the valentine’s day shoot.
It’s all about the photos!
Selling stationery can be challenging since most of my marketing is done virtually through social media, newsletters and Pinterest.
Luckily, I love to plan a fun photoshoot. It brings me back to the days of working events. The decor was naturally, my favorite part. A photoshoot is very similar to decorating an event except it’s a smaller area. It is all about the details, after all…
What props do I use? What do I wear? How do I want the photos to look and feel? What is the color story? What is the vibe? How do I make my stationery stand out? What’s trending and how do I make it my own?
All important questions I ask myself before honing in on the theme. And then it’s time for Pinterest.
I use Pinterest as a general guideline. Finding a color palette I like. Seeking out poses I can imitate. And so on.
Now that I have those questions answered, it’s time to order props and gather my team.
I am so blessed to have found Anushka. She is pictured above! Anushka has become my right hand marketing buddy, social media master and creative therapist. We make monthly marketing plans and work together to execute each goal. She helps with outreach, newsletter creation, sharing her input on the new artwork I’m designing and so much more.
When it comes to these photoshoots, it’s really difficult for me to not be behind the camera. I am so specific about the look I’m going for and it encompasses all the things. How does the frame look, how do I look, how does the product look, Is the lighting right, etc. The questions never end really.
So now here I am modeling while my bestie Greg takes the photos. And he’ s so talented! But he’s not in my head. But Anushka kind of is. Having her on the other side of the camera, posing me and giving me pointers from the sidelines, is everything. Plus the 3 of us have such a blast while Greg secretly thinks about killing us both, probably. Love him.
Did we also moonlight as cake decorators for this shoot? Why yes, we did. Anushka found these cute cakes with some pink piping along the base in Stew Leonards and she picked up some store bought pink icing in a piping tube so that we could add a little more to the cake ourselves. And then of course, threw some cute raspberries and glitter on there.
Initially I wanted cherries on the cake so it was the same as the cake I painted in the card seen above. I did not realize that maraschino cherries are sold without the stems! Or at least the one’s that I bought were. So it’s all about a pivot. The stemless cherries weren’t doing it so these gorgeous raspberries from Trader Joe’s took over. Flexibility is key here to keep things moving and still get the shots. and it’s so cute so who cares that it’s not a cherry, right?
Thank you for reading my blog! I hope the content gave your eyes a visual treat and you’ll think of me for your future stationery needs!
I always a 10 card bundle listing so you can gather a handful of cards for those occasions that pop up on you PLUS you get a sweet discount when you buy in bulk!
Happy Valentine’s Day, love you all!
xx Stephanie
