Photo Shoot

Good Morning on this rainy day in the Southeast.  It's the perfect day for blogging, caffe' latte, and Dave, Tim and John;)

Watch and listen to Dave and Tim #41 here.

and Ants Marching

and John Mayer, Free Fallin'

We had an exciting day here last Friday with a photo shoot for The Cottage Journal book-azine. It's a darn good thing I left town over New Year's with my Christmas still up, because when I got back, I had a happy message from Lauren saying that they loved our house and want to feature it in the 2013 Christmas issue.  Thank goodness our tree was still standing (and alive!), after a week without water.  PIKE's Nursery rocks!  I will never buy a tree anywhere else.

So last week was spent cleaning like a mad woman, and refreshing all of the greens (for which thankfully they gave me a handsome budget).  I cannot spoil the feature with photos, but I can give you a glimpse of the behind the scenes....

LAUREN and JAY hard at work.

So much goes into getting print-worthy pictures.  We worked hard from 9:30-5:00 to produce 16 perfect images.  Here are some things I learned along the way:

1.  A good interior's photographer needs to be a stylist and designer as well.  Lauren obviously has extraordinary technical ability, but her keen eye and designer's perspective are what gives her work an edge.   Check out her amazing website here.  If you are a designer, I highly recommend her services to sell your work.

2.  What looks good in person will probably look cluttered and out of proportion on camera.  We moved so much furniture out of the way that it looked like a bomb went off!  Three hundred pound coffee tables and dining tables were moved 2-3 feet off center to perfect the vantage point. And the amazing thing is that they then looked perfectly centered on the monitor!

3.  Lighting is EVERYTHING. Lights off. Doors open. Every photographer loves a rainy day. Jay, Lauren's assistant, was a master at bouncing light off the ceiling in adjoining rooms to create the perfect ambiance.  He used reflectors (above), to bounce light where there was none.  It takes a village.

4.  The 20% rule. Most magazines will not to feature a home that has already been published or blasted on blogs and Pinterest. Lauren said if you change 20% of the content in the image, it is still acceptable.  We did just that, and now I have some non-Christmas shots to feature on my upcoming website.

5.  It's true, color POPS! Editor Lisa Mowry likes to preach this, but we as homeowners and designers are so drawn to calming neutrals. Although our white bedroom worked because of dark iron contrasts, lots of texture, and fresh greens, it was Luca's RED room that really stood out. I remember this to be true as well with the 2012 Southern Living Inspiration House.  I died over that house in person...exactly the type of space I covet. What a disappointment in print, though!  The neutral fabrics and walls disappeared, making it a total page turner..so, so sorry to say.

6. Embrace difficult dogs. Our Golden Retriever, Dixie, loves a party.  She was wanting to be the center of attention, so Lauren tied a big white taffeta bow on her, and there she sat like the Queen of England for what turned out to be my favorite shot.

What fun we had!  The wait will be worth it, and I will be sure to inform the world when we get published.

Tomorrow I am off to take pictures of another project in Buckhead with a point and shoot, and my newly acquired tricks in my bag.  Wish me luck, and pray for rain:)

CIAO BELLI,
LISA