Creating Deliciously Moody Vignettes With Haris Kenjar
It’s finally feeling like autumn on America’s East Coast, which means an ushering in of all things dark, autumnal colors palates, and a craving for cozy. The embodiment of all those feelings is this series of interior design photographs by Haris Kenjar. Haris is the king of impossibly cool vignettes, and this series shows us why.
His shoot for designer Heidi Caillier makes you feel like you just came inside from chopping wood, ready for coffee and reading a book by the fire. Ready to transport yourself there?
To get our bearings here, we’ll start with Haris’ shot down the hall looking at the front door. He shows off the functionality of the dutch door by opening it slightly – which was probably a pain if it was a windy day. In turn, this pours nice directional light into the scene. Standing at the front door and looking in, we are able to see into the living room through the door frame. The entryway table serves as a visual anchor to remind us where we are.
I love how the light rakes across each of these images and then falls off gently. This style of lighting is perfect for creating depth in texture and pulls out the velvet of the couch, each dimple in the wooden table, the pile of the rugs, and the seams in the paneling. In the image on the right-hand side, the lit fireplace adds life – as if someone just stepped out of the frame for a second while he made the photograph. Haris partially opens the cabinet door to highlight its usability – which is an important aspect when shooting for interior designers.
Beautiful falloff and directionality are present in every photo, which guides our eyes naturally around a scene. Check out the freshly extinguished smoky candles; talk about telling a story! I can smell the smoke from here; it practically teleports me to the scene. I predict entirely too many photographers are going to adopt this trend, but now we know who started it!
Things are ever so slightly brighter in the dining room, but still feels similar to the rest of the project. The asymmetry here is great. Haris includes large portions of the paper lantern and bouquet in this photograph, which adds a sense of delicateness that softens the hard wooden objects and shapes we find throughout the series, as well as adds a bit of contrast to the otherwise somewhat monotone scene.
I appreciate Haris’ ability to frame each shot in a way that tells the story of each room and how they connect throughout The Cabin. He manages to do this without giving too much away or creating too many distractions. It’s definitely an art that Haris has mastered.
An encompassing shot of the kitchen allows us to see a range of cabinets, shelving, and where the appliances lie. Haris then composes a tight vignette on the countertop that allow the open shelving and butcherblock countertop to shine. Plus there are pomegranates which just always level up the styling of a scene; the way the colors play off of one another creates a cozy and rustic feel.
Holy mood, Batman! It’s so refreshing to see the way that Haris lets his images be so dark, especially seeing that other projects in his portfolio are light and vibrant. He really allows each home to simply be, and shows the true nature of each space he photographs.
Many thanks to the wonderful Haris Kenjar for sharing this deliciously moody project with us. You can see more of Haris’ stunning work on his website: hariskenjar.com or his Instagram @haris.kenjar.
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