It’s funny you asked, because choosing the lighting for this shoot was something that happened very organically. When I first thought of shooting Holly‘s beautiful designs, I only knew that I wanted to shoot indoors (given that most of the shots from Holly’s previous lookbooks were outdoors) and also, that I wanted to shoot in a romantic setting, in order to accentuate the feminine aesthetic of her work.

As far as location goes, SF Third Floor immediately came to mind. Even though I scouted further and presented different options to Holly, my instinct was right, as she loved the light and bright potential of my original choice. My only reservation though, was that I knew I was going to have to shoot an ivory dress, which in itself is challenging lighting wise, not to mention shooting it against white walls! That is when lighting became a big driving component to the shoot.

Here is how I did it with the help of my amazing assistant:

Back light as the main light – In order to make the ivory dress stand out against the white, I decided to use the natural light flooding through the windows as the main lighting source, “backlighting” the model and highlighting the clothing.

Softening the natural light – We shot during various times of the day, including the hottest hours. So in order to soften the harsh hot light, we used white curtains or white fabric draped and taped over the windows. That was also very helpful to block all the unnecessary details outside the windows, and it created an even “blown out” look behind the model. In essence, with the curtains on, it was as if we were shooting with a giant ‘softbox’ right behind the model.

Strobe light/ Softbox – We then utilized an actual ‘softbox’ which was placed at an angle, to soften any harsh shadows caused by the back light. This also helped us achieve a softer glowy look, which I love. The challenge here was to make sure there was no overexposure of the dress nor the background (given that the background was already pure light). In this sort of situation you really have to trust your eye, as the results can be a bit subjective to taste. Tip & lesson learned: If you’re trying this out when the backlight is not strong enough to be considered the main light, you may end up with your side/front light (strobe/softbox) as your main light source and you will not get the desired glowy effect in the background.

White & Black cards – In addition to the ‘softbox’ we also often utilized a white or black card to either fill out shadows more or to accentuate them as needed for detail.

White Balance – Finally, making sure the white balance was set properly was also important, given that any other color spills would have derailed us from the “soft, white & bright look” I was going for, as well as the true colors of the clothing.

Still leaning, but in general, I’m pretty happy with the results! And I hope this helps you on your next shoot adventure… If you have anything to add, please do! I am always interested in learning more from other photographers’ experiences, ideas and techniques.

Up next, I will answer some of your equipment questions.

Happy shooting!

xo

This is the last post on the series about investing on a website, and at last, I’ll be discussing “when things go south” and “long term investment”.

When things go south:

While I was working on my site, and after I launched it, some of you expressed concerns and asked me “what if” questions, about investing and not getting your money’s worth, choosing the wrong designer and not getting the site that you wanted in the end of the process.

I personally had smooth sailing with my lovely designer, Jo Klima, from The Darling Tree. So I thought that instead of making things up (ha!), I’d have Jo as a guest here, to answer some questions I put together with your doubts in mind. I also encourage you to ask your chosen designer these same questions before you begin working together, in order to avoid disappointment.

AC: Hi Jo! First of all, thank you for being here to offer some advice for those interested in investing on a website. You mentioned to me that disappointment is rare (which is awesome to know!), but in a hypothetical scenario… What happens if a client does not like any of the concepts or revisions agreed upon? What is the next step for you and the client if a redesign is needed?

JK: Most clients who have done some research before briefing me, will have a clear idea of what their design should entail, so the the initial concept is usually approved. (Do your research!). The interesting thing about initially providing a design concept to a client is that if they are not quite happy with that particular design, it gives them a clearer understanding of what they do really want. In this case, a second concept can be created in line with a new brief, which more often than not, will receive great feedback.

AC: What is your advice for someone that is not quite happy with what the designer is coming up with? How can someone best articulate any problems to the designer in order to get things back on track?

JK: If you are not happy with a design to begin with it, that should be communicated straight away, before you request a designer to start making revisions. It might be hard to express this to someone, but it is definitely easier to deal with any issues at first, rather than trying to work on a concept for a length of time, only to still be unhappy and possibly scrap the concept. If you do request revisions on a concept that isn’t used, you may be charged for some revisions or to begin a new concept. (Don’t wait to speak your mind! Read part 4 of the series!)

AC: Do you work with a kill fee in case your client wants to pull out of the deal halfway through the project?

JK: This would differ for each client, it would depend on when they decided to withdraw from the project and also, which were the circumstances surrounding the situation. But as a general rule, the 50% deposit paid on the work completed to the date of the withdraw would not be refunded. It’s very uncommon for this to occur, but if a client does decide to change direction, we can always discuss and work on a new solution.

AC: What are your top 3 tips for folks that never worked with a designer and want to ensure a successful partnership?

JK: Here are 3 suggestions:

1. Understand that most designers cannot provide a quote at first contact without knowing any details about your project. Be prepared to provide some information about what your project entails, and do some research to have some initial ideas as a way of beginning discussions with your designer. (Read part 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of this series to prepare!)

2. When a designer works on a design concept, they have usually tried and tested many different color combinations and layout variations before sending you the concept to review. If you only have a couple revisions included in your agreement (before extra charges are applied), be clever with this time and trust that your designer has worked through many ideas to make choices in favor of the design.

3. Try to be as clear as possible at the beginning of a project, every client and website is different and designers try their best to interpret your ideas and suggestions. It’s a collaboration and without clear communication it is more difficult to arrive at the right solution for you or your business. (Read part 4 of this series!)

AC: Thank you so much for your answers, Jo. I’m sure that after reading this, everyone can feel much better about how to approach their design project and the partnership with their designer.

Long term investment:

Finally, I just want to offer up a personal take on this whole process. When I went down this path, I had no idea what was waiting for me… I just wanted a site to display my work, but what I got out of it is so much more: a business identity, new excitement about my work, a sense of pride and accomplishment, a new community, a certain ease about getting things done by a specialist, a higher understanding and respect for graphic/ web designers & programmers, and mostly, tons of inspiration to keep going and growing. As I said in the beginning of this series and in my very first post, a website represents a place to grow. It is not something you can pay a one time fee and be done with. At least, not if you plan on keeping people engaged and interested in your work! Keep it current and keep it fresh. Enjoy the journey!

Wishing you much luck ~

xo

And we are now onto some photography posts! Oyeeeeee! I miss that! Some of you asked me about my lighting for the recent Holly Stalder shoot, about equipment and also about becoming an assistant.

So coming up next: “Light, bright and soft” (my lighting choices for the Holly Stalder shoot)

(Feel free to keep sending me emails about what you’d like me to write about. I love that!)