Lady L Designs, a Midwestern accessories start-up needed images for a magazine editorial spread. There was no budget to send a team to produce a shoot, so the client shipped me the materials and trusted me to deliver a solid suite of images for their first media essay. A week later a heavy box arrived, filled with a * bounty of textures, hues and shapes.
The myriad of diverse looks inspired my creative juices. So, on an austere set in my studio I styled some dark distressed linen and placed it in mid-morning natural light. With the help of a few light reflectors, I was able to add just the right configurations of highlights and shadows. Alone on set, I was able to take my time and make adjustments until I was completely happy ... more like art than a commercial assignment.
Since most of the artist's materials exude a core of warmth, I allowed the blue of daylight to wash the scenes with a subtle coolness, just as a contrast to the natural emotional essence of each piece.
All in all, I enjoyed the experience of working with the jewelry ... ambient light ... my equipment ... all to display the expression of an artisan 1,500 miles away. The magazine article is reported to have been one of the publications best ... ever.
* See more images from the session here.