How to do it at The Gallery
Part 7 of 7 of the free brand photoshoots guide from The Gallery on Montana. Shoot four or five brand looks in one booking at The Gallery on Montana: a salon wall, bookshelves, a studio room, a front porch and a yard with murals.
Book a tour · 701 Montana St, San Antonio, TX 78203
The Gallery on Montana is a house at 701 Montana St on San Antonio's East Side, and each room is a different set. You can get four or five looks in one booking without driving between locations. See the rooms on the space page.
The salon wall. A dense salon hang for hero portraits that do not look like a studio.
The bookshelves. Product and detail shots with texture behind them.
Props and details. Lamps, a record player and books for lifestyle and product styling.
The front door. A black door and wood porch for exterior and arrival shots in daylight.
The collection is part of the room. Pieces can appear in your shots, and we will tell you on the day what can move.
Through November 1: shoots and meetings from $55 an hour, events from $60 an hour. Golden hour runs a little more. Peerspace shows the final price.
A room by room plan
- Salon: hero portraits and headshots against a wall of gilded frames and leather chairs.
- Studio room: product and detail shots at the round table, with brick and a lit cabinet.
- Dining room: flat lays and working at the table moments by tall windows.
- Front door and porch: arrival shots in daylight.
- Yard: open lawn, a red pavilion and mural fences for color and movement.
Five sets in one house means you can plan two or three outfits and still give each one a different background. A common order is salon first for hero portraits, studio room and bookshelves for product, dining room for flat lays, then the porch and yard for your second look.
Match shots to rooms
| Shot | Room | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Hero portrait | Salon wall | A dense hang of frames reads rich, not like a studio |
| Product styled | Bookshelves or studio room | Texture behind the product |
| Flat lay | Dining room table | Big surface by tall windows |
| Arrival or announcement | Front door and porch | A black door frames a person cleanly |
| Color and movement | Yard murals | Bright, playful background for reels |
Working with the collection
Tip: Ask what can move. The collection is part of the room, so pieces can appear in your shots. Nathan will tell you on the day what can move and help you style a set.
Plan a few shots that use the room as it is, with the art in frame, and a few tighter shots where the background softens to texture and color. Both feel like your brand when your outfit and products are consistent.
Treat the art and furniture as part of your set rather than something to clear away. Choose outfits that sit well with warm wood, brick, leather and gold frames, and let a lamp or a shelf of books add depth behind you.
Light in the house
Start indoors while the light is soft in the rooms. The dining room's tall windows give side light for flat lays and seated portraits; turn the table or the subject so the window is beside them, not behind. Lamps in the salon and on the console add a warm glow your photographer can balance with a softbox.
Ask your photographer to scout the rooms at the same time of day you will shoot. Window light shifts through the day, and seeing it once makes the room order obvious.
Plan your second look outside
Move to the porch and the murals once you have your hero portraits. In summer, keep the outdoor set short and save it for morning or golden hour. The mural fences are bright and busy, so a solid outfit in one of their colors photographs best.
Bring a small fan, water and a towel for the outdoor set in warmer months, and do a quick touch up before the first outdoor frame. Porch and front door shots work well as arrival images for a website, an announcement or a launch post, so frame a few wide with room for text.
Sizing your crew
The house holds up to 40 people inside, so a crew of photographer, assistant, hair and makeup, plus a few team members or models fits easily. Keep one room as home base for bags, outfits and the product station so working sets stay clear.
Most brand shoots need far fewer people than that. Four to six is a comfortable working crew, and fewer people means a calmer set and quicker moves between rooms. If you are bringing a whole team for headshots, schedule them in time slots so they are not waiting around.
Booking and touring
Bring your shot list grouped by room, and the day moves from set to set without wandering. Shoots book by the hour on the Peerspace shoots listing linked from the photo and video shoots page. Want to walk the rooms with your photographer first? Book a tour.
When you book, count your hours from load in to pack out, not just camera time. A tour with Nathan before the day lets your photographer check windows, plan the room order and see which corners suit your products.