A Garden Shoot With Morrisons... Indoors!

The Brief

We were approached by Morrisons to shoot their summer garden product ranges. Two sets were to be built in our studio, to display three ranges. The three themes were Country Garden, Nomad, and Tropical - all vastly different in style.

The shoot was to feature small garden accessories such as ornaments as well as outdoor dining items. Planned for April 2025, the shoot needed a quick turnaround to provide Morrisons' marketing teams with enough time to create the in-store assets they were destined for.

Planning The Shoot

The aim was to create an authentic look and feel for three very different sets, appealing to different consumers. This meant we had to introduce props that would fit each style. We have a comprehensive warehouse of props at our studios which allowed us to fill up the garden sets. We then supplemented this by hiring certain items such as plants, rustic sleepers, fence panels, and real turf.

They say never work with children or animals, well maybe they should add grass to the list - in an indoors environment we had to be careful to keep it looking fresh for the shoot. Laying it outdoors for as long as possible and giving it a good water made sure it looked luscious when laid in the set.

Stylist Kirsty Saxon was booked to help us style the three sets, ensuring we executed the look that Morrisons wanted. Once all was ready for the garden shoot, we could rest easy knowing we wouldn't have to rely on the weather on the morning of the shoot.

Building A Garden Indoors

Building an outdoors setting in a studio requires attention to detail to create authenticity. Morrisons provided mood boards and inspiration for the set design, and once we looked at the products, we could start to build a realistic environment that fit the style of each range.

The majority of the images would be close up to the product, which meant we had to pay attention to all the finer details. This was the primary reason for choosing real turf. The close up shots would have highlighted any artificial grass used which wouldn't fit with the theme of the garden. Then to create depth in the images, and the look of an established garden, we layered the hired plants and props to create visually appealing borders. The addition of garden furniture and food on the patio tables brought the scenes to life.

The Nomad theme had a very different look. We finished the set with a paved floor from our props warehouse which, along with the painted black fence, potted plants, and Morrisons' products, made for an authentic exotic scene.

The Shoot

Paul, our lead photographer, was on this shoot. To hit the right tone, Paul had to set up the lighting in such a way that made the images look as though they were taken outdoors.

This set up differed across the sets, as the Country Garden and Tropical product ranges required a bright sunny day scene, whilst the Nomad products needed to be in a setting that resembled light from a warm setting sun. Having shot multiple outdoor scenes, Paul understood how to create the natural lighting.

The shoot was spread over two days, allowing enough time for all the product ranges and the set changeovers.

Go Behind The Scenes

Join our Director Will on set with our team during the shoot. Will takes you around the set and explains how we achieved the three distinct looks for Morrisons.