Q&A with Meredith Tatum- Vibrant Space and Tine Art Co.

Lightbox is all in favor for supporting creative businesses in the Springfield area, and our team is excited to give a shoutout to Tine Art Co.! Meredith Tatum, owner and artist for Tine Art Co., is also a local photographer under Vibrant Space. Meredith used Lightbox right after the stay-at-home orders lifted, and we LOVE how she used the space! Read below to find out more about Tine Art Co. and how they used the Loft at Lightbox!

What is a brief description of your business?

“Tine Art Co was a concept I had in Sept 2019. Tine is the Irish word for fire and fire is something that I’ve often associated with who I am, who I want to be and who God’s called me to be. Ireland has also always had a special place in my heart. I’ve been painting since I was able to hold a paintbrush and my art has always been colorful, but I’d never felt like I found my niche in art until quarantine. I had the idea to do “Color Studies,” which is taking an object, memory, photo or season and creating a palette of color to represent it. From there, a style of painting seemingly fell out of me and fell into place and I realized I had finally found my specific style.”

Photos by: Meredith Tatum, Vibrant Space

How have you used the space(s) at Lightbox?

“I used the upstairs space [The Loft] at Lightbox to photograph my art as though it were in a home.”

What is your favorite part of Lightbox?

“The reason I chose Lightbox lies in the name. I love light, white, airy spaces and Lightbox is just that. It’s completely perfect for shooting really anything and I will be back.”

Photos by: Meredith Tatum, Vibrant Space

Any fun or unique facts about you/your business?

“I designed the Color Studies and Abstract pieces so that people could create their own color palette surrounding what they have in their home. For instance if someone has a blue couch with yellow pillows and loves green as well or wishes to accent with it, I can create pieces that allow them to tie all those colors together, making their interior cohesive. I love this concept because I know that people are often in Ross or Home Goods looking for art that will tie certain colors together and finish out their space. But I can take color requests and make them local, one-of-kind art just as easy and that is so exciting to me!”

Photos by: Meredith Tatum, Vibrant Space

What is your favorite part of your business?

“My favorite part of my business is the creation-portion. I love conceptualizing new designs and watching them come together on the paper.”

Make sure to give Meredith a follow and check out more of her work!

Instagram: @tineartco

Facebook: Tine Art Co.

website: www.etsy.com/shop/TineArtCo

Photos by: Meredith Tatum, Vibrant Space

Written by Jaylee Branch

Community Relations Coordinator

lightboxjaylee@gmail.com

Photographer’s Shoot-Out Recap

Our goal at Lightbox is always to foster creativity and bring the community together.

If you follow Lightbox, you’ve probably seen a gorgeous floral set and a minimal editorial set popping up on our feed often! What is it from? The very first Photographer’s Shoot-Out event!

For our first Photographer’s Shoot-Out, we had 11 photographers, 2 sets and 2 models! Unlike most styled shoots, each photographer had different time slots so they were able to work with each model one on one! The first set was with our rose tufted ottoman, white seamless backdrop & a GORGEOUS floral arrangement from Queen City Blooms. Each photographer had the choice between our model, Karissa, wearing a fun, mustard yellow maxi dress from Lulu’s or an elegant wedding gown from The Dress Bridal Boutique! The 2nd set was a more minimal set with our model Soleil wearing an amazing sweater cape from Rent the Runway. In this set you were encouraged to really play with posing and focus on the art of portraiture! This set was basically a blank slate with a few props and really allowed each photographer the space to get creative in their own personal way!

One of the most amazing things about an event like this is having several different photographers shooting the exact same sets and models but in totally different ways! It really showcases the individuality between each and every person who participated. I myself got to join in on the shoot-out and they are some of my favorite photographs I’ve ever taken!

And of course, this shoot-out would have been nothing without the incredible talents that had a hand in bringing it all together!

Here are the amazing vendors who participated:

Florals: Queen City Blooms

Hair & Make-up: Skyler Ellison, assistant under Emily Edgar

Models: Karissa Houts and Soleil Richardson

Bridal Gown: The Dress Bridal Boutique

Yellow Dress: Lulu’s

Sweater cape: Rent the Runway

Now the fun part, THE PHOTOS! Let’s take a look at the work of all these amazing, talented photographers!

WILD WILD PHOTOGRAPHY

@wildwildphotography

SHANA LYNNE PHOTOGRAPHY

@Shanalynnephoto

ILLUMINATE PHOTOGRAPHY

@illuminatephotography417

JWETER PHOTOGRAPHY

@jweterphotography

TAYLOR JEAN PHOTOGRAPHS

@Taylorjeanphotographs

GRACE KAY PHOTOGRAPHY

@gracekayphoto

BLOOM AND BE PHOTO

@bloomandbephoto

RHIANON BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY

@rhianonbrownphotography

NEGATIVE IMAGE PHOTOGRAPHY

@negative.image.photography

STOECKER MEDIA

@stoeckermediallc

HANNAH ARNZEN PHOTGRAPHY

@hannaharnzenphotography

@lightboxsgf

Can I just say…WOW!

After seeing all these amazing photos you might be thinking, WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE? Well, good news! I’m super excited to share with you the mood board and theme of our next shoot-out:

PANTONE COLOR OF THE YEAR SHOOT-OUT!

There will be 2 monochromatic sets to work with and a table of props that will inspire creativity! It’s all happening on Sunday, April 5th! Tickets are on sale NOW! Get them here:

Written by Bekah Schooler

Creative Coordinator & Studio Assistant

If you want to stay in the know about future shoot-out events, sign up for our email newsletter here:

PHOTOGRAPHER’S NEWSLETTER

Galentine’s Party Recap

It is almost March and love is STILL in the air here at Lightbox! We had an AMAZING opportunity to try something new to Springfield and put together our first Galentine’s Party! This event was a colorful and glam filled pop-up selfie museum! Sounds exciting, right?! Lots of hours, creativity and sore hands from cutting out hundreds of hearts went in to the making of this event! We cannot wait to recap and show you how much fun we had!

All photos posted on IG by the beautiful gals who came to the Galentine’s Party!

Featuring eight different set-ups, girls went around to each set and take adorable pictures to glam up their ‘gram! Cute photo props were provided for everyone to use, peep the heart shaped glasses featured above! Three of our eight sets were set up downstairs and consisted of: a lime green confetti fall, heart balloons with our white styling blocks, and our peach wall with fun plants and teal blue palm leaves. Upstairs we had a fun flamingo wall, XOXO wall, super pink heart wall, multi-colored paper chain set-up, and our shimmery cellophane wall!

In addition to the sets, we were happy to have Rove Coffee with us and served iced strawberry mochas along with Ozark Mtn Flower Truck parked out front! We also had a fantastic giveaway that ended up having a value of over $800! We cannot thank the sponsors and businesses who donated for our giveaway:

Yoga Gab Retreats - Rove Coffee - Modern Society Boutique - The Merry Moore - Andy B’s Springfield

MarGorgeous Boutique - Olive and Ivy Boutique - Texas Soul Boutique - Bree’s Little Closet

She is Wonderfully Made - Alijah Storm Cosmetics - Illuminate Photography - 5 Pound Apparel

Rebecca Lynn Illustration - Tessa Bulger - Crave Cookie Dough - Grove Spa - Ozark Mtn Flower Truck

Congratulations again to our giveaway WINNER, Ryinne Jacquemin! We hope you enjoy all your new goodies!

Written by: Jaylee Branch, Community Relations Coordinator

Photo by: Ozark Mtn Images

Interested in upcoming events?

CLICK HERE!!!

How To Use the Ring Light for Your Rental!

Let’s start with the basics!

With the ring light you have the ability to control the look and lighting of your photos! It can be added to any rental for just $15 and you can add it the day of your rental! This is a great option if your rental happens to be on a cloudy day and you want a little extra light for your photos!

There are two sliders on the ring light, one that controls temperature and one that controls brightness. Since it is a slide and not a switch, you have complete control over how bright you want the light and whether you want cool tones, warm tones, or somewhere in the middle!

The ring light is super user friendly, so you totally don’t have to be a professional photographer to utilize it for your rental! It also comes with a tripod to hold a cell phone!

Our rolling white backdrop, the ring light and some banners or props make the perfect setup for a do-it-yourself photo booth during your next party!

Below are some examples of how I used the ring light during my photo session with Jacob!

All of these photos were taken with the same camera settings and all of them were taken about 30 minutes before sunset when natural light was starting to fade!

The only difference between them is the light temperature and brightness settings I had on the ring light!

BEFORE: This photo was taken with the ring light set to cool tones and the brightness on high

BEFORE: This photo was taken with warm temperature settings and the brightness on medium!

BEFORE: This photo was taken with only natural light! Keep in mind that it was almost dark outside so there wasn’t much light to work with in the first place. In a normal situation I would change my camera settings, but I kept the the same as the photos above to illustrate the differences between all the photos!

AFTER: For the cool tones settings I just enhanced them a bit! This setting fit really well with Jacob’s skin tone and the backdrop we were working with!

AFTER: For Jacob’s skin tone I did bring down the warm tones and oranges in editing just a bit to match my own personal style but I love the look of the finished product! The warm tones would be really great with other skin tones or if you were going for a specific style!

AFTER: I had to work a lot harder with editing on the photos with only natural light! I felt like it left them a bit grainy and the backdrop doesn’t pop quiet as much as it does when i’m using the ring light!

Here are some bonus pictures that were taken with the ring light when it was pitch black outside!

Are you ready to get creative? Book and add the ring light here!

Blog and photos by Bekah Schooler, Studio Assistant at Lightbox & Owner of Illuminate Photography.

Q & A with a Photographer - Sierra Eckert of Ozark Mountain Images

Welcome to the second edition of our Q & A with a photographer series! We love to feature the different photographers that use our space and see the creativity and individuality they bring to Lightbox!

Today it is my pleasure to introduce you to Sierra of Ozark Mountain Images!

Meet Sierra!

Hi! I am from St. Louis and moved to Springfield 3 years ago to pursue a degree, I’ll graduate this spring with a bachelors in general studies. I am super nature inspired, my whole branding is based on wildflowers native to Missouri. I’ve attended a lot of workshops and invested in learning materials from other photographers to further my business! I am engaged (fixin to tie the knot 9/12/2020) to my fiancé Adam. We have a 7 month old girl named Maelynn and love spending time together in the great outdoors.

How long have you been a photographer?

Full time for one year and a hobbyist for 6 years!

How would you describe your photography style?

Warm, romantic and genuine.

What is the most rewarding thing about being a photographer?

Meeting people and getting to create. It’s such a relaxing outlet for me. I pour into the creative process and it is so rewarding!

What is the best thing about your clients?

Their kindness and appreciation for what I do. I can’t thank them enough for sharing my name and giving gratitude where it’s due.

What is your favorite thing to photograph?

Portraits!

If you could give one piece of advice to yourself when you first started as a photographer, what would it be?

Shoot, shoot, shoot! Practice makes perfect!

If you could give one piece of advice to your clients what would it be? 

Relax and love on your partner. The best photos are the genuine ones.

What would your ultimate, dream photo shoot be? 

Either a mountainous elopement or something on the water.

What was your favorite thing about Lightbox and what did you use it for?

I did a styled portrait session of sisters and the lighting was SO BOMB!

How would you like to use the studios at Lightbox in the future?

More styled shoots!

Thanks so much Sierra!

We can’t wait to see more of your work at Lightbox in the future!

You can check out more of Sierra’s work here and here!

Are you interested in being featured on the box blog? E-mail Bekah at Lightboxbekah@gmail.com

NYE Style Guide

Christmas may be over…but that means New Years Eve is right around the corner!

Several boutiques from the Springfield area have taken pictures at Lightbox over the past couple months, and we are LOVING it! So…we decided to throw together a little outfit guide for New Years Eve to give you a little fashion inspo. All outfits are featuring boutiques that have photographed in our space!

Lilac and Jade Boutique

A POP of color is the perfect touch!

Website: Lilacandjadeboutique.com

Instagram: @lilacandjadeboutique

Bree’s Little Closet

Fun jeans and a comfy sweater!

www.breeslittlecloset.com

Instagram: @breeslittlecloset

Waste Less Apparel

Go a bit more edgy with patterned pants and a leather jacket!

Instagram: @wastless_apparel

Modern Society

Add a little glitter and glam!

www.modernsocietyapparel.com

Instagram: @shopmodernsociety

Q & A with a photographer - Jennifer Weter

We have had an amazing group of photographers join us at Lightbox in our first couple months of business! It is so amazing to see the individual style and creativity that each photographer brings to our space!

We are starting a new series of blogs featuring photographers that have come to use the Loft and Lower Studio here at Lightbox!

For our very first edition, we are very happy to introduce you to Jennifer Weter of JWeterPhotography!

Meet Jen!

“I'm a travel obsessed, beach loving, sunset chasing soccer mom. I love new experiences, whether it's meeting new people, exploring new locations or trying new foods. My husband and I love to explore new cities during our daughter's soccer tournament weekends by visiting local restaurants, craft breweries and coffee shops. What photographer can live without caffeine, right? I've spent many years working in the healthcare industry, but I'm most at home behind the camera preserving the moments that mean the most to my clients.”

Head shot: Abigail Derrick Photography

How long have you been a Photographer?

I started my business in 2017, but my love of photography began many years ago when I was the photographer for my junior high school newspaper. After my daughter was born in 2008, I wanted to preserve all of those precious, fleeting moments. That's when I enrolled in a photography class at Missouri State University, and I spent the next few years soaking up all of the knowledge I could get my hands on. I still believe investing in your education is important, and continue to take classes and workshops. I was fortunate this year to learn from one of my photography idols, Tarah Sweeney

How would you describe your photography style?

I like to incorporate a mixture of portraiture and lifestyle images in my galleries. I know we all hope to get that one shot of everyone looking at the camera and smiling, but the images that really move me are the ones that embody warmth, movement and emotion. Every picture has a beautiful story to tell!

What is the most rewarding thing about being a photographer?

Being able to document moments that will be cherished for generations. I always loved looking through my grandparents old photos. Seeing images of my grandmother as a child and young adult sparked conversations that might never have occurred without those photographs. It brought back joyous memories for her, and allowed me to share in a part of her life that I knew very little about.

What's your biggest fear as a photographer?

Showing up to a session without an SD card. So, I am compulsive about checking all of my gear before I leave the house, and I usually have several extra stashed in my camera bag, just in case.

What is your favorite thing to photograph?

Newborns! The transition from couple to family is so incredibly life changing. Those first few days go by in a sleep-deprived blur, and I love being able to freeze those moments for them. Witnessing the evolution of a family, as their littles grow and as siblings are welcomed is one of the best parts of photographing families year after year.

What is the best thing about your clients?

They are graciously willing to be vulnerable and allow me into the most intimate parts of their lives. It's difficult to be that open and trusting with a photographer, but it's so important. This lets me document the way they interact with each other when no one else is around. That's where the true magic lies. It's an honor that I don't take lightly.

If you could give one piece of advice to yourself when you first started as a photographer, what would it be?

Trust yourself. Shoot what you're passionate about because to serve your clients well, you have to be inspired. If a session doesn't excite you, you won't be able to produce your best work.

If you could give one piece of advice to your clients what would it be?

Relax! Don't worry about the kids' behavior, just show up ready to be in the moment with your family. I'll take care of the rest!

What are some fun facts people may not know about you?

I was once a wedding cake decorator. I delivered many 5 tier cakes down ridiculous stairways, holding my breath the entire time. I had more than one nightmare that I dropped a cake during delivery. Although it never actually happened, I had enough near misses to make me never want to photograph weddings! Another fun, but embarrassing fact...I took a nap on the monkey bars when I was five years old. I fell off, face first, and broke both the bones in my arm. I guess being clumsy is a theme that has followed me throughout my life.

What would your ultimate, dream photo shoot be?

A couples shoot on the Kalalau trail in Kauai. My husband and I got married on the island and it will always be special to me. It's the perfect mix of my favorite things - beach, mountains, waterfalls and adventure.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

Love, in all its many forms. Love between partners, parent and child, siblings, friends...it's what gives us hope for the future.

What kind of photo shoot(s) have you done at Lightbox?

Maternity and holiday family sessions. Everything from babies to families of six.

What was your favorite part about using Lightbox?

It's so incredibly versatile! I've used Lightbox for photo shoots, baby showers, girls' night out, and the space was perfect for all three. I love being able to utilize the prop closet. We were able to have a gorgeous tablescape for the baby shower and I didn't have to haul everything in from home.

How would you like to use the studios at Lightbox in the future?

I'd love to use the amazing light in the loft studio for a newborn session

Thanks so much Jen!

We love your work and so appreciate you taking the time to share your passions with us!

Find more of Jen’s work here:

www.JWeterPhotography.com

https://www.instagram.com/jweterphotography

My Personal Experience Using the Lightbox Loft

Hi there!

Bekah here from the Lightbox team!

I own Illuminate Photography here in Springfield and I’m going to tell you about my experience using The Loft!

As a photographer, I know how challenging it can be to find an indoor space for photo sessions that has adequate light and space while still being private!

Photographing in a comfortable and quiet environment really produces more genuine and relaxed photographs! My clients and the quality of the photos I give them are always, always, always my first priority so I was SO excited to utilize Lightbox to give my clients the best possible experience I can!

I recently had the opportunity to photograph a pet calendar with 22 (Yes, TWENTY-TWO) dogs and 2 cats and I jumped at the chance to use The Loft for this project. I had super consistant lighting throughout the whole session! Having this large of a project in a controlled environment really helped keep the pups more calm! The rolling white backdrop was the perfect tool to style for the different months and I was able to use several decor items available in The Loft and combine it with items brought from home to make this project come to life! If you would like a calendar to support Rescue One, please click here.

Photographing portraits is one of my favorite parts about my job! I love being able to capture what makes a person uniquely themselves! I took some pictures of Sarah on her lunch break from her job during spirit week. It was 80’s day and how can you not get some photos when your outfit is this good??

I’ll let you in on a little secret; It was SO overcast and gloomy this day but we were still able to get some gorgeous and bright photos with only the light coming through the abundance of windows in the Loft! As a natural light photographer, it is HUGE for me to be able to stay consistant with the photos I do outdoors at an indoor location! There is no shortage of soft, beautful, natural light at Lightbox!

One of the really cool things I love about the Loft is that it gets styled differently seasonally so you have the opportunity to create unique photos for your clients every time you use the space!

I am just as excited about this space (if not more!) after using it as I was from the moment I first heard of it! It really is an asset that Springfield has needed for a long time and I am so looking forward to using The Loft for many, many more photo sessions in the future!