Last week I blogged about the reasons we plan a styled shoot! You were probably thinking, “Oh great, now I want to plan a styled shoot even more but I have no idea where to begin. Thanks for leaving me hanging Ky!” You guys know I would never leave you hanging, so here I am with Part 2: How to Plan A Styled Shoot!
1. Choose a theme
You can plan your styled shoots around holidays, wedding styles, popular movies, books, tv shows etc. BUT the most important thing is to choose a theme that fits your style or your brand. You want something that will reach your target market. If you want to do classy weddings, plan a classy styled shoot. If you want to do country weddings, plan a country styled shoot.
2. Create an inspiration board
Go on Pinterest and put together your own inspiration board. Make sure to include all sort of details, colors, model types, dress types. Your inspiration board will not only be used for you, but also all the vendors involved.
3. Choose a location
Find a location that fits the theme and your inspiration board. Need help finding new locations? Check out this blog for advice.
4. Contact local vendors
This might be the hardest part. It can be super intimidating putting yourself out there and asking for help. But do not worry because most local vendors love styled shoots and networking as much as you do! Keep in mind that some vendors will donate and others will ask for a discounted payment. Explain the styled shoot, show them your inspiration board and ask them if they’d love to be apart of it. The worse they can say is – NO!
Send out a casting call for models
My favorite models are real life couples and past brides. I like the natural chemistry in real relationships. When I am using real couples and brides, I am shooting exactly how I would with my brides. They are inexperienced to modeling and that is what I LOVE! I promise if you post a casting call on Facebook or Instagram, your beautiful friends will come running!
Set goals for the shoot
What do you want to get out of the shoot? Portfolio building? Practice? Learning a new technique? Getting published? Set goals and follow through.
Submit it!
More on this coming soon!
Kylee started Kylee Ann Photography 9 years ago, and has since grown from a one woman amateur show to a full associate team. We shoot 50-75 weddings a year, and thrive on kindness and service. After a year of teaching Intro to Photography at the local technical college, she discovered that helping other entrepreneurs create thriving businesses is what fires her up! She hosts semi-annual Kylee Ann Sleepovers all over the US, speak at conferences and teach online courses about running a small business and marketing.
February 15, 2016
Kylee Maughan