Polish photographer captures J’can models

The black, gold and green thoroughly seduced Patrycja Pioch-Makurat.

The Polish fashion photographer, on her first visit to the island in 2019, felt a gratifying sensory overload during her honeymoon vacay with her businessman spouse, Blazej Makurat.

“I completely fell in love with the place, the culture, the art, the people and the overall vibe of Jamaica,” Pioch-Makurat recounts during a phone interview from a shoot in Switzerland, where she resides, and is in between setups with models.

The European committed to going behind the camera the next time she returned to The Rock to “create a photographic story inspired by everything I experienced [in Jamaica]”.

That return leisure trip – a week-long stay in St Mary – was booked earlier this year with her other half. The creative whose work has been featured in the pages of glossies including Vogue Arabia, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle and L’Officiel, made contact with SAINT International chief executive officer Deiwght Peters with a pitch. “I shared my idea and vision for the shoot. It felt very natural to reach out to him and try to create something meaningful in such a special location,” she shared.

“Deiwght was enthusiastic about the idea from the beginning. He has an incredible roster of great models and was open to my concept for the shoot. We connected very easily, and it didn’t take long for us to align on the details and organise everything smoothly.”

The quintet of SAINT models Rihanna Messam, Carolyn Sangster, Francesca Luisa Del Grande, Arianna O’Connor and Makeda Haber made the shortlist for Pioch-Makurat’s photo session back in January in Oracabessa.

The storyboard, the photog explained, “was to highlight the beauty and unique energy of each model. I approached the girls individually and let their personalities guide the mood of each image. I adapted the light and the background to each model, so every set felt personal and tailored rather than repetitive.”

For Messam, a top-10 placed contestant in SAINT’s 2023 Fashion Face of the Caribbean competition, working with Pioch-Makurat provided a welcome learning curve.

“This shoot really helped me become more comfortable and move more naturally in front of the camera,” says the 19-year-old model who is also employed as a human resources assistant in the medical records department at the Lionel Town Hospital.

“I enjoyed the energy Patrycja had, she has such a calming vibe and was super easy to work with,” touted Messam, who shot the Spring/Summer 2026 collection lookbook for Jamaican-born, British-based designer Francesca Lake that dropped last year.

Much like Messam, her SAINT peer Sangster had positive feedback on her on-set experience with the Polish shutterbug.

“I would love to shoot with her again. I learned to just move and have fun, and the poses will follow,” shares Sangster, a final-year student at The University of the West Indies, where she is reading for a degree in international relations.

The 21-year-old who has walked for designers Diotima and Meruert Tolegen at New York Fashion Week was pleased to be amongst familiar company for the day-long in the Jamaican coastal town. “Whenever there is more than one SAINT, it’s a family affair. I know immediately that I’m gonna be laughing and having fun, and that’s exactly what happened,” Sangster divulged.

Her modelling agency colleague Del Grande – among the five faces cast for the photoshoot – concurs. “It felt good being around familiarity, and I always enjoy doing projects with my fellow SAINTs. We uplifted each other as the shoot progressed.”

Francesca is a second-generation model. Her mother, Tia-Maria Del Grande, is in SAINT’s canon of Jamaican talent, having been discovered and signed by Peters in the early aughts.

Currently completing business management courses online, Francesca shared that her major takeaway from the Pioch-Makurat-directed shoot was “that some of the best pictures come from capturing a feeling in motion. It helped me learn to flow”.

Fielding a steady stream of requests from overseas photographers for test shoot projects, model-maker Peters remains cognisant of the value proposition of artistic collaboration, and “the experience that international fashion photographers like Patrycja bring to the table”.

“The girls get invaluable insights from shooting with experienced industry professionals and are given the opportunity to build and diversify their model portfolios when they work with overseas photogs. So, it’s a win-win for both the models and the visiting creatives with these projects,” he shared.

Of her recent island jaunt, Pioch-Makurat said: “The trip was more about rest and slowing down for me before a year full of challenges, work and exciting projects.”

Back home in Europe, she misses the taste of Jamaican fare. “I’m the biggest fan of jerk chicken and ackee and salt fish; I could honestly eat it every day.”

As for her final take on the local beauties she photographed, the shutterbug said, “They are strong, talented young women with great potential, and absolutely ready to go out into the world”.

Besides Pioch-Makurat, Peters’ expansive slate of models has been in front of the camera for Italian photog Paolo Zerbini, Jamaican-Canadian filmmaker and lensman Tristan Barrocks and his Ontario-based compatriot Janice Reid, who is also of Jamaican heritage.

lifestyle@gleanerjm.com