Styling Willi

Monday was one of the hottest days to-date in our bizarre Seattle summer so when I got a chance to style my friend Willi’s book cover shoot over on cooler Bainbridge Island, I jumped at the chance. Willi is a master gardener and expert cook who hosts the website DigginFood.com. She has a weekly gardening show on KUOW (Tuesdays, 10am) and is the West Coast editor for Organic Gardening magazine. The shoot would be the for the cover of her new book, coming out sometime in 2012.

We rode over on the ferry laden down with props and outfits galore – vintage baskets, buckets, wire racks, crates and piles and piles of gorgeous produce – the temperature dropping steadily as we got further and further from the city. 

After a quick pit stop at the Winslow market to meet our photographer, Jim, we headed to the southwest tip of the island to our shoot location, Octavia Chambliss’ beautiful garden.  Octavia is a garden designer based on Bainbridge and she had kindly offered up her garden for the shoot even though she herself would be away on vacation.  It was a stunning location. Imagine an immaculate perennial garden with a large vegetable garden tucked inside, a weathered picket fence and cottage gate leading to a tiny, vintage soccer field and public beach. The Bremerton ferry made hourly passes through the landscape and the sun dropped gently down behind some trees. It couldn’t have been more idyllic, or more Pacific Northwest, if it tried (although a surfacing Orca would have made for an awesome shot!)

I got busy unpacking the props while Jim and Willi scouted out the best spots in the garden. Then it was time to get to work. Here are some “behind the scenes” shots from that afternoon…



Putting my prop styling (and photography) skills to the test. Conclusion: kind of like flowers, just tastier.
 

With Jim’s reflective light panels all set up, it was time to begin!


Perhaps a sitting pose instead?


A close up of that fabulous blue table was enough to make anyone hungry.


We picked these herbs and peaches fresh from Octavia’s garden.

Time for a new top and a new location (check out the giant rhubarb in the background).
 
Couldn’t resist a few flower pictures.


A few head shots for publicity…


Yummy garlic scapes

And my personal favorite shot - earwigs in the peaches!