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How to Create Your Year Round Prop Stash!

How to Create Your Year Round Prop Stash!

by | Nov 4, 2020 | How-To, Podcast

How to Create Your Year Round Prop Stash!

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify

Welcome to the Crystal Clear Podcast where we strive to empower the everyday creative boss to elevate and grow a business that matches your creativity and passion for creating products.

 

Things mentioned in this podcast episode:

 

Look for the basics! It seems pretty general to say look for the basics but when I say that I mean both color and then the basic types of props that are necessary to have a stash for year-round types of products and things that you might be working on or styling. The basic things might be stuff like plates because those are on trend right now. The imperfection of it is gorgeous, but then also a lot of the neutral colors and tones right now are very popular here.

Recommended Prop Basics for 2021:

 

  • Clay plates – They’re trending right now because they have a classic and raw unfinished look. It leans to that high-end editorial look that a lot of brands love.
  • Clay bowls – Same case! Raw, edgy, and unfinished bring in texture and neutral tones that fit any brand.
  • Throw blankets (keep away from kids!) – They are great for texture in jewelry images, lifestyle photos, and any type of stock images. They’re offered in a variety of colors and can be chunky knit, medium knit, or solid fabric.
  • Linen throw pillows are my personal favorite. I picked up some from Target that have tan on one side and white on the other so you can flip them around for versatile use. The linen lends another fabric that’s good for close-up product shots of small items like jewelry.
  • Vases! Dare I say clay, but also neutral-tone vases from Amazon and Target. They offer a variety of sizes to support different images and product heights but also can be a great punch of color to fit a brand.
  • Neutral furniture pieces! They’re all the rage this year and will continue, especially if you’re in the business of having some items that fit the aesthetics of product brands. A great example is my studio couch: it’s a light linen grey and works easily to be dressed up with a variety of colors that fit every brand. I also have a tan tuft chair for the desk that fits most brands.
  • Blank journals or artist notebooks in a variety of basic colors – The artist journals (you can snag those at Michaels) are awesome because they’re a solid color with a nice band and can double as books or a pop of color.
  • Basic pens – My favorite are the Poppin pens; they don’t have a ton of variety. The logo is small and only on one side so you can easily flip it over for a stock photo or product image on a desk. The best part is they come in a variety of pastel and neutral-like colors!
  • Basic desk accessories – I collect desk decor in the 3 basic areas – gold, silver, and white. You might find it necessary to only get the one that fits your product/brand, though. So if you lean to one style or another, make sure to only buy things that fit that style or compliment that color. I personally love things like pen holders, desk, notepad, or sticky note holders, too!
  • Don’t forget the tiny things! Fun paperclips, unique magnets, and other tiny office accessories make for great filler items in your flatlay and product photos. I love the new trend of cute accessories like decorative and fun-shaped office magnets (they sit flat!) or even decorative paper clips and push pins with different colors.
  • Beauty dishes – Great for jewelry or creative beauty photos! They are also great for holding the tiny desk accessories for more texture.
  • Last but certainly not least, functional trays – They double for a beauty brand counter styled look or even a countertop or a table and living space setup. It’s a very versatile prop and comes in wood, marble, gold, silver and so many options; you can really find 1-2 that are your style and use them in many different ways!

Like this episode?

Comment, share on Pinterest, or even snap a screenshot and tag me on Instagram! I’d love to hear what you think about props for product photography.

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About Crystal

Corporate America had me at hello for 10 years. And just when I thought I was where I was supposed to be, God changed the narrative and helped me find more time for my husband and two beautiful girls through my own photography business. Now, I live for all things styled photography and serving the business community exclusively through styled imagery and personal brand photography.

Recent Episodes

How to Create a Year Round Prop Stash

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My Top Business Apps I Can’t Live Without

My Top Business Apps I Can’t Live Without

by | Oct 27, 2020 | Content Creation, Podcast

The Blog

My Top Business Apps I Can’t Live Without

My Top Business Apps I Can't Live Without

I am so excited to share with you today the top business apps that I can’t live without.

I

 like to update people with what I’m currently using in my business in hopes that you, too, can become more organized and efficient.

As my business has grown with Crystal Clear Creative Studios and now the Creative Boss Society, there are many moving parts. Some of the apps that I use have changed within the last year, and I wanted to share them with you. 

Airtable 

It’s the organizational core of my businesses – Crystal Clear Creative Studios and the Creative Boss Society.

Everything like product photography and shot lists to client information is kept here. Along with branding information, graphics, hex codes, content calendars, and more! Airtable is the most important app that I use that I cannot live without. There’s also an app for your phone, making it super convenient when you need to access it right away.

Notion 

This is a newer app I’ve started using in my business. It has the database appeal of Airtable mixed with the nuances you love about GoodNotes. You can use it for notes, create sections, templates, spreadsheets, etc.

I love it because I can have a board in Notion and build out lesson plans and trainings for the Creative Boss Society. I can create modules and set reminders and timers, similar to Trello and Asana. There are also sharing capabilities that allow me to share content and copy with my web designer and have her go in, take the copy I’ve written, and plug it into the right places on my web page. As a visual person, I also love that you can see certain things in different views of the same type of content.

Slack 

I love Slack for team communication. It gives me one central place to track back-and-forth conversations with every team member. It’s searchable, so I can search for attachments or photos that my team might have dropped and sent to me that I need to find and vice versa. It’s a clean way of staying out of your email daily.

Dubsado  

I’ve been with this app since they were in their first year of business, and I have continued to use it because it’s so easy to customize. Dubsado is continually making improvements and changes to find ways to make a creative business owner’s life easier.

I can set up portals and workflows for my clients within the app. They have access to all of their invoices each month, and they can access them at the end of the year for tax write-offs. Dubsado also keeps track of client contracts, documents that I’ve uploaded if I’m working with a new client, email follow-ups if something needs completion by a specific time, and more.

I can automate nearly everything through the app, which allows me to focus on other areas of my business. 

Unfold 

This is one that I have on my phone that allows me to create social media graphics. I can save blank templates of backgrounds that I can use on my Instagram stories and then upload them later. If I’m doing something on the fly or posting something quickly, I can do it all through Unfold. This app is my favorite graphics creator I can use on my phone. 

Mojo 

Mojo is how I make all of the moving graphics used in my Instagram stories. I’ve used it long enough to know exactly what I want. But if you’re using it for the first time, it could be a little overwhelming because there are so many options. Once you get the hang of it, though, it really can make a powerful impact on your stories.

I’ll periodically go through and create different stories on Mojo because sometimes it’s just fun to add music or other elements. Whenever I’m getting ready to launch something or something important is going on – I use Mojo.

Voice Memos 

I use voice memos for everything, especially when it comes to blogs. I could be out somewhere, and something inspires me, so I’ll stop and do a voice memo, then go back, clean up the audio, and upload it or use it for later. I can also turn it into text with my transcribe, go onto my desktop later, grab that voice memo from my phone and turn it into an email or blog topic. 

Voxer

Voxer has become a great tool for many people in the coaching industry and many business owners in general. It allows you to have back-and-forth conversations with people at your leisure. It’s great for people who are doing coaching programs or want to speak with clients instead of sending long emails or text messages. 

Conclusion 

Those are some of the top tools that I’m currently using in my business. If you want to check it out or have some other questions on how I’m using some of these apps in my business, please let me know.

It’s never too late to jump on board and try new apps to see what works in your business. And whether you’re just starting or are already established, the Creative Boss Society will provide the direction, training, and tools you need to start selling confidently, all while being supported by your community and coach. You can also find me on Instagram, where I post tips and tricks to help you thrive as a business owner.

My Top Business Apps I Can't Live Without

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About Crystal

 

Crystal is the Creative Director, Photo Stylist, and Commercial Photographer behind Crystal Clear Creative Studios. From increased sales, visibility, and trends to conversions and full production, Crystal and her team, experts on the subject matter, provide clients with confidence to take your photography and videography needs off your plate. We support you in your growth with the creation and implementation of transformative ideas.

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The Best Digital Journey for Your Photos (From SD Card to Social Media)

The Best Digital Journey for Your Photos (From SD Card to Social Media)

by | Sep 17, 2020 | How-To

The Blog

The Best Digital Journey for Your Photos (From SD Card to Social Media)

The digital journey for my photos is just as important as the photography shoot itself.

O

nce I’ve taken the images that I need, the next steps I take determines how they’re going to look on my websites, social media platforms, client websites, etc. Here’s what works best for me that might work best for you. Learn the best digital journey for your photos from the tips I recommend all my clients.

The Uploading Process

 

There are several ways to upload and share your photos to your computer. Depending on the file size and how many images you have, you may need bigger cloud storage like DropBox or Google Drive. If you’ve outsourced your product photography to a professional, this will most likely be how they will share your photos with you. The sharing feature makes it easier for you to get your shots without diminishing the quality. Using additional storage also helps keep your computer free from too many files on the desktop. iCloud is another great option to use if you’re taking your product photos yourself.

 

I prefer to use Lexar Professional SD Cards they are generally more reliable and come in a larger size so they fit well for someone who likes to snap a lot in one sitting. I insert my SD Card straight into my computer, where I can immediately upload the raw files into the cloud storage. I avoid uploading the photos directly to my computer because I take so many, and it could fill up space on my Mac desktop quickly. 

 

Best Photo Editing Programs

 

Some of the best photo editing programs to use are Lightroom (my personal favorite!) and Photoshop. Both have a learning curve if it’s your first time using the program, but photo editing is what takes your photos to the next level. Lightroom is easier to master and is geared more towards bloggers AND photographers, which is why I like it so much. Its a quick easy adjustment to the light, hence its name. Lightroom allows for all the presets we love but also to get that light and bright look that I love! But even as a beginner, it’s a great tool to learn and use. Tons of pro photographers use it as a primary editing tool.

 

If you’re taking your own product photos, I’ve created some simple presets you can use to add the finishing touches and maintain consistency. They’re geared to be similar to my style but also to help with adjustments fitting flat lays or products. So whether you’re on the go with the mobile Lightroom app or working from home on the LR desktop, the CCP Presets gives you the basics guide for the presets and installation. I even added in a quick video to give you tips on what you can adjust based on what color or light setting you might want to change.

 

What Not To Do

Some things to avoid when it comes to your product photography are taking screenshots and saving smaller versions of the file to your computer. You also don’t want to download it to your phone and then use that size to upload it to your website. Your phone is meant to auto-size in some cases so you can end up with a low quality image that way. At the end both screenshots and smaller versions you save to your phone can diminish the quality of the original image, leaving you with a blurry photo. Although it’s easier and more convenient to do, it’s not worth it. Never use any but the original or edited photo on your social media or websites. It looks extremely unprofessional.

 

File Formats To Save Your Photos In

 

The best file formats to save your photos are JPG and PNG, this is key when you are exporting them from Lightroom or Photoshop. When you’re shooting in a camera you want to make sure to save your files in a RAW file format, this tends to keep a lot more information stored from the image and gives you better editing ranges when it comes to light and color. The RAW file will leave you with more information to work with when editing, and you’re less likely to diminish the quality of the picture in the process. You can also recover more than you can with a standard jpeg. That just means if you’re looking to add more light where the image is darker then you won’t have as good a chance at recovering that if the file isn’t a RAW file. However, you cannot share the files until they’ve been post-processed in a photography program like Lightroom or Photoshop.

 

JPG and PNG are ready-made images that almost all social platforms accept. You can share these easily and have more room to store your photos since they take up less data. However, when you edit and resize them repeatedly, the image quality begins to degrade, leaving you with a blurry image. To avoid that make sure to always copy from the original file or jpeg to avoid that.

 

Conclusion

 

Once your photos are edited and ready to go, it’s time to upload them to your website and social media. The digital journey is a process that takes some work, but the results can end up in more sales and a loyal following. If you need help with any of these steps, send me a message, and I can help. We can also chat on Instagram!

 

 

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Crystal is the Creative Director, Photo Stylist, and Commercial Photographer behind Crystal Clear Creative Studios. From increased sales, visibility, and trends to conversions and full production, Crystal and her team, experts on the subject matter, provide clients with confidence to take your photography and videography needs off your plate. We support you in your growth with the creation and implementation of transformative ideas.

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Outsourcing Your Product Photos Pt. 2 – What You Need to Know

Outsourcing Your Product Photos Pt. 2 – What You Need to Know

by | Aug 3, 2020 | Content Creation

The Blog

Outsourcing Your Product Photos Pt. 2 – What You Need to Know

It’s easy to become overwhelmed with the thought of outsourcing your product photos, especially when you know you can do it yourself.

B

ut overcoming your fear of outsourcing is another hurdle to conquer. It’s normal to feel this way when you’re doing it for the first time, so take a deep breath, overcome your anxiety, and outsource the work so you can focus on other parts of your business.

Here are 3 easy steps to help you let go of that fear:

 

Do the Math

Don’t worry – I cringe too when it comes to numbers, but when you realize the increased sales from better quality equals more money in your pocket – you will be outsourcing left and right. Know that outsourcing your photos means more opportunity to focus on:

 

  • Marketing your product
  • Engaging with your ideal customers
  • Creating more content

 

The payoff will be entirely worth it. Don’t think of investing in another photographer as a waste of money, but rather an investment in your business. Outsourcing your product photos to someone else with the same or better skill set than you will result in a higher Return on Investment (ROI). This is because you’re increasing your productivity levels by doing other important tasks that need your attention. In-house efficiency is vital for business growth, so take advantage of the opportunities to invest in a few month’s worths of photos and see the big-picture results. 

 

Ask Yourself Questions

Ask yourself questions like – would this save me time, stress, and money doing it myself? What can I get in done in that timeframe instead of focusing on trying to take photos? Does it make more sense to focus on marketing, creating products, and driving sales over 4-8 hours trying to do a photoshoot? 

 

When you can answer these questions with a solid answer, really think about the benefits you can have towards growing your company. Be sure you know the answer first before you decide to outsource. Like anything, it’s important to have a plan and a goal in mind. Time is money and it shouldn’t be wasted on things that can be handed over to other professionals in the business.

 

Brand Evaluation 

Another great way to overcome your fear of outsourcing is taking a step back and assessing whether or not your brand is ready to take it up a notch. Believe it or not, our businesses can easily dictate when it is time to outsource. The bank account balance looks good, your crazy busy filling orders, talking to wholesalers, etc. These are all things that indicate your business is growing and it is time to offload them before you fall behind on important tasks like customer service. The sooner you can outsource, the sooner you can focus on what you need to.

 

Conclusion

The fear of outsourcing your work is real. Every successful business owner has had the feeling, but has taken the necessary step for growth – and you can too. Understand that it may take a few trials before you find the right person but it’s all part of the process. Take what you learn and grow from it. It’s important to realize the successes that come from outsourcing your tasks. As business owners, we need ongoing support to help teach us the right things and lead us on the right path towards success. You can’t do it alone and this is why I offer more than just photography services. If you’d like to learn more, I’d love to connect with you! You can also find me on Instagram!

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About Crystal

 

Crystal is the Creative Director, Photo Stylist, and Commercial Photographer behind Crystal Clear Creative Studios. From increased sales, visibility, and trends to conversions and full production, Crystal and her team, experts on the subject matter, provide clients with confidence to take your photography and videography needs off your plate. We support you in your growth with the creation and implementation of transformative ideas.

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