behind the scenes

I love those posts that share behind the scenes photos and stories. I’ve posted about my design steps before, but I’ve always wanted to tell the story of a whole week in pictures. It seems like such an interesting way to look back on a work week.

I usually take a couple hundred pictures every week, so I figured it would be simple enough to choose one photo from each day that shared a project or a theme.

Here’s my week:

Monday – Cocktail photo shoot

behind the scenes birthday cake martini

Monday was photo day, and I took pictures of cocktails for the Flavor of the Month and other future projects. (This one is an outtake of a birthday cake cocktail.)

If you’re wondering if the cocktails are real, the answer is…mostly no. I’ve collected glassware and lots of fun cocktail accessories and mixers, and most of the time I can approximate the consistency and color of the cocktail pretty accurately.

I have made a drink exactly as described for a photo shoot, though—most recently for Moscow mule. I’d never had a ginger beer (can you believe it?) and needed to know what color it was!

Tuesday – Anatomy of a Lip Balm Favor

anatomy of a favor

Remember this? Here was another of the (dozens of) photos I didn’t use in the post. I take lots because I use photos for different things (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, blog, etc.) and also because I’m not always sure what I’ll need for the final post.

When I looked back through this week’s photos, I realized how many product pictures I have, and how few I take of processes. Tuesday’s photos were interesting because they were bits and pieces of favors, just perfect for an anatomy lesson (or behind the scenes post). But most of the time I forgot about this “week in photos” post and went back to photographing finished products. Like this one:

Wednesday – Mineral Salts Lingerie Favors

wednesday-bath-salts

I love the packaging for these mineral salts. (Okay, they’re bath salts, but I had to change the name because when you say “bath salts” here in Maine, people think you’re talking about the drug.) They are poured into very narrow cello bags with long, thin labels on the front.

The whole “lab” smelled like lavender on Wednesday. I love lavender days.

Thursday – Writing on the Deck

thursday-deck-seat

This is my other happy place (apart from my office/lab). Most summers I have lots of flowers and even veggies growing in pots here on my deck, but this summer I only have a few tomatoes and my herbs. Yes, the deck still needs to be painted. But on Thursday it was perfectly shady and breezy and I spent a few hours writing on that table there. Heavenly.

Friday – Lip Balm Experiment

lip balm experiment

I ended the week with a lip balm experiment. Usually I make batches with hundreds of balms, but this is a test batch to try out a new flavor. I almost forgot (again) to take a picture of the process, but remembered just as the balms were cooling.

Have you ever documented your week in pictures? What did you learn about your work habits and practices when you took a look behind the scenes?