Shooting Sheana Shay: Building a Storybook World in the Heart of LA
Some shoots are about capturing a moment. This one was about building an entire world first, and then capturing it. When I got the call to shoot Scheana Shay for her SHEIN x Scheana Family collection, I knew right away this wasn't going to be a straightforward studio session — this was going to be a full production, and it needed a vision big enough to match.
That vision came together thanks to production designer Vanessa of Daydream Studio LA, who turned a private estate in Los Angeles into something that felt like it belonged in a storybook.
Finding the Location
We shot at a Los Angeles estate with the kind of bones you can't fake — ornate archways, antique furniture, sweeping staircases, and rooms that already felt cinematic before a single prop went in. But the real transformation happened in what Vanessa built inside it.
The Vision: An Overgrown, Storybook World
Vanessa's concept was to let nature take over the estate — draping vines and greenery through doorways, over furniture, and across staircases until the whole space felt like a secret garden reclaiming an old world mansion. Every room told a different chapter of the same story:
The Throne Room — Scheana seated in an ornate gold-armed chair, vines cascading down from above and wrapping around antique furniture, with a glowing chandelier framed perfectly in the archway behind her. It was less "photoshoot set" and more "found location in an enchanted forest that happened to have a chandelier."
The Aviary Room — This is where Vanessa's attention to detail really showed. Gilded birdcages, doves, and trailing greenery turned one corner of the estate into its own self-contained scene, with Scheana in a cream ruffled gown that looked like it grew straight out of the set design.
The Library Nook — Floor-to-ceiling shelves buried in cascading vines, golden late-afternoon light pouring through a doorway in the background. Scheana leaned into a wooden beam wrapped in leaves, and the whole frame felt like stepping into an overgrown reading room no one had touched in years.
Why Production Design Changes Everything
As a photographer, I can control light, composition, and moment — but a shoot like this lives or dies on what's actually built in front of the camera. Vanessa didn't just add greenery for decoration; she designed each room with its own internal logic, its own light source, its own reason for existing. That's the difference between a photo with plants in the background and a photo that feels like you've wandered into another world.
Every birdcage, every draped vine, every antique piece of furniture was placed with intention, which meant I could focus entirely on capturing Scheana in that world rather than fighting a set that didn't quite hold together.
The Result
What came out of this shoot wasn't just campaign content — it was a fully realized environment that turned a private LA estate into a fairytale for a day. That's the kind of collaboration I love most: a production designer with a real point of view, a location with character, and a subject who commits fully to the world being built around her.
If you're planning a campaign or editorial shoot that needs a full creative vision — not just a photographer, but a team that can build a world from the ground up — this is exactly the kind of collaboration I'm always looking to do more of. Feel free to reach out, and don't sleep on Daydream Studio LA for production design that goes all the way.
Owen DeValk is a fashion and celebrity photographer based in Los Angeles, specializing in editorial, campaign, and production-driven photography. View more of his work at owendevalkstudio.com.