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.

Rustic Food Shoot Props

I've been dying for some new food photos for my portfolio for some time now. I love the vibe on food shoots—there's a balance between creativity and hard work—and food stylists are such great people to collaborate with. I had the pleasure of working with veteran stylists Grady and Mariann and photographer David Lazarus today. David and I just wrapped a shoot for Bridal Guide last month and he asked me to join them. I was grateful to be included. What a great way to start the new year!

I don't have the shots David took yet, but here are some of my photos of the props I gathered, a combination of handmade ceramics, tin pieces and kitchen tools. I've been into the dark industrial look of vintage utilitarian pieces. Can't wait to show you the food shots. 

Photos and styling by Robin Zachary.

 

Beach Wedding Table Setting

Styling and photography by Robin Zachary. Flowers by The Little Glass Slipper. Invitation by Wedding Paper Divas.

Beach House Shoot Inspiration

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

Garden Party

Butterfly and bird patterns top a rustic table. Photography by David Lazarus. Styling by Robin Zachary.

Gold Trend in Dinnerware

Just the right touch of sparkle on your table! This is a great look for every day, not just for dress up. My favorite shade of aqua complements perfectly. Dinnerware pieces from Vietri, Donna Karan Lenox, Prouna, L'Objet, Versace and more. Linens by Hen House Linens, and table cards by Ceci New York. Wallpaper by Farrow & Ball. Photography by David Lazarus. Styling by Robin Zachary for Bridal Guide Magazine.

Woodland themed Wedding Reception Table

Here's a few shots from my Woodland themed table done for the Ceci New York Paper Art Party last year. This theme would be great for a daytime, garden wedding reception. Table décor features Kate Spade plates and Donna Karan flatware. The paper placemats and bird place cards are from Ceci New York. The linens are from Nuage Designs and the gorgeous fern floral arrangements were done by Denise Fasanello. All styling by Robin Zachary and photos are courtesy of Robert Allen.

Florals are Big News in Tabletop

Floral prints were all over the NYC Tabletop market back in October, so when I was asked to produce a story for Bridal Guide's Registry Report for the May/June 2012 issue, naturally I decided to feature these beautiful, blooming buds! Here are vintage-inspired floral patterns from Mikasa, Marchesa for Lenox, Royal Albert for WWRD, Haviland, Noritake and Phillipe Deshouliéres to name a few. Todd Bonne from Surface Archive created a rough-textured backdrop made of plaster for the page you see above. It perfectly compliments the "not-your-grandmother's-china" look I was going for. Photo by David Lazarus. Styling by Robin Zachary.

Another trend is black, white and gray florals. I love how bold and graphic these patterns look. Gray was a big story in itself, with many manufacturers adding this shade to their lines. It's been a strong color in home design (think of how the West Elm catalog created a gray wall sensation) and now tabletop. I favor a pop of bright color like green (shown here) or even orange to accent the muted palette. Here you see dinnerware from Kate Spade, Lenox, Monique Lhuillier, Echodesign and one of my favorite new introductions, Bodo Sperlein for Nikko (these are the floral-shaped nesting plates at the top left). Here's a fantastic new stemware collection from Orrefors by Karl Lagerfeld. Each black or white glass has it's own glass coaster. Just brilliant! Also very exciting is the laser-etched flatware from Oneida. Photo by David Lazarus. Styling by Robin Zachary.

My final page is on the Asian-inspired floral trend. Here you see familiar motifs such as butterflies, cherry blossoms, and other blooms with an ornamental "East meets West" vibe. Lots of gilded rims, handles and a palette of mostly reds and blues. Shown here are pieces by Cru International, Prouna, WWRD, Haviland, Sieger by Furstenberg and Royal Limoges. Photo by David Lazarus. Styling by Robin Zachary.

Behind the scenes shots of the sets and some napkin choices above. Photos by Robin Zachary for Prop Closet.

Prop Styling for Wine Spectator Magazine Photo Shoot

The September issue of Wine Spectator has hit the newsstand! Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this shoot by photographer Jennifer Lévy at her stunning Brooklyn home. Photo editor Alex De Toth allowed me some freedom with the color palette. She wanted it to look Fall appropriate yet modern and clean. She indicated she liked some of the handmade ceramics I used in another shoot. Lately I had been exploring palettes of grays, blues and white with a pop of tangerine so that is what I went with. Not classically "Fall", but I like a twist on stereotypical seasonal colors. First I selected a wooden tabletop surface from Surface Archive. Todd has a great selection and I couldn't decide! I chose the one pictured in the front but really liked the hue of the one in the back so I planned on using that shade in the linens.

Here are some of the props I rented from Good Light Props.

Here's some vintage flatware and props I rented from Prophaus.

Some props waiting to be used on the side of the set.

A pulled back shot of one of the sets. See how the final shot was taken and used in the actual story shown above.

And my favorite prop of the day, a little tiny vintage spoon paired with a tiny glass bowl for salt.

Here's the final story from Wine Spectator.The shoot ended up sans orange, and as things often go, you think on your feet and new ideas emerge on the set. The food itself had orange tones, so all contrasted nicely off the blues, grays and white. The wine was fantastic and when we wrapped we had a toast to a successful shoot! Editorial photos by Jennifer Lévy, food styling by Jamie King, prop styling by Robin Zachary. All behind the scenes photos by Robin Zachary for Prop Closet.

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.