katherine tucker ::: prop stylist // production designer // artist
prop stylist, production designer, content creator, and producer.
such good fun styling a christmas shoot (in july) featuring the lovely mr and mrs van horn. caitlyn's former blog, Roost, was a great source of inspiration for people all over the interwebs, and her newest venture into moving pictures, will i'm sure be equally so.
one of the last days of filming, was the vietnam period-piece scene of a war room// strategy tent. we built the tent inside a large warehouse making a lot of flats out of 2x4s and stapling authentic army green canvas to the frame as the walls. i rented a lot of authentic gear from a source in Asheville which really helped sell the look. the pendants over the table were from CB2 and the old flag was actually a scarf from Free People. everything i own is up for grabs when it comes to propping, in fact it helps me feel better about owning// collecting so many things (some call it junk, i call them little money makers).
we leaned authentic wooden tent poles in the corners to sell the look and as i took a closer look at the poles, i noticed something familiar. <on each of my bigger gigs (multiple day shoots) i feel like i get a little message from above... it's always confirmation that i am right where i'm supposed to be; much appreciated and super encouraging always.> see what you think about the photos below...
another room that i really enjoyed designing was Danielle's room, mostly because it was youthful, current, fun, and open to smart DIY ideas. she was adorable and truly professional. over her bed, i chose butterflies to signify change and how everything in life changes, but God is a master of making challenging changes beautiful. we purchased frames from the local thrift and spray primed them white, and did the same with faux butterflies from Hobby Lobby.
we shot in each space for a couple of days at most before having to strike the room (empty and reset it). this room was previously a boys room, and would return to a boys room before the week was over, any wall treatment that would facilitate a quick set up and tear down was always running through my head. i love the scotch paper tapes... they are inexpensive and come in fun colors. so we striped her walls in tape & it turned out fabulous.
i was honored to accept the position of Production Designer on the Kendrick Brother's fifth movie, War Room. (i'm back posting this post as confidentiality requires that we keep all details secretive until the movie launches) the Kendricks are some of the most loving people and it was truly a blessing working with them on this film.
i wanted to feature a few of the behind the scenes pics of the set dec// production design, beginning with Mrs. Clara's house. my amazing team and i had a lot of design challenges as we always do on Art Dept. & Mrs. Clara's prayer closet "War Room" was no exception. we had to build it out in a room about the size of a closet, complete with walls that could move easily to allow camera to fit in there. here's the build out right before sweet Kali Bailey was about to paint it and then used these amazing paint rollers to put an "old wallpaper" effect on the wall.
here's the final closet, styled and ready for camera.
the rest of Mrs. Clara's house was a full dress because the owner had the house on the market for about a year (we believed it was saved for us!) and it ended up being sold right when we wrapped shooting there. the dining room was tricky because the home owner requested that we wouldn't do anything permanent or damage the wall paper that was there. our solution, paint pieces of thick paper and roll a pattern over it and tack it to the wall. the aqua was selected because it complements dark skin tones beautifully. the collection of blue and white china came from local flea malls.
i felt like her kitchen would be bright and soulful much like the sun or a cheery yellow. One of my favorite pieces that i purchased at a local flea didn't make the film, but it was there all along and made me smile and likely offered support to Mrs. Clara as she was prepping for her role. I feel like my sets are characters and offer substructure for actors to really get into the part, so i spare no detail. i put it all out there in an effort to make it as real life as possible.
one of the more thoughtful scenes in mrs clara's house was her prayer wall. this was her reminder of answered prayers . instead of fabricating stories and finding stock photos, i reached out to everyone for authentic testimonies of victory. the result : the wall is full of real life, bonafied miracles... one of which is a doctors report which includes, in his handwriting, the confession of the miracle.
i had the opportunity to travel to LA to style the shoot for the wonderful Joy Cho of Oh Joy and her line of accessories that was about to hit the Target supermarkets. travel is where i gather inspiration and LA is full of goodies. from the flower market to the never-ending boutiques, i filled my inspo tank all the way up.
stephen devries getting the shot
i came up with the spray primed fruit because it's an inexpensive alternative to flowers and makes for interesting shapes and a tropical vibe that really works. these little wooden pods are available at the flower market in bulk (that market has everything!) and a little paint around the base and interior will actually increase longevity of the pod and adds a beautiful pop of color. i really loved Joy's use of color in her collection, so i tried to tone my table setting down to neutrals so her pieces would shine.
this credit union shoot was one of the most fun projects i've done in a while because everything maxed out on the cute factor when we shot it with the kids. as you can imagine, kids can be unpredictable on set, but when they really bring the adorbs, they really bring it.
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in Birmingham, we love Hibbett Sports not just because their home office is here, but because the employees are golden. I've had the honor of working with these guys for a few campaigns and it's always a pleasure. This shoot is for the Back to School campaign and our buddies at Red Square Agency in Mobile came up with the concepts. On this one, i produced and helped cast with Jason Wallis (photographer). the shoot was another success and i can't wait to see the images all over the Hibbett stores.
this shoot that i produced & casted for Regions, shot by Jason Wallis was a bit of a throwback. i'm pretty sure there's a picture of me in middle school with that same dope neon lazer background or maybe it was some backlit blinds. either way, memorieeeeesss
i walked into a Regions bank a few months later and there it was.
i had the best time styling the book Around the Table for Martina McBride & Harper Collins. i've dreamt of working on a book and this one did not disappoint. one of my all time favorite photographers, Jason Wallis, shot the book which was likely why the experience was so golden. a special thanks to all the folks who lent me props and helped make this one a success.
Martina's house is stunning. much eclectic inspiration at every turn. oh how this adorable french chair stole my heart.
this valentine's day i couldn't think of anything i'd rather be doing than styling some DIYs. the location, 2 young boy's rooms, was decorated by the lovely ladies of Parrish Watson Design. as always, i love working with the talented Stephen DeVries behind the camera. the frame, full of old Kodachrome, was my favorite to produce because i used a collection of personal slides which features me reeling in a big fish! , a few pieces of ceramics from my senior show in college, and my grandmother holding // adoring my beautiful mom.
my queen mother, that is. she allowed me to install and shoot this project in her backyard. it's a flea market flip that i had the opportunity to style, in the dead of winter.... ahhhh, but you'd never know it from the pictures!
from time to time, i photo style for the amazing folks at Hoffman Media & this shoot specifically was a crawfish story for Louisiana Cookin. It took all hands on deck to get the over head "group shot", but in the end it was a beautiful spread. thanks for taking one for the team Willie D & Stephanie!
i had the honor of producing this stills shoot for Children's Hospital of Virginia photographed by Jason Wallis of Wallis Visuals. we shot in Tampa because of the year round warm climate and the results were really beautiful pictures.
this project was a stills shoot for a print ad for Yellawood, where the client requested a life-sized dollar sign bench complete with flower garden. here's the layout in my studio, just before the tedious cutting to fill the gaps with wood took place.
Grip &Electric had a condor on site in order to get the camera up over the set. once they secured the camera, i flew in with the pretties.
since it was mid-january, there was some light photo shopping to make the dormant grass green again... but overall everyone worked really hard to pull it off and it was a success! plastic drop cloth on the ground beneath the mulch, shrubs, and flowers made clean up move quickly at wrap. after all the hard work, it's always satisfying to see the final product.
photo: jason wallis
one of my passions is quick and easy DIY projects & upcycling items from around the house or from a local flea. there's so much history and patina, it's almost as if the item has a story to tell. sometimes it's the best way to preserve something with meaning, like your great grandfather's tools or a bin from a local farmers market or your dad's records. it's always a great reminder of their love and investment in this life and yours.
here are a few DIYs i produced and styled for one of my favorite clients, Fresh Style Magazine.
i love shooting editorial projects with Stephen DeVries & this wrapping story i had the great fortune of producing & styling for Fresh Style is up there at the top. my favorite is the retro label maker tag... i swear that little gadget is the coolest!
i love Flower Magazine & Margot Shaw and i was over the moon to be a part of the magazine with the legendary Martha Stewart gracing the cover.
