5 Things I Learned From Planning My 1st Styled Shoot
What is a styled shoot? I’m regularly asked this question and I simply respond with “it’s a wedding, but it’s not real”. The initial reaction is usually some raised eyebrows and a look of confusion, but let me explain. A styled shoot is a photoshoot organized between a group of vendors looking to grow their businesses in a specific avenue. For me, I wanted to branch out and extend an invitation to a new clientele. Translation: adventure wedding photography. I have participated in styled shoots in the past, but I couldn’t seem to find a shoot that was a true representation of the work I wanted to showcase. So, I decided to organize my own. Here are 5 things I learned from planning my first styled shoot:
PICK A LOCATION YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH
When I first imagined my styled shoot, I envisioned it taking place somewhere in Rocky Mountain National Park for it’s breathtaking views and endless potential for a truly amazing shot. So, I did my research, explored the possible shoot locations, and then I hit a snag. I landed on the permits required to shoot there. I contacted the park officials and learned a commercial filming permit was necessary for the type of shoot I wanted to pull off. This wasn’t too much of an issue when I had months prior to the shoot to prepare, but before I knew it the shoot was a few weeks away and the permit required 14 days to be reviewed. Procrastination is a bitch. However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I emailed back and forth with the park official and they mentioned that the date I had set for the shoot was an incredibly busy time of year due to the fall colors and prime time to see the elk herd pass through the park. She said it would be very difficult to avoid the crowds. No thank you. Therefore, a new location came to mind. A location that required no permits and would have far less tourist activity…Loveland Pass. Growing up a skier, I’m very familiar with this pass. I spent a day scouting the area and that little voice inside of me said “this is perfect”. In the end, this location turned out to be way easier to access and had close proximity to Silverthorne to book a hotel for the day of the shoot. Sure, there are a lot of other photographers that shoot there, but that’s anywhere in Colorado these days. So, it was my opportunity to make it unique.
JUST ASK
When you first decide to organize your own styled shoot it can be a little daunting to reach out to vendors. I get it…it really is! But to make things a little easier, think about the vendors you’ve already worked with in the past or a vendor that you follow on instagram/facebook/snapchat and you truly love their work. For me, I started with friends I had in the wedding world and then starting posting on my instagram stories for the remaining spots I needed filled. Just like that, I had a florist, hair/makeup, models, and a calligrapher to start! Whew, that was easy enough. Once you have a concept board and an idea or theme you’re looking to accomplish all you have to do is share it and ask people to participate. The worst that could happen is that they will say no or not respond. I promise, it’s not the end of the world when this happens. There are plenty of vendors out there looking for an opportunity to showcase their work in exchange for photos. All you have to do is ask!
CHECK THE WEATHER AND CHECK IT AGAIN
This is obvious, I know. But when you’ve lived in Colorado your entire life and seen everything from sunshine, rain, and snow all in the same day you begin to wonder what mother nature has up her sleeve the day of your shoot. So, sure enough I checked the weather and I checked it again. 70% chance of RAIN. Ugh. It’s a week before the shoot and you begin to panic. Do you change the location last minute? Is there somewhere indoors you can go? For me, the answer was NOPE. I had my vision for the shoot and I decided to stick to it. I packed about 17 umbrellas into my car and made sure I could protect my camera gear, but other than that I chose to embrace it. Think of it as a real wedding day, the day is not ruined due to a little rain. As far as I know, rain is supposed to be a sign of good luck on the day of a wedding, and as the professional photographer, you need to be prepared for it. So, it was the day of the shoot and sure enough it started to rain the moment we started shooting. Just a sprinkle at first, and then the typical on and off rain shower that Colorado is known for. To my surprise, this didn’t really get in the way of the shoot until…my models needed to change outfits. There we were on Loveland Pass, changing into wedding attire in between two car doors, hiding behind a blanket, and under an umbrella (see photo below). To be honest, I felt a little embarrassed that I hadn’t fully thought this part through. But being the amazing couple that they are, this didn’t bother the models one bit. Next time, a pop-up tent or shelter of some kind would do the trick. Do whatever you can to keep everything dry!
CREATE A SHOT LIST
This is another one of those obvious things that I unfortunately chose to ignore. I organized the styled shoot down to every last detail, I knew the mood, the couple, and the poses I wanted to do. But on the day of the shoot I found myself camera in hand, models at the ready, and at times it got so hectic that my mind went completely blank. As all photographers know, it’s important to be able to think on your feet. In my case, the shoot didn’t skip a beat. I was able to read my couple’s body language and pose as necessary with the ideal lighting conditions and the breathtaking backdrop. But looking back, this is a point I will make sure to remember in the future. Now that I’m reviewing and editing the photos from the shoot I catch myself saying “oh it would have been even better if I would’ve done this or that, move this here or pose them there”. The simple solution would have been to have a shot list on hand to take a few seconds to review before moving on to the next pose. Lesson learned.
BE READY TO IMPROVISE
Mistakes happen. Nothing is perfect. Something may go wrong. Vendors could back out at the last minute, a vendor might forget to include a key piece, the last minute amazon order might not get there in time. I’m not saying any of these things happened at my shoot, but the possibilities are endless. These things do not have to make or break a shoot as long as you don’t allow it. There is no exact recipe for a styled shoot. The shoot is organized out of pure imagination and from that it can easily be evolved at the last minute if need be. Like I mentioned before, this wedding is not real. You have an end user in mind, but you were not hired by anyone to create it (however, if you were hired just amaze them with your on-the-spot creativity instead). So, if something does go wrong just do what I did…improvise and work with what you have. I promise it will still turn out amazing!
Improvisation is key.
There you go. The five things I learned from my first styled shoot. So, before you organize your own keep these five points in mind. But I believe in you. Planning a styled shoot is a lot of fun overall. After this shoot, I feel like I prefer to be the organizer and I plan on doing another this winter! I hope you found this post helpful. If would like to plan your own styled shoot but have no idea where to start check out Olivia Bossert, her blog post gave me all the basic information I needed to just START. If you have any questions, please ask away!