"Alice" | Stylized Shoot | Hampton Roads Senior Portrait Photographer

“There is nothing so very remarkable in that;
nor did Alice think it so very much out of the ordinary to hear the Rabbit say to itself
'Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!'

...but when the Rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat pocket,
and looked at it, and then hurried on,
Alice startled to her feet...."

 

“If I had a world of my own everything would be nonsense.

Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn’t.

And contrary wise: what it is it wouldn’t be,

and what it wouldn’t be it would.

You see?”

 

"There is a place.
Like no place on Earth.
A land full of wonder,
mystery and danger!
Some say to survive it:
You have to be
MAD AS A HATTER.
Which luckily I am."

THE BIGGEST THANK YOU to....
Paper Goods: {Paper} Dolls Design

Dress and accessories: Bridal Boutique of Gloucestor

Cake and table design: Sugar with Vanilla

Cupcakes: Sweet Bite Cupcakerie

Chairs and Vintage Props: Folk Art by Christine

Tables: Southern Belle Custom Furniture and Decor

Hair: Markia Nicole MUA/ Hair Stylist
Makeup: Makeup by Vega

 ...and my good friend Tiffany, of Tiffany Joyce Photography for her unending help the day of the shoot and for helping me trudge all the furniture from here to the moon and back.

Best,

Sarah

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 III {Budget} | Hampton Roads Stylized Portrait Photographer

Hi!

If you're just joining this series you won't want to miss Part I and Part II as they cover both {Key Players} and {Timelines}- the first two big lessons I learned very quickly while planning this particular shoot.

For Part III I thought I'd let Abba handle the introduction:

That's right, Part III is all about BUDGET!
Even if you have a fantastic superwoman team of vendors on board who are graciously donating their services, skills and magical expertise, chances are there are still some things that may need to come out of pocket- YOUR POCKET. At this point your creativity is probably flowing big time and, take my word for it, not having a budget can let things get out of hand pretty quickly.


A personal example: One of the visions I had for this specific shoot included those beautiful awesome GIANT round latex balloons and I was thrilled to find I could get exactly what I wanted for only $30! But guess what? Balloons need helium. Big giant balloons need a LOT of helium. A whole slew of big giant balloons need a WHOLE LOT of helium. Helium is not inexpensive.

So now my $30 balloon idea has turned into something that just isn't reasonable for this particular shoot. So I scrapped it.

It was then that I realized I needed to set a SERIOUS BUDGET.

First steps: Write down everything you want and then go back through the list and figure out approximately how much everything will cost you. I happen to be an over-estimater. I'd rather be prepared to spend more than I actually spend instead of unprepared- so I always guess high when I budget.  But obviously you can do what works for you!

Once you have your final total figured out based on exactly what you have in mind for the shoot it's time for some DECISION MAKING. Is your final total something you can handle? If not, look over your list again and start deciding what you can live without.

I will say this: If your list gets to the point that you've taken a lot of things off and your vision just isn't going to be achieved with what you have left: think about holding off on your shoot until you can afford it. Don't stifle that beautiful idea just to get it done because you're itching to shoot it- wait until it's the perfect time and you can afford exactly what you want. 

Trust me, it will be worth it!

BUT if your budget is on board and you can afford what you need then GO FOR IT BABY! But remember to stick within the budget- don't hurt yourself or your business for the sake of your creativity.

I know I know why did I have to bring up money? No one likes the money talk. But someone has to be honest and rip the band aid; and keeping within a budget for styled shoots really is an important piece of the big picture- so don't leave it out!

Best,
Sarah

Read Part IV here!

Hint number 3 from the inspiration board for the shoot. Only 6 weeks left until the big day! Anyone have a guess as to the theme yet?! ;)

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 ;)