Custom set and prop build using paper

Paper props are something I’ve been wanting to try for a really long time. So I thought I would finally give it go and I’ve got to say, this kind of rocked my world - you can expect to see a lot more paper props from me in the future!

The product I used for this project was Pukka Herbs tea. I love this product because the tea is delicious and also because it has gorgeous packaging which is full of flowers and patterns which will work perfectly with paper props.

The first step was to do my usual research. I looked into the Pukka website, decided which product I’d like to photograph: For this image I decided to use the ‘Relax’ tea blend. I took note of the label colours and the ingredients.

Next I jumped over to Pinterest and created a private board and started pinning ideas for my image. I knew that I wanted to make a sort of magical paper garden, and that I wanted my paper flowers to look similar to / represent the ingredients on the packet. So I looked for chamomile flowers, daisies and various leaves on pinterest to get an idea of the shapes I would need to create.

Once I had some ideas I jumped into illustrator and sketched out a design, drawing each of the elements and creating templates for the paper props I wanted to create. This was a bit of a trial and error process. Because I’m new to paper engineering it took me several attempts to arrive at my final flower design.

Next came the fun part, I got to use my new Cricut Explore Air 2 paper cutting machine, which expertly cut out all my paper templates within minutes! (I’m seriously impressed with this thing guys). Once the templates were cut I spent the afternoon assembling the flowers and butterfly (which I found extremely relaxing).

I decided that I was going to incorporate some non-paper props into this scene for a blended reality effect. So I also sourced some rocks and moss from a local plant nursery.

With all my props sourced and assembled it was time to start shooting. So I set to work styling and photographing my scene. I took my time with part of the process, playing with different compositions and paying lots of attention to detail.

I really love how these images turned out and I’m excited to incorporate more paper props into my work in the future!