Producing a Tropical Photo Shoot in the Midwest
Are you a beach person? Who doesn’t love chillin’ on the sand, soaking up some warmth and sunshine (safely) and taking a dip in the ocean? I love the beach, and I love a beach aesthetic. Gimme bright colors and gorgeous flowers and all the funky sunglasses, please.
That’s part of why I enjoyed putting together a Hawaiian-inspired photo shoot for one of my clients recently. Keep reading to see how I pulled off this tropical shoot.
Fresh flowers straight from the islands
When you live in the Midwest like me, you can’t just walk down the street and pick some pretty flowers for your tropical shoot. So, I ordered fresh blooms straight from the islands through Aloha Hawaiian Flowers, which you may have seen me gush about in this blog post!
For this shoot, I got a variety of pink and red Anthurium Flowers and Bird of Paradise blooms for their beautiful, vivid colors. Areca Palm and Monstera Leaf added greenery, texture, and cool shapes to my background.
View this post on Instagram
Aloha Hawaiian Flowers is one of my favorite places to buy flowers for any shoot. They last for weeks, and the quality of their plants and florals is always top-notch!
Faux florals to fill in the gaps
After I ordered fresh flowers, I wanted a few more florals that I could reuse in other shoots all year long. Afloral is my go-to online shop for beautiful faux silk flowers and artificial greenery.
I ordered some faux hibiscus and orchids in purple, yellow, and orange to pair with my fresh tropical flowers, and you know what? You can’t even tell the difference between the real and the fake flowers in each shot!
View this post on Instagram
Tropical fruit to make everything look tasty
Think “tropical island” and you probably think of drinking fresh coconut water, or sipping a tasty cocktail like a Mai Tai or a Blue Hawaii. Yum.
To capture the taste as well as the look of Hawaii, I decided to use fruit in my tropical shoot, too. I found that my local Whole Foods had a decent selection of fruit like pineapples, strawberries, oranges, mangos, lemons, and watermelons.
Don’t have a Whole Foods near by? Or want to stay home and order? Miami Fruit is another great online option.
For coconuts, I turned to Coco Reserve, an online store that grows and sells coconuts and tropical fruit in Florida!
Then it was time to arrange and shoot all these pretty props with the products! I loved combining different fruit colors or fruit textures. Pairing fruit with tropical florals and greenery came out great, too.
View this post on Instagram
Want to bring in tropical vibes for your next shoot?
I really had to get creative with my props for this photoshoot, but you know what? That’s all part of the fun of being a stylist and photographer! I love discovering new online stores or local shops, and figuring out ways to bring a shoot concept to life.
Looking for a photographer and/or stylist for your next project? You can fill out my online contact form to tell me what you’re looking for and learn more about services and pricing. Let’s work together and create something cool!
