The Lodge Surfaces are like nothing we've released before. So let's talk about unique ways to light and style them before they drop this Friday. Hint: they're remarkably easy.
The overhead "floating" shot
Want to create a magical image that catches the eye without the time needed for extensive styling or editing?
To capture the photo above, we placed a small styling block under our product to give it a "floating" effect. You can do this with with any Surface, but we think that it creates an especially cool effect with designs like upcoming Vapor and Storm.
If you don't have a styling block on hand, you can use any small object with two flat sides - just make sure it's hidden beneath the product so you won't have extra editing work later on.
Black & white bounce boards
See the placement of the small black board and white Surface in the right photo above? These both have very specific and important purposes.
The small black board (placed to the back left of our scene) is there to block the light from our light source. It's known as a "flag" in photography. For this scene, our light is to the front left, so the black board is preventing that left side of Bookscape from being too bright. As a not-so-secret-surprise, the Replica Studio (pictured here) comes with two black flags that slide right into the grooves of the Studio.
The white Surface (to the right of our scene) is doing the opposite. It's bouncing the light back onto the scene to brighten the shadows that naturally occur when using only one light source. This is the All White Replica Surface. It makes a perfect bounce if you have it and aren't using it in your scene. If not, try another white-based Surface like White Marble or White Wood - bounces don't have to be completely white to do their job. Don't have any of those? Poster board or foam core take a bit of rigging, but work in a pinch!
Both of these tools, whether they're Surfaces or pieces of foam core, are so useful to have on hand!
Seamless styling
With "scape" style Surfaces like the ones above, creating a seamless look can sometimes be a challenge. Luckily, we've got tips to help you nail it every time.
1. Pairing Choice - Choosing a Surface that matches a color in your vertical Surface is a super easy way to create a more cohesive look. Here we chose Sandstone to match the light tones in Livingscape, and Midnight (retired) to match the dark blue hues in Forest Glow.
2. Props - In both of the photos above, you can see that we chose props that perfectly match colors in the vertical Surfaces. This is another great way to blend foreground and background to create a seamless look.
3. Angle - The angle you choose here is super important too! When it comes to using the "scapes" - the lower the better. Eye level is definitely our favorite angle for these types of images.
Ready for the dark, mysterious Lodge Surfaces to drop? Friday, August 18 at 10 am CST is go time. See the full Collection here and get that short list built. Once these Surfaces sell out, they're retiring forever *gasp*
