Local photographer showcases SPCA Op Shops with official photoshoot

A visit by a local photographer to our SPCA Op Shop in Whangaparāoa sparked an idea.

Paul Belli, an Auckland-based photographer, was exploring the shop and noticed the high-quality clothing options available.

“I was initially going around different op shops to look for little dresses for my daughters,” Paul says. “It was when I visited the Stanmore Bay store and saw the amazing wedding dress and ball gowns - that sparked the idea of enquiring about using the gowns for an editorial-style photoshoot.”

Having always been a supporter of SPCA, Paul kindly offered to utilise his professional photography skills to help showcase the value, style and sustainability of op shopping with us.

“I thought we could use a model and a few of the gowns to help promote SPCA’s ‘hidden gems’, and of course get some top-quality content! The gowns idea was to get content before school ball season arrived.”

Our teams were thrilled with Paul’s idea, and work began to turn the idea into reality.

“It was a logistical and organisational challenge from my side,” Paul says. “My original idea was to use one model, and shoot either indoors in a selected Op Shop, or outdoors. This concept grew to include three adult models, two child models, and four superstar dog models too!”

Paul collaborated with Tess Watson from the SPCA Marketing Team to organise the shoot plan and call sheet for the day. After liaising with three models (Sarah, Nariah and Laura), the shoot was held at SPCA’s Hobsonville Centre – which made it much easier with the dog models already on site.

The shoot focused on everything from everyday affordable outfits through to designer pieces, accessories, kids wear and the newly-launched SPCA merchandise. To highlight the value that can be found in-store, the team styled complete outfits across three price tiers: under $40, under $80 and under $150, showcasing that great fashion can be found at every budget. 

“It ended up being a great three-tier show,” Paul says. “Each model had three outfits within their designated price range tier, to show off the potential outfits that customers can put together on a budget.”

The SPCA team are thrilled with the results of the shoot. Tess Watson noted how helpful the professional photos could be in boosting sales.

"Sales from our Op Shops are critical in raising funds for the animals in our care, and we knew that professional photos could really get our shops more attention,” Tess says. “As every item is unique, it can sometimes be challenging to showcase the incredible range of fashion and hidden treasures we have available. These professional photos will help our content really stand out and inspire more people to discover what our SPCA Op Shops in particular have to offer."

“Paul’s work was fantastic, and will help shine a spotlight on our shops to keep drawing in customers. At the end of the day, the more people we can get donating items and purchasing from our Op Shops, the more animals we can help.”

Paul was happy to get on board with a national campaign.

“I jumped at the opportunity,” Paul says. “Being able to donate my time and photography to speak for animals who don't have a voice and who rely on that extra bit of community support, made this an incredibly meaningful project to bring to life." 

If you’d like to shop sustainably while supporting animals in need at the same time, you can find your nearest SPCA Op Shop on our site – or shop online and get delivery right to your door.

SPCA would like to thank the incredible group of people who generously volunteered their time and expertise to make this photoshoot happen:

Volunteer Photographer

• Paul Belli 

Volunteer Models

• Sarah McDonough 

• Laura Gordillo 

• Nariah Tikinau

• Iman 

• Cooper & Ben