Remember when you first moved out of your parents’ house and realized that you were now in charge of decorations and everything else? After you spend too many paychecks making your house a home, there is always a lull. Until, one day, you look around and can’t remember what was going through your head when you picked out those dingy throw pillows or why you can only ever find two spoons at any given time.
When it’s time to start workshopping your home, seamlessly merging the old with the new is hardly a simple task. That’s where Jan Studio comes in — it has your back with timeless designs, specializing in the little things that make a huge difference. And Miami, Florida-based photographer James Jackman is at their side, capturing the beautiful, sustainable, one-of-a-kind household items of Marjan Sattarzadeh’s Jan Studio.
James has an extensive history of working with Marjan. Having become friends with her back when they both attended Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, he was hired for this shoot that took place in the private homes of their friends.
Part of what keeps us working together is the natural flow of creativity on set. I know where her brand has been and where she would like to take it.
James has a special connection with this brand and that history provides a vital level of trust during shoots. The Floridian was given full creative freedom during the assignment and he ran with it.
We needed to first create more product imagery for e-commerce as well as more casual, narrative-style images for social media use featuring the new products.
James shot for two days in two different homes, forgoing a studio shoot and granting the product imagery a sense of authenticity. On the second day, he was joined by another good friend of James and Marjan, Hillary Bailey.
Hillary, the owner of Studio Madreselva, is an extremely talented stylist with a green thumb who really helped take the shoot to a new level.
Hillary brought expertise in floral design and added another layer of life to the images. These creatives, all connected through friendship and passion, provided a space for their mutual creativity to flourish.
Consistency in a good creative team can lead to really successful shoot days, which is what we had. With all of our combined experience, we produced excellent results within the confines of time and COVID safety protocols.
The products themselves are eclectic while having a cohesive “sense of home”, not unlike the balance of collaboration between these artists. The imagery reflects the “practicality, function, and a minimalist and timeless aesthetic” that is at the forefront of the brand while also accentuating a genuinely “lived-in” sensibility.
We all get along great and had a lot of fun creating the images that define the Jan Studio brand. My favorite part of this project was having full creative freedom to experiment and collaborate.
Credits:
Prop Styling: Marjan Sattarzadeh
Floral Design: Hillary Bailey
See more of James’ work at jamesjackman.com.
Check out our other great photographers on our Find Photographers page!