A Halloween Cocktail to Impress Your Friends With...
I was asked by Wine Society to create and provide some images for a Halloween themed cocktail featuring their delicious red wine blend, Tempt for a collaboration with Thirsty Mag.
Anyone who knows me knows this was so up my alley I was giddy about it. Halloween is my favorite and I had a reason to play with dry ice? Insert * heart eyes *
I made a quick trip to Goodwill and Kroger to find what I needed for props and ingredients. Once I returned I jumped right into my fun project and for the next few hours of my Saturday afternoon I hammered out chunks of dry ice, strategically arranged my props, snapped a ton of pictures, and I may have just had a sip or two while I was at it. You can read the whole article on Thirstymag.com
Make Your Own
OVER THE MANHATTAN MOON
2 oz WineSociety TEMPT Red Wine
.5 oz bourbon
.5 oz simple syrup
1 large ice cube
2 Cherries for garnish
Dry ice for special effect
Shake ingredients together, pour. Rub orange peel on glass rim. Garnish with cherries. Add dry ice for spooky effect
**Always handle Dry Ice with care and wear protective cloth or leather gloves whenever touching it. An oven mitt or towel will work. Read here for more information.
-Casey Brenan
Let the dry ice dissolve before drinking this! You can get dry ice at Kroger FYI ;)
Do you have a favorite Halloween cocktail that you serve at your Halloween parties?
Happy Halloween!
-Linds
Lucid Linds Photography
On-Brand All Year with Wine Society & Lucid Linds Photography
One Year with Wine Society
My first year of shooting for Wine Society was a total blast, a true learning experience and to boot, one hell of a fun opportunity. I’ve been able to travel, meet some fantastic like-mined business people, and do exactly what I love, which is to create eye catching on-brand, ad-worthy images.
If someone asked me to describe Wine Society I would sum it up with, “they are a new startup company who has managed to package delicious premium wine in a take-anywhere can that is not only convenient, but these cans are also gorgeous.” And lucky for me the cans are so beautiful and convenient since I have snapped images of them in so many places. I have traveled to several major cities in the U.S. to photograph the WS cans, the wine, people enjoying it and their owners and team too. I’ve also shot these cans in locations like above a 256 foot dropping waterfall, the infamous Hollywood sign, Napa Valley, on Lake Tahoe (twice), skirted around to 10 different locations in San Francisco, 8 downtown Cincinnati spots (where the WS team is based) and held numerous WS brand shoots here in Nashville, TN where I’m based, shooting in my studio and all around my fair city too.
Want to learn more about Wine Society and how you can get your hands on some? ————> WineSociety.Com
How this working relationship came to be…
WS reached out pretty early in 2018 to talk about branding images and how I could help. At the time I was headed in a direction towards something that has always been near and dear to me, women in business. Better known as a GirlBoss, “a confident, capable woman who pursues her own ambitions instead of working for others or otherwise settling in life.”, I’ve always found myself passionate about watching a new business grow, reach new goals and become profitable, especially a business or brand headed by women. Over the past few years a new “Women’s Movement” has been on the rise again and I love the female empowerment that goes along with it. I want to watch everyone around me succeed, but I get an extra boost knowing that I am helping women chase and achieve their goals, dreams and as the saying goes…live their best life. After all that’s what I’m trying to do too, work for myself, chase my passions and live my best life through this creative field of photography. I jumped when the opportunity to work with a company ran by CEO and creator of Wine Society, Angela Allison presented itself. Angela’s ideas, entrepreneurial spirit, kindness and what she stands for is exactly the kind of person and brand I love working with.
Tap images below for some fun shots we’ve snapped this year of Angela for publicity articles, blogs and social media
Follow Ang @thesmilingstiletto
Let the shooting commence
I received my first set of the 3 flagship, staple flavors of WS wine. Tempt, the red blend (my fav, I’m a red wine girl 100% all year long), Fate, the white blend and Chance, the dry rosé.
Product Image. I live and work out of my studio, so the product photography I shoot while in my yoga pants, sipping coffee and listening to my music has quickly become one of my favorite things to do.
In the up coming months Sunshine, my main contact at WS, relayed suggestions from their marketing and branding consultants along with the companie’s visions for creative and Instagram-able images for appealing to their target demographic, wine-loving millennials, along with on-brand shots that are current to the seasons, holidays, and any special events. These projects were so fun for me. I was able schedule shoots with many social media influencers and utilize my LLBM’s too. (LLBM = Lucid Linds Brand Models)
Oh Instagram *insert sigh*. IG is quite literally the place where many…many, many eyes are focused these days. Most of us spend hours daily staring at our phones (sometimes its an unintentional hour or more of our day, but we get sucked in. Am I right?). I’ve said it until I’m blue in the face, the way brands market their products and services is changing…and has changed significantly already. If we are watching television and a commercial comes on or even during a Netflix binge that starts to bore us, what do we do? We pick up our phone, click that little IG icon and away we go…scrolling, knowing we are being sold to. Maybe there’s a bit of denial in there, but nonetheless we are being sold to and we are totally cool with it. With the right strategy in place IG’s a highly addictive “place” to be, and it’s brilliant tool for marketing for business, seriously brilliant!! Instagram has changed the name of the advertising game. Entertainment for the consumer. And for your consumer if you’re doing it right.
Here are just some of the images that I have designed, shot and edited for Wine Society over the past year. We touched on all seasons, big holidays and focused on esthetically pleasing colors, scenes, props, and models (a.k.a our friends and social media influencers).
You can follow at Wine Society on IG here: @winesocietylife
What a rad and incredible ride this has been
I’ve had a blast working with Wine Society and their team. I’ve learned so much about my creative abilities and the planning process of incorporating Instagram into my commercial photography. I love the challenge of getting that image that you know will get engagement on a brand’s IG page and I love the challenge of brainstorming, designing and capturing these images.
My mission
My mission now is to help more brands with the images they need to market with. I specialize in working with brands, businesses, and advertising agencies looking for a photographer that knows and understands how social media works, especially an photo-based platform like Instagram, and the importance of what that content looks like. And of course the images can be used on websites, in email newsletters and other ads too. I’m currently digging my heels into Pinterest as well.
As winter is fast approaching and the gifting season will be upon us before we know it (ummm…do I hear Christmas music already? It’s November 7th), I’ll be cozied up in my studio, snapping away at whatever comes my way and planning for all the spring and summer shoots with new brands and my old favs too.
Thanks for joining me on my wordy and picture-full (I like to make up words) journey through working with Wine Society in 2018.
Give me a shout if you are interested in discussing a shoot or a set of themed shoots for your brand. I’ve found a new and exciting way to make sessions budget friendly too. Ask me how!
Talk to you soon!
Peace, Love and Photography,
Linds
www.lucidlinds.com
615-336-8206
linds@lucidlinds.com
10 Flat Lay Photos Created with Props You Have Around Your House
Flat Lay Photography Tips and Tricks
Being a collector of many random things and a product photographer has its perks when it comes to creating beautiful flat lay photos for my clients. The down fall is storing everything. I recently converted my detached garage into my little workshop/studio specifically for creating a space that I can store and display the many of the props I use in my flat lay photography sessions. I also had a glass garage door installed so I have plenty of natural light to use when I’m not using my studio lights also.
I have had several very specific requests from my photography clients on the props they wanted in the flat lay photography I was hired to design and photograph for them, and in those cases I have to go “prop shopping” from time to time. However, my favorite shoots tend to be the ones where I have a little more creative freedom, these are typically from my clients who have me on a retainer or who have hired me multiple times. My repeat clients know I will give them tons variety and shots they may have not thought of, and I always make sure that the props, lighting, and mood of the image are on brand and also make sense for the product being photographed, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get creative with the props I use.
Today I’m sharing with you the props I have used, why and perhaps the strange places I have acquired some FREE props for my flat lay photography.
From Trash to Treasure Product Photography Props.
The first flat lay photo below was shot for Wine Society and it’s one of my most re-pinned images on Pinterest. I feel like I got lucky on this one considering that I dug these flowers right out of a trash can while out walking my dog. Ha! I use to live next to a venue that in held weddings from time to time, so on my routine morning walk with my pup I walked past a big dumpster with the lid off and these beautiful flower arrangements were tossed on top of a heap of garbage. My client at the time had me on retainer for a number of shots to turn in each month so I took advantage of these free flowers, saving me time on going and buying flowers and my client money on the added expense of prop purchasing. At the time, Wine Society had just launched this flavor of wine and this couldn’t have worked out more perfectly.
1. Trash can flowers and canned wine.
Though this brand has multiple flavors that both men and women enjoy, this flavor and the design on the can is super feminine, therefore the pink and white flowers were perfect for this shot.
Slightly Weird Flay Lay Photography Props.
Like I mentioned, I’m a collector of many random things and because of that I can usually gather a good amount of props to use for my flat lay product shoots without going shopping. When I die I deeply sympathize with whomever will be the lucky one selected for the job of going through my things to get rid of. If ghosts do exist I hope I can watch the perplexed looks on their face as they question, “why the hell would someone have so many random things?” For example; coconut shells, bunches of dried weeds and flowers, old bottles, drift wood, rocks and broken pieces of marble and granite, bartending tools and the list goes on. ;)
2. Keepin’ it creepy.
This Halloween-themed shot was for the same wine company as the above. Their red flavor is delicious in case you are curious I suggest giving it a try and they deliver straight to your door too. #winning. Anywho, this shot was for geared towards Halloween (obviously ha!). Give me a reason to play with dry ice and I’m in.
What’s in the shot? The product of course, and an old dried gourd that I have had on a shelf for years, some dead dried roses, a skeleton hand bottle opener, an antique bottle with a “Muriatic Acid Poison” label I bought on a trip to London, and a skull face recipe book that belongs to my husband. I did have to run out to purchase dry ice for $7 at Kroger.
3. Creepy Collaborations.
A different shoot, same Halloween theme, same wine company. For this image I got to play with dry ice again. Wine Society was collaborating with Thirsty.com for these shots too. Being a bartender for years before picking up a camera helped with not only getting fun shots, but I also followed the recipe correctly (which probably wasn’t totally necessary and this drink was my “after shoot reward”. Bourbon and red wine, who knew that would be a delicious combo?
Props: A skeleton hand from my embarrassing large collection of Halloween decor, a bottle of whiskey from our “brown liquor that we don’t drink, but keep for guests shelf” (label hidden), an orange peel, and a few more bottles from around the house, a stick from outside to hold the cherries garnish… and more dry ice. I had to purchase more dry ice and the cherries for this.
4. Blacked Out Beards.
From a recent product shot for Brio Product Group’s new Blackout Beardscape Hair Trimmer. Again, when you are shooting your flat lays you have much to consider, like who is the product for, how does the brand you are shooting for use photography in marketing their products; what platforms and/or their website and so on. This is a masculine product and an even more masculine design, I considered this when deciding on what props I would use as well as my backdrop color and light (which is natural light for this one).
What’s in the shot? Two of my husband’s pipes, an old dog tag that belonged to my mother (from the 70’s when everyone had a dog tag, it was a trend, she was not in the armed services), some coffee beans (we use a french press and grind our beans each morning so I had these on hand), dried weeds that hang on my wall in my workshop, an old rusty rectangle thing that I picked up off the ground somewhere and have no clue what it would have ever been used for or apart of, and some tweezers. Simple enough, cost $0. Again, I’m not only saving myself time, but also my client money.
5. The Matte Black Trend.
Same masculine product as above. I pulled some grooming tools from a travel kit we have, and threw in a jar of hair product that I use to tame my mane (when I actually style my hair, which is a rare occurrence), used only natural light and wah-lah, on brand and in the style of the “Blackout” product.
Eat Your Fruit.
My husband likes to cook, I’m a lucky girl, he also likes to grocery shop (not me!). He keeps plenty of fruit in the house so I always have plenty for any flat lays that might require some colorful fruit for the shots, then we are forced to eat our fruit, ha!
6. Fruity Flat Lay.
Another beverage company, Perfectly Cordial, a cocktail mixer company needed some shots for their website and social media. I pulled out some old bartending tools I picked up at Goodwill, threw in a piece of coconut shell that I brought home from a trip to Jamaica (there’s a memory attached to it), a wooden cutting board also from Goodwill, some mint and rosemary from our herb garden and sliced up some of that delicious color-popping fruit, oh and a cocktail glass with some ice that my client provided when dropping off the product to my home studio.
7. Flowers and Fruit.
Wine Society’s white wine in a can called for a simple shot with a little fruit and few coral-colored flowers. Using only the fruit I had in the house at the time and some flowers off a bush on my morning dog walk, I pulled the scrim back on my soft box for bold light look (which always reminds me of Miami, Florida for some reason), rearranged my props and snapped a few different variations of this.
8. Rocks, Rosé and Yep, More Fruit.
When I come across something I think I might use in my product photography and flat lay shots I bring it home. I guess these rocks are granite and/or marble, honestly I’m not sure. I had a friend who rented a tiny little studio apartment in a relatively rough part of Nashville, and under a tree in her yard were a bunch of broken pieces of granite, marble and other types of broken rock. The trash and super tall weeds surrounding this stuff led us to believe it was up for grabs, so I tossed a couple pieces into the back of my truck. A peach, a plum, raspberries, blueberries, black berries and strawberries were purchased for this one. We usually have quite a bot of fruit, but not all of these at once, so I had to make a trip to the produce section for this. I spritzed everything with water for an added “chilled” effect, since rosé is served chilled.
9. Red Lips Call for White Teeth.
Another product from Brio Product Group, teeth whitening strips. I was hired to photograph plain white backdrop shots and flat lays for this new product. After snapping the plain white background product photos, I turned off my studio lights and brainstormed on what props I could use that would portray the message a company would want for teeth whitening products. I do own red lipstick, but I never wear it, like ever, but you know, there’s always a chance I might feel frisky so I have some on hand and this was perfect for these shots. Anyone who wears red lipstick knows if you don’t have perfectly white teeth that bold red lipstick won’t look so great.
10. Coffee, the Curse of White Teeth.
As touched on early, we keep whole coffee beans in the house, and I like to keep them in a pretty glass jar, I don’t want to look at the bag they came in on my counter! I was also wrapping up this product shoot when I went to refill my coffee that morning, when I realized another curse for keeping your teeth white is coffee so this would be a perfect scene for teeth whitening strip product shots. I also just happened to be drinking out of a white coffee cup, so I flipped the logo around to not be seen in the shot, poured out a few coffee beans, sprinkled a few more around and used natural light again so I could incorporate some dark shadows to bring out the brand’s black text on the packaging and the “black” coffee. Good thing you can’t see how much sugar I put in my coffee. HA!
And there you have it friends, some simple examples for your next product flat lay photography shoot. I don’t like to use the term “hoarder”, rather I like to justify my “collections” by using as much as I can in my product photography. Though I’ve been collecting odd objects or what may seem mundane to many, for years, I finally have a reason to keep collecting by using them in my photography. I also use lots of these collected items in decorating my home and studio as well. The key to collecting found objects is to make sure you keep it organized, everything must have a place. Otherwise you may end up on an episode of hoarders or stumped on a place to store it and find yourself frustrated with clutter. Marie Kondo would most likely have a panic attack if asked to step into my workspace since her whole message is “if it brings you joy”, but for me it does bring me joy to have these items on hand and ready to be in photograph that I’m getting paid to design and shoot. Again, again, again, it saves me time and my clients money, as well as being a hobby while I’m out exploring the world. I hope this helps stir some new creative energy for your next product shoot. Good luck and most of all have fun with it!
Talk to you soon,
Linds
Lucid Linds Photography and Creative