Some projects are in back of my mind for months, sometimes years, before I feel confident enough to realize them or simply take the time to try something new.

My photo- and video collaboration with jewelry designer Valerie Vienne is one of those projects. We were in touch for product photography for her fabulous earrings, but somehow never managed to find a shooting date and get the concept going.

So when I had the idea of creating a cloud inspired photoshoot, I knew I had to get back in touch to create the imagery and video with her jewelry. The 3D set and dreamy setting is based on shoots I did with Fardowsa and for Red Care Pharmacy, both based on sky inspired backdrops. Since I have been working in my own studio for more than 2 years now, I feel like it’s time to get away from minimalistic, colorful backdrops and more into set designs - and therefore creating worlds within my photoshoot.

How To Create Your Own Clouds

To achieve this, I first had to figure out how to make my own clouds on a budget.

Here’s how I did it!

Materials used:

-filling cotton (I used polyester as it was way cheaper - but 2kg but only used a fraction of it)

-hot glue

-paper lanterns in various sizes

I honestly have to say, once I figured out the paper lanterns as the base for my clouds, this one was incredibly easy to do and took me about 1-2 hrs for five clouds. Simply start glueing the filling cotton around the paper lantern until you are satisfied with the shape and “floof factor” of your clouds. Pretty easy!

Next step: the photoshoot

When I started this project I knew I wanted to highlight Valerie’s earrings and create a very dreamy, slightly surreal photography set. That’s why I chose a blush pink as a backdrop color, instead of going for the the obvious (baby) blue. I felt this way the photos and video would highlight the dreamy aspect of the shoot, as well the earrings and brand position of Valerie.

I wanted to avoid a monochromatic color scheme, which is why I chose a green plissee blouse for the photoshoot.

The photoshoot focused on portraits to make sure the earrings were still the star of the show. Additionally, the way the clouds floated over the backdrop required a composition that had them fill the frame - otherwise I would have needed to fill the floor with clouds as well. An idea for another day.