curtain.

A few weeks ago, we published our very first magazine article featuring fresh styles from a handful of ethical and sustainable local labels: Love is Project, Agaati, A by Anubha, Tonlé, Diarrablu, Taylor Jay and Freda Salvador. 

The eye-catching photos do justice to both the chic fashions and the cool streets of San Francisco. But all that effortless imagery doesn't come without a lot of hard work and creativity. Our behind-the-scenes crew is brimming with both. 

Each teammate brought his/her particular brand of magic to the all-day photoshoot, which took place on a lovely Sunday not long ago. Sparks flew every which way. (Seriously, take another look at those brilliant photos.) 

We decided to let you see how said sparks, and photos, came to be. Plus, introduce you to the photographer, creative director, stylist, hair/makeup artist and models who made it all happen. Cue the Q+As.

Makeup/Hair Artist: Monica Noe, @Makeupwithmonica 

San Francisco-based Monica has been a makeup artist and makeup instructor for 10 years. She is the founder and owner of Bay Vanity Cosmetics. 

How did you prepare for the shoot? 

MN: "I packed my makeup bag the night before along with clean makeup brushes and tools." 

Main role while on set? 

"On-set touch-ups." 

Recap of the day? 

"Started out at the Incubator, did the models hair then makeup. When we were out on set, I brought makeup to touch up models if/when needed." 

Any nice surprises or serendipitous photos/happenings? 

"The moment we got those 'perfect' shots—no one said much but you just felt it, collectively, that things were coming together. It was a beautiful thing." 

Favorite/least favorite part of shoot day?

"It was all great, honestly…the models, the staff. It always feels great to be a part of something creative." 

What responsibilities do you have post shoot if any? 

"This. Ha-ha."

Favorite photo from the shoot and why?

"It was hard to say but the ones at the Embarcadero Center were very nice." 

Anything else you want to add? 

"This was a great opportunity and it meant a lot to do a shoot that really stood for something special and mostly stood for San Francisco."

Model: Suong Nguyen, @Suongn 

Suong is repped by Look Model Agency and lives in San Francisco.

What time did the day start/wrap? 

SN: "My call time was 8 am. It was an all-day shoot so we wrapped up around 5pm or 6pm."

How did you prepare for the shoot? 

"The night before, I prep my skin. I look over the moodboard, designers I'll be wearing and the team I’ll be working with."

Main role while on set?

"I was one of two models. Alyssa was amazing to work with."

Recap of the day?

"We start with hair and makeup then we go over each outfit with the stylist and creative director then we start shooting! We had a few different locations so we were running all around San Francisco,  which was super fun."

Photographer: Alon Reuveni, @Alonik 

Alon is an experienced photographer who spent more than a decade in the fashion industry in his native Israel. He moved to San Francisco (Mission Dolores) last year to join the love of his life. Currently, he's using his skills as a photographer and creative director for various local and national brands and agencies, including FiSF.

What was your artistic vision for the shoot and how did it all come together? 

AR: "I was aiming to give life to the term 'sustainable fashion' and connect it to the culture of urban life. It was important for me to show the liveliness of San Francisco and emphasize the huge talent that FiSF has to offer. I worked as a team with Kim and Sara to create urban looks and match them with the right locations that would fit—in terms of colors and lighting with the garments from the designers. It was important to me to show the raw, busy and unfiltered part of San Francisco to create an authentic and non-sterile feeling, which is why we chose to shoot in FiDi and downtown."

What time did the day start/wrap? 

"Natural light is critical to me, we start before the sun (I love the mornings), around 7am and end at sunset."

How did you prepare for the shoot? 

"For a photoshoot like this, the work starts a few weeks ahead of time. I start with a general moodboard. After consulting with the team, I started getting into the details of looks, gestures, angles, casting and location scouting. It’s super important for me to make sure everything matches and creates a cohesive story, every detail matters. I went back to the locations we picked multiple times to see how the sun falls and reflects in different times of the day."

Main role while on set? 

"I need to see that everything fits with the narrative we created, that the sun falls on the right places, that the garments are shown at their best, that the models feel comfortable and natural…so everything feels authentic. The most important thing is that this is a group/collaborative effort. I want to get feedback and input from my team constantly."

Recap of the day? 

"The day was perfect and the results speak for themselves. I was lucky to work with a dream team on this: Rachel and Silvia, who organized and produced the entire day, took care of the team and timing, and they made everything run like a Swiss watch— it was inspiring to see. Kim and Sara, who gave life to our concept, did a fantastic job in styling and overall look and feel. Monica created  fresh and up-to-date hair and makeup looks. Last but not least are Suong and Alicia, the beautiful models who were professionals all the way through, even when it was super cold and after long hours of Sunday work."

Any nice surprises or serendipitous photos/happenings? 

"I loved the moment where I was jokingly asking Suong to jump on a construction piece and she took it seriously, ending up in a perfect unplanned shot."

Favorite/least favorite part of shoot day?

"I love everything about photoshoot day that’s why I’ve been doing this for so long. The only part that I wish would pass faster is prep: I am like a kid waiting in line to ride a  rollercoaster."

What responsibilities do you have post shoot if any?

"Wearing the photographer hat, the hardest work comes after the photoshoot. I sit in front of over 4,000 photos and I need to filter and select. In a successful photoshoot day it’s even harder, because I need to pass on so many good photos, it’s impossible to decide. Afterwards I go through the editing cycle where I believe keeping the photos natural is critical, and I use minimal lightweight editing tools and mostly think about how the photos would look together and what are the best angles and order to present them."

Favorite photo from the shoot and why?

"Can’t choose, won’t choose."

Model: Alyssa Moore, @Moorealyssa 

Alyssa is repped by Stars Management SF. She's based in San Francisco but travels to other cities like Milan, New York and LA for work.

How did you prepare for the shoot? 

AM: "For the shoot, I just made sure I was rested and showed up makeup- and hair-product-free so I could be a blank canvas for what would be created."

Favorite/least favorite part of shoot day?

"The whole day was a very cool walking tour through some of the coolest pockets of the downtown area, and I really enjoyed letting the city shine in the shots along with myself in the SF designers’ garments. The only downside, which happens in SF, is that it was a bit chilly. But it’s worth dealing with for great shots!"

Favorite photo from the shoot and why? 

"One of the first shots for the day on Grant and Market—with me in a light blue dress and a bomber—is my favorite. It set the tone for the rest of the shoot day for me, mood-wise. And the colors of the garments up against the colors of the buildings and streets made each pop. It was the moment I felt like the team knew all of our hard work was shaping into something cool."

Favorite/least favorite part of shoot day?

"It was so fun to be on set again with one of my closest friends, Kim, and also get to work with a group of totally new people. The energy all day was great and we all worked so well together. I feel so grateful to have been a part of this shoot!"

Favorite photo from the shoot and why? 

"I think my favorite shots are of the bright pink Agaati maxi dress with the stacks on stacks of Love Is Project bracelets that we shot down in FiDi. I love the graphic shapes of the surroundings and the way the pink pops against the concrete."

Creative Director: Kim Mitchell, @Kimair 

The ever-chic Kim (even on shoot day) runs j’adore couture, a fashion blog focused on women over 40. She also serves as art director at Banana Republic Factory, a Gap Inc. brand. The longtime SF-er is originally from Philadelphia. 

How did you get involved with the shoot and what was your vision for it?

KM: "Rachel reached out to me about joining the team, and I had a meeting to discuss the purpose for the shoot. Alon shared his moodboard. I’ve always loved the grit of the SF streets so I was excited to be on board to further develop his initial thoughts. The locations were based on where we thought we could get the San Francisco vibe we were looking for. We started around the San Francisco Centre walking up to the corner of Market, O’Farrell, and Grant, then The Mint and Mint Plaza, Jackson Square, and the FiDi. It was important to show public transit (as it relates to sustainability) and what makes the city special—from the people to architectural gems like the Transamerica Tower and The Mint to the construction."

How did you prepare for the shoot?

"I did a ton of research on finding swipe that related to the concept. I had weekly meetings with the team to talk logistics, so I was focused on finding ideas that mapped to each location. I also worked with the stylist on making sure the looks mapped back to the locations. You can only prepare so much though; you can have an idea in your head of how you want to capture something but once you see the model dressed and in hair/makeup, new ideas can spring to mind when you get to the location."

Main role while on set? 

"My main role was to scope out locations, and give the models direction in terms of posing and how to interact with each other. I wanted to make sure the overall concept was coming through and that we were highlighting the clothing."