How To Plan A Creative Portrait Photo Shoot
The quality of my work took a HUGE leap when I started taking the planning stage more seriously. I'm actually a planner & organizer to my core, but I used to believe that creativity was supposed to be spontaneous. That's true to an extent, but there are levels to everything. Leveling up requires dedication, commitment, practice, and a PLAN. Not everything goes according to plan. Honestly, things almost never do. But the point is that you can set yourself up for success and then use your creativity to adapt as things change. There are far too many variables in life for you to expect growth in a specific direction if you don't at least think about what direction you'd like to go first. This process looks different for everyone and I'll keep tweaking it as I learn, but this tends to work well for me.
THe concept
I always start with a concept or a story when planning a creative portrait shoot. These often come to me as I go about my day. I find inspiration in media, art, clothing, nature, locations, songs, and everything in between. Next, I’ll make a mood board on Pinterest. I can’t always find exactly what I’m looking for, but I take that as a good sign. I’ll just type in different variations of key words and save all the pins that contain some element of my concept. Later, I’ll go through and delete any pins that end up not being a perfect fit. I usually organize my board into sections so I can easily tell what purpose each pin is serving. I make sure my concept feels cohesive and tells a good story that people will relate to. This helps guide me and my team during the shoot.
The Team
After my concept feels solid, I start looking for locations. I’ll also try to pick a date and time of day, though this can be flexible. I like to have as many details figured out as possible before reaching out to other creatives. It’s easier for people to commit to a project when the goal is clear.
I have a few different ways of finding my team. I may already have people in mind that I’ve worked with before. If not, I’ll head to Instagram. I either post a model call on my story, or look in my saved posts where I’ve created folders for local makeup artists and models. I’m also a member of multiple model & photographer groups on Facebook. When I find someone I want to work with, I’ll send them a message letting them know why they would be a great fit for the shoot and how I think the experience will benefit them, along with the mood board and important details. I also state if it will be a paid shoot or TFP so it’s clear from the beginning. When I’ve confirmed a model, I usually ask them to send me photos of wardrobe and accessories they already have that might fit the concept. If we’re missing anything, I’ll go out and find what we need.
I work really hard, but having a good team by my side is crucial for executing complex ideas. I could never accomplish alone what I'm able to do with a team of people who understand the vision and are putting in just as much work as I am to make it happen. And it's just such a good feeling to create with other people! Diversity of ideas and perspectives makes everything better. Test shoots are kind of like an interview, and everyone is interviewing each other. The best way to find out if you'll work well with someone is to just do it and see how it goes! This is how I find my favorite people to work with, and how I know who I should suggest to paying clients in the future.
The details
I think the hardest part of planning a shoot is finding a good team of creatives that are all available on the same day at the same time. Once everyone is confirmed, I like to start a group text with the whole team to connect everyone and send out a concise text with all the info for shoot day: date, time, location, wrap time, and any other important details. I also use this group text to confirm with everyone the day before the shoot. If you want to improve your creative portrait shoots, make a detailed plan and communicate it clearly to your team! You're going to get ALLLL the details upfront when you work with me. Attempting to get everyone up to speed while you're already shooting is a recipe for a mediocre shoot (at best). Hype up your team by checking in before the shoot to make sure everyone A) remembers the shoot is happening, B) knows what to expect, and C) is excited because it's going to be really fun!! A group text creates a sense of "team", encouraging accountability and connection before the shoot even starts. It's less likely for someone to bail when they realize they're part of a creative team where everyone is counting on each other. On that note, make sure to let your team members know why you want to work with them when you reach out. Are they fun to work with? Do they have exceptional skill? Are they easy to communicate with? Tell them!
The last thing I’ll do is write out a list of everything I need to do and bring. I make a plan to get everything done in advance but I make sure to give myself plenty of time the day before to double check my list and complete any final tasks. There is so much that goes into planning a successful photo shoot. I certainly don't get it perfectly every time, but I'm always improving. Some things I know for sure are that you should be open to learning, review what went wrong, try something different next time, and always be kind to the people you work with.
If you have any questions or just want to chat, send me a message here! Thanks for reading.