I love styling.   It plays a huge role in both our wedding and lifestyle photography and I think the more you practice, the better you get.    I recommend finding some photographs you really love and then attempting to re-create them; it’s a great way to practice and you often end up with something original anyway.   Here are some other tips I live by:

Keep it simple.   Sometimes when a photograph isn’t looking exactly right, we tend to add more layers to it when the best practice is to keep unnecessary elements away.   The simplest things are often the most striking.

We read a photo from left to right, so try not to block the left side too much.   If I have a whimsical or larger element, I tend to place it in the lower right hand corner and find that it works well.  I do this a lot with flat lays or our wedding invitations — the ribbon or flower works best in the lower corner.

Keep your colors consistent or complimentary.   Nothing busies a photo more than a mess of colors.   While I love to break this rule from time to time, I try to do it very strategically and thoughtfully as it often ends up being messy rather than purposeful

Try it a few different ways.    I often find that the first photo I take is my favorite, even though I have tried a million variations after.  It’s much more about gut instinct than you think!

Make sure that the subject matter makes sense and is feasible, i.e.  make sure that the wine glass would be in that spot, or the cheese is realistically cut into.  Oftentimes, our most natural tendencies are the most translatable and read the best in camera. xxx