Has it ever happened to you that you arrive at the location and the sun doesn’t come out where you thought it would, the shadow doesn’t look right with the model, the cars generate too much background noise or you missed important props?
Achieving a good photo shoot is not by chance, it is not only about taking out the camera and taking the picture. We must plan the session correctly with a previous work to achieve the desired goal. The more organized you are, the less risk you have of something going wrong in your photo shoot.
In the case of advertising photography, it is not the most beautiful or artistic photographs that work, but rather those that meet the commercial and market objectives that the brand needs to fulfill. That is why it is important to have them clear from the beginning.
Join us to see this guide that we prepared for you from a photo shoot that we did for the brand Kimberpink.
Client Briefing
The first thing to do is to be clear about the project, the brand’s objective and scope. For this we need to generate the Brief, a document that contains the most important aspects of the company and the project.
It may contain the information you specifically need, but on this occasion, we leave you our Brief for free download here.
Inspiration
There are many things you can do to get inspired. In fact, creativity can appear in ways you can’t imagine: reading a book, listening to music, looking at other works, etc. At this point it is important to look for references, not to copy but to get inspired and give our own touch to make them unique.
Concept
After so much inspiration, it was time to land all our ideas in a document that will be presented to the client to authorize the proposal. The theme or concept of the session defines from the models needed, to the mood they should project, range of colors to be used, poses, styles, costumes, etc. At this point we detail as much as possible our idea.
Scouting
For the scouting we must propose some options of locations where the session can take place according to the concept defined above. Although sometimes we already know the locations in the city, it is always good to visit them again with the vision of the project we are going to carry out.
In this organized visit we must define the aspects that will influence the success of the session, such as traffic schedules, sunrise and sunset, possible spots, required permits, site conditions, among others.
Timeline and Client Presentation
It is preferable that the client authorizes the proposal and makes his observations at this point of the process, so that the subsequent work will not be in vain. In any case, you can put together a presentation with the concept, references, models, locations, props and very important, a tentative date for the session.
Organization
Once the proposal has been authorized, we get down to work. All the necessary actions to carry out the authorized plan are executed. We manage the models, get the permissions, the necessary props, the outfits and we call the team that will collaborate in the session.
One day earlier
To avoid mishaps, it is recommended to verify with the models the date and time, charge the batteries, validate that the equipment is complete and that the memories have space. Do not forget to rest and be active the next day.
The day of the session
Arriving at the location, the necessary equipment for the session is installed, it can be a light box for product photography, fixed lamps or flashes, or even a cyclorama if necessary. At the same time, the stylist arranges the otfits according to the order in which the photos will be taken and the models get ready for the shooting.
During the session, the photographer directs the models to achieve the best poses and shots that highlight the product or the action to be communicated.
An important point is to carry water or drinks for hydration and catering if necessary.
After the session
Photos are selected for subsequent color correction, cleaning and editing if necessary.
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