Out of ideas for your next photography project? A fun mock catalog photo shoot for Drew Barrymore’s furniture line should give you some out-of-the-box ideas!
One of the most challenging bits of being a photographer is coming up with ideas for a project, whether it’s for work or play. Getting an art director or creative director involved does help, but if you’re working solo, you have develop those solid concepts and themes yourself. The boldest and brightest ideas do sometimes come when you least expect it — like getting inspired by a hilarious catalog-style photo shoot segment from a recent run of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Whoever came up with the idea to do this mock catalog photo shoot for Drew Barrymore’s furniture line is a (photography) comedy genius and we’re sure many of you will agree.
If you’re a fan of comedy and out-of-the-box ideas, you’ll definitely agree that it’s a project waiting to happen. There are a lot of reasons why photographers should draw ideas from this fun segment and take this seriously. First, it’s a fun and fresh take on a kind of commercial photography that, while serves its purpose well, is also often forgettable. With a witty concept, this project may even breathe new life into the good ol’ catalog in the age of memes and Instagram.
Second, the prompts for the photos are not only hilarious, they also encourage us to go easy on the brainstorming to get the ideas flowing and allow ourselves to get extra creative. Keep in mind that no idea is too silly for this creative exercise!
Third, it makes for an awesome personal project that you can steer into any direction that you want. The show segment was no doubt done to promote Drew Barrymore’s furniture line, but if you were to make your own catalog, what sort of products would you want to showcase? How would you present and photograph it? What aesthetic would you bring into the picture?
I don’t know about you but I do hope someone (or even Drew Barrymore herself) gives this idea a chance to shine brighter with an actual fun photo shoot. If anyone is up for the challenge, I’m all eyes and ears for what you’ll come up with!
Screenshot image from the video by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon