What You Can Expect on Photoshoot Day!
Celebrity Interior Designer Nikki Chu in her stunning Texas home renovation.
Photo credit: Stacy Markow Photography
Odds are you’ve spent most of the week in the throes of prepping for your upcoming interiors photography session with me. While it can be quite stressful if not prepared, here’s an overview of what you can expect based on my prior sessions with clients.
Best Practices:
To start the session off on a positive note, I surprise my client (and my assistant) with coffee when I arrive (my hospitality career trained me to surprise and delight at every turn).
We will walk through the spaces to be photographed once I arrive. I advise my clients to have at least two rooms ready to go by my start time, and make sure those rooms are facing east so we can jump right in and take advantage of the beautiful morning light.
I usually take my shoes off while I’m indoors.
I clean and prep my equipment and the night before, and will double check my light stands and add padding to protect delicate surfaces
If I move anything for styling, I’ll take an iPhone reference photo so you can put things back where you found it.
My Booking Process:
In the days leading up to our photoshoot, we’ll speak on the phone and discuss your project in greater detail, we’ll schedule your session, and you’ll receive my pricing proposal and contract. Once those are signed you’ll pay a retainer invoice to secure your photography date. You’ll receive a series of guides from me on the best ways to prepare for your session, leaving nothing to chance.
Shoot Day - Walk Through:
I’m a bit extra, so before our photoshoot I’ll ask for iPhone photos and a walk through iPhone video of the project, so I can gauge what spaces we are planning to photograph, how they connect to one another, and put together a composition + styling plan. Once I determine what direction the light is coming from, I’ll recommend two rooms you should have fully styled and ready to go before I show up. Once I arrive at the session, we will start collaborating right away by quickly walking through the spaces to be photographed together, so we can take advantage of the beautiful morning light.
Shoot Day - Styling:
I always ask what your styling plan is, because it’s one of the most important parts to making the photos look as good as they can. To make it easier, I use Camranger, which allows me to tether my camera to my iPad. This helps us see the image on a much larger scale. We can zoom in and check the focus, discuss which adjustments should be made, remove distracting elements, make subtle composition tweaks, and see if I need to do any cleaning or sweeping (water spots and smudges do not Photoshop out easily).
You will take the lead on styling, as I will be focusing on the technical elements of photography, but I’m always happy to offer some input, and art direction if you’re feeling unsure or stuck. We are telling the brand story you have in mind, so you will be in the driver’s seat. You’ll have a co-pilot in me to help guide you and advise you, should you want it.
iPhone photo of the beautiful laundry room in designer Brittney Lane’s home. We knew we wanted to showcase the beautiful cabinet color and flooring she chose when she designed the space.
During our styling consultation we chose our styling elements, and added Libby, her mini Australian Shepherd in the sink because we knew that adorable face would really steal the show.
My Thoughts on Hiring an Interior Stylist:
I personally love using stylists. They are absolute magicians at understanding how the camera reads the space. If you are pitching your project for publication, I can’t recommend using one enough. They arrange flowers, position furniture/decor, source unique items to make every inch of a space look perfectly unfussy yet lived in and full of visual interest. I have built working relationships with stylists and florists in our area, so if this is something you’d like to add I’ve got you covered.
Designer Portraits
At every photoshoot, consider getting a new portrait or lifestyle shots of you in the design. If you renovated an entire home for a family and they’re comfortable with the idea, let’s get their photos as well. Capturing you in your designs will really showcase your unique design style to the world. This is great content for your social media channels and really goes far in media submissions.
Maximizing your Photography Budget: Cost Sharing
You always hear “less is more” and the single greatest way to pay less AND get more photos is by cost sharing your project with others. This is a common and very valuable practice, I always advocate my clients to talk to everyone who worked on the project alongside them (architect, general contractor, landscape architect, homeowner, etc), to see if they would like to purchase a license so they can use the photos for their marketing purposes. By splitting the cost of the photoshoot with other parties, you’re maximizing the number of images you get, while lowering the overall photoshoot costs substantially. This really helps to stretch your annual photography budget.
Stacy Markow is a former sommelier turned Interiors & Commercial Architecture Photographer servicing design clients across the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex. Not only can I capture the beauty of your next interior design project for your portfolio, I can also help you celebrate reaching the finish line by choosing the perfect bottle of Champagne.
For more information on Stacy’s services, or to see more of my photography work, you can visit my website at www.stacymarkow.com
