Hey friends! I hope you are all had a fabulous week!
Today, I thought I would share a little behind the scenes on how I plan for a blog photo shoot.
I had one today and thought it would be really fun to share a little bit as to how I plan this out. I think there is definitely different ways to do this and I think I still have a lot to learn as my blog grows, but I think the behind the scenes are always interesting and as a ew blogger I think it can be really hard to figure out how others prep for this. I think it is also helpful to know that there is so much that goes into just one photo.
So let’s go.
First step is booking my session. Now, I use a photographer to take the majority of my photos. I find that a photographer creates an aesthetic that I can’t replicate at home with my cell phone and home editing. I think I could get better at this myself and I do have a professional camera that I would like to get better at using, but for now almost all of my photos are captured through my photographer. I think finding someone to take your photos is the hardest part of blogging. Many will use significant others and/or will be self taught. I would like to get better independently so that when I am traveling or want to get a shot quickly, I feel confident in my skills, but for all other purposes I love my Deeana. So, step one is reaching out to her and setting up a day and time. We typically shoot for anywhere from 1 – 2 hours depending upon what all I am shooting and how much content I need. I could write soooo much more on this, so perhaps I’ll leave that for another blog post.
Step two is to choose your location. Many bloggers scout out their location in advance. For me, I just keep a rolling list of places I like and shoot at those places. I currently have about 4-5 places I think fit my aesthetic, while also offering a good range of shoot spots. That is key. You want your shoot location to provide variety. That way you can get a large amount of looks done while providing various backdrops. In all honesty, sometimes I am a bit behind on this step because I can’t decided until the day of or day before where I want to go haha.
Step three is figuring out what you will be shooting. Many bloggers plan their content out wayyy in advance. Many plan out their entire month, that way they can do a shoot session once, get it all in, and have all of their content. For me, I like to have a variety of lifestyle photos that fit the different areas of my brand such as decor, fashion, health/wellness, etc. This is when I would also look at whether or not I needed any campaigns shot for or if I had any major deadlines. Another helpful thing is to look at what holidays are coming up, as well.
Once you know what content you will be shooting, you must figure out what looks you will use for that. I like to have a variety of options, but I also am aware of how many looks I can shoot within the hour (typically 4-5). I do this step a few days in advance (if I am being proactive haha, sometimes its the morning of). I lay everything out on my clothing rack and collect all the items I need to complete the look.
Which brings me to my next step, which is props. While your outfit and where you are shooting is very important, props are just as essential. They are what bring the photo a live and make it more relatable. My personal faves are notebooks, cup of coffee, bouquet of flowers…you can really go wild here. A prop could even be part of a layout you are making for a product shoot or as simple as a handbag.
Lastly, is bringing it all together. Once you have your photographer booked, location set, and what you need content for, you can really start getting creative within this process. Some bloggers or influencers hone all of this down to even their specific color scheme, this emphasizing the importance of sticking with aesthetics. For me, this level of professionalism is probably still missing a bit, but the good thing is that I know what I need to do, it is just executing it to this level.
Day of you pack everything up. I like to take pictures of all my pieces for a look so I don’t get mixed-up with anything, as well. I hang all my clothes on the hook in my car and then have all my accessories in a bag (we change in our cars in case you are curious – or honestly wherever you can change haha). I also like to get to the site a little bit earlier to scope out shoot places, but honestly I feel like I know my locations so well that I have all my spots already mapped out.
I had a shoot this morning, so if you want even more behind the scenes, be sure to check out my Instagram! I tried to bring you guys behind the scenes as much as I could so that you could see everything come together!
I would love to know if you find this helpful and/or if you are a blogger/influencer, please let me know any of your tips, as well!
xoxo,
Melissa
