Prop Closet

Styling Class in New York City

If you've wished you could be a person who dreams up ideas for photo shoots, shops for beautiful things all day, plays with fabrics and color swatches, picks out tableware, props and clothing and gets invited to product launches and gets paid for it…then commercial photo styling may just be the career you've been looking for. This class will make you feel like a stylist and learn to start acting like one. Now taking registration for my Prop & Styling Workshop which begins May 30th. This will be an introduction. Over 4 Saturday sessions, we'll cover composition and color palettes, art direction, mood boards, sourcing props, styling kits, planning the shoot and then shooting. I'll share my trade secrets and resources gathered from 20 years in the business. You'll love the small group setting at a beautiful daylight studio in Chelsea. Click for registration or email me right away for more information. A big thank you to Janelle Gonyea for the beautiful logo design.

Photo Styling Tips for Bloggers | Go to the light

I get asked all the time, what are my "Top 5 tips for styling a great photo", so I have decided to do a post explaining it all. 

GO TO THE LIGHT: My favorite shots use beautiful, natural window light so it helps to have a spot with pretty white window frames and white walls to be your backdrop as in this photo found on Pinterest via Swandive.

This single stem pale pink peony in a bottle is so simple and pretty. The table is placed to the side of window so this is a great example of side lighting. Notice the lightest parts of the flower closest to the window and the shadows on the far side of the flower. The extra bonus is shooting on such an angle that you get the soft focus windows trailing off into the distance. It adds interest to the background as well as beautiful varied lighting coming through each of the window panes. I love this shot for so many reasons most notably the textured wood table and the simple subject, but if you have this window situation in your house this will greatly improve your photos. I guarantee it!

Beach House Shoot Inspiration

I'm working on styling a tabletop shoot for Bridal Guide next week and here's my inspiration.

Inspiration Box - Color Story: Greige

I've been fascinated by the color greige lately and decided to do a little research on it. The dictionary meaning is "being in an unbleached, undyed state as taken from a loom". The first use of the word dates back to 1926 in reference to french raw silk. It has become known in interior design circles as the color that hovers between grey and beige, a muted light grey with a touch of warmth. I always assumed a green involvement in the color greige. Here's my interpretation as I display pieces of stone, paper, silk, ceramic and steel to arrive the perfect neutral, the intersection of green, grey & beige. Photo and styling by Robin Zachary for Prop Closet.

Inspiration Box - Color Story: Baby Blue

Here's a brand new dose of color inspiration in shades of soothing blues. This box is number 8 in my Inspiration Box series. I haven't done one in over 2 years, but hopefully will work on them more frequently again. Life and work always seem to get in the way. Now there's a category on the right column so you can click to see them all. They are all based on monochromatic palettes. This one features soft, gray blues (fluffy vintage flowers) to darker blues (velvet flowers). I see it as a study in texture and hue. That's the name of the game for me and why I do them. It's a sophisticated approach to wedding reception or bridal party color. Nail polish is Oscar de la Renta's signature bridal blue. Vintage silk flowers were found at Elephant Props and wide ribbon is from Hyman Hendler. Cotton print fabric is from Hen House Linens. Silk fabric swatch is from Mood. Favor bag of tree branch buttons was purchased on Etsy years ago. That polka dot feather—like most of my things—has been hanging around a while waiting for the right moment to be included. Photo and styling by Robin Zachary for Prop Closet.

Looking at Photo Inspiration at FIT Styling Class.

In the age of Pinterest and Tumblr and so much eye candy on the web, I still show good old fashioned pages torn out of magazines pinned to a board to my group at FIT. It's important to see the page, where the type goes and how an editorial job is created from start to finish. These pages where chosen to show examples of "theme" in styling. To see more about my class look here.

Do You Love Styling? Take a class with me!

My Spring semester styling class at FIT is filling up! That's the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. 15 weeks of creative, inspirational fun. We'll do 4 or 5 photo shoots (still-life, accessories, portrait and fashion), make mood boards, go on some styling field trips to prop houses and I'll tell you everything I know about the business of stying, art direction and photography. The course description on the FIT website really doesn't do it justice so take my word for it you will be pleased. And you don't have to be a full time FIT student to attend. My section is on Thursday nights from 6:30-9:20, starting on January 30th and it's called Photographic Styling PH162, section 15B. You can view the course listing here. For only $350 it's really a great deal. If you have any questions, let me know. I'd love to have you! ps. Here's an excerpt from my diary entry about the first six weeks of class from a past semester. Below are some shots from previous class shoots: Fashion, Still-Life and Food. Hope to see you there!


Photos: Robin Zachary.

Off to find some of this...

I am leaving to attend Joy Thigpen's Styling workshop at the Inn at Serenbe in Georgia. Can't wait to meet Joy and have 3 days of non-stop inspiration! Photo and styling by Robin Zachary using Martha Stewart microbeads and velvet ribbon from Anthropologie.

Birdcage Tablescape

I'm in love with this table because it reflects a side of my personality that connects with my mother, grandmother and aunt, 3 beautiful women that are all gone. My grandmother had a collection of tea cups and saucers, each one different and more beautiful than the next. I imagined her having an afternoon tea with her table set with mix and match patterns of delicate china. Keeping in the spirit of Grandma, my philosophy is that one should make a table fun to look at by filling it with surprises, props like little birds and non-matching glasses and flatware. The color story here is pink and ivory with a pop of green, tarnished silver and glass. This table has a girly, modern-day vintage vibe and would be perfect for a bridal shower brunch. The items I used here: pink dinnerware from MUD Australia, mix and match glassware and vintage flatware all available at ABC Home. The pearl metallic linen tablecloth and the textured floral napkins are from Nuage Designs. Denise Fasanello filled the white bird cage with gorgeous Clematis and garden roses. Laser cut place mats and place cards are from Ceci New York. Look at the original inspiration photo behind this design in my previous post here and see how the idea has evolved! 

Table designed and styled by Robin Zachary for the Ceci New York Paper Art Party on August 4th. Photos by Fiona Osborne.

 

My Tabletop Designs Featured in CeciStyle Today!

It all started with a little bird and a laser cut placemat months ago. I met Ceci, the luxury invitation designer and was immediately taken by her Vivre collection of paper tabletop items for Ceci New York. I was shooting a tabletop story for Bridal Guide and created a shot with photographer David Lazarus for Susan Schneider's editor's picks page. See it here. A few months ago Ceci asked me to style more photos along the same lines using her other tabletop pieces. They are featured today on the online magazine, CeciStyle. The shots above and below are  for the Wildflower and Bird Watching stories using Ceci's pink peony placemat and bird cage table card. The background is a patchwork of vintage floral book prints.

To create a vintage style table I selected these gorgeous textured table linens from Nuage Designs and the pink dinnerware and glassware from ABC Carpet & Home. I like to leave little surprises at each place setting like the little orange bird you see here. I also like using glassware in varying heights to draw the eye upward.
The above photo shows the Caribbean Palm theme with Ceci's Seashell place card placed in a bowl of sand. A rolled napkin of layered organza sits beside.

The final image, shown below is the Divine Damask theme which juxtaposes vintage metals with modern tableware and a pop of orange in the napkin.

A laid back but fun photo session with photographer William Brinson (and wife Susan of House of Brinson making jam) impressed Ceci so much that a huge paper art party idea was born. As I am writing this, I am transposing these small vignettes of fantasy tables into real live table designs for a party at Ceci's 23rd St. studio and showroom. All the little props and details you see here are items I have as single pieces. I've spent the last 2 weeks shopping and sourcing everything in multiples to bring these tables to life. I'm also collaborating with two super talented floral designers, Jessy from Fleurs NYC and Denise Fasanello in addition to Nuage, ABC Carpet & Home, Donna Karan Lenox, kate spade new york and Juliska. By the time you read this post, the event will be over, the photos published on CeciStyle and well, I'll be relaxing seaside in Cape May, NJ. Party pix will be here when I return. In the meantime, hope you enjoy! All photos by William Brinson, Styling by Robin Zachary for Ceci New York.