Time for Some Spring Cleaning – Part 1
A lot of prep work goes into our Aviva Project mini session fundraising events and we thought we would give you a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes.
The process starts with knowing our dates well in advance so we can brainstorm and plan the design for the set.
In the case of the spring event, we knew the moveable wall needed a facelift. Richard, Liz’s husband, had built this wall years ago and is super handy to have in the studio. It gives us 2 large backdrops to work with for our set designs. But the one side was wallpapered with brick that was peeling and the other side needed a fresh new look.
Having a background in set painting and design, I was keen to jump up the ladder and get my hands dirty with paint.
Once we have a direction in mind, out to the stores we go to look for props. We have discovered it is not easy to find items we need in the off season which is typically the case as we need to plan these events well in advance.
The flowers for this spring set were painstakingly hot glued in individual garlands that we strung from the moveable wall. These blurred beautifully in the background of photos.
Then we gathered all the pieces together to stage the set, starting with laying out the white wooden floor. We added the bench for a variety of looks. The white rug draped on the bench added texture for interest. And the vintage watering can with magnolias was brought in to add depth in the photographs.
Staging a photography set requires skills in composition and knowledge of light. Once it was all pulled together, we sat where the photos were taken and looked through our hands to visually crop the setting so we knew how it would look through a lens.
We were happy with the outcome and had achieved our original vision.
And now on to taking some promotional photos on our spring set. Stay tuned on our blog for our post Time for Some Spring Photos – Part 2.
For more information on our Aviva Project Spring Event click here. I am sure the photo session spots will book up fast, so be sure to save your spot.
