Something that I had no idea was a thing in the photography industry until this year was putting on styled shoots. And now that I know about them I was kicking myself for not doing them sooner. These are such an amazing way to not only build your portfolio but to also get to be creative. At this point I have planned three styled shoots, and have one more coming next month. I wanted to highlight one of the styled shoots I recently did and also give some tips to you if you are wanting to plan your own.
First lets shoutout all of the amazing vendors who took part in it!
My co-host Kayla @daintydevelops
Florals: Freewill Flowers
Dress: Enchanted Ever After
Hair + Makeup: Lily Grey Artistry
Suit: Derks Formal
Here are the questions I ask myself when planning a styled shoot, and my answer for the styled shoot below. In italics I will have a couple tips for planning as well.
How will my styled shoot stand out?
I like to be creative with my styled shoots and have them stand out. For this shoot I had wanted to do something very urban and clean, since it was something I hadn’t seen often. When I had texted Kayla with the idea, I had sent her a picture from Pinterest and essentially said super urban, simple and elegant. Kayla threw out ideas for ice cream and a car, and we had our gears in action.
Once you have a concept, create an inspiration board on Pinterest. Make it detailed! I send this to all potential vendors, this way they can see the vibe I am going for a decide if it is something that will match their style/brand.
What is my budget?
I personally do all of my styled shoots with a small budget. I do not pay my vendors, as I am not making any money but instead we are all contributing our time, money, pieces to the shoot for recognition (AND for images to use). BUT not all vendors run styled shoots like this. Do not be insulted if people ask to be compensated with money. AND IF YOU ARE MAKING ANY SORT OF MONEY FROM YOUR SHOOT THEN PLEASE PLEASE PAY YOUR VENDORS! It also depends on what you’re asking for, if you are wanting $1000 worth of product from your florist, Chances are you will need to pay them something.
How complex/How many vendors?
For this styled shoot, Kayla and me went simple. We just had hair/makeup, dress, suit and flowers for vendors. Personally I find super complex ones can be stressful and magic can be created with very limited vendors.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to vendors. The worst thing the can happen is they say no, and the best thing they say yes! Also don’t be discouraged when you get no’s, styled shoots are not for everyone.
What will my creative control look like?
I am pretty open with my styled shoots, once I send off my Pinterest board I give the vendors creative control. Do what you want with the vibe of the shoot. Styled shoots are an amazing time to do something you’ve always wanted to do and get creative. With this shoot though, I knew I wanted a very specific dress, which Michelle completely made come to life. So I had been more specific with her.
I also find vendors are more inclined to want to join if they have this option to make what they want to make within the concept vibe.
Okay now on to the goods, the images!!!!
