You Too Can Do: Photoshoots, am I right?

Photoshoots. Do's. Don'ts. Tips. Tricks. Etc.

So recently I did a photoshoot on my own to try and beef up my portfolio. Strange things occured.

So the original plan was to work with another friends of mine and use 5 models between us and alternate back and forth with one photographer.

Like most well laid plans- things fell apart and fast.

The photographer- one of my many awesome friends (Sarah) had a car problem and was stuck for several hours. The other girl who was going to do the models' hair had to leave early...and a lot of the models left with her.

In the end it was me, my good friend Jae (we remember Jae right?), Sarah, and 3 models- Janae, Abby, and Kayla- who are all school friends of mine.

Things went quickly out the window, and what was supposed to be a specific lineup ended up turning into whatever I could churn out and fast.

So, all in all it was a typical shoot. Things fall apart, models spin off the rails, whatever. This was probably one of the bigger tests of my sanity I've done in awhile.

SO HERE'S SOME ADVICE.

1. If you're going to work with friends, use people who either:

A) Are cool with whatever you're going to do

B) generally have no opinion.

I literally told everyone I was working with that day that they needed to let me work and do what I need to do. This was a shoot for my personal portfolio. If it was their day, I would gladly shut up and do whatever they told me to do- but for this particular day it was one of those "whatever I say goes" situations. Don't feel like a jerk telling people what you need. As long as you don't ACT like a jerk all day then no one will mind. Trust me. Being assertive is not the same as being a brat.

2. Don't get caught up in plans.

Things happen, man, and things happen fast. The best shots from the shoot was when I literally slapped in curls and told them a weird character back story. Be flexible, and your models will do the same.

3. Get a good photographer.

Composition can get lost in the craziness, and you can't control the sun and outdoor lighting too much, and frankly with all the crazy editing programs now, you can adjust A LOT of imperfections. But something you can't control with editing is timing. Not every photographer knows when something is a good shot and a lot of photographers don't understand your vision.

Sarah just happens to be a long time friend of mine, and I've used her for other events. She loves candids as much as I do, and she's a perfectionist when it comes to editing. So, I trust her and I like her style a lot.

Half of these photos involved her standing on a bucket or perched up on something. That girl will do anything for a shot.

4. Keep a solid background.

It may look boring, but it makes objects in front of it jump out. I personally hate blank backgrounds, so I try to keep a background that has texture. In this case we used a barn door.

5. Sometimes random shots look insanely good.

I have been obsessed with doing pin up shots on a tractor for a very long time. I realize the lighting in these pictures are not ideal, but sometimes you just have to do it so you can stop obsessing about it. A lot of my favorites were of Abby on the tractor.

6. Talking to your models during a shoot sometimes makes the best candids.

Obviously my friends are very pretty, so making a pretty picture was easy- however sometimes you need that little magical spark to make something special. I told my friends a few "buzzwords" to give them the general idea of what I wanted, but then I let them go crazy.

Once in a great while I'd pose them, but then I'd be like, "What do you think of these?"

And catching them off guard make some very beautiful pictures.

I love this set in particular, can you tell?

7. Subtle changes make a totally different picture.

Same girl, same position, different facial expression.

8. Without compromising your goals, make your model comfortable.

You might have noticed, I let my models pretty much wear whatever they wanted. My shots were going to be edited to hair and makeup anyway, so to me the clothes weren't a big deal. (In a real shoot, I would be more concerned, but these were taken in my backyard for funsies).

I also let them do whatever they needed to feel comfortable in front of the camera. I joked around with them, let them dance around and act a fool, I made faces at them. It's a lot like taking pictures of kids. When they cry you try to make them feel better so you get a "happy" shot. In the end if the pictures are of them holding a blankie, then who cares?

9. Sometimes back stories can help a model get in the "zone".

Kayla is a shy and awkward friend of mine, but her hair is very pretty and I wanted her to model for me.

We pretty much threw her on a rusty old wheel and told her "don't be weird"

The shots were sort of strange for awhile until Jae and I were like, "You look like a cool 90's kid. You're like a 90's kid who's been living in Kentucky on the family farm, and dammit, you're ready to go to Nashville to be an artist. You're too cool for Kentucky. You want to sing in a punk band."