Running a successful fashion photography shoot requires a great deal of advanced planning. In fact, the more planning you do up front, the more likely your shoot is to come off without a hitch. Here are four steps to planning and pulling off a successful fashion photography shoot.
Decide On The Purpose
What you are shooting for is going to determine a great number of logistics, including time and budget. If you are just holding a shoot to pad out your portfolio, you aren’t going to want to spend as much as if it is a commercial shoot. The bigger your budget, the larger the team you might assemble. Whatever reason you are shooting, you will want to come up with a theme and storyline, which will, in turn, dictate hair, wardrobe and makeup choices, not to mention your location.
Assemble Your Crew
Your team might include a fashion stylist, assistant, hair & makeup artist and/ or models, depending on the kind of shoot you want to do. It’s always a good idea to have the first choice and at least one or two backups since you haven’t yet scheduled a date for your shoot. Once you do, some of your first choice team may have a conflict, so you may have to go with a second or even third choice option.
Schedule Your Shoot
Scheduling a shoot requires much more than just setting a date. If it’s an outdoor shoot, you’ll want to scout a location and make sure it is available, as well as scouting a secondary location. You’ll also want to make plans for either an alternate date or moving the shoot indoors in case of inclement weather. In some locations, you may actually need a permit to shoot, so you’ll also want to secure that if necessary.
Make Necessary Arrangements
You will need to feed people on your shoot, so you’ll want to make sure that is taken care of. You’ll also want to arrange any equipment you might need for wardrobe changes or to power any lights you might need, as well as securing your wardrobe and accessories. If your model is bringing their own, you’ll need to coordinate with them to make sure they bring everything they need. You’ll definitely want to send out a call sheet and communicate with each of your crew in advance. You may even want to have a team meeting just before the shoot to make sure all the details are taken care of.