From the first time Susan contacted me I knew from her email that I wanted to work with her.  Susan is a bookbinder, something I know little about.  Susan uses Heritage techniques to craft her one-off books and journals.  So I was really excited to do a lifestyle brand photography shoot and learn more about this beautiful artisan craft. 

The Brief - Lifestyle Brand Photography

Susan was looking for lifestyle brand photography images to document her hand-crafting her beautiful one-of-a-kind books.  These would be used for her promotional literature, social media, website, and press. With a potential national magazine article coming up, Susan knew it was time to invest in herself and felt we’d be a good fit.

With this in mind, I really wanted to capture Susan’s hands with the tools, leather, and paper.  To show the true value of her beautiful books, I kept the emphasis on the love and care that goes into each cut, fold, and stitch.

To help Susan inspire her clients we wanted to include images of the beautiful wedding memory books encapsulating the treasured memories they hold.   This is a really effective way of bringing products to life, a really important part of any lifestyle brand photography shoot.

And of course, I took lots of beautiful lifestyle portraits capturing her wonderful personality.  This is always my favorite part of the shoot and where the real connection is.  Having a portrait of yourself is so much more than a pr tool.  It’s a celebration of all you have achieved and will achieve, a moment in time that will last forever.

The Lifestyle Brand Photography Shoot:  

I absolutely loved this Lifestyle Brand Photography shoot, the light was good, the products super tactile and photogenic, but most importantly the client was lovely.  We had great communication before the shoot and had prepped mood boards, and shared ideas.  This also helps to make sure we keep on track and get the shots we need, but I also like to work organically and shoot from the heart.

Susan has a gentle presence, she is soft and natural, these qualities are literally bound into her work of beautiful handcrafted artisan books.  Books that are made to be cherished as much for their textual qualities as for the contents they are designed to hold.

Her studio is simple and homely.  Everything in there has a tactile beauty enticing you to touch and feel the texture, grain, and smooth velvet silks.

We did have a giggle, as some things didn’t quite go to plan!  Susan’s 15th biz birthday is coming up and we attempted to take a cake shot with a ‘15’ sparkler, but by the time the 5 got lit the 1 had burnt out! Note to self:  buy candles next time!

And then there was The Littlest Greyhound!  Susan’s beloved dog. Who dutifully and patiently allowed us to photograph her in exchange for treats and cuddles.  The Overlord cat wasn’t as obliging, but who are we mere mortals to question his supreme power?  Anyway, the cake didn’t go to waste as we had a slice at the end of the shoot as we sat relaxing in the garden.

An autumnal vibe, for some editorial documentary-style images were needed for an upcoming Autumn magazine piece, the shoot was in July!  With a quick change and some accessories and the right props we were able to create the right images for this most important opportunity.  You never know when these chances will occur and by having a lifestyle brand photography shoot Susan is now prepared.

Lifestyle Brand Photography The Results:   

I knew I’d captured something special at this Lifestyle Brand Photography shoot and I couldn’t wait to send Susan a few sneak peeks, as it would be a few days before I could do the full edit.  I’d taken over 800 pictures!  

For the edit I used a warm, almost nostalgic feel, to reflect Susan’s brief, and as the books she so beautifully makes are designed for holding memories and keepsakes.  This felt like the right aesthetic.  

“ I want my work - and the imagery - to be like taking a deep breath and feeling grounded in materials and emotions.” 

The final gallery gave Susan a huge bank of images to help tell her book-binding story, all sorted into convenient sections so she can dip into it and use the pictures for anything she needs.  She’s already updated her profile image and her mentoring pack with the lifestyle brand photography images and headshots I captured.

You can read more about Susan’s amazing books on her website www.boundbyhand.co.uk and on Instagram

And when you’re ready for your Dorset lifestyle brand photography shoot, I’m here are three ways that I can help you:

1. Visit my blog for tips on how to prepare for your Lifestyle Brand Photography Shoot

2. Book a discovery call with me so we can I can help you plan a shoot for what you really need. 

3. We’ll put together a mood board on Pinterest together to get the feel and vibe you’re looking for.

4. For full details on pricing take a look at my packages. - Brand Shoot