One of the things I love in crafting is getting to photograph the finished product. It’s like being with my two loves at the same time. This is also the moment when I get to bask in the glory of what I made especially if the process of making it has been quite tedious and challenging. While I enjoy the process–seeing my imagination slowly come to life–I also feel immense satisfaction at seeing the proof that I have truly created something.
When I photograph what I made, I love styling them because it further draws out my creativity and imagination. I also get to practice my photography skills especially at this time when I am in a some sort of a hiatus from my photojournalism life because of my pregnancy (7 months now!scared and excited at the same time).
I am no styling or photography expert but I just would like to share some tricks that has worked for me so far.
This is a print I made for my maternity shoot. I really wanted to write my daughter’s name in watercolor but my skills failed me so I ended up drawing and doing “cheat calligraphy” with a pen. In styling the detailed shots, I just made use of what I already have like these flowers (freshly picked from our garden) and this board for background.
Since the print has a botanical theme, I experimented with different plants to see what goes well.
In styling, use/explore themes that interests you. In my case, I am inlove with vintage and botanical themes right now so I applied it for this shoot.
Again, you really don’t need to look elsewhere for props and stuff. Just make use of what you have like this vintage magnifying lens that my husband got from his uncle.
A plain background, like white, makes small objects stand out. Including tools or objects that you use in making a certain product also helps the audience understand or get a glimpse of your process.
Use natural light as much as possible. Observe the lighting conditions at different times of the day in your house, office, studio or wherever you work and take most of your photos, and use this lighting to your advantage. It not only enhances the beauty of what you made, it’s also free 🙂
Styling a shoot doesn’t need to be tedious and expensive. Just make use of what you have, experiment with different placement of objects, take it as an exercise in creativity, and most of all, have fun!
Any styling or photography tips and tricks you want to share? I’d love to hear them.
Happy crafting…and styling! 🙂