Case Study - Iatesta Studio

Client Background

Iatesta Studio is a medium sized manufacturer of high end furnishings, lighting and accessories. Most of their products are made in a facility outside of Annapolis, MD by a group of skilled artisans and makers.

Challenges

We’ve been creating high-end product shots for this client for some time. Simple clean backgrounds, and studio lighting to highlight the care and craftsmanship that goes into their products. As the demands of their client base have changed, Iatesta Studio found themselves in need of images showing their products in place. So we needed to find ways to show their product line installed in homes. At it’s heart, this was and advertising photography project.

Existing Work

Iatesta studio manufactures handmade and exquisitely finished case goods, upholstery and lighting. Each of their products has a corresponding sales sheet showing a number of angles on the piece as well as the dimensions. Since their construction and finish techniques are very labor intensive, and a large part of their appeal, these product photos need to highlight those construction and finish characteristics. These are primarily technical exercises.

Concept Development -

In discussions with the client’s senior management it was determined that a number of installations would occur at the CEO’s residence over the next several months. We would use each of these installations as opportunities to shoot new setups. Usually in a customers existing installation, the client would feature 2 or 3 pieces in a room, with pieces from other manufacturers sprinkled in. Whereas in this situation, we would be building out each shot full of their product. Also, the client has a social media manager who requested vertical video clips for reels and stories. Adding a motion, or video aspect to a shoot will often drastically affect the shoot schedule and workload. In this case, there was enough time for us to work on the motion shots as the moving crew was getting the larger pieces into place.

Execution -

Pre-production - Once availability was lined up, we met at the shoot location for a technical scout and blocking. We determined there were two spaces that would serve their needs well, and two more that could be made ready for a subsequent shoot. Since the client manages installations at showrooms around the US, they have a full time equipment handling and white glove installers on staff. Further, there is an in-house interior designer who would act as stylist, and the CEO is an avid collector of antiques and decorative items. In other words, the usual need for us to produce the shoot and hire a production team was mostly handled.

Shoot day(s) - The initial shoot took place over two consecutive days. A subsequent shoot the following quarter took place, again over two days, with more planned as new product becomes available. As we were in one space shooting stills and motion, the installers would be in the other, getting product roughly in place. We have enough equipment on hand to keep both scenes lit simultaneously. After the room was covered, the shoot team and the install team would switch. We bounced back and forth several times throughout the day as other product was brought in.

Post production - Post production involved color correction and retouching of switch plates, vents, outlets etc. The video clips were provided raw for the social media team to manage.