"Alright, everybody in the box!"
That was how we started each In-The-Box session. Most times it was followed by the question:
"Will it hold all of us?"
How about a family of 8? The box had no issues standing up to the occasion.
We had just wrapped our fall mini sessions. (Read more here) Stephanie comes to me, calendar in hand, ready to schedule our holiday season.
"What could we do? What would be different and exciting?"
Stephanie stumbled upon this box idea. #PinterestIsTheBest What excited me about the concept was the fact that to make it work you needed to be a photographer and a carpenter. Now, I doubt it my carpenter father-in-law would call me a carpenter, but I know what I know. What I knew is that I could make this thing...
That's some In-The-Box thinking!
Despite its seemingly simple structure, this box was not a basic build. The angles had to be exact, the construction had to be sturdy and the gaps needed be non-existent. Fun side note, I did not have an electric saw, so each piece was cut slowly and methodically #ByHand -Amish barn style!
Time was of the essence for catching the Christmas card crowd, but the build was only the beginning. We really needed to figure out how this thing photographed!
-and tinker we did. Check out these goofball shots:
We learned lighting strategies, shadow management, perspectives, cropping, posing and crossovers -just to mention a few. We practiced popping out of and tucking into the box. This helped us discover that playing with depth works well for this concept. We also found out that we needed to invest in a crash pad for the 2.5 foot fall to the ground. In the end, however, Stephanie just hit the deck herself as an organic-intuitive-human crash pad!
We had constructed the space, refined the process and polished out all the kinks of processing. We felt good that we hadn’t only built a box, we had built an entire session experience.
You know the line: #IfYouBuildIt
...oh, did they come!
They got in, jumped out, crawled back in and jumped out again. They laughed and cried, hugged and snugged. It was a turbulent holiday season in that box, but like proud shipwrights we sat back and watched each session sail effortlessly #SomewhatEffortlessly through those choppy waters.
Check out some of our #FavoriteMoments :
We are still offering this box session, but again, how can we take it to the next level?
How about level 26?
I locked myself back in the wood shop and built some large letters to interact with. Being large, boxy and white, they offer interesting contrast against our subjects. These letters are definitely next level! The L makes a great swing -and yes, yes, it will hold you!
Check out the videos below about the making-of L.O.V.E. and thanks for reading!
