Local studio gets extreme makeover

I’m sure that most of us feel our work spaces could use a bit of a makeover, right? So imagine how nice it would be if a client casually suggested that she might be able to inject a bit more life into your space — and that client turned out to be an art director for the popular TV show “Extreme Makeover Home Edition”?

That’s exactly what happened to Sylvaine Capron, who, along with her photographer husband, David Capron, runs Emotion Portrait Photography Studios in Huntington Beach.

In her excited French accent, Sylvaine told me how a woman came in with her family one day for a portrait shoot, then casually mentioned that she might be able to help spruce the studio up a bit and give it some life and verve.

Art Director Nancy Hadley picks it up from there:

“I’d received a gift card to come into Emotion and have a photo done, so me, my husband, three kids and dog came on in.

“The experience was wonderful. But I thought maybe the studio itself could use a bit of a makeover.”

Words not to be taken lightly.

That’s because Hadley is one of the primary creative forces behind the look of such hit shows as “Extreme Makeover Home Edition,” “Trading Places” and “Kitchen Nightmares,” to name a few.

The vivacious Huntington Beach resident who also appears on camera and is developing her own design TV show started out designing museum exhibits and sculpting for Mattel toys.

She finds herself alongside chef Gordon Ramsey and others as one of the top reality show art directors in the business.

What did Sylvaine make of Hadley’s offer?

“I was thrilled, obviously,” Sylvaine said. “And David and I could not wait to see what she came up with.”

“I wanted to enhance the lobby and make it more welcoming,” Hadley said, sitting next to Sylvaine in the studio outer lobby she’s describing. “Make it a better transition point, add some soothing color to help defray the nerves people might have about having their photo taken. And inside the studio, same thing, offset all of the stark white with something pleasing.

“You’re looking for a mood when you walk into a space, to get emotions out of people, to get them comfortable, and I think of a project like this in those simple terms.”

The actual studio is accented with a soothing, pretty blue that Sylvaine said makes all the difference.

After the studio “makeover,” Sylvaine and David wanted to have a party to celebrate the new space (and their one year anniversary of Emotion). But they gave that idea a makeover as well.

“Instead we organized a fundraiser with the help of our daughters,” Sylvaine said. “My husband and daughters belong to the YMCA program Indian Princess. We invited the entire Indian Princess nation to come to the studio for a father-daughter photo shoot and then took the proceeds, which came to $1,100, and donated it to the Haiti earthquake relief fund.”

A stellar effort.

Sylvaine and Nancy have become good friends through this experience and it obviously has paid off in more ways than one. You’re probably already familiar with Nancy’s work on television, but stay tuned as hopefully one day soon her own show will be on the air. And for a firsthand look at her talents, visit Emotion Portrait Studios where David and Sylvaine will be happy to show you around — and if you’d like — create a stunning portrait of you as well.

For more information visit www.emotionportraits .com.

Friday was the original deadline for the first annual In The Pipeline-Independent high school writing competition. If it wasn’t stated clearly enough before, all entries should be e-mailed to [email protected].

In view of any potential confusion, the deadline date has been extended to Saturday. Good luck!

I will sign books from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Barnes & Noble at Bella Terra for my new book, “Los Angeles’s Historic Ballparks.” I’d love it if you stopped by.

I’ll be doing a slide presentation, a talk about baseball history and even be giving away a few Angels tickets.

CHRIS EPTING is the author of 17 books, including the new “Huntington Beach Then & Now.” You can write him at [email protected] .