Creative Direction: Photographing Mixed Media

Tracy Watson is a mixed media artist who specializes in creating beautiful little houses using vintage materials. I recently had the opportunity to photograph her work and spend the afternoon in her studio.

This was a great opportunity to use my creative direction experience - creating the vision for the product and staging the work.

Watson uses fabrics, imagery, jewelry, beads and all kinds of lovely items in her work. She has a great eye for composition and color and the little houses turn out to be a very detailed works of art.

Her studio makes a personal statement with bright sunlight and supplies arranged artistically and accessibly. Each house ranges from approximately 6" to 14" tall. They are perched on shelves or standing on colored glass cake plates and pastry stands.

My first visit to the studio was intended to see the artwork itself and determine what type of photography options I'd have. I was thrilled to see stacks of vintage fabric, neatly displayed wooden spools of thread, quilted stocking boxes containing assorted costume jewelry, and apothecary jars of pretty ribbon. Being able to study her workspace gave me wonderful ideas on how to stage the houses in a manner that suited Watson's work style and artistic vision.

We worked very simply as there were nearly thirty houses to photograph. Using a small table and dresser underneath the window, we draped fabrics as backdrops and used them as table coverings. I placed various notions near the houses that complemented the color scheme and used a short focal range to create emphasis on the details.


Hydrangeas from Watson's garden provided complementing color and brought the houses to life.

The resulting collection of images turned out beautifully - magazine ready for submitting her work to the trade publications.