Any marketing strategist or business coach will tell you that during economic uncertainty the last thing you should do is stop or slow down your marketing. In fact, if your brand disappears from the landscape, people may assume you’re actually out of business. The smart business move is to continue to post on social media, use email marketing, and showcase your new work on your website and branded materials.

Editorial press samples from imagery that Stephen shot recently. We have seen these passed around all over social media and pinterest.

Jan Showers in Veranda

Melissa Morgan - M Interiors in 1st Dibs

Denise McGaha in Flower Magazine

And what is the one thing that is most critical to that marketing? Your photography. You need detail shots and behind-the-scenes photos for social media. You need updated personal photos to show you’re not only still in business, but you’re thriving. And you need to have every room of every project professionally shot. These images showcase the best of what you can do – and they are critical decision makers for your potential clients. 

Below are behind the scenes blog post that were iphone captures from our client Lucas Eilers. All and more was used in their social media throughout the year. Their new book, Expressive Interiors, published by Rizzoli, was a huge project all of 2019 and it launches in September. Stephen traveled all over the country with Sandy and Sarah which helped give their book a cohesive look in imagery .

Lucas Eilers behind the scenes photo shoot

Shoot Day! Sandra Drews Lucas and Sarah Brooks Eilers

Expressive Interiors by Lucas Eilers

Below shows how Perennials teamed up with Stephen to create marketing content for their new rug line when everything had been cancelled due to the shutdown. From one shoot they created a new catalog, inspiration boards, social media content and ads.

Perennials new rug line by Allison Paladino

Perennials by Allison Paladino

Veranda ad

We can help you not only photography your projects, but we also specialize in showcasing the best of your brand. Plan your shoot, think ahead just like you are planning your marketing. We help style each shot to so your work attracts even more attention from your marketing efforts. It’s beyond photos – it’s image marketing at its best.

Want to learn more? Click here to get in touch.

Designer Thomas Pheasant at home in Washington DC

A couple of months ago I was being interviewed on the SAID podcast with Jane Dagmi, and at the end of the talk she asked me who some of my favorite designers were. At the top of my list was Thomas Pheasant. Ironically Jane had recently interviewed him for her magazine and I decided to put the wheels in motion to get her to connect us.

A chance trip to DC was planned for a family celebration and I decided to schedule the shoot with Thomas. Everything fell into place with a few short emails and I was all set. Driving to his home I remember being a little nervous, which is strange, I’ve been shooting high profile designers and clients for years, even stuck in an elevator with Giorgio Armani once snapping his portrait, but never felt nerves before. Maybe it was because I had willed this to happen and didn’t want to fail, or let myself down somehow.

All the elements I could ask for were in place, it was a gorgeous day, the sun was hitting the right part of the house when I pulled up, and to top it off he is a PRO. So my job would be easy. After a bit of chit chat and scanning the rooms for a good spot to work, I felt like I had stepped into his instagram feed. His home is everything you would imagine it to be, and it is flawless. Homes like his can create chaos in minds like mine because the visual experience is almost too much to take in, and the options for shots are endless. Luckily he had some great ideas, and the light in the front of his home was perfect, so we stuck to his entry and formal living space to maximize the light.

Someday I would love to explore the rest of the home, and document his space, but feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and photograph a design hero of mine. Thank you Thomas for the time, and sharing a piece of your home with the world.

Designer Thomas Pheasant catching the morning light in his living room in Georgetown, DC.

People always ask me what is your favorite thing to photograph? Easy, I’ll take an environmental portrait any day. Why? I get to combine my love of shooting interiors with spending time and meeting people usually in a place that is personal and meaningful to them. I get to see a part of their life that many people don’t. One on one on their turf, both intimidating and thrilling at the same time. Throw in the pressure of having to create a portrait that is timeless and tells a little story of who they are, in the blink of an eye or fraction of a shutter click on my camera.

Lela Rose at home in Tribeca

In most of these images I’ve never met my subjects or set foot in their home, so the first thing I’m trying to do is quickly scan the location for the best light and what jumps out at me visually. I tend to shoot most portraits utilizing natural light, and am as low tech as possible to keep things from getting too complicated and stressed. The last thing I want is to look awkward fumbling around with any equipment or analyzing a strobe while they are waiting.

Designer Celerie Kemble in NYC

Celerie Kemble

Photographing Celerie Kemble at home was a great collaboration. The shot on the right in green was a guest room in her home that we reorganized and styled with floral and art for the shot. And her clothing options were on hand to help us decide which outfit was best for the scene(I think we actually shot three versions). Then the shot on the left was at the end of the shoot when I wanted to get some more casual shots of her, more fitting of her personality and style.

Usually I find myself wanting to shoot the entire home, positioning the subject in the spaces sometimes blending in as part of the art and architecture themselves.

Sam Saladino in his living room in Oak Cliff, Texas

Bronson Van Wyck at home, NYC

Depth in an image is crucial for a successful shot. Choosing the right lens and camera position in a tight space can make all the difference between a cramped, distorted shot and a visual treat where you can’t stop looking. The image of Bronson Van Wyck above in his hallway bar at home in NYC was a super tight squeeze for me, but choosing a wide lens to bring it all in to play to showcase the volume of the space and positioning him in a casual pose looking off camera, smoking, gives you the sense you are in the space with him, enjoying a conversation. Below Sam Saladino finds a spot on the floor with his cat, blending in to the maximalist surroundings of his collected home in Dallas.

Sam Saladino on the floor in his Oak Cliff home

I’ll wrap all this up with one of my favorite images from a shoot with musician/songwriter Peter More in his family home in Ft. Worth, Texas. I shot with an old medium format film camera for this shoot, adding an element of mystery to the shoot not knowing what the film would look like, but shooting film is worth it for the thrill of seeing it come out better than you expected.

Musician Peter More, Ft. Worth, Texas. Published in Rolling Stone, Flood Magazine and numerous others.

Editor in Chief, Jane Dagmi with Designers Today podcast SAID, decided to take a more personal approach with Stephen Karlisch. The level of comfort you feel listening to this talk will keep you intrigued about learning more about Stephen’s journey. How he ended up in Dallas, shooting interiors, working on book projects, adding fine art and being sought out around the country. His passion beyond his love of photography is to share knowledge to make us all better in the industry and how he loves to speak at markets or do private teaching and coaching with designers and photographers. You will learn about his background in architecture, tennis, fashion photography and how his portrait work became the natural accompaniment that publications and designers request beyond his interior photography expertise. The stories he recounts with notable names of the past, the value of an image that stands the test of time, to the importance of his wife Kristen and her role in the business will keep you hanging on for more. He has some design crushes he hopes to shoot for in the future. See if your name is on his list. And learn more about his fascination with designers and their “why” to their choices.

Thank you to Denise McGaha Interiors for the surprise scoop on Stephen, especially enlightening the listeners to his well known 2:30 pick me up that he needs for those long day shoots.

If this is your first time listening to Stephen, then we highly recommend you also listen to a more in depth educational podcast with LuAnn Nigara, from a Well Designed Business. He gives professional tips to getting the most out of your interior design shoots. He adds more depth about interior photography with secret tips on the Wingnut Social podcast with Darla Powell. Both podcasts have been invaluable to designers across the country and we just love how Jane hugged this podcast into the mix making all three feel well rounded together.

Click here to listen

It’s interesting to me that some designers think they will hire a photographer and stylist for a shoot, tell him/her what shots they’re looking for, and then have the shots delivered exactly as they want with no more work involved. I always want to remind interior designers that this is your photo shoot, and that you need to art direct the day – exactly the same way that a shelter publication will when they shoot a project.

Why? Because it’s your brand, and you need it to be visually represented in the best way possible. A good photographer and stylist are going to make the rooms look good, but they may not understand your brand and what you really need from the shots. 

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I like to work in a partnership with my clients where we’re both fully committed to getting the best visual representation of the project. And it always works best if the designer is fully engaged in the process from the minute we sign an agreement. So what does that mean?

First, you need to think about who you’re going to pitch the project to, or how the images are going to be used. Discussing this plan with your photographer will impact how the project will be styled and shot. You should also think about what the takeaways will be for the person reading the article or viewing the project.

You want to scout the project again, preferably with the photographer and a stylist. It’s a great time to think about how many shots you’ll need, how many horizontals vs. verticals, what accessories and florals you want, what the light looks like, and so much more.

Be realistic about the shoot and the amount of time it will take! Especially if there’s a room that needs the daylight and it’s going to start getting dark at 6pm. It’s so important to have a shot list ready to go. It will speed up everything and you can be sure that we don’t miss a crucial angle or room. 

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So the number-one question I get from a designer is if they really need a stylist for the shoot. My answer is always yes! First, you’re too close to the project and may not be able to visualize how it needs to look for publication. Things look very different on camera.  A stylist can help move the shoot along, styling the next room while the designer and I are shooting the current space. It’s more efficient and more effective. Plus a good stylist will know what trends magazines are looking for regarding props, floral, etc.

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And if you still need to be convinced – my styling team and I have a very HIGH publish rate when we work together and then pitch a project. Yep, VERY, VERY, HIGH. 

Finally, remember that you want to look at each shot as it comes up on the computer. We can make adjustments and changes then and there so we get the perfect photo. This is the time for you to make sure the shots are going in the right direction. 

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If you are an involved art director in your own photo shoot, you’ll walk away knowing you got the shots you wanted, and they match your brand aesthetic.

May 2019 Issue of Designers Today

Indispensable imagery.

Designers Today delivers the tips and takeaways to make sure your interior design brand is as successful as your designs - including marketing tips, business strategies and more. In the May issue they focused on the importance of how gorgeously lit and professionally styled photography can be the best bait for getting editors attention as well as new clients.

Beautiful bathroom design by Denise McGaha

I was very flattered to be among the selected creatives sharing our expertise in regards to all that goes into making the magic happen in interior photography. It was a fun talk with editor Jane Dagmi about things that affect the shoot day in a positive and negative way. Our approach to the interior shoot with our clients from knowing the marketing direction and who they are targeting.  And of course my take on scouting and how beneficial the planning is to making it a very efficient shoot day. 

May 2019 Business Photography

If you didn’t get a chance to pick up the May issue then you can read the digital version here.