Posts tagged House Beautiful
New year new published featured shoots!

Excited to start 2023 with a national feature in the annual House Beautiful Small Spaces and a local feature in D Home! Congratulations and thank you to interior designers Tanner Morgan of Morgan Madison and Teddie Garrigan of Coco & Dash.


Magazine spread in House Beautiful featuring photos by Stephen Karlisch
Magazine spread in House Beautiful featuring photos by Stephen Karlisch
Magazine spread in House Beautiful featuring photos by Stephen Karlisch
Magazine spread in House Beautiful featuring photos by Stephen Karlisch

A couple of years ago I got a message from a young designer (Tanner Morgan) in Cleveland, wanting to discuss photographing a project he was working on. It was very early in the process for him, in fact none of the actual construction had even started at this point, but Tanner really wanted to make a connection with me and get me on board for this journey. I was a bit skeptical at first, not knowing anything about Tanner at that time and his online presence as a designer was limited, but he also was very young and excited to get going. His passion for this project quickly became evident and I was ready to go along on this ride. Through many calls, emails, facetimes and updates to the progress on this home, we brought in Frances Bailey, one of the world's top interior stylists, to soften the edges of this project and get it to a national editorial level. 

The three days we spent shooting this project was a highlight in my photography career. Being a part of the process from the beginning engaged my curiosity and brought out my best. We stayed out on this lake property in a charming guest house and enjoyed sunsets and sunrises together, bringing us all pretty close during that week. 

Tanner transformed this simple lake house into a showpiece, each room better than the last, and not one square inch left untouched. The details in every surface are remarkable, a testament to Tanner's own personal style, a character himself you will never forget. 

Writer: Kristen Flanagan
Photographer: Stephen Karlisch @stephen_karlisch_photo
Interior Designer: Morgan Madison Design @morganmadison__
Producer: Robert Rufino
Stylist and floral: Frances Bailey @francesfinds


Photo of living room interior by Stephen Karlisch in D Magazine
Photo of living room interior by Stephen Karlisch in D Magazine
Photo of living room interior by Stephen Karlisch in D Magazine
Photo of sitting room interior by Stephen Karlisch in D Magazine
Photo of bedroom interior by Stephen Karlisch in D Magazine
Photo of hallway interior by Stephen Karlisch in D Magazine

Teddie Garrigan, owner of a unique retail furniture/design shop in Dallas called Coco and Dash, reached out to me to photograph her apartment in Dallas recently. She lives in a high rise in Uptown, near the Katy Trail, that has been a favorite for many in the design world for years. They could do an HBO series about this place, seriously, full of character(s). 

Teddie and her daughter Courtney run the shop together and their interior design business, and I was thrilled to get the opportunity to document her home. From a life of travel and living in many foreign countries (she has a great story to tell!), she lives a collected life. Layers of color and texture rule her world, and I've rarely photographed a space that I've felt more at home in. Working with stylist Jenny O'Connor on this was the perfect mix. She was able to blend in some simple floral to accent the shots, but not overwhelm, and help move some items around to create perfect compositions from the cameras point of view. The apartment was glowing from so much natural light, being in a high rise with nothing around to block the sun, the rooms just come alive as the day moves on. It's always hard to pack up and leave a shoot like this one, so many more stories in there to be told, maybe I'll get a chance to get back in there someday soon.  

Writer: Kendall Morgan
Photographer: Stephen Karlisch @stephen_karlisch_photo
Interior Designer: Teddie Garrigan, Coco and Dash @cocoanddash
Stylist and floral: Jenny O'Connor @jennyoconnorstudio

2020 Year in Review (Press!)
 

No matter what, 2020 will be a year to remember. It reminds me of that quote about “the best of times and the worst of times.” Despite the pandemic and shutdowns, it was still a good year for the interiors business. I am so grateful to so many talented clients and was honored to have my photographs showcased on many shelter magazine covers and in several books. The years highlight was being selected to be the official photographer for the first Kips Bay Showhouse in Dallas

At the end of one year and the beginning of another, I think it’s important to look back at pivotal moments in the past 12 months and to celebrate successes. It gives me the motivation to push myself even more creatively and to set challenging goals for the new year. So here’s a look at the year in review for my studio:

PUBLISHED BOOKS

I was so excited to be a part of the Lucas Eilers book Expressive Interiors, published by Rizzoli. In 2019 going into 2020 I traveled with the designing duo of Sandy Lucas and Sarah Eilers to Charleston, Park City, Galveston plus the hill country, and their hometown of Houston to shoot projects specifically for this book. Because of my work with them and other designers, I am always now encouraging all designers I work with to understand how valuable and important it is to always think about how any shoot would look in a book format somewhere down the line.  

I have loved working with iconic designer Jan Showers over the past 20 years, so I was honored to be able to shoot for her again for her newest book Glamorous Living, published by Abrams in the fall. We worked with Jan a few years ago on her book Glamorous Rooms and a few months ago at the Kips Bay Showhouse in Dallas. She’s an incredible and gracious designer and we’re lucky to be able to collaborate with her.


As if that wasn’t enough book love, I also had a photograph featured from the designer Robert Passal shoot in the gorgeous new book de Gournay: Hand-Painted Interiors. It’s a gorgeous celebration of the company’s historic and modern collections of wallpaper, fabric, and porcelain. 

COVERS + EDITORIAL

We have a great track record in the studio of getting our work published. And this year was no exception, but what was incredible for us was the number of covers our work garnered. Celerie Kemble of Kemble Interiors began the year with making the cover and a feature in NY Cottages and Gardens from our NY shoot Park Avenue residential shoot. Our photo of a kitchen designed by Jean Liu Design was on the cover of House Beautiful.

A living room we shot for Emily Summers made the cover of Modern Luxury Interiors. A Hill Country home by Deb Baxter of Baxter Design Group also made the cover of Luxe Austin + San Antonio. And a fantastic set table in a dining room by Cullman & Kravis was featured on the cover of Southern Home

In a time of Covid and economic ups-and-downs, it can be tempting to drop your marketing or decide not to earmark money for professional photo shoots. But I can tell you that would be a big mistake. Shooting your projects is a must for your portfolio and your image marketing. And the local and national exposure is critical for your business. Our photography for leading designers has definitely helped them increase their brand awareness and their businesses in a crazy year.

We’ve had photographs published in almost too many publications in 2020 to name, but here are a few:

And so many more including an abundance of on-line media. It was a great year for publishing in our studio. We can help you with your image marketing and publishing goals in 2021 – just contact us by clicking here.


PROJECTS + APPEARANCES

This was a year like no other when it came to large-scale photo shoots and speaking engagements – we had to do things a little differently. I shot catalogs and campaigns for both Sutherland and Perennials this year. And with Perennials we had to rethink our process since it was the Summer of Covid. You can see the entire three issues and read how we pulled it off by clicking here

I love public speaking, especially when I can talk to interior designers. This year we went virtual, including a keynote at the Decorative Center in Houston with Lucas Eilers to talk about their book a couple of weeks ago. I had a great time talking with designer Traci Zeller about tips to take your photography to the next level – it was a keynote for the High Point Market. Also for High Point Market in the fall, I shared a virtual stage with Chad Dorsey to talk about getting the most out of your photography budget. 

Podcasts have also become more important than ever for our studio. It’s another great way to talk photography and get the word out about how important image marketing is. I’ve loved talking to great experts in several field, like Kaleigh Wiese and Jane Dagmi. We’re hoping to move to more live interviews and appearances in 2021, but I think we’ll still have a few digital months to go before that happens.


AND NOW TO 2021

So what’s next? The new year starts with a full calendar of shoots of completed projects around Texas and Oklahoma. Due to Covid, shoots have been juggling around for months and we are now making up past ones and newly scheduled ones. We expect the next six months to be full and continue with caution. Hoping travel starts back up by second part of the year to work with clients again around the country. Please visit our blog post on tips about photographing your projects during a pandemic. We already have a few fun things lined up for the new year, including a BIG project we’ve been keeping under wraps. We’re not quite ready to reveal it yet, but look for an announcement early 2021!


If you’re ready to book with us for a 2021 shoot, be sure to contact us as soon as you can. We’re ready to help you reach your image marketing goals and intentions for the new year!