Wall Art Photo Shoot

It was just before 10am when I walked into Tiffany’s house. We had a lot on our checklist and today’s item was to shoot product. Sounds like a dream, let’s do this!

Rearranging and staging are some of my favorite things to do. In fact, I rearrange my house and décor weekly. My husband travels for work and sometimes he’ll come home to a completely different house. I am talking switching bedrooms around. “No honey, we are actually down the hall now.” I’ll get a thought in my head like “oh, if I put the TV on this wall I can gain some space over on the other wall”. Then before you know it, there is a chain of movements and I end up with my sofa in the middle of the room, book shelves are emptied and my stuff is everywhere. I love every second of it and think of the room as a large jigsaw puzzle and my furniture, wall art and accessories are the pieces.

Back at Tiff’s, I don’t think I wasted 5 seconds. I got right to it. Heather came by to help out and brought some of her Boutique Frames and Large Prints to feature is some of the images. Her frames are full with her little angels.  Tiffany has an awesome house for this type of photo shoot. She has hardwood floors that make it easy for sliding furniture plus great for a neutral color. Not to mention a great collection of ornate furniture and props.

After going through the product we had to capture, I had to try and create settings that were simple enough to showcase the artwork but also stylish and nice to look at to pull you into the scene and help you picture your family in the artwork.

There is quite a difference between rearranging at room in your house and setting a scene to be photographed. For instance when arranging a home you have to make a functional space. While setting up a scene to be photographed you have to keep in mind the different angles that will be captured. Some things have to be slightly angled in order for the product to be seen and featured through the lens. The set up might not make sense in person, but translates through the camera.

We had a couple goals when doing the photo shoot. One was to show product. Two was to show size comparison. Three was to give you a better idea of how to display your artwork. It is hard for some to picture the finished product. It is our job to show clients how lovely it is to hang a beautiful memory on the wall for everyone to see.

Our first shot was a living room. We want to show how to utilize the wall behind your sofa. To show how multiple pictures together can make an impressive scene. I made it simple with the sofa flanked on either side with a basic small table setting. I loved that both the wall color and sofa color are similar. I did not want the sofa to “pop” off the wall. I want your attention to go towards the artwork. I think that translated.

We brought in the table to showcase the different books and print boxes we offer. Those images give you a great size comparison when trying to decide what size book is right for you. When the product is captured alone with no other reference to size, it’s hard to picture how much space it will take up in your home on your table.

All wall space is different so it was important to show a couple images where one statement piece of artwork will do perfectly. We did that with the three girly vignettes; a dress ups dream, comfy nook and a changing table to die for. In the nook for instance, I tried to make it look warm and inviting while making you feel at home. The pale pink frame made me feel relaxed and comfortable. I helped express that by using thick textured blankets and a soft teddy.

The changing table to me is one of the best shots we got that night. It featured the 16×20 Boutique frame and I have to say, I have that frame over my fireplace. It has one of my wedding pictures in it. (I am sure you will end up seeing it in one of my future blogs.) It is impressive. To have this little angel’s picture in it hanging over the changing table is perfection to me. You spend a lot of Mommy-Baby time at the changing table and every day that goes by they get bigger and bigger. What a great way to never forget that adorable little baby face.

I switched a couple props around to turn the girly changing table into a baby boy heaven. Because the wall and props are all shades of blue it makes the white blanket stand out making a little comfy cloud for him to lie on. I put the darkest blue frame on the top and balanced it out with a dark blue blanket in the basket on the opposite side below. That blanket draws your attention back into the scene. By keeping your eyes in the scene I try to make you feel at home in turn making it easier to picture the product in your own space, with your own images.

The last display of the night was the dining room. At this point in the night we have Tiffany’s house upside down and inside out. Her sofa was in her dining room and she had her studio torn apart with props everywhere. We are non-stop and now it is almost 11pm. But I have to say we were full of energy. We knew we were capturing such good images of our products and getting better and better with each scene. There were two sets of products to show with this scene. Tiffany’s wedding spread in canvas and metal. Also Heather’s girls in print and 16×20 boutique frame. The wedding pictures I used for a more formal dining room setting. Although not setting the table completely, I left the feeling that the picture was being lived in at that moment.

I used the girls in a more informal light. There are some who have dining rooms strictly for special dinners and some, like myself, who use the dining room table for crafts, coloring and family game night.

By the end of the night we had accomplished everything we set out to. We got a lot of things crossed off our list and are closer to our end goal, which is to sell this wonderful product to our clients so they too can make their very own special place in their home to feature their beautiful family. If you have had a session with Tiff in the past few months, you’ll be hearing from us very soon to tell you all about this product!

Thanks for reading,

Tina