I was a prop stylist for a day while also art directing a photo shoot for one of my clients. This doesn't happen that often. Normally, a professional stylist is hired for the shoot, but due to a tight budget, my client wanted me to shop for props for a "modern cool" look to go with his beautiful bamboo shades. Since I love to shop for unique things for my studio and home, how difficult can shopping for props be? So I did quick sketches, made a list and then ventured out to two of my favorite stores, TJ Maxx and Marshalls. What began as a fun shopping spree quickly turned into a very long afternoon. I now truly understand why stylists charge what they do because it's more work than you would think! And Emily Henderson from "Secrets of a Stylist" makes it look so easy! My final selections are shown above with the color palette I was going after.
My goal was to add contrast and color to the dark bamboo shades along with telling a story for each widow vignette that was shot. There wasn't much wall space so the artwork wasn't even used. Overall the shoot went well but if I had to do it over again, I would have layered each shot more with texture and colors. And a chair or bench would have been perfect to use for layering accessories but I had no more room in my SUV! The final photos are shown below and will be used only on the web site. They still need some minor retouching and brick will be added to one of the bottom shots to give it more of a loft feel. Isn't photoshop wonderful!
What would you have done differently?
You styled them beautifully Maryanne!
ReplyDeleteAnd you are correct.......clients often don't realize the work it takes to acquire props and set it all up.