Christmas in July

Hello again, as promised I will give you a little insight into what being an Art Director entails (or at least what I have been able to assist Rusty the Art Director with). My boss, Dawn, gave the opportunity to work with the creative team during a photo shoot for Stoneberry. They are  a catalogue-based company that sells and/or rents everything from home goods to jewelry. The shoot I was involved with was one for bedding and drapes that they will be offering for the holiday season.

Rusty’s job (and mine) is to make sure that the composition in the shot is good, make sure everything is where it needs to be, and keeping a sharp eye for details that the photographer might overlook. I also helped the photographer and his assistant in building and striking sets. This is not the first photo shoot I have been involved with so I didn’t feel too much out of place. However, this was my first shoot calling the shots and and helping out with whatever I could. We mainly shot christmas bedding and drapes. Rusty and I (as well as the other people on our set) kept an eye out for hard wrinkles on the comforters that would cast a very hard shadow, alignment of headboards and tables, as well as the symmetry or asymmetry that the drapes might have needed.

I was comfortable enough with everyone in the studio so If I had a question I could ask it and not feel like an idiot. Everyone in the studio was very educated in whatever their job was there. For example, even the stylist that handled the bedding and drapes is a teacher at Parsons School of Design in NYC. This made me realize that I had to take advantage of my time on the studio and had to let my curiosity wonder for my remaining time there. Also, our photographer Steve Simpson, and I had a chat about other companies he had shot for and how the atmosphere is much more relaxed at Lorel. I am very glad it was this way because I learned plenty during my handful of days in the studio.