EP #65 | How to Style an Interior Photoshoot for Magazines

Welcome to the Designers Oasis podcast. I'm your host, Kate Bendewald. If you're tired of one-size-fits-all all advice to running your interior design business, you're in the right place. Join me each week as we dive into topics to help you run a thriving interior design business. Without the hustle. We'll talk about the business of design, but also mindset and mental health because I know when you thrive, so will your life and business. It wasn't that long ago that I stepped away from my corporate interior design job to build my own design business so that I could realize my own creative dreams, have more time with the people I love, and serve my clients at the highest level, while making more money than I ever could have working for someone else. It wasn't always easy, and I made my share of mistakes along the way. Fast forward to today. And I've learned a thing or two. Since then I've built multiple six-figure interior design businesses on authentic word-of-mouth referrals with many repeat clients. And I want to share it all with you the ambitious, inspired, and I get it occasionally overwhelmed interior designer who shares this dream of transforming lives through the art of interior design, You can do this. Thank you for letting me spend part of this day with you. Let's get to it.

Well, hello there. And welcome back to the designers Oasis podcast. I'm your host, Kate Bendewald. And I am so excited to be talking about something really kind of fun. Today, we're gonna be talking about how to style a interior design project for a photoshoot for your portfolio for magazines. So earlier this month, I had a three day photo shoot blitz was three projects shot in three days. And typically, I would never do that because a single photo shoot takes a lot of work. But it was just a timing and a situational thing that we had to get them done. And I'm so grateful that we did it all because I was just able to put all my energy and my mindset on these three things for a little while. But now they're done. I've got the pictures back and I'm getting ready to work on promoting them. But as I was going through this process, as I was planning for it, as I was preparing for it, there were so many little things that I kept thinking about that I was like, Oh, I'd love to share some of these, these tips and insights and strategies, because I've done a lot of photoshoots over the years for my portfolio. You know, I'm always learning, I'm always discovering new ways of doing things. But there's a handful of things that are just tried and true things that I know must get done, and I know has to happen. So today, we're not only going to talk about the styling aspect of styling, your shoots, but also, there's so much work that goes into preparing for a photo shoot, they are an investment, I cannot emphasize enough how beneficial it is for you to invest in professional photos for your projects. And yes, they're an investment.

Hopefully you are building in that kind of margin on your project so that the margin on your projects is actually going to cover the cost of your photographer. I'll be honest, in the early days, I wasn't there yet, but I still knew that it was important to get those photos so I just charged that those fees to my marketing budget. And that's just how I did it in the early days. And now I'm at a place where you know, we have enough profit, we have enough margin on every single project that we can easily cover and pay for our our professional photographer for assistants to help me during photoshoots for you know, the additional things like floral botanicals that happen that come into a shoot those kind of things that you just have to purchase and you don't get to keep them but you do get to enjoy them for a while. So we're gonna get into all of that right now. So the first thing I want us to I want to just mention is that I'm going to talk today with the assumption that you are working with a professional photographer. Now, if you have not done that before, I highly recommend that you go back and To listen to I will link it in the show notes. And I don't know off the top of my head, which episode it is. But I did a really great interview with my interior photographer, Jeff Jones, he is phenomenal. He is so good. And so we talk about the process of searching for interviewing, hiring and working with a professional photographer. So we'll be sure to link to that in the show notes. If you need to put pause on this and go back to listen to that episode and come back to this episode, you're welcome to or you can listen to it afterwards.

In any case, I'm going to be talking about all of this today, with the assumption that you were working with a photographer, you're not doing cell phone pictures, you know, from time to time, those are fine for social media, I think they're really great for showing process pictures or behind the scenes. But when you're trying to share that final project, and definitely, if you are aiming to get your work published in any sort of a magazine or an online press, you really do need to be working with a professional. So Alright, so let's let's move on a couple of quick things. When it comes to planning a photoshoot, I don't want you to be in a hurry, you need to have time to of course hire and find your photographer and then hopefully have a good working relationship. And then it'll be easier after that to hire them again. But also, to plan for it, you need to find dates for the photoshoot that are going to work for not only you and your photographer, but you really do want to ask your clients to be gone for the day. And so it needs to be a date where they have the ability and flexibility to be gone for an entire day or at least a half a day, especially for obviously residential projects. If you're working in commercial environments, you're gonna have to work with them to understand what are what are your options, can you work with them?

Do you are you going to have to fit this photoshoot in before opening or operating hours, those kinds of things. So there's some coordination that has to happen. First. In residential projects, here's why it's so important to ask your clients to be gone. And this is especially important if you're shooting multiple spaces. If you're just shooting one room, let's say you did a big kitchen renovation, you might be able to get away with them being there. But the reality is, the place is gonna look like kind of a mess behind the scenes. And I'm pretty sure he took a couple of behind the scenes photos from our last photo shoot. So if I can find those, I'll share those in the notes so that you can kind of see like, well, what does it actually look behind the camera, because you're going to be moving a lot of stuff around moving a lot of the clients personal things out of the way. And it can feel a little bit assuming that the house is a home is occupied. And it can feel a little bit invasive. And so you know, it's nice to be able to do that and not feel like you need to apologize for everything or explain. So you can just stay focused on the work that you you need to do. I will say there's an exception to everything one of my photoshoots I had a client that works from home at single guy, cool as a cucumber, he doesn't have a bunch of kids, he doesn't have a whole lot of stuff to clean up or move around prior to although there was putting stuff away to move around. But he wanted to work from home and he wanted to see what it was like and be a part of it. And he had so much fun and he helped out which was so cool. But that is definitely the exception, not the rule. So you're the best person to understand what your relationship is like with your client, the scope, how much work has to be done, how much time it's gonna have to be moved to that kind of thing.

So, again, don't be in a hurry, I plan to spend some time planning on figuring out the date and then moving from there. So once you've got your date set aside, you you want to first understand is this going to be a half day shoot or full day shoot and you'll you'll work with your photographer to understand how long it's going to take. Most photographers offer a full day and a half day options. You want to ask them how many shots can I expect out of a half day or a full day, because that's going to help you sort of plan your shortlist, which we're gonna get to in a minute. Another thing that I just want to mention before we move into the actual planning is, I highly recommend you work with a natural light photographer. Typically in architectural and interior design photography, the interior lights are not turned on. If you don't believe me, open up your Instagram, go to your favorite designer and just look at their interiors and nine times out of 10 lights are not on. Like I said, Don't send me hate mail. There's an exception to everything. Sometimes leaving the lights on is a stylistic choice in interior photography, but that's not typical. Compare that to say real estate photographer. They turn it all on, but they are also using wide angle lenses, that sort of thing. It's a very different type of photography, real estate photography than doing interior design photography. So make sure that you're working with a photographer that specializes in interior design, photography, and typically they're going to be a lights off photographer and utilize now natural light.

Okay, if you want to learn more about that, I encourage you to go back and listen to our interview with Jeff Jones. And again, we'll be sure to link to that in the show notes, you've got your photographer and you've got your photography date set aside. The first thing you want to do is you want to start by doing a scouting trip to the property to the home to the project to develop your shot list. Now, there have been a couple of times where I've already accessorized a home and I've I've gone through the accessories process, sometimes the photoshoot goes hand in hand with that. So you might be doing a lot of accessorizing while you're doing your photo shoot process. And sometimes not, it just depends. I've done it both ways, for various reasons. But some of what you hear me talk about today when it comes to accessorizing. And styling is also going to apply if you're doing that final step of accessorizing and styling a client's home. So some of this may have already been done, or you may do it in coordination with your photoshoot. Okay, so you want to come up with your shot list, I will go to a project and I will take my phone and I will literally move around the space and sort of figure out what angles I'm going to want the photographer to capture, you're going to want a mix of full room shots. And you will also want to include a few detail or vignette shots. So think about how you might build that out. So think about your big overall pictures.

Typically landscape is how we shoot for magazines, whereas portrait is oftentimes used for digital and social media. So you also want a mix of those. But it's really important to think about your intention, what do you intend to do with these photos, if getting them published in a magazine as your primary focus is your priority, then you're going to want to really focus on those wide angle landscape shots. But don't forget to go ahead and get some of those portrait shots. Some of those close up some of those detail shots and vignette shots. I also want you to think about and consider the lighting throughout the day. So some harsh lighting, you know, can can pose some challenges, but your photographer, a good one is going to have filters and all kinds of things to get the lighting just right. So really, you just want to think about when does the space get the best lighting. And, you know, you might even do your scouting trip with your photographer, if that's something that they're open to. And they can sort of think about, you know, we might do better shooting this place in the afternoon versus in the morning. So think about lighting and how it moves throughout the day. Once you get your shot list, I like to just put it in a Google Doc and put in put it in order of my priorities because you know, there's going to be a couple of money shots like the ones that are just gonna be like, Oh, chef's kiss, so beautiful. And you want to make sure that you're spending the most time on those and you're really getting it right. And then there might be some spaces or areas that were less of a priority, maybe you didn't put a whole lot of work or effort into them. But still you transform them and you want to get them put those lower on the list. So when you're developing your shot list, you can focus on your priority spaces first. Now this next step is planning my styling. Now I'm a planner by nature, and some of it is very planned, it's really thought through and some of it is just intuition. And I just bring a whole lot of stuff on it kind of see what works. The day up. It's a mix, but I do like to put in some time planning in advance. So a couple of things that I do is I start with getting inspiration. If let's say I'm doing a kitchen, I know I've done this, I've got all the Pinterest board saving, saving listings, but I will go through Pinterest was my favorite. And I will look at some of my favorite designers and how have they styled spaces. I think about the mood and the vibe and the feeling and the context of this of my particular project and what how do I want it to feel how do I want it to come across? Do I want it to be light, bright energizing or do I want it to be moody and in sort of dark and ambient? From there? I'll sort of think about what else might I need to style this shot with.

Okay, so I'll open my books, I will get on Pinterest and I will really dig in to getting inspired and thinking about what it is that I might want. And alongside that, I've got a little note and I am typing out a shopping list. Okay, what do I need for this shot? What do I what do I already have that I can use because yes, I've got a closet full of styling accessories. But also I will often purchase some additional things, some new things that I will offer to the client to keep if they want and protip nine times out of 10 they end up keeping those items and there's very little to return. Just a Hence, if I've already really fully accessorized the place, which was the case, for one of my projects that I just did this month, it had been fully accessory. So there's really very little to add to it for that photoshoot. But then the other one. One of the other ones was we did a Well, anyway, long story short, it needed that last layer, it needed that last layer of art, soft goods, accessories, those kinds of things. And so there was a lot more effort done on that. So it just depends project by project how it might be. So anyway, I'm getting inspired, I'm making my list. And one trick that I like to do, and if I haven't already accessorized a plate of places is definitely where I start. But I will print out in black and white and at 50% opacity, so I'll throw it into Canva. I'll drop in my cell phone, picture, my that I got from my shot list. I'll drop it into Canva. And I'll reduce it to 50% opacity and I'll print it out. And the reason I printed out to 50% opacity, one it takes less ink to it allows me to draw on top of the picture. And so once I print them out, let's say I've got a living room vignette, I will sketch on that coffee table, for example. Okay, I want to try I want a big huge branch arrangement, we're going to need some books on this console table, we're going to need some additional cushions or pillows on this couch, we're going to need a throw blanket for these chairs. If it's a kitchen, okay, we want to get a big vase for the island, we want to you know, and I'll just sort of sketch out what it is that I'm thinking about visual act really well, first of all, it's fun, but it also helps me come up with my shopping list.

So between getting inspired with your books and Pinterest, and printing out and sketching over your photos, you can really come up with a strong shopping list, you might be shopping for botanicals, you're gonna need lots of botanicals for your photos, branches, floral sleeves, we'll get into that here in just a little bit. in sort of a kitchen or dining space. Oftentimes you might be purchasing food and produce to really bring some life and color into it. When you're shooting for Well, I say magazine for really anything for your portfolio, I really like to shoot from a lifestyle lens. That's different than shooting for and styling for, let's say, real estate or even architecture. Because we are interior designers, we're selling a lifestyle, we're selling a vibe, a feeling a mood. And so in those shoots, I want to bring in objects and life that is going to bring the image to life that's going to bring the space to life. And so we'll get into that more when I specifically start talking about how to style spaces. But you see you want to you want to bring those kinds of objects in because it wants to feel authentic, it wants to feel lived in and not overly produced. You know, that's, that's my approach to styling for my photoshoots for anytime we're doing them, regardless of what it's for, whether it's for my portfolio only, or whether I think I want to try to get it published. That sort of thing. Before we get into styling, I just want to mention this last sort of like logistical piece. You want to really prepare yourself and prepare the space before your photographer arrives. Their time you're paying for their time. And so you don't want to be styling or putting a space together. When they're getting there, you want to have at least one space fully ready to start shooting or right away. So if you don't have access to the home the day before, we did three shoots and three days. So I'm gonna talk about those specifically, all three were pretty much Whole Home photo shoot. And so one of my clients, the one that didn't help me on a photo shoot, they actually got out of town for the weekend, they because they had kids and they were like this place is going to be best. So they were so generous, they had their house cleaned, and then they left for the whole weekend, giving me access to the house and to be able to do that. That was incredibly generous. I didn't ask them to do that. But I was so grateful that they did. So we were able to go in the day before, prep the house for the most part so that we could get started with our photographer the next morning. If you don't have that kind of time, you want to see how early can you get in there so that you can start to prep the space so that you have at least one full space fully ready to go. I highly, highly, highly recommend having an assistant. This could be literally anybody I hired this time that go around because I'm not working with any assistance right now. Our babysitter and she was phenomenal. And she came in and here's what she helps me to do. So when you come in when you're getting started, you're gonna start to pull away and move away all electronics, all cords, all unnecessary items you want to completely clean slate to start off with, right?

So we like to come in and first take a picture of how everything was right when we got there because we want to try to put it back. Exactly if gotten better as it was before. And so she came in, took the picture so she could move the blender, the toaster, all that stuff, get it out of the way, hide it somewhere where the camera's not going to capture it. And she can sort of move things around, we can get one space ready. So then he comes in and we shoot that space. While he's shooting that space. She and I are working together to prep the next space if if it's not already done if it's not ready to go. So we can be sort of, you know, tweaking, I'm mostly working with him, right, I'm looking at his iPad, and I'm making little tweaks as we go, he'll shoot or tweak, shoot or tweak or fix, it tells just right once we get it just how we want it. Then it goes through and does his full set of shots. And so again, you get more information about this in the interview with Jeff, but they're shooting multiple exposure levels. So really low light, really bright light, and then they blend it all together in post production. And so the camera cannot move, you got to get everything just right. And then you get all of those shots. So I'm mostly working with him doing that. But my assistant is able to help sort of prep that next space that next room. So when we're done with that shot, and we move on to the next space, she can be coming around behind us and sort of putting things back how they were and so having an assistant can really help save you a lot of time so that you can focus on getting the right shot. And you're not distracted by having to prep or clean up other spaces in the room. So having an assistant someone that can help you do that is just a huge lifesaver. Are you ready to make 2020 for your best year yet? Are you ready to stop flying by the seat of your pants and move into the new year with intention and clarity. If you're ready to escape the feast or famine cycle, don't miss my upcoming masterclass the annual planning for interior designers workshop. This is the fourth year I'm hosting it and it's going to be better than ever. Join me live on November 16. For this interactive power packed workshop. The truth is most successful interior designers are the ones who can cast their vision, and then make a plan to get there. But that's not always easy to do on your own. And I want to help. I have dedicated my career to helping interior designers build thriving businesses. And I'm inviting you to join and Learn how you too can enjoy a business that supports you personally, creatively and financially. We'll talk about the power of intention how to set your intentions for the year and then put them at the center of decision making in your business. We'll take a look back at your past year and help identify opportunities for growth and improvements to refresh your business. I'll help you design your ideal year. So you can build a business that supports not competes with your personal time, vacations rest and play. I'll give you the tools to reverse engineer your revenue plan. So you have clear strategic goals broken down into bite sized and manageable pieces. And finally, we'll dial in on a marketing strategy that factors in your personality, budget and time into the equation. I want you to get in the right mindset so you can achieve the results you want in your interior design business. Get ready to design your year with intention, head over to designers oasis.com forward slash plan and register today. Again, that's designers oasis.com forward slash plan. And register today spots are limited. So don't wait. I can't wait to see you there.

So let's talk about styling. Now. Again, at this point, you want to make sure you're pulling away all electronics, your little speakers, your whatever, you know what I'm talking about all the stuff that we all have in our house, right and you're gonna get all that stuff out of the way before you start styling. I want you to think of spaces in layers and furnishings alone or your base layers. A room without layers is going to fall flat it is going to feel unfinished, even minimalist spaces need layers. And you can think about layers in terms of a lot of times I like to think about it in terms of textures, right. So and mixing different textures. So if you have a chunky texture or a blanket, maybe you opt for a velvet or leather cushions the thing about stacking books together thinking about objects on top of books or candles or whatever the case may be on a coffee table, not just putting a tray underneath objects so that it feels corralled so that it feels intentional, and it feels kind of substantial. Those are a couple of ways that you can start to layer things together so that it feels lived in right and that's really what we want. Let's think about a kitchen Firm. And of course, you've cleared off all of the countertop appliances, not so much as a coffee pot should be on the table. If you're asking me get all of those countertop appliances out of there, less is more when it comes to kitchen, but you can still bring in life you can bring in character, you can bring in interest through some of these lifestyle accessories. So let's start by thinking about color. Think about what colors are already happening in this space. And you need to decide do you want to play off of that? Or do you want to add a pop of contrasting color, you know, fruit is kind of a very traditional thing to add to a styling shot for a kitchen. But I would encourage you to think beyond your typical Apple bowl, there is just you know, a rainbow of colors available to you. And so instead of just picking a random item, think about what colors are already happening in the space and how you might want to play off of those or blend in with them. It just kind of depends on the mood and the vibe that you're really going for. So there's no hard and fast rule about any of this. It's you get to be the creative driver here. And it really is one of the most fun aspects of of the work that we do. When thinking about produce, you know, maybe let's think about context for a second, right? Where is this home? Is it a country home? Is it a beach home? Is it a southern home? Is it a mountain home? And how can you bring in accessories and produce that takes into consideration context? You know, if I'm photographing a southern kitchen, you bet there's gonna be some lemons in there. A big huge bowl of big juicy lemons is definitely probably going to be part of the shot. Do you have a Mediterranean or a coastal California and space. Artichokes have gorgeous color and texture and they're just really structural and beautiful. I love artichokes. You can try pomegranates, of course, lemons, mandarins, pears, think about how you can utilize those and bring them in in a way that feels more authentic and not forced. Again, thinking about lifestyle, you may choose to simply arrange them in a bowl, but you may decide you want to go a step further and cut some fruit on a cutting board and sort of show that action shot right. Maybe instead of flowers next to the sink you do a jar full of cilantro, which just looks beautiful and lush and green. Maybe you bring in a fresh rustic loaf of bread or maybe you brew a French press coffee. Those kinds of styling techniques are going to make an image come to life the stagnant image is gonna start to come to life and feel really lived in and natural and authentic. Outside of the kitchen. There are other things you can do you can have a book open with a mug of tea or cocktail in kids rooms you can look at what do they already have going on in a space that you can use. Can you plot a kid's skateboard, or their building blocks or stuffed animals that you could use to sort of build this scene right create this this scene that feels loved in shoes, I love to bring in shoes. We did you know this Texas ranch country Hall and we did some exterior work in the front door really beautiful front door. We reached in the front closet and grabbed the homeowners pair of cowboy boots and stuck them by the front door and it looked great. You know, another shoot that I did earlier this year, really hit cool young couple and she had this kick ass pair of Converse shoes. So on the front entry, we set a bag like a leather handbag that she had next to her pair of Converse and left the door ajar right opening a door it sort of activates the photo. So it doesn't feel so stagnant. So think about how you can sort of activate a space with real life every day objects. Think about what dining table. Think about what you might be doing if you're entertaining. Well, if I'm entertaining, I'm probably going to be taking in a stack of plates and some napkins. So maybe for a dining room shot you want to put in a big stack of plates, maybe some glassware, maybe you want to take some a couple of linens and drape them over them. Make sure that things are really well pressed. Oh, and I should probably just pause and go rewind a minute ago to the prep beforehand, put yourself put a kit together of things that you think you might need and one of those things is definitely going to be a steamer. linens on beds are one of the hardest things to photograph because it shows all the shadows. So trying to get things as crisp and clean as you can is really going to result in better shoots. So there's furniture sliders is an important thing to put in that box command strips are great for temporarily hiding stuff hiding chords. You know, we want things to look lifted and real. I go back and forth with do we let the chords show Do we not? Uh To you, but a lot of times I just like to to tape cord somewhere so that you can't see it. That kind of thing. So all right back to where we were when I was mentioning, putting folded linens on napkins, make sure that things aren't messy and they look really nice and crisp. A couple of last things before we wrap up botanicals, botanicals is sort of, for me all encompassing of limbs, twigs, flowers, greenery, all of that. So I sort of lump even produce, you could say, every shot needs botanicals, if there's a shot that doesn't have natural organic materials, and I promise you, it is a missed opportunity, it will fall flat. Every shot needs botanicals, you don't need to spend a bunch of money on big expensive professional floral arrangements, I have done that and they look great, but you know what, so do the going to the grocery store and getting a giant like four or five things of tulips, you know, or roses or whatever. So I realized over the years that that was kind of a waste of money to have these big professional floral arrangements done, but sometimes it needed it but more times than not, it just needs something a little more simple, because otherwise I felt like the arrangement took took over the shot, it sort of commanded more tension in the room itself. Okay, so botanicals, again, you don't need to spend a lot of money. Don't spend a bunch of money on big expensive arrangements. A large amount of a single kind of flower or leaf works beautifully. Don't believe me hop on Pinterest, I will even find my Pinterest board from my inspiration board and see if I can find that.

And if I can, I will. I will share that with you in the show notes. So you can see some examples. But first of all, if you have a resale license, find a local wholesale florist, you can get large amounts of flowers and filler for much cheaper than you would buy at the grocery store. And if you're doing a big hole home project, chances are you're going to need quite a bit of that. So using wholesale florists can be a great option. Trader Joe's has really inexpensive flowers and greenery that you can buy quite a bit of without breaking the bank. Another thing is that artificial, you don't want to get the cheapest of the cheap, you don't want to spend some money. But if you're doing a lot of photoshoots, and you likely are artificial flowers and leaves as long as they're not super, super cheap. You can't really tell the difference in photos. And I asked my photography group photographer if he agreed with me on this. And he said Absolutely you cannot tell the difference between a giant vase of real branches versus a fake and I guarantee you you have penned saved been an author of bookmarked inspirational images without even realizing that what you were looking at was a fake set of branches. So we typically do a mix we've we have a collection of faux branches, greenery flowers that we use in certain places, but we always also buy some fresh stuff as well. So for us, it's kind of a mix. greenery, filler flower works beautifully. So you can try seeded Eucalyptus is gorgeous. I just use a lot of that in my last couple of shots, ferns, limonium, lavender, all of these sort of filler flowers can can add that organic, beautiful textural aspect to your photos, but they don't steal the show. It is it is like oh, it's just like, it's like these final touches. It's almost like they fade into the background and you don't even notice them. But if they weren't there, something would feel off. Does that make sense? So again, steer away from this idea that you need to have a whole bunch of custom made bouquets, you can use simple greenery, you can use big bunches of a single type of flower. Again, tulips, roses, those kinds of things. I ascend geranium. I like light drain, and so but I'm partial. You know, think about the context of the home think about where it is what makes sense for that space. And go from there, let that be your your sort of guide and just one big group of flowers on a coffee table or the kitchen or whatever can can look really beautiful. Okay, and then the last thing before we go this I just wanted to mention art for a second. I have had projects where we were asked to use the client's art and sometimes that art isn't something that resonates for me or that is really reflective of my style or what I want to be known for. There's nothing wrong with removing a piece of art and replacing it temporarily for the photoshoot with something that is more you okay, that's just just want to relieve you of any expectation. Shouldn't that you can't do that you absolutely can't do that.

I've also had situations where our clients simply didn't have something and we didn't, you know, maybe it wasn't in the scope of work for us to do art. So we needed to bring in something to supplement. So, you know, you can do this a couple of ways. If you've got a good relationship with some of your trade vendors, it could be a situation where you're borrowing, maybe you're offering to sell it to your client. And that's a possibility. We've brought in our own art, we have a collection of some things that we've used, I've bought and returned things, sometimes, you sometimes just have to get creative, right? Another really simple trick to fill up a big, we had to do this recently, to fill up a big wall, sort of last minute, was we created a gallery wall, using off the shelf ready to fill frames, and we filled it with the client. The goal for the client was eventually to fill it with their own art and their own family photos. But what we did was, I said, Send me like five of your last favorited photos in your photo album of you and your family. Just don't overthink it, just send me like five to 10 of your last favorite photos. And mix that in with printable art that we got off of Etsy. And this was like, such a hack that turned out so well. But we needed something for that space. And we didn't have time to curate everything. And so with the clients permission, and the clients paid for all of this, we purchased all of the frames, we did a mix of metal and wood and all of those, we got their family photos, and we got principle art and we had it all printed at our local print shop. Within a few hours, we had it and then our handyman came and helped us arrange and hang it and really fill that space and it looks beautiful. And they were literally crying. Because they loved it so much. They were like we're not doing anything with this. But you know, I put thought into it, I thought about who these clients were and what kind of art would resonate with them. And at the end of the day, I think it was successful, I think we really made them happy. So, you know, if you've got a space, it's not fully finished, find ways are fully layered, find ways to make it work for the photoshoot because it will always always, always make your shots look better, they will look your spaces will feel more finished, they will feel more authentic and lived in and you will, you will have a better result at the end of the day. So I hope this has been helpful. I hope that you have really gotten inspired for your next photo shoot and really plan to put a good amount of effort into it. Okay, think about the context of the project and what makes sense. Spend time doing some research and research and planning and getting inspired supplement what the clients don't have planned to put some time and attention towards your photoshoot. And just treat it like the investment that it is and it will pay off. Okay, that's all for now. Check the show notes for relief. And I look forward to meeting you back here real soon. Bye for now. Hey, friend, thank you so much for letting me spend a part of this day with you. I'm so passionate about helping designers like you. And I believe in a rising tide that only one of us does. Well, we all do better. So if you share this attitude of abundance with me, I want you to do just one little thing.

Please share this episode with someone using might love it. And if you're feeling extra generous today, go ahead and take just 30 seconds to open your podcast app and leave us a five star rating and review. It's free for you to do and it helps me to be able to keep making more episodes and resources for you. However you choose to help please No, I appreciate you so very much. Thank you, my friend. Have a wonderful rest of your day. I'll see you soon.