Product and marketing tea photography w/ a witch!

Good evening, Steemit. It’s been a minute since I did a late night post like this. I’m upbeat because there’s been some weird ass energy in the universe lately […I blame @tarotbyfergus]. I’ve been irritable and down. The state of the world, the state of my career […which I was looking forward to transitioning] and the state of crypto in general, has had me in an unsavory state of mind. That seems to be turning around. Tonight is the first night this week I’ve felt like myself.

One of the reasons I’m in better spirits tonight is because I managed to nap, play Magic: The Gathering with friends, draw […a little] and edit photos. I still have what seems like an impossible mountain of work to complete. I’m still months behind. Every set I get through, though, does make me feel like I’m lightening the load. Tonight’s photography features another set of photos with a witch in California who makes elixirs and teas.

The company is called Deer Women and Jessica is the owner, sole proprietor and model. She contacted me just weeks before my massive LA and Las Vegas trip. I’ve said this countless times but I do always intend to leave myself a day or so to recover. On this trip, I clearly remember the only “opening” I had were a few hours before checkout in Pasadena, before I got on the road for Vegas. When Jessica came to me with this shoot idea, that was the sliver of time I was able to dedicate to making this shoot happen.

I lost even more precious sleep on this exhausting trip, but it was worth it. Jessica worked incredible hard on preparing for this shoot. She arrived with her husband and baby. They made a two hours drive to La Cañada. We all took turns bringing in boxes of tea, handcrafted teacups by Miss Havisham’s Curiosities and a legitimate motor and pestle. The obvious passion in her practice and business really did get me excited for the shoot.

We had the backdrop of the entire estate. I’ve shot at this mansion many times over the last four year and I’ve learned the rooms and spaces that work best. As a photographer, there’s a nook somewhere that fits almost any theme. Jessica modeled with the tea in the main lobby and we took a series of product shots in the study but the windows with natural light spilling through the glass. The tea looked beautiful, extremely editorial. 

There are more photos from this shoot with Deer Women to come. Thanks for reading. For more photography, art, illustration and the stories behind the work, follow me here @kommienezuspadt!