Stationery Product Photography: Sea Urchin Studio

When Sara from Sea Urchin Studio contacted me, my inner child swooned! Her illustrations are so nostalgic for me, that it almost feels like her forest friends were the wallpaper in my bedroom growing up, or maybe I had a secret diary with one of her sweet but not-too-sweet mermaids on it.

There are a lot of stationery designers out there. This always rather surprises me, since there is so much moaning about how email has killed the handwritten letter, but I’m happy to see that people still appreciate a thank you card, an invite over an evite, and a tangible note from a friend. Sara’s work stands out from the other stationery I’ve been by having lovely detail and personality, more what you would expect to see in a children’s book than on a note card. It is so lovely!

Sara’s own product photography is nothing to sneeze at: her pictures are well-lit, clear, and her products are arranged together very nicely. She also makes great use of digital images of her designs. However, to make the most of her (upcoming!) new website, Sara wanted some of what we call “hero shots,” the photos which will go on the main page, perhaps in a slide show, and not only show the product, but tell a bit of a story, to draw her customers into her world and help them imagine her work in their home.

Let’s look at the new stuff:

Julie, our photographer, not only shot these photos, but also styled them! Sara asked for happy, clean, imaginative, bright, and kid-friendly photos, with props that didn’t distract from the products, but rather helped tell a story about them.

Stationery product photography is nice and easy since it’s lightweight and easy to ship to a photographer, and so much fun to style.

Meet Julie

This is the first completed project from our new photographer, Julie. She is new to us, but not new to the world of product photography. Her friendly professionalism and outstanding work have her fitting in perfectly with our team, and we’re excited to be able to help out more creative businesses with their photography projects.

Julie says:

I learned early that it’s photography that keeps me up at night – in a good way. The post-process is just as much a rush for me as the shooting time. It takes me hours to fall asleep after I post new photos to show you. Thank you for being here.

Freshman year of High School I started using the camera that my mom was shopping for when she started going into labor with me; initial contractions kept her bending over pretending to be uber interested in products all over the store.

The years before college found me shooting political campaigns, bar/bat mitzvahs, family portraits, occasional local newspaper gigs and everything in between. Tufts University kept me shooting for their Photography Office. Since 2008 I’ve stepped into the web industry as a photographer, designer, front-end developer, project manager, and interactive producer whose clients range from small for-profit businesses to large non-profit organizations.

Visit Sea Urchin Studio

Visit the Sea Urchin Studio site to take a peek at Sara’s delightful note cards, wall art, growth charts, notebooks, and placemats. She also has some freebies which you can download and print yourself: Christmas gift tags and Valentine’s Day cards. Stay tuned for her upcoming Aeolidia-designed website. It’s coming along very nicely!

How About You?

Do you do your own photography, or hire a professional? If you do your own photography, is it fun for you, or a drag? Small business owners have to wear a lot of hats, and I’m of the mind that if one of the hats doesn’t fit right, it’s time to put it on another head! Please get in touch if you’d like to talk more about photography pricing and get on our schedule!