Art Direction
How Maison Hibou is photographed, lit, and cut — the visual register every image and clip should hold.
Visual register
Mediumphotography
AestheticDocumentary photography shot wide (28mm) in golden-hour ambient light, embracing grain and the imperfect archaeology of use — flour dust in backlight, pencil marks on marble, the small beautiful mess of a long creative afternoon. Every frame captures rooms mid-life, not styled: mismatched chairs, book stacks with visible spines, brass hardware mid-patina, walnut grain under warm pooled light. The camera treats wear as beauty and lingers on process rather than polish.
Content typesavailable-light interior documentary · detail still-life with natural patina · environmental portraiture of hands and work-in-progress · architectural vignettes with visible grain and texture
Lightinggolden hour perpetual, warm amber pooling through tall windows, deep shadows preserved not lifted, single-source practicals (brass banker's lamps, candle glow), low contrast with rich blacks, late afternoon through evening gradient
Optics28mm environmental establishing shots, 50mm equivalent for intimate tablescapes, shallow depth of field f/2.8 when isolating hands or spines, gentle subject separation not blown-out bokeh, medium-format detail rendering
Textureswalnut grain under fingertips, linen napkin weave catching sidelight, paper tooth of uncoated stock, brass mid-patina neither polished nor oxidized, espresso crema micro-bubble structure, flour dust suspended in shaft light, leather spines with craquelure, graphite pencil on toothy sketch paper
Surface qualitylived patina not distressed styling, honest wear at table edges, natural accumulation (wax drips, cup rings as history), matte unvarnished wood, soft-hand fabrics with drape weight, non-reflective except metal highlights, tactile invitation not untouchable preservation
Moodgolden hour that holds, amber light through wine glasses, the satisfied fatigue after good conversation
Emotioncontemplative warmth, quiet companionship, creative absorption
Energylow hum, steady rather than still — the gentle metabolism of focused work
Paceunhurried afternoon bleeding into evening, the tempo of a long read
Real photography
Ground truth — the strongest reference for every generationNo real photography yet. Upload photos of your actual spaces and products — generated content will be anchored to them.
Moodboard
The brand world in nine frames
Shooting recipes
Named lens + lighting presets — pick one when generating videoWalnut grain under banker's lampdetail
Lens 50mm, f/2.8, shallow depth isolating table texture, overhead angle 45°Light single brass banker's lamp pooling amber from upper left, warm 2700K practical source, deep shadow falloff right edgeFrame diagonal grain lines leading eye through frame, lamp pooled circle occupies upper third, rich blacks bottom right cornerMood intimate, contemplative
Suits: Carnet Hibou open with 4B graphite pencil mid-annotation, wax drips in crevices · cooling espresso in Les Mugs Atelier beside pencil shavings on walnut · Marguerite's hand resting on Gallimard paperback with visible marginalia
Corner window bay golden hour wideenvironment
Lens 28mm, f/4, environmental depth rendering mismatched chairs to window frameLight late afternoon side window flooding warm amber left to right, gentle gradient into shadow, 3200K golden hour qualityFrame window occupies left third vertical, long table recedes diagonally right, generous headroom showing ceiling architectureMood open, unhurried, contemplative warmth
Suits: The Corner Window Bay with Léon's books stacked mid-work, steam rising backlit · empty chairs at golden hour with accumulated evidence—cup rings, linen napkins · Olivier arranging Viennoiserie du Matin as afternoon light rakes across marble counter
Hands-in-process tableside portraitlifestyle
Lens 50mm, f/2, tight waist-down framing on hands and immediate workspaceLight ambient window light from above-left supplemented by practical desk lamp, warm mixed 2900K, soft modeling shadowsFrame hands occupy lower half frame center, work surface extends to edges, shallow depth blurs background to walnut warmthMood absorbed, quiet companionship
Suits: The Translator's hands annotating Carnets Hibou with fountain pen, brass lamp glowing · Anaïs folding linen napkin beside newsprint, both catching sidelight texture · Sophie's fingers tracing book spine craquelure in La Bibliothèque afternoon light
Backlit flour dust viennoiserieproduct
Lens 50mm, f/2.8, half-subject framing with selective sharpness on pastry flake detailLight strong backlight shaft through window catching suspended particles, warm 3400K contre-jour, minimal fill from reflected surfacesFrame pastry occupies lower right quadrant on parchment paper, dust particles float upper left negative space, dark walnut base anchorsMood morning alchemy, tactile anticipation
Suits: warm kouign-amann on parchment with flour dust suspended in window shaft · Viennoiserie du Matin mid-break revealing lamination, crumbs catching amber light · croissant beside steaming Les Mugs Atelier, both haloed in backlit morning glow
Brass and book spine archaeologydetail
Lens 50mm, f/2, macro-intimate on material patina and text detailsLight single-source lamp glow raking across surfaces from side, 2700K amber highlighting metal and leather texture, deep shadow contrastFrame vertical stack or diagonal lean of subjects, extreme shallow depth with single element sharp, negative space holds darknessMood layered history, scholarly intimacy
Suits: used Gallimard spine beside brass lamp base mid-patina, previous annotations visible · stacked Carnets Hibou with brass bookmark catching lamplight, pencil marks on edges · leather-bound volume with craquelure texture next to tarnished door hardware
Evening transformation wide interiorhero
Lens 28mm, f/2.8, full-room environmental with visible depth from foreground tables to back wallLight multiple amber practicals—banker's lamps, candles—creating pooled warmth across space, natural twilight blue through windows mixing cool/warm, 2800K dominantFrame symmetrical room architecture with asymmetric light pools, human figures silhouetted or edge-lit mid-distance, low horizon line emphasizing ceiling volumeMood convivial dusk, creative sanctuary
Suits: The Jazz Corner transformation with scattered lamp pools, figures in conversation silhouette · La Bibliothèque at dusk—book stacks lit by practicals, window showing cobblestone blue hour · Le Comptoir evening service, Olivier backlit by cabinet glow arranging Mélange Nocturne
Layered context vignette overheadcontext
Lens 50mm, f/4, overhead plan view capturing organized chaos of workspaceLight diffused window light from upper frame edge, even soft illumination with gentle shadow indicating depth, 3200K natural qualityFrame overhead square crop, subjects arranged in thirds with breathing room, evidence of process—smudges, crumbs, open containers—preserved not styledMood mid-work honesty, accumulation
Suits: table archaeology—Carnet Hibou open, cooling espresso cup ring, pencil shavings, Cartes Postales scattered · newsprint beside linen, both showing texture equality, crumbs and wax evidence between · Sac Hibou contents spilled gently—notebooks, brass pen, paperback with dog-ears visible
Steam and substance portraitportrait
Lens 50mm, f/2, chest-up environmental portrait with shallow separationLight window side-light from right creating Rembrandt triangle, steam or smoke adding atmosphere backlit, 3100K warm naturalFrame subject occupies left two-thirds, gaze directed out of frame toward work or window, background softens to walnut and brass tonesMood thoughtful presence, creative metabolism
Suits: Léon at Corner Window Bay, steam from Les Mugs Atelier rising between face and book · Marguerite in La Bibliothèque afternoon, side-lit among book spines with soft focus depth · The Translator at long table, smoke from absent cigarette visible in shaft light behind shoulder
Motion register
How the brand moves on videoPaceLong contemplative holds of 4-7 seconds per shot; occasional clusters of 2-second cuts only when showing the accumulation of work evidence (cup, notebook, pencil shavings); never faster than a page turn.
CameraPredominantly static locked-off frames; slow lateral dollies (6-8 inches over 5 seconds) along table grain or book spines; rare gentle push-in (3 inches over 4 seconds) to reveal marginalia or flour dust detail; never handheld, never Steadicam float.
TransitionsSlow cross-dissolves (1.5-2 seconds) between locations or time-of-day shifts; straight cuts within single continuous sessions; no wipes, whips, or graphic transitions; occasional overlap dissolve where previous shot's amber light bleeds into next frame's shadows.
Energy curveLow steady hum throughout—the metabolism of focused work—never spiking above 'absorbed interest'; brief lift only when light shifts (dawn to morning, afternoon to golden hour) but never approaching urgency; baseline is meditative companionship.
Soundsolo piano or sparse string quartet, ECM Records aesthetic, occasional accordion · 54-68 bpm, the pace of considered thought; tempo breathes rather than drives · warm mid-register, either gender, French or transatlantic accent, intimate proximity as if next table, unhurried delivery with natural pauses
Scene archetypeswide lockoff of long walnut table at golden hour, three people working in separate absorption, amber lamp pools defining territory · slow lateral track along book spines on shelf, marginalia visible in open volumes, dust motes in shaft light · macro detail shot: pencil shavings in table grain crevice beside cooling espresso cup, all in warm sidelight · static medium shot through window looking in—figure reading at corner table, shot from street at dusk as interior lamps turn amber · overhead locked shot of hands working: notebook grid paper, 2B pencil, kouign-amann crumbs on parchment, cast shadows from banker's lamp