it's a set up...

I had just gone back to work when i started seeing #7vignettes appear on instagram. What is this? why are people taking these great pics - what are they doing and how can i join in, i thought.  Then i discovered stylist Jen Bishop and her blog. She had issued a 7 day instagram challenge - a different vignette a day. Luckily i had until midnight last Saturday to participate, so that's how i spent a (sweltering) day of last weekend!

So a vignette is:

"any small endearing scene, view, picture, etc:" with this in mind i created the above for coffee/side table. I already had all the objects - but purposefully grouped them and adjusted my angle until i got the 'right shot' Here is my #kitchen. I wanted the vignette to have a little story - which helped me decide on what objects to group. The full length image was working well - but instagram involves a square crop, sometimes i could still get this to work, other times not so much...

but if we step back... this is actually the vignette. You see, i do have that panelled door in my kitchen, but i have a boring white laminex bench top - this side table looked more vintage, the light was also better in this room. Life is all about how you 'crop' it, i reckon!

This is #souvenir/momento, the daschund, buttons and bingo card were 'found' at Camberwell market, the cactus dog from Rose st Market, the background is a tea towel souvenir from a fantastic Italian cafe in the CBD, all from our last holiday to Melbourne.

Flower/plant, i thought would be the easier one - but it can get cluttered really quickly..

or not be quite right..

The possibilities can go on... but i stopped at this one:

This is #colour, the backdrop is a poster we have in the hall way.. what says colour other than nail polish?

Then there was #fun, so much to choose from. I decided on grouping things from my childhood, but it was getting a little busy, then there was the square crop..

I like how this represents fun + games...

I left #nature to last - i set this up outside - by then the weather was overcast, but i have added an 'actual' dark vignette to this image. I love the monochromatic colour palette, even though it is in colour.

So that was me 'playing' stylist for a day, although i was one of those kids who constantly arranged and rearranged little set ups in my bedroom - making my parents come look! That was when taking pictures with film was quite expensive - so you couldn't just snap any old thing!

Jen is starting another instagram challenge in February, so pop along to her blog if you want to 'play'!