Unicorn & Narwhal Bar
Seattle bar photography for Capitol Hill bar Unicorn and Narwhal
ABOUT THE PROJECT
This was a full Seattle bar photography project for Capitol Hill's beloved carnival-themed bar Unicorn & Narwhal. This all-inclusive project had everything from food and drink menu to environment to lifestyle photography. Thanks to excellent coordination with the bartenders and kitchen staff, it was able to take place over the course of just one full day!
There are many nooks, crannies and quirks that make Unicorn & Narwhal special from their taxidermy to their famous, bejeweled ATM. The client wanted me to capture a little bit of everything for use on the web, in social media and in the press.
About Unicorn & Narwhal
Unicorn & Narwhal are two carnival themed bars located on Capitol Hill, Seattle. Each packs its own vibe into one location offering whimsical food & drink options. Also featuring an arcade, claw machine, & photo booth. Weekly events include Mimosas Cabaret, Gayme Night, live shows, karaoke, trivia and more.
INSIDE THE PROJECT
A look inside how the project was styled and photographed
THE ENVIRONMENT
It's like real estate photography, but not really. I wanted to get ultra-wide photographs of the environment in order to make it look spacious and share the atmosphere all in one fell swoop. In a world where Instagram is king, atmosphere is such an integral part of why people tend to visit new places. Showing you have an attractive space through stunning imagery is quite a convincing reason for someone to visit themselves.
THE COCKTAIL MENU
I just love the drink menu at Unicorn. They offer this wide variety of colorful cocktails with goofy carnival names (e.g. "Unicorn Jizz). Since this is a bar after all, and the vessels and garnishes themselves are pretty standard, I wanted to make sure I put emphasis on the environment in each frame. And for the sake of social media use, I switched it up on the backgrounds, angles and lighting so the client had a bit of of variety to choose from.
THE FOOD MENU
Seriously. The entire food menu. Food styling and photography has been a passion of mine for about a decade. It has been such a blast to finally bring this passion into my business model. Like their cocktails, the Unicorn food menu has a ton of crazy names. Having the opportunity to put a face to the name on every single menu item was a series of endless surprises. I've always wondered what "Unicorn Balls" looked like...
DETAILS
There are so many nooks, quirks and crannies that make Unicorn and Narwhal both so special. In our initial consultation, I suggested the client give me a list of all their favorite parts of the bar that they wanted photographed. This makes for great social media material because each one has its own, individual story to tell.
LIFESTYLE
Sharing images of an empty bar on social media isn't the most enticing to your followers. So what better way to exhibit how truly lively it gets is than to bring some lifestyle photography into the mix? Often times with bars and restaurants, I will recommend the client asks employees or friend’s of the business to model. This will ultimately cut time and costs that would otherwise go toward casting calls and paying out models. For reference, a professional model via an agency can cost up to $400/hr. I tend to pay out non-professional models roughly $50/hr. On the bright side, lifestyle shoots for restaurants and bars like Unicorn generally only require roughly 1-2 hours of a model's time.
333 Dexter by Kilroy Realty
Seattle lifestyle photography for Kilroy Realty’s SLU building 333 Dexter.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
This was a Seattle lifestyle photography project for commercial real estate developer Kilroy Realty. My contact from the company, Michelle, reached out in regards to photography for their latest development in the South Lake Union neighborhood, 333 Dexter. The photos would be used as a visual representation of the lifestyle a future tenant could lead while living and working in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle.
One of the greatest parts of this project was watching 333 Dexter’s development from an idea to a building. Being that I live inner city, I pass by it quite frequently. It seems like just yesterday it was a model on a table, and now it’s slated to be home to Apple’s latest location in Seattle. Now that’s a pretty exciting thing to be a part of!
About Kilroy Realty
Kilroy Realty is a real estate and investment trust company based in Los Angeles, CA. They pride themselves on having a sustainable, innovative business approach as unique as their work spaces.
INSIDE THE PROJECT
A LOOK INSIDE HOW THE PROJECT WAS STYLED AND PHOTOGRAPHED
As stated above, the objective of this project was to create a visual representation of the South Lake Union neighborhood. The project took place over a span of two days and focused on tech workers in their late 20s to early 30s living, working and dining in popular locations within walking distance of 333 Dexter.
For the sake of being budget conscious, all models involved in this project were either employees of Kilroy Realty, or non-professional models recruited by me via a casting call. That’s right - not a single model in this entire bunch! Just in between moments captured between two small groups of complete strangers.
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Sugar Suite Skincare
Seattle small business photography for Sugar Suite Skincare
ABOUT THE PROJECT
This is an ongoing Seattle small business photography project for local esthetician Sugar Suite Skincare. I first met Sabrina, founder of Sugar Suite, when I was on the hunt for a lash technician within walking distance of my home. She was conveniently located just across the street from my apartment, and so began our friendship and ongoing partnership.
If you are considering whether or not the Super Sweet Suite package is a right fit for you, this write up about my work with Sabrina may help you with your decision.
About Sugar Suite Skincare
Sugar Suite Skincare is a charming beauty boutique in the heart of Seattle’s neighborhood, Capitol Hill. Inside offers a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere, where each service is a private one on one treatment. Their services are performed by highly experienced and trained professionals, using only advanced techniques and quality beauty products.
INSIDE THE PROJECT
A LOOK INSIDE HOW THE PROJECT WAS STYLED AND PHOTOGRAPHED
The work you will find in this series consists of a healthy mix of lifestyle, product, personal branding, and lifestyle photography. It maintains a light, bright and clean theme throughout, perfect for a consistent Instagram feed and website.
The goal was to give Sugar Suite Skincare visual creative and a culture that was all its own. Many skincare salons settle for stock images of models, but Sabrina wanted her business to only show authentic experiences that future clients can expect to have at her salon. All products and models in this series are real clients and real products Sugar Suite Skincare stands by!
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Barclaey Inc.
Seattle personal branding photography with Bart Claeys
ABOUT THE PROJECT
This was a Seattle personal branding photography project for Bart Claeys, founder of Creativeskills.be, Belgium's #1 job board for the creative industry. The purpose of this shoot was to put a face to the name behind Barclaey Inc., and provide web and social media content.
About Barclaey Inc.
Barclaey Inc. is founded by Bart Claeys, specialized in User Experience Design. He's the founder of Creativeskills.be, Belgium's #1 job board for the creative industry.
INSIDE THE PROJECT
The project consisted mostly of lifestyle portraiture around South Lake Union and Pioneer Square neighborhoods of Seattle. Because Barclaey Inc. revolves widely around User Experience Design, the majority of content we produced maintained a tech theme. Several images of blank iPad, laptop, and mobile device screens were also captured with intention of super imposing screenshots of projects Bart may be working on in the future.
The session lasted roughly two hours, and is a good example of what one could expect to get with my Personal Branding Mini package.
