Social media often gets a bad rap. More often then not there is good that comes from it. I have met other mothers through social media that have become some of my closest friends. I have learned so much about my craft through social media and have met other photographers who support each other and help to build community over competition.
Yes, as a mother I fear what social media will look like when my daughter is old enough to be apart of that world. I fear she will run into people who are hurting in their own lives and take out their pain by being cruel to others as they hide behind a computer screen. Until that time I pray that she grows a thick skin and I instill her a forgiving heart.
I have had the opportunity since having my daughter Sophia to become a part of a wonderful community of mothers and small shop owners in the "Brand Repping" world. For those that may not be familiar with the term, We help to support small handmade shops run by other mammas but buying their products at a discount in exchange for high quality photos of their products "in use". We have be at it for a while and have built up quite a following. (@littlemisssophiaelizabeth has over 3,000 followers on Instagram) We often receive free clothing from these wonderful shops for us to photograph and help to promote their shop. It is a wonderful and supportive community.
Not too long ago I ran across a request for a collaboration from Justine who owns Vannuucci LTD. I looked up her social media sites and I fell in love with her vibe. I contact her about the opportunity and we got to chatting. She is super laid back and so very sweet. A few weeks later I had a package in the mail with 12 amazing pieces of her gemstone jewlery.
I was astonished at the quality and intricate detail of each piece. They were stunning and I knew I had my work cut out for me. I didn't have to work hard to capture the elegance of these pieces. I felt very honored that Justine put such trust in me to capture her collections so I made sure I did my research.
I browsed her website and all of her social media pages. I looked at who was buying her jewelry and how she was styling it. I wanted to make sure I captured the essence of her pieces in the way she would want. Like I mentioned she was super laid back and gave me full creative control.(Dream client) When a client does that, you work even harder for them because you don't want them to second guess their decision.
I worked hard on the wardrobe to make sure it fit the over all feel of her jewelry line. We had about 12 different looks and I was in love with all of them. I made sure they enhanced the pieces but were not distracting.
I planned to meet my model (Jeri) at a local Winery. We felt the location would be ideal for our overall vibe. We did know there was a fall festival going on at the winery but neither of us knew just how busy it would be. As we pulled in there were HUNDREDS of cars. We had to park what felt like a mile away from the winery in a large open field. We had plans to work from the car and walk around to all of the beautiful areas of the location....NOT. We had to quickly think of plan B because lugging all of our wardrobe pieces and equipment was not an option any longer.
So while hundreds of families (including ours) were enjoying the festival at the winery, we were in a huge field with cars surrounding us shooting the jewelry. It was hilarious to see the stares we got from people driving past us. Jeri in her gorgeous dress and me on top of a step stool! Wardrobe changes were strategically planned in between cars passing by and the fall festival hayride that came by us every 8 minutes. It all made for a very fun and memorable shoot.
The images that I captured go down as some of my all time favorites! Jeri is stunning and I am going to try and convince her to shoot all of my product shots for me.
I am looking forward to working with Justine again as her and I had a great vibe. Please take a moment to check out her pieces over at Vannucci Ltd.
Her products are even more stunning in person. I love that here are both elegant and more casual pieces so it caters to everyone.
If you are interested in a product shoot for your business, I'd love to chat with you!