My new website

Website Opening Image, Photography Petrina Tinslay

Portfolios Opener

Food Portfolio, Photgraphy: Con Poulos

Interiors Portfolio, Photography: William Geddes

Tear Sheet Opener

Book Portfolio, Photography: Petrina Tinslay

Advertising Portfolio, Photography: Petrina Tinslay

Press Page, Photography: Petrina Tinslay 

About Me, Photography: Hallie Burton

The Process, A section to come, Stay tuned! Photography: Petrina Tinslay

Contact Page, Photography: Petrina Tinslay

It’s very exciting to announce the launch of my very own website marcushay.com, It has been many many months in the making and was designed with the very talented Christina Holmes who is also an amazing Photographer, check out her work, www.christinaholmesphotography.com

One would think it’s not that hard in this day and age to pull a website out of your back pocket but it takes many months of planning and tweaking before you can get it just right, even now I see thing’s that still need tweaking but largely it is complete.

The inspiration for the site came from using my existing logo and playing with it typographically, when you open the site a large scrolling image of my logo appears and moves across the screen. Behind the scrolling type is a “medley” of different surfaces that include a selection of my favorite vintage fabrics, pegboard and wooden surfaces, these form layers of surfaces that as a Prop Stylist in particular lay the foundations of most shoots. As a Stylist you start with the background/ surface and then you layer it with your props to form the final image.

With the help of my good friend and one of the world’s best Still life/ Food / Interiors Photographers; Petrina Tinslay, petrinatinslay.com I created images that would form the openers to the chapters, including opening image of the rabbits sitting on toy chairs to vintage phones indicating to contact me. These were shot in my very small studio apartment in Manhattan on a Sunday while Petrina was visiting from Australia. It was so exciting to get them done as they had been sketches in my mind for so long and they really were the icing on the cake.

I have not included all the content here, Please take a look and give me your opinions, The Portfolios will be updated from time to time so keep checking in, plus new sections will be appearing as the site evolves. 

Spring into action

Osbourne & Littles Peony from the V&A Botanical Watercolor Collection

Amelie sofa in "Blazing Poppies", Sethunya sheet set, Part of Anthropolgies current range

Chelsea's Highline, Street Art outside Comme De Garcon, Prop Table for a Spring inspired story,
Photographs: Marcus Hay

Painted motif, Cafe in Berlin, Roses in bloom, Photographs by Marcus Hay

It's a small World, DisneyLand, Photographs: Marcus Hay

It's a small World, DisneyLand, Peonies and Garden Center Florals, Photographs: Marcus Hay

Magnolias oustide a townhouse in NYC, A Fashion set created by moi, Store Display in Anthropologie,
Photographs: Marcus Hay

In the USA, The first official day happens tomorrow, March 20^th. And even though right now I am on a job in New Hampshire where there is still a lot of snow and not much signs of tweeting birds, I remember when I left New York last week you could feel and hear it in the air!  Always love that feeling, it’s like a new dawn or awakening…Until the Spring allergies set in at least! : )

To many people in the industry you would know that Spring was shot last year (Probably around Fall) already! It’s always hard to find all the variety of flowers to prop with at that time of the year but right now you know there is going to be abundance, Ironic that we are shooting Fall now! However I am still inspired by the celebration of the season around, In New York, flowers appear in pots everywhere, The Highline in Chelsea (My backyard) is blooming with new promise.

The main thrill for me is seeing Magnolia or Blossom sprout on trees outside, walking through the streets and being slapped in the face by that burst of pink! In stores such as Anthropologie, www.anthropologie.com, the window displays are amazing and never cease to inspire. Never shy of a floral, they really embrace the season.   

I was recently in L.A where we took my 3 year old goddaughter Jaiya to Disneyland, Her favorite ride (and mine!) is Small World, Designed under the direction of Art Director Mary Blair, 1911-1978, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Blair. Mary and her team designed it in 1964 for 1964 New York World's Fair UNICEF pavilion as a gift to the children of the world, It was then moved to Disneyland in California in 1966 when the Fair finished. The aesthetic is very 1960’s and the flower motifs seems to dominate the ride, I love that the park has kept this ride which seems to encapsulate that era and it’s love of floral motifs.

Even though personally I probably lean towards a more graphic masculine interior, I really do love working with florals integrated into an Interior in a more contemporary way, Oversized florals are great used in wallpapers or fabrics, but even something as simple as a one variety bunch of amazing flowers will guarantee an automatic response, Us humans are programmed to respond to flowers, I don’t know a person who can’t appreciate their majestic allure. 

John Harrelson

Examples of John's recent work.

Examples of John's recent work.

Examples of John's recent work.

Examples of John's recent work.

Examples of John's recent work.

It really saddens me to write this; yesterday we lost a great guy and a very talented Stylist, John Harrelson. John was involved in a fatal car accident and tragically lost his life in Calistoga, California enroute to a location.

I first met John only last year in 2010 on my first Crate & Barrel catalog shoot, to my understanding it was his first one also. He and I were on the job for a few weeks in Chicago, which was his hometown, although he did spend half the year in Amsterdam with his partner. John was so gracious and warm; under pressure he was incredibly calm and professional. He really made a huge effort to share info and contacts, which is rare in the competitive world of Prop Styling. He did so unconditionally and with such a generous spirit.

We hung out over the period and had stayed in contact, I enjoyed his regular inspirational posts on Facebook, through them and his work I recognized he was a very passionate creative with a very special eye. Even though our paths only passed recently I am at such a loss with this tragic accident, I send my condolences to his partner, friends and family.

You’re serenity, style and panache will be missed! RIP.

Good Housekeeping/ Pasta

Photography: Con Polous

Photography: Con Polous

Photography: Con Polous

Props at the Prop Table, Photogrpahy: Marcus Hay

Props at the Prop Table, Photography: Marcus Hay

Creating with one of my favorite palettes of turquoise and gray, This months Pasta story in March Issue of Good Housekeeping was a pleasure to shoot with the ever talented Con Poulos, www.conpoulos.com and Food styled by Susan Sugarman, www.susansugarman.com lt my first time working with her and she did a marvelous job, It’s not an easy job cooking piles of pasta after pasta dish.

Pasta has become a bit like a guilty pleasure for me now, I remember in college days, It was all I ate, It was quick, tasty and inexpensive, Although I did not get to sample any of these dishes, They sure looked good! I really love the shot with the purple pasta and the way the color of the turquoise pitcher makes it jump off the page!  

You can also see some of the behind the scenes shots of the props layed out on the tables as part of this post.