Christmas 08

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RC in Dayton and Cincinnati said:
With a little time and effort you can create your own unique non wire service specials.
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YES !!!!!!! THis is exactly what I have been trying to get people in my areas to understand. WE do not NEED the wire services.......however, THEY do NEED us to function as fillers for them. Sooner or later, they will realize that little fact and either start caving in and giving us what we want or they will go bust.

I so green dotted this post....and would dot it a hundred times more if I could
 
CHERYL BAKIN said:
Randy:
Awesome arrangement & well executed.
Should sell very well for you.

Thanks for the inspiration, and the kick in the pants!

Cheryl
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It's really awesome, and yes, yes, yes, thanks for the reminder to start now specially since we have time on our hands these hot, slow, summer days!
 
Before and After

I've been asked how to get better images for in house floral designs, so I decided to post a before and after picture and explain what I've used to get those results.

I prefer to have the arrangements sitting in a natural environment opposed to an all white or all black background. It makes the image warmer and less catalog like. This is a personal preference, but it should be noted we are dealing with an emotional product and should try to express some feeling in our images.

The camera I use is a digital Cannon Rebel which is about three years old. There are better new cameras out there. I also use adobe photoshop 7.0 to edit the picture. There are also newer versions of that as well. Adobe Photoshop 7.0 is slighthly complicated and has a learning curve, but like with most computer stuff with a little time invested it becomes easier as time goes by.

I have no photography background. As a matter of fact before I got a digital camera I've never taken a decent picture in my life. Digital cameras are great in the fact that you get instant feedback which makes the learning curve fast.

The first step in photographing an arrangement is making the design for the photograph. This may seem easy, but it is trickier than it looks. I often find it necessary to move many of the flowers around to the side being viewed by the camera. This helps actually show what's in the arrangement and also closes any holes in the arrangement that the camera may see. I think this is important because when we view an arrangement in person our minds can adjust for what we can't actually see. For example without seeing the back of an arrangement our mind tells us what is there. This is not quite the same with a two dimensional photograph. Also, spaces in an arrangement that look fine in person may look like dark holes in a photograph. They need to be filled in with flowers. This all becomes easy to see and adjustments can be made with a little trial and error.

The next step is location for the arrangement. If at all possible the arrangement should be sitting in a location the consumer can relate to such as a dinning room table or coffee table. I like a few objects sitting around the arrangements such as glasses in the foreground and background.

The next step is taking the picture. I use a tripod for steadiness. I also prefer natural lighting such as light coming from a window. I never use the flash as it seems to wash out the image and give it a snapshot look.
I'll take multiple pictures and choose the best one

The final step is editing with Adobe photoshop 7.0. My objective is to deemphasize the background and any other distractions and emphasize the arrangement. I do this by fuzzing out and darkening the background while highlighting the arrangement in brightness and color.

Below is the unedited picture next to the finished photoshopped picture.

RC
 

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Hey, now I can see them. Wow, it sure makes a difference when you blurr and darken the background. Thanks for the tip. Your designes look great, great website also.
 
RC in Dayton and Cincinnati said:
I've been asked how to get better images for in house floral designs, so I decided to post a before and after picture and explain what I've used to get those results.
Click to expand...
Thank you - looking at your online images, the little-green-jealous-florist-person in me was sure you had a "studio" set up for your photos. Seeing your before pic, I can see the same clutter we have here on a daily basis - the highlighting and darkening makes all the difference. Once more, I am kicked into gear by seeing how attainable it all is. Thanks for the lesson.

tracy
 
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Two more arrangements.

I want to point out all four arrangements I showed are in the same bowl with the same greens and the same pine cones. This make preparing and prepping for the holiday much easier, all the same just finished off differently.
 

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You have motivated me beyond compare.....

You make it look so easy, and I guess it probably is if you know what your doing. Thanks for the motivation. I think I'm going out to buy a camera and photoshop. What a deal. I thought it was so much harder than that. Now I just need someone behind me with a cattle prod. Thanks again mrflowermarket.
 
The same basic container and greens is used on this piece as the candled arrangements.

What I've found with holiday arrangements is it works better to find holiday items that can be anchored into a generic container rather than using a holiday container itself like the wire services often do.

The advantage of this approach is that the same generic container can be used for many different types of arrangements, for example, the candle arrangements and the snowman arrangements. Another big advantage is when money is sunk into an expensive container that ends up being covered up with the flowers often the visual value is lost. This is never the case with holiday items added such as the snowmen or candles and tinsel balls.
 

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Randy,

How many different types of fresh Christmas arrangements do you sell?]


and what are your prices for the centerpieces shown here?

thanks
joe
 
I've often looked at that "Dobe" and wondered what is running through his/her mind. Then I looked closely and saw a human face... the question is still unanswered. ;)

Randy the design is lovely and almost makes me wish I were looking forward to creating it for the season.

My Christmas ordering is almost complete and I literally had to beg someone in pasty to TELL me they needed display cake toppers so I wouldn't start builiding the Christmas prototypes... I value my life and there are people in my establishment who would hurt me because they don't "get" the floral mentality.

V
 
Joe,

I'll probably have a dozen fresh cuts for the holidays along with plants, blooming baskets and gourmet baskets. I haven't priced them out but am aiming for the $49.95 to $59.95 price range for the pictures posted.

V,

I don't know what's running through that"dobe's" head either, but I can tell you he's doing some serious thinking. I always liked that picture because of the deeply earnest, serious, and sober expression he has on his half dog, half human face. I didn't create the picture, but I did add the blinking, winking animation.

RC
 
RC in Dayton and Cincinnati said:
The same basic container and greens is used on this piece as the candled arrangements.

What I've found with holiday arrangements is it works better to find holiday items that can be anchored into a generic container rather than using a holiday container itself like the wire services often do.

The advantage of this approach is that the same generic container can be used for many different types of arrangements, for example, the candle arrangements and the snowman arrangements. Another big advantage is when money is sunk into an expensive container that ends up being covered up with the flowers often the visual value is lost. This is never the case with holiday items added such as the snowmen or candles and tinsel balls.
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Randy,

This design is...in a word...~OH!~

A big thank you for sharing your tips on photographing designs and creating Christmas florals that are simply inspirational!
 
I haven't had a chance to keep up with FC the last few weeks but wanted to comment on your designs. They're beautiful!! I love the Sage and the Snowmen.
May I ask where you bought the snow people? They're darling.

Kim
 
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