It is said that a picture is worth 1000 words and sure enough that holds true for a fashion shoot as well. It’s quite simple really if it doesn’t look good it won’t sell. As a fashion photographer, I often get asked how to organize a fashion shoot and the importance of it. So here go peeps, here are my two bits to you about organizing a successful fashion shoot.
Now you have to remember that fashion photography has one and only one objective, which is the display of clothing and fashion accessories. It is then extremely important that while shooting the outfits are well-coordinated and they stand out in the magazine and that my friends are the key to a great fashion show.
The first thing you have to keep in mind while organizing a fashion shoot is that you choose the right theme. If your theme is right then all other essentials like your make-up, your styling, and your location everything else falls into place. For example, you can have a simple theme of a walk in the park. In this theme you can have so many options, for instance, a young couple walking happily with their baby or an old couple walking hand-in-hand or even a young couple walking, the possibilities of this theme are endless. Now I’m going to throw a little spanner in the works that do not start organizing a precise theme or specific idea in mind, all you need is a basic idea of what your theme is going to be once you have that you can start creating your concept around the theme and get the right models.
This brings us to the second important part of a fashion shoot the models. Models have the capability to make or break your fashion shoot if you do not have the right model to go with your theme the entire shoot will go for a toss. For instance, we come back to our theme of a walk in the park, now if the look that you want is that a young couple then probably exotic-looking models will not really fit the bill. You might want to look at models that are more wholesome and not very exotic looking.
A small tip for you here, when you finally begin shooting, don’t go in for regular straight angles, like all other photographers. Do something different try different angles and techniques.
Another great way of ensuring a fabulous shoot is to create a mood board before you do the actual shooting. Mood boards can go along way in achieving the right impact of the shoot.
Location, Location, Location, well I am not selling real estate suddenly if that’s what you are thinking! Location, however, plays an important in the success of your fashion shoot.
Once you have the location all tied up its time figure out your stylists and makeup artists.
These are the people who work behind the scene but areas critical to the success of a fashion shoot as any other element.
The stylist and the makeup artist get the right look for the models to fit in with the theme and the location of the shoot. Too much makeup or over-styling can really damage your shoot.
So we have listed for you all the backend support and people you would need for the shoot, but the question then arises is that where do you get these people?
Well, you can try on social media for one, or you can try various agencies or even freelance operators who work on a project to project basis.
So now you have your theme, your models, your locations and your stylist and makeup artist! Phew! Looks like you are ready to begin your fashion shoot!
Well, not by a long shot! Err, Pun intended! You need to now figure out the most important thing of all, And that ladies and gentlemen are the Logistics!!!!
How are you going to reach the location? How is the equipment going to be transferred? Where will the models get ready? Are there any hotels or rooms available? So, peeps, I recommend that you make an exhaustive, yes exhaustive checklist of that is logistically essential for the shoot and start checking off each item from the list.
Oh, and one more thing, before you start shooting, obsess about your mood board before the shoot, walk through the location, get the feel of the place and visualize your shoot.
For the shoot itself, First of all, don’t go and become trigger happy, notice little things, Check if the model is changing her poses or not, check for correct lighting, and most importantly be nice! A happy staff means a great fashion shoot!
So go ahead, start clicking!