Woman arranging a floral centerpiece on a table decorated with candles and flowers.

Welcome to

The Journal


Welcome to the Chasing Stone blog! We’re so glad you’re here. Our story began in 2018 with a simple need for a portable, textured, stone-like styling surface. This idea quickly grew into the vibrant and diverse collection of backdrops and styling surfaces you see today. Each piece is inspired by my deep love and fascination for the natural world.

This blog is a place where we hope to answer your frequently asked questions, share tips and tricks, and connect with our amazing community. Whether you're a photographer, florist, or creative enthusiast, we’re here to support you and inspire your artistic journey. Alongside my passion for travel and design, I am excited to share insights and stories that can spark your creativity. Thank you for joining us and being a part of the Chasing Stone family!

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Jennifer Bailey Jennifer Bailey

How to Clean and Care for Hand-Painted Canvas Backdrops

Hand-painted canvas backdrops are beautiful, artisan-made tools that elevate wedding photography, but they require thoughtful care to maintain their beauty. The good news? Proper backdrop maintenance doesn't have to be complicated. With simple techniques like using a white art gum eraser for scuffs, storing your backdrop rolled on its cardboard core, and addressing stains immediately with gentle spot cleaning, your hand-painted pieces can remain stunning for years of shoots. This guide covers everything from daily handling practices and essential cleaning methods to proper storage solutions and troubleshooting common issues, so you can confidently care for these investment pieces while using them boldly in real-world shooting situations.

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Brandon Kidd Brandon Kidd

Photography Backdrop Buying Guide: What Size Do You Need?

Choosing the right backdrop size can make or break your shoot. Go too small and you’ll constantly fight the frame, cropping tighter than you want or cutting off details that matter. Go too large and you’ll struggle with setup, storage, and wasted space. This guide walks you through how to choose between 5x8, 8x10 ans 8×14 backdrops based on your shooting style, space, and subjects, so you can invest with confidence. Whether you’re photographing flat lays, bridal portraits, or full editorial scenes, understanding how each size works in real-world settings ensures your backdrop becomes a seamless extension of your creativity, not a limitation.

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Brandon Kidd Brandon Kidd

How to Create Cohesive Flat Lay Collections for Your Portfolio

Cohesive flat lay collections don’t happen by accident. They’re the result of consistent choices that tell one clear visual story. This guide shows you how to align surfaces, color palette, composition, lighting, and editing so every detail image looks like it belongs in the same portfolio. You’ll build a curated “capsule” of styling surfaces, commit to a recognizable mood, create repeatable layouts, and edit with the same tonal balance across sessions. The payoff is a feed that reads as unmistakably yours, inspires confidence, and books the clients who love your signature aesthetic.

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Brandon Kidd Brandon Kidd

The Complete Flat Lay Surface Guide for Wedding Photographers

The secret to truly stunning flat lays isn’t just your styling or camera; it’s your surface. The right backdrop transforms cluttered hotel rooms and chaotic prep spaces into editorial-worthy settings, while the wrong one instantly cheapens even your most beautiful work. Professional styling surfaces give your details a clean, intentional foundation that enhances every element you photograph. Whether you prefer the painterly depth of hand-painted canvas or the spill-proof practicality of fabric mats, investing in quality surfaces saves you stress, elevates your images, and communicates professionalism before clients even see your full gallery.

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Brandon Kidd Brandon Kidd

10 Flat Lay Mistakes That Make Your Work Look Amateurish

Flat lays don’t look amateur because you lack talent. They look amateur because of small, fixable missteps: busy or wrinkled backgrounds, overcrowded frames, harsh shadows, centered “bullseye” layouts, angled shooting, soft focus, clashing color palettes, flat textures, inconsistent editing, and crooked lines (plus cheap props that cheapen everything). This guide breaks down each mistake and shows you exactly how to correct it with intentional choices: clean, hand-painted surfaces, generous negative space, soft side light, true overhead angles, tack-sharp focus, cohesive color, layered texture, consistent edits, and precise alignment, so your images leap from “almost there” to polished, editorial, and unmistakably professional.

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Brandon Kidd Brandon Kidd

How to Style Stunning Flat Lays for Florists (Step-by-Step)

You've just finished designing the most beautiful bridal bouquet. The colors are perfect, the texture is divine, and every bloom is placed with intention. Now comes the moment that separates good florists from great ones: styling your work in a way that captures its beauty. Flat lay styling isn't just about arranging flowers on a surface. It's about telling the story of your artistry, attracting dream clients, and creating images that reflect the quality of your work. Whether you're styling bouquets for a photographer at a wedding, creating content for Instagram, or preparing portfolio pieces, understanding how to compose and style flat lays will transform how your floral designs are captured.

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Brandon Kidd Brandon Kidd

Chasing Stone Discount Code: Save 10% on Premium Photography Backdrops and Styling Mats

Looking for a Chasing Stone discount code? Use CHASINGSTONE at checkout to save 10% on all styling mats and photography backdrops. As photographers, we've all been there: beautiful venue, terrible carpet. Perfect couple, harsh lighting. Gorgeous details, ugly background. That's exactly why I created Chasing Stone. Our rollable styling mats and photography backdrops solve the everyday problems that slow you down. No more fighting bad lighting because you can't move your setup. No more wasting time searching for decent backgrounds. No more compromising on quality because the getting-ready room isn't photoshoot-ready. Whether you're shooting wedding details, product flatlays, portraits, or headshots, Chasing Stone products transform any space into a professional studio in under 5 minutes. Every surface is handmade in California, designed specifically for photographers on the go. Use discount code CHASINGSTONE to save 10% and see why professional photographers worldwide trust Chasing Stone for consistently beautiful results.

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Flat Lays Brandon Kidd Flat Lays Brandon Kidd

Behind the Scenes: How to Style a Wedding Invitation Suite

Beautifully styled invitation suite photos don't happen by accident. They're the result of intentional decisions about placement, layering, spacing, and composition. Learn the exact styling techniques professional wedding photographers use to create stunning invitation suite flat lays in minutes, from choosing the perfect surface to mastering composition principles and adapting your approach for different stationery aesthetics.

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Brandon Kidd Brandon Kidd

The Ultimate Flat Lay Photography Guide for Wedding Photographers

Master the art of flat lay photography with this comprehensive guide for wedding photographers. Discover professional styling techniques, efficient workflows, and the essential tools you need to create stunning detail shots in under 15 minutes—even in challenging venue conditions.

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