Behind the Scenes: Fruit Stacks, Dirt Spills, Breakfast Tacos & Hopper the Cat

Alphabet fruit

I’ve been slacking a bit on sharing behind-the-scenes updates on Snapchat and Instagram Stories lately — part of it is feeling overwhelmed by juggling yet another social channel. That said, I’ve still been documenting moments from shoots and travels; they just haven’t lived on my phone as much as they usually do.

So here’s a round-up of the photos I meant to share on social but never quite posted.

Planting succulents in tiny, pastel containers

Bright colors and stacks of books

Here we go…

Painting pink

I hesitated to post a random photo of myself in workout clothes, but it’s real life: I don’t paint entire walls while dripping in pearls and wearing high heels. Sometimes it’s practical clothes and a lot of movement — the messy, physical part of creating.

Pastels mixed with bright colors

All the color combinations happening upstairs right now — lots of pastels mixed with saturates and bold accents.

Avocado toast

I’ve been using a precision-tip squirt bottle of hot sauce on fried egg and avocado toast during food shoots — it’s a tiny prop that makes a big difference in styling and keeps shots looking fresh.

A cat named Hopper

This is Hopper, one of two affectionate cats that came with the house we rented in London. Waking up to him and Ada curled up beside us every morning was one of the trip’s sweetest comforts — having pets around made a foreign place feel more like home.

Side note: I still haven’t shared my London photo set here, but it’s on my list — coming soon.

Cantaloupe + pineapple

Leftovers from an alphabet fruit salad shoot — I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of fruit-forward DIYs. They’re colorful, playful, and always photograph beautifully.

A geometric glass building in Paris

Spotted this striking geometric glass building while wandering through Paris on a shopping day — architecture like this always sparks styling ideas.

Breakfast tacos

Amelia made breakfast tacos for a fruit-and-veggie summer party shoot. They didn’t make the final post, but they deserved a moment here — fresh and colorful, perfect for morning spreads.

Styling stacks of lip gloss So glossy!

Attempting to tidy up the studio while testing writing messages with lip gloss on the table — a silly but effective way to test textures and shine in a shoot setup.

Amsterdam

Making goofy faces after picking up a giant bouquet at the market in Amsterdam — flowers always add instant joy to a day of wandering and shooting.

Color blocked

The studio is chaotic most days, but it’s a color-blocked chaos, which feels intentional even when things are messy.

Tiny DIY Planters

And finally, the gritty fun of planting DIY mini planters with cacti and succulents — soil everywhere, pastel dust, and little hands-on moments that make projects feel alive.

What behind-the-scenes moments have you been capturing lately?