What is still life styling?
Still life styling is the process of executing the styling of soft goods and accessories for fashion brands that do not appear on a model, creating visually appealing images for editorial, social media and e-commerce platforms.
How does it differ from other types of photography?
Product styling is one of the main components of product photography. Product photography and fashion photography differ as product photography captures images and details of a single item, whereas fashion photography focuses on the way the item looks as it is being showcased on a model. Still life styling requires a different skill set than fashion styling or food styling as still life styling is carried out using multiple techniques to style only the clothing and physical products.
What career opportunities are available in still life styling?
The career opportunities that are available as a still life stylist are working in house for a brand, working as a freelancer and having the opportunity to work for many brands at a time, being represented by an agency with opportunities to land major editorial jobs and commercials, teaching still life styling at a school, becoming a photo art director and more.
What types of clients or industries typically hire still life stylists?
The fashion and beauty industries are number one for hiring still life stylists. Other industries that typically still life stylists include the bedding and home industries, the film industry and creative agencies.
What skills are essential for a successful career in still life styling?
Having a trained eye for detail is one of the most important skills. Other skills that are key are being able to adapt to change, being collaborative, time management, attention to detail, ability to work independently and closely with others, clear communication, the ability to come up with creative solutions.
How can I continuously improve my skills and stay current in the industry?
Training/assisting with a still life stylist and getting feedback, gathering inspiration and testing with a photographer, looking at brand images and recreating them on your own. Picking a technique and continuously practicing.
What are some common challenges in this career, and how can I overcome them?
When freelancing, sometimes it can be a challenge to be consistently booked. This can be overcome by reaching out to producers and letting them know your availability. When working in house for a brand, sometimes the challenge is getting “stuck” styling e-commerce images only and not being booked for the editorial photo shoots. This can be overcome by testing with a photographer, doing editorial shoots on your own showing that you are multi skilled in all areas of still life styling.
What opportunities are there for specialization within still life styling?
There are many different areas for specialization in still life styling. One is bedding and bath, home, tabletop, soft goods, pin ups, laydowns/flat lays, props, beauty, and undergarment styling.
What does career progression look like in still life styling?
The career progression usually starts off being a stylist assistant for products or fashion for a good amount of time, moving from an assistant to a stylist, moving on to being an art director for stills or fashion shoots. Then it can go wherever you want, some choose to have an agent to be able to book major jobs and campaigns. Some choose to stay in house with a brand and love setting and maintaining the styling standards for a brand.
How do I build a strong portfolio as a still life stylist?
A strong portfolio is usually built by testing with a photographer and coming up with strong photos. Another way to build your portfolio is to acquire images from jobs that you have styled from the client and add them to your portfolio. It’s important to have more than one type of styling represented in your portfolio, showing that you are well rounded and able to do many different techniques.
How do I get started in the still life styling industry?
Conduct research and see if there are any e-commerce studios in your area and sign up to be an assistant. Take classes to learn the foundations and basics of assisting on set. Reach out to agencies and let them know you are interested in assisting.