Hi!
I made a mistake. I have been so caught up in my own shoot and how I like to do things that I completely forgot to address an alternate (and very popular) form of styled sessions: the group styled shoot.
Collaboration, especially in a creative community, is
super important. You've heard me go on about networking and collaboration in Part I of this series so I cannot believe I didn't mention the "group
shoot" before now! But here it is!
The shoot that I have been planning and blogging about is
a solo styled shoot. This means that I am planning it; I am designing it; I am
developing it; I am paying for it; and I am going to be the only photographer
shooting at it. There are a lot of benefits to doing things this way;
including:
1. All of the images from the shoot will be unique to my portfolio.
1. All of the images from the shoot will be unique to my portfolio.
2. Less people to worry about the day of the shoot (which means less contracts that need to be signed and less approval for persons on the property depending on your location).
3. No one to work out schedules with to be present at all portions of the planning process.
4. The ability to bring to life a vision exactly as you see it - without the influence or input of other creative minds.
5. The freedom to publish the images wherever and whenever you want (if that is a goal of yours).
There are also a lot of negatives to making your styled
shoot exclusively yours:
1. No friends to collaborate with and bond with over the
ups and downs of the planning process.
2. It severely decreases your networking abilities if you do not open the shoot up to other photographers.
3. You have to pay for every single piece of the shoot on
your own (hair, makeup, props, costume, furniture, cake, paper goods, gas for
your cars to haul the props, location deposit for the shoot, etc.)
4. No one to help boost your creative visions with their own.
5. The possibility of someone else having their images
published before you get a chance to submit yours.
Creating a styled shoot in a group format {whether it's
being developed as a group or simply being opened up to other photographers to
use for portfolio work} can be a great benefit to your business and your growth
as a photographer.
But you're not doing a group styled shoot, Sarah; why
should I be listening to you?
GOOD POINT!
Planning a group styled shoot is also NOT FOR EVERYONE.
To speak honestly: Planning a styled shoot is HARD. It is a lot of work and for
someone {like ME} who has never done one at this scale before, planning a
styled shoot is also very intimidating. I personally chose to keep this shoot
exclusive to me so that I could really get my feet wet in the planning process
and get a good feel for the kinks and wrenches that get thrown into the mix
with this kind of project {I'll tell you there are more than a handful of them!}.
Have I been DYING to talk about it with every person I know? Heck yes I have!
It's been eating me up not to be able to get opinions and guidance from my
friends in the industry but {secretly} it's also been kind of fun being able to
tease them with hints ;)
Whatever your decision for how you create your styled shoot (solo? Plan it with
a pal? Open it to others for portfolio work?) be sure to recognize that there
are lots of pros and cons to each way of doing it {far more than listed above}.
Just be sure to figure out what your end goal is for yourself and the shoot and
PLAN accordingly! ;) (get it?! "plan..." planning a styled
shoot...hehe it's funny)
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