As a Designer and Decorator, it is very important for us to keep a portfolio of our work….after all, it’s not enough to TELL people what we do, we need to SHOW them. We don’t photograph every job, however, there are those jobs that stand out, and we want to capture the end result. The best way for us to do this is to hire a professional photographer, style the space and schedule a photo shoot.
I really love setting up for photo shoots! It gives us the time on a job to ensure it looks like we envisioned it when we began. It also gives the client a chance to see their home through our eyes.
What’s involved in a photo shoot? It’s an all-hands-on-deck effort. M Designs “styles” the space prior to the shoot. As you can imagine, people live in their homes and they NEVER look like the photograph on a daily basis. However, we need to have lots of prep time in advance to prepare the space. We work with the photographer to style the shot and though I would love to hire a stylist on each shoot, most of the time, we style our own shots. This includes providing props, which could include fruits, veggies, or food items for a kitchen shot, perhaps dishes and linens for a dining room shot, linens for bedrooms and bathrooms, and pillows and accessories for living areas, and ALWAYS fresh flowers. We select items that would coordinate with accessories that are already in the space and make that photo come to life!
Once the shopping is finished, we arrive at the client’s home and proceed to “style” the space, putting each accessory in just the perfect place….sometimes moving items many times before the perfect shot can be captured. This step happens 2-3 days before the shoot so we can take test shots to see what is still missing, or what needs to be edited out.
We work with a professional photographer on each shoot. We also work with our builder and remodeler clients to style their photo shoots for their photographers as well. I highly recommend working with a professional for a number of reasons. First, they are extremely experienced in lighting a shot. This entails a number of lighting elements, from actual lights, to reflectors, to standing outside a window and shading it while we take a shot. Secondly, they can instantly tell you which shots will be the best and what will be the best angle to show your work. We have often moved a piece of furniture 2 inches while they stand at the camera and check the shot for accuracy. Lastly, our photographer does clean up in Photoshop at the end of the shoot. This involves removing ceiling fans or plugs that are distracting, adjusting color to match a sample on fabrics, and taking out shadows that we weren’t able to remove in the field.
When you work with a professional team such as we do, it makes our job easier. Without great photography, you aren’t able to show your work in its best light. As designers, that is our calling card, and we are only as good as our last photo shoot, so we need to constantly document our latest projects. Photo shoots are a lot of work, but they are fun, and the end result is always fabulous!
