Last week I wrote about what it was like to work with a stylist, and this week I wanted to share about the photoshoot itself. I’ve hired photographers a couple of times to take pictures of my chairs or my house, but I’ve never used one for my brand. I met Abby from Abby Grace Photography back in May, and it seems that we immediately decided this was something we were going to do together.

For a branded shoot, there was a lot of prep work ahead of time. I met with Abby several times and filled out questionnaires about my brand and myself. She wanted to capture the story of my business and tell it through the photos. For example, my kitchen is my office. It’s where I work, so to her it was important to plan shots for that spot showing how I work.

Based on our conversations, she came up with three categories to photograph: designer, artisan, and educator. From there, she researched my home and made a detailed shot list to show this story through the pictures. Then, she worked with my stylist who planned my outfits for the shoot. Finally, she scheduled the day and what would be shot.

Where we started really had a lot to do with the lighting in different parts of the house and my studio. Her assistant helped with everything like holding props, opening doors for more light, and keeping us all well watered.

Just as in most shoots, there was a little mess behind the scenes, but really not as bad as in previous shoots. We moved stuff around, had some great off-the-cuff ideas, and generally had a good time.

Most shots were planned, but then sometimes inspiration took over and magic happened. Here’s Abby showing me a good picture.

We sweated outside and in my camper, but cooled off inside my house.

It was helpful to know how to stand, where to put my hands, where to look. She directed me like it was a movie and her job was to make me look realistic and good. It was really effortless on my part…I showed up and did what she said.

I cannot wait to see all the final pics, these are just behind the scenes and a few previews. What will I do with these photos? I’ll be refreshing my website so I can tell the story of Chair Whimsy a little better. I’ll post on social media and use them for publicity in podcasts, magazines, TV and other things. I can’t wait for you to see them!