How We Shoot Our Products

by Bridget Nelson July 18, 2018

On Friday we ventured 6 hours to Marrakech from Rabat, requiring a 4am wake up and a 6am train.

Once we arrived in Marrakech, we went to visit Saida, our partner who works with local communities to find women artisans and bring them into her network. She works with us in helping to empower these women and get them out of their homes and introduced to the business sector. Our goal is to strengthen this network by making sure they have access to international market and technology. 

Thanks to Saida, we are able to work with these women and help them understand how to build brands and websites for their work. Saida is the backbone of this network and one of our most treasured partners. She has won multiple awards, including this year’s International Women’s Day award from the Moroccan ministry, and has travelled internationally to Denmark, France, Sweden, and Dubai to promote these women’s handicrafts.

Part of Asila’s mission is to ensure sustainability of these networks, so 10% of our sales go back to the women to continue the incredible work and reach of this network that Saida has created.

After visiting her showroom, we hand selected some of our favorites to bring to the online platform of ASILA. For hours we tried on multiple earrings, necklaces, bracelets, bags, and looked at some of the new home decor she has.

While we try them on, we talk about the intricate detail that goes into every aspect, we look at the colors and the Morroccan detailing that compliments the professional vibes we hope to achieve. Safe to say, we’re in awe every time.

After selecting our new merchandise, we hit the streets of Marrakech to find our favorite background to shoot the products against. This time, it was Jardin Majorelle, one of Morocco’s most famous botanical gardens.

 

We can look quite interesting at times, as we walk in with 3 bags each and 4 necklaces on, and watching us discretely shoot products in a public place is nothing short of entertaining. Who in the world holds their bag 2 feet away from them while posing for a picture? Us. We do. But hey, when the results are this:

We'll take the funny looks.

After shooting the products and often taking breaks for personal photoshoots, we then go back to the office to edit and upload the pictures. Editing the lighting, contrast, colors, and warmth of each photo to have a streamlined look can take hours, and once we are all satisfied with each individual photo, we upload them to the site. 

Coming up with the names and descriptions, however, is a whole new ballgame. So we’ll save that one for the next blog :)

Thanks for tuning in to learn more about the process! Happy shopping!

 

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