Hi everyone, it’s Justine.
Earlier this year I said that I was learning more about photography and about how to create
good photos.
This video is the story of the full process of how I learned that, from learning the actual
skills necessary, to planning and executing an entire photoshoot.
You will see behind the scenes on the photoshoot day, and you will see the final results, which
is the photo.
I wanted a creative image of the jewelry collection that I designed.
Not something on a white background, like on a web shop.
This, we have everything we need already.
I wanted a better, more creative image.
Product photography is challenging because you’re talking about very small pieces,
small products, and mine are in metal so they reflect light.
First I learned about the tools to get the technical part down, so to speak.
So that it’s out of the way when I actually start creating images.
I watched tutorials on Skillshare.
Some of you may know that website already.
And I started with the basics.
Things like fundamentals of DSLR photography.
That’s a good one to start with because you see examples, and he really says “This
photo was shot with shutter speed bla bla bla, aperture bla bla bla, ISO so and so.
If you change the aperture, this happens.
If you change the ISO, that happens.”
I’m a visual person, so it helps me to be able to see the results and compare.
Then I dove into the specifics of creating flat lays, which is something that I could
reproduce and practice with pretty much alone, at home.
And I said, “Let’s try and do a good flat lay of that jewelry.
With the props, with the lighting, whole program".
Then I thought, “Wait, if I’m gonna do a photoshoot, why not do a big one?" And so
one flat lay ended up being five completely different creative concepts and the mini-photoshoot
that I wanted to do became a full, full day.
No matter which item you’re taking a photo of, I think that planning the composition
ahead of the shooting day is absolutely essential.
Each flat lay tutorial that you’ll find online has a huge chapter on laying out the
things on the table, thinking it through before anyone even grabs a camera.
So I sketched what I wanted, I looked for props.
I tested them.
I got more props.
And in the end, I also built some of the props I used.
For instance, I found slices of wood.
I like it because the wood is warm; it has a warm color.
And it has texture on the outside.
But they were too new.
So I stained, I dyed the wood slices with tea.
Ahhh!
My tea was Darjeeling tea, so I’ll let you guess how many sponges of Darjeeling you need
to get the effect that you would get with actual black tea?
And the answer is “It doesn’t work.
I ended up using coffee.”
I also machine-washed a specific thick paper, to give it texture, relief, see what would happen
to the color.
Thinking how can this possibly survive being washed, but the instructions clearly said
that the paper was water-resistant, so I tried.
First I tried to get it into the machine, and then I added detergent to see what happens.
On the day of the photoshoot, I was super prepared.
I was bulletproof.
I also think it’s the only way to get five photos down in one single day.
You need to test, rehearse everything before.
You can’t guess and experiment on that day.
Like, you need to know pretty much what the final result is gonna look like before you
even start.
I was trying to put a natural-looking hand.
That’s still a bit more…
Uh-huh…
This corner…
Good thing that I’m wearing a dress.
You see the edges?
No, I’m fine with cropping.
Yeah.
The two little hands are here in the middle so the most important is that it’s not like
this.
Yeah.
I need to change my seat.
Yeah.
This pose was a lot harder than I thought.
Like I needed to hold my hands super high above my head.
I was literally seated under the table.
You have to make it more…
This hand is not elegant.
The right hand higher.
There.
This has to be more elegant.
More elegant?
Extreme sport.
I’m like “Hold.
Like… do like this and look natural.”
This one is the warmest, like right now I’m super tanned, so I think this one works better,
the apricot one.
That’s also why I did my nails lighter.
Ok.
Here the contrast is better if I’m wearing silver, so it matches my undertone, because
I want all the backgrounds to be completely different in the five photos.
If I do like this, you don’t see the hole.
I love the contrast.
The second photo was meant to be more graphic and also more colorful than the first one.
I just wanted to make it a bit brighter.
If you’re going to do a pause, can you cream your fingers?
I think I’ve never been that tanned since I’ve lived in Germany.
The lower one I didn’t touch I think.
But I will clean it again…
You will clean it again?
Thank you.
I can see everything.
There’s some wind coming.
Do it again.
I made it darker.
Mhm.
The sharpness, I think it’s sharper here.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It’s better.
The contrast is better.
I think just a normal T-shirt is not elegant enough, very basic.
And the blue one?
If I’m wearing a bandeau?
And you cut it out so I’m wearing nothing?
Yeah, that would be even better, actually.
We can do both.
Ok.
Yeah?
So this needs to be really black, yeah?
Yes.
And the back also.
Does this look really black?
It should look really, really black.
The contrast is great.
My collarbones need to be at the same height.
Like, it should almost be like, in the same method.
Yes.
So, we have two options here, black and white and color.
In the end this photo became two different photos, because I wanted to try it also from
the back, with a necklace worn the other way around.
And that’s only possible if you plan more than one outfit, so I actually had four different
dresses and tops, and different necklines with me in my suitcase on that day.
That’s the muscle?
Yeah.
There’s nothing there.
Could you do another position with your arms, perhaps…
There is good.
This is a lot more green than I thought.
Yeah…
I mean this is the thing you’re gonna see on the photo.
You know?
Cause also it’s so big.
It’s very present.
That’s true.
Or I take just the little ones… the mini ones.
Like one bit like this.
Yeah, that would be better.
When you build houses as an architect, like you make a miniature city, for instance…
Oh, that’s what it is…
You use this for the stones and everything.
Like those that you find next to a river, you know?
You want to make one?
I just don’t want the props to be too big because the pieces are so small.
So the props should not shift the focus away from the jewelry, you know?
I also can go towards the right angle, doesn’t matter.
But you need to change the light as well.
Ok.
Just turn.
Careful, careful.
Yeah.
Take the fabric.
Can you see where this starts, here?
Yes, I can.
No…
It should be behind the… behind the box.
I wanted it to be hidden by this box with the angle.
This is actually the flat lay that I wanted to do originally, before I got a little bit
carried away and turned that into a huge project.
Yeah, it looks good.
I’m gonna change the position.
I think this is a bit too much on the…
If you do a square, I think the jewelry is a little bit too much…
I see what you’re saying…
On the top.
So we’d perhaps…
Yeah.
We can move that a little bit.
I think you can’t see those.
Yeah.
This needs to change.
So…
Can we take another branch?
Very patient.
Uh-huh.
To do this job.
It’s the art of flat lays.
Yeah.
You think it’s easy… but it takes hours.
This is the result of the washed paper.
Now it looks old and used, which is exactly what I wanted.
Last shot.
This and this.
So in the end, I used coffee instead of tea.
Cause it’s…
This is with tea.
This is with coffee.
And this is the original.
Lavender, dried.
Old books, with a nice texture and a nice cover, and this, which I found in an antique
shop.
Ok.
It seems that it’s more difficult sometimes to make it look messy.
Yeah, it’s harder.
It’s harder, right?
Yeah.
Especially in a flat lay where you’re planning everything.
And doing like… thinking it through in advance.
And then you put the props and it looks all symmetrical and geometric and you’re like
“ugh”.
Ok.
You know, actually, this…
This lavender thing was supposed to be olive branches.
Oh, ok.
I couldn’t find any.
I went through all of Berlin.
So I took these ones, and in the end, nobody will know.
This photo, the last one, was meant to be completely different again.
You see it’s afternoon light.
It’s a completely different atmosphere and a different mood.
Even though both are pretty much from the top and pretty much like flat lays, this one
is about someone who just took off their jewelry, the pieces, and just let them fall onto the
bedside table.
Next to the book.
Next to an old, loved photo.
And they left.
They didn’t think about what the layout would look like.
Everything should be like a little bit covered, yeah?
Yeah.
And also, random.
Yeah…
Like not so organized.
Is it too organized?
No, I think it’s better.
It’s like a warm light, but not too yellow, right?
Yeah.
Exactly.
But you can tell it’s the afternoon?
Yeah.
In the end, you see that the five photos are completely different, and we’ve got options.
We’ve got vertical, horizontal and square ones.
Which is super practical to play with on social media, on my website, and you’ll also see
more on my Instagram.
Actually, by the time you get this video online, published, I will have the final photos ready
to be shown.
Now I’m very curious to know, first, which photo, which layout, which mood, is your favorite
out of the five and why?
Second question…
Which one do you think best matches the original mood of the jewelry?
If you’ve seen my previous video where I explain the inspiration for this collection,
I think that one photo out of the five clearly is the closest to that concept, but I’m
curious to see what you guys think.
I’d like to thank Skillshare for sponsoring this video.
I learned the skills in their tutorials.
They made it possible for me to shoot that project with a team, and to even hire somebody
to document and film the whole day so that you guys could see it as well.
Skillshare is a membership-based website where you can learn a ton of different skills, including
photography, but not only…
There are many, many more things that you can learn on there.
And if you’re interested in testing it, trying it out, here is my code for you to
get two months for free.
The first 500 people who register will get it.
I will put this link also down below in the description for you.
Did you enjoy being able to see behind the scenes on the day of the photoshoot?
If yes, thumbs up.
Thank you very much.
I know that my creative job is not like a regular office job, and I get tons of questions
about it.
In the future, I will do my best to take you with me more often, especially with fun days
and projects like this one because it’s visually, I think, interesting to see, so
that you understand what I do all day when I’m not filming videos for Youtube.
See you next week in the next one.
Take care.
Bye.