Lilla Rugs: Our Top 3 Tips For Planning A Lifestyle Photoshoot
Ever wondered how to plan for a photoshoot for those perfectly styled spreads you see in interior magazines and on fancy design blogs? At Lilla Rugs, we often do photoshoots to show our customers how amazing our products are in a home.
When it comes to interior and architectural photography, there is often more involved than what meets the eye at first glance. A photoshoot requires a lot of preparation and hard work, but we like to do it so that you get something nice to look at - both on our website and on our socials.
To create a realistic and enticing photograph, careful planning, staging, lighting, and a healthy dose of patience are imperative. Seeing how the products come to life in the different interiors is incredibly satisfying - but there are many things to take into consideration before we can get close to a final product: interior light levels, exterior light levels, the amount of flash that we want to use, colour temperature, composition, client and audience, etc.
Our rugs are made from natural materials - therefore, it is important that you see the products in different contexts, as natural materials have an ability to adapt to their environment. Last year, I dropped by to take some behind-the-scenes shots of a photo shoot overseen by photographer and visual stylist Georgia de Lotz.
PRE SHOOT
Image Credit - Georgia de Lotz
Before shooting any location, take a good walk around and get a feel for the space. You’ll want to know the different compositional options available for every scene you plan to shoot, how the light will affect it, where to place lights if necessary, what architectural features you want included, and how to feature them.
Creating a mood board is a crucial first step to planning an interior photoshoot and can be an exceptional tool for visualising the look and direction of a project. Crafting a mood board before the shoot ensures your photographer understands the vibe you are going for, how you expect your images to be edited, and bonus, it acts as a mini shot list.
COMPOSITION AND STYLING
In interiors, you cannot simply expect that furniture is perfectly aligned and that all exposés are flawlessly arranged. More often than not, the space will need realigning and rearranging to please the picture’s spectator and to convey a message in the image.
Before starting a shoot, scout the entire location and decide the composition. Once it’s locked in, start removing distractions to declutter the scene, to separate the most important objects from each other, and to remove unnecessary items.
Once the main elements are aligned, you might want to bring in your own items and accessories to tie the space together in a way that represents your brand and the story you’re trying to convey. It’s important to only use items that add meaning to the scene, It will drastically improve the image.
We like to have a camera running in the background of the shoot, this way we can capture the amazing atmosphere that our products bring to any interior. We also use the sequences later to adorn the front page of our website and for the marketing of our products on socials.
We hope you enjoyed this brief insight into planning a lifestyle photoshoot at Lilla Rugs. Shooting interiors is a great way to showcase home decor products - maybe you've been inspired to style your own home with gorgeous Persian and Oriental rugs. Keep an eye out - there will be more unique Behind the Scenes stories from us - only the best is good enough for our customers!
Here is a selection of some of the stunning Persian and Oriental rugs we shot on this location shoot. Let us know what you think! And if you want to purchase one of these rugs, click the link below to be redirected to the product page.
