As the Donuts Fell: Patrick Heagney for Temmer Marble

As a lifestyle and portrait photographer, Patrick Heagney has accumulated a reservoir of editorial work since first picking up a camera at 15. His interiors portfolio made him a prime candidate for Temmer Marble’s in-situ interiors shoot in Atlanta, Georgia.

In the heart of the affluent Buckhead suburb of Atlanta, Temmer Marble’s showroom spaces became the backdrop for Patrick to capture the myriad treatments and inspirations for this shoot. Intending to feature the designers for Temmer, Patrick used his editorial experience with non-professional models to create an approachable and comfortable atmosphere. While the designers’ charisma lent the images some extra personality, the natural stone environments remained in the limelight.

Balancing the focus in the photos between the subject and the marble product was probably the biggest creative challenge.  I decided to shoot the images with a lot of environment and not get too close to the designers. That way, a lot of the shot was taken up with the marble that the ads were ultimately trying to sell.

The luxury brand’s custom marble slabs were the main focus, but the models certainly didn’t fade into the background.

Two of the designers had such big personalities I think I could’ve shot them from 50 ft back, and they’d still be the star of the images.

The marble surfaces’ reflectiveness proved to be a bit of a challenge when it came to his lighting processes, but Patrick always has some tricks up his sleeve, which he whipped out in post-production.

In the end, it was the relaxed quality of both the client and crew that became Patrick’s favorite part of the shoot. Taking his cues in stride, the designers were willing to try different and often comical posing ideas to produce an engaging ad campaign for the client.

Within a minute or so of starting to shoot, one designer picked up a cake stand for a pose and almost immediately spilled every single donut on the floor.  I got a few frames as the donuts fell; it was pretty funny after all.

The designers were a lot of fun to work with and were willing to try all the different ideas I had — from jumping on a couch, throwing lemons at the camera, and even eating pastries on a shower floor.

Credits:

Designer: Michel Smith Boyd
Designer: Clary Bosbyshell

See more of Patrick’s work at patrickheagney.com.

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