Christine Blackburne is a commercial still life photographer based in New York. She works primarily in the fashion, cosmetics, and jewelry sectors, bringing her stylish use of colour and light to her images.

This conversation moves from Christine’s origins as an assistant photographer, to how she sets up her still life shoots, and a bit about working with an agent and managing workflow.

Click through to the full blog post to see a few of Christine’s images, and check out her site, christineblackburne.com, to see even more.

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Perfume bottles still life

Perfume bottles still life

Watches still life

Watches still life

Parrot on a Hand

Christine occasionally shoots things that move

Show Notes & Links

Tools

Techniques

  • Stay away from sketches. Lay things out the day before a shoot.
  • Do as much in-camera as humanly possible
  • Shoot colourful objects against white to get a reference
  • Let your agents play “bad cop”
  • Aim for a portfolio featuring about 20 final images
  • Bring a printed portfolio for your main work, but use your iPad for the case studies and deeper cuts

“Don’t get an agent until you’re so busy you need that extra set of hands.”

—Christine Blackburne

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Habits

  • Calibrate your monitor bi-weekly
  • Be flexible (No routine! Not really.)
  • Keep one day per week for your own personal work, or office housekeeping

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About the author: Prescott Perez-Fox

Prescott Perez-Fox is a graphic designer, brand developer, and educator with 18+ years experience in branding, packaging, graphic design, and web design. He runs The Busy Creator.

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