Planning a Styled Shoot Part V | Sending Out An S.O.S.| Hampton Roads Stylized Portrait Photographer

Hi!

OH. MY. GOODNESS. it is just THREE DAYS until the styled shoot! The weather is currently forecasted at 70, partly cloudy, and 10% chance of rain. RAIN! Yes, rain. But only 10% That's ok, right???

  

Can you tell I'm anxious?

  

But i'm the BEST kind of anxious! I've been totally freaking out for like two weeks now. Ok, ok, if you ask my team I've been freaking out for longer (shhhh!). But now that we are three days out I've found this weird calm. This sort of... oh my gosh lets rock the frickin PANTS off this thing and just have a flipping blast doing it!

WOooooo!

Ok, but there is ONE thing left I want to put out there in my "how to do it the easy way by reading how I did it the hard way" series on planning a styled shoot. I am, without a doubt, very much looking forward to this shoot. NO QUESTION. But one thing I should have done from the very beginning was:

 ASK. FOR. HELP.

I am a control freak. Just ask ANYONE who has ever met me. But asking for help is not at ALL about relinquishing control.

I had this idea that if I asked someone to help me design the set or collaborate with a professional event planner to bring this vision to life that I would somehow be relinquishing the genuineness of my vision and it would automatically become the event planner's shoot with me just taking the pictures.

Not true.

Of course, this is where you would need to make sure you knew how to explain your vision and your limits and have them help you-- not sit back and watch them do it all for you.

But asking someone for help isn't cheating. (I thought it was)

Asking for help is simply asking for help. It's asking people to help you make the very best out of your vision and your goals. It's asking people to be on your team and work WITH you to reach beyond your dreams.

Asking for help is good for you.

I learned this the hard way and tried to answer all of my questions on my own. But then I realized "Hey! You've got a pretty awesome team on your hands that KNOWS about this stuff- ask them their professional opinion!" Unfortunately I did this later than I could have and probably missed out on some pretty awesome stuff had I asked for help earlier. But I still asked for help. And next time I plan to actually collaborate with a professional.

Is my shoot still going to rock? You fricking bet it is!

But could it also be something totally awesome with an event planner? For sure!

There is no right or wrong. Alone or with someone else- doesn't matter. Both will be awesome! But just don't let yourself believe that asking for help or collaborating with someone means it isn't still your vision.

It is. It's just your vision developed side by side with someone who does this kind of thing for a living.

I'm a photographer! Not a party planner or set designer. What makes me think I should be able to do all of this without any issues? That's silly! And you shouldn't let yourself think that way either. ;)

Best,
Sarah

P.S. DO NOT even think about missing the shoot this weekend! Stay tuned to the facebook page to see sneak peeks!!

P.P.S. Any guesses as to the theme yet? If you get it right there might be a surprise in it for ya! ;)

Last clue before the reveal!

In case you missed the others: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV

Planning a Styled Shoot Part IV {Group Shoot} | Hampton Roads Stylized Portrait Photographer

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.

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)

 

Best,
Sarah

Read Part V here!

Sneak peek number 4 ;) This is an actual piece I plan to use for the shoot. So be on the lookout for it on the set!

In case you missed it: Part I, Part II, Part III

Planning a Styled Shoot- Part I {Key Players} | Hampton Roads Stylized Portrait Photographer

Hi!

As I hope EVERYONE knows I am in the middle of planning my first SOLO STYLED SHOOT (it was one of my big 2014 SEP goals). I am BEYOND excited for this and also really nervous. The theme is set; the location is picked, vendors have been contacted; a model is on board- this is really happening (no pressure!)!!

About a fourth of the way through my initial planning steps I came across this awesome blog about planning a styled shoot written by the oh-so-talented and über sweet, Chelsea LaVere of Bit of Ivory Photography. Only problem was that I was already about A FOURTH of the way through my initial planning! haha

Since I clearly like to learn on the fly (aka the hard way) I decided I'd blog on the fly, too; so now I'm about to let you in on all the secrets I've learned thus far in planning my very first solo styled shoot :)

1. PICK A DATE

So, you have your brilliant theme in mind and are just dying to get the ball rolling and contact all those incredible vendors you've been eying for forever; right?

STOP.

No matter what you want to do next you absolutely must pick a date for your shoot, first. Trust me on this one. Get all your key players together first and pick the date for your shoot together. 

I'm about to promise something- and promises are HUGE to me so listen close- I PROMISE that every single person you want to work with (model, cake vendor, location, hair stylist, etc.) will not all be available on the same day. So pick who is most important to you- the MUST HAVES for your session- and pick a date that works with their schedules. These are your KEY PLAYERS.

Maybe it's your model. Have you been watching her work grow and evolve and you just love her personality and MUST work with her for the shoot? Pick your date with her.

Maybe it's your location. Has every single vision and dream you've had of your shoot been at this ONE location? Pick your date with them.

Or maybe it's your spouse who has graciously been "volun-told" to help set up and carry props to your location on the day of the shoot. Definitely pick your date with him/her.

Everything else you've dreamed up for your shoot will fall in to place around your date and it will be fantastic. Sure, some of the folks you hoped to work with may not be available- that's ok- you've already locked in your "KEY PLAYERS."

I've definitely had to learn this the hard way as I have planned this shoot. After I had finally realized certain folks were my "must haves" I came to the realization that I simply have to pick a date and stick to it; If anyone else I wanted to work with couldn't work with this confirmed date then I simply had to accept that we were not going to be able to work together on this particular shoot. That's ok. I'll plan more ;)

***

Another big reason having a confirmed date is important before moving forward with any other aspect? 

It makes you sound like you've got your ducks in order and a solid focus and way ahead when you go to talk to vendors, locations and other professionals about collaborating with you on your shoot. They have a business to run too and want to make sure they are working with someone who will represent them in the best light possible. Being able to go to a potential vendor with a solid plan and lay out your vision with an actual set date will go miles farther in building that relationship than "I'd like to work together on this idea I have but I don't have anything planned yet."

Fortunately, I had a very solid foundation going for my shoot before contacting  the vendors who I am working with for this shoot; otherwise, I'm not sure I would have had ANY response let alone the positive ones I've been receiving :) Being able to tell them a bit about my plans and goals for the shoot got them excited and interested in being a part of what I had planned- their excitement played off of my excitement and vice versa: now everyone is excited! haha

So there you are, Part I of my lessons learned the hard way while planning my first solo styled shoot: before you do anything else- pick your date!!

Who knows what lesson I'll have learned to share with you in Part II next week!

Best,
Sarah


a preview from my inspiration board for the shoot ;)