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Ideas and inspiration

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Outfits & props for a photoshoot – ideas and inspiration

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There is a good thing about booking a professional model – those models have plenty of outfits from fashion, sexy style up to variety of lingerie and heels ready for a shoot. This is a big advantage – even though some photographers might disagree as those outfits have been shot and seen many times and nothing “original” comes from those – I think there is no issue to shoot with same stuff as, really, every photo is different. But what if you want to try something “unseen”?

Victoria’s Secret outfits provided by photographer

First of all, you can either:

  1. Ask your model what is she bringing
  • simply texting a model asking what is she planning to bring is the simplest thing and you might ask her to share some photos of outfits. If you have something particular in mind, ask her as soon as possible, especially in case she travels to your destination by plane or car so she can add it into her suitcase.

! Please consider if you really need to use a winter coat or super long heavy boots or similar unpackable stuff if you know model is travelling by plane- as 99,9% the answer will be no. (Unless you gonna shoot in Moscow or Siberia in the middle of winter, then she can put it on straight without paying $$$ for extra luggage.)

If you really need those things, or anything else for your idea, then:

2.  Get your own outfits for a shoot

  • It is becoming more and more common that photographers have their own outfits ready for photoshoot. Below I will add some great inspiring brands which cannot disappoint as they look awesome on anyone. If you get some outfits for models, you can either keep it for your next shoot (as mentioned above, every model and every photo will look different anyway) or you can give it to your model after the shoot if she would wear those. Also bear in mind if you order outfits from China, that for – especially caucasian models- you need at least twice the size than their normal as the sizes can be really tricky.

! I also notice, there are still some photographers out there (even though very very few) who don’t wash the clothes after the shoot. Please ALWAYS wash clothes after the shoot as it is pretty weird and disgusting – not to mention that models will look at the photographer who does this as he is weird and disgusting either, which will definitely crash the whole mood on shoot.

And what about props?

There is a small list of great props you can bring to your photoshoot; of course it changes when shooting outside or in studio/apartment.

  1. Sunglasses – perfect for outdoor shoot, will help model to shoot on direct sun without crying and also can change the mood of photos; models usually have one ready.
  2. Hats – same goes with hats – some summer ones for outside sunny shoots as well as “old fashioned” ones to give another perspective to your idea.
  3. Jewellery or headbands – from great “halo crowns” up to simple flower headband or big necklace – models love those as it makes them feel they are doing something beautiful and worth of all hard work.
  4. Stockings and tights – not so difficult to keep them clean and really portable. In case inspiration strikes while shoot, there is never a bad time to put on a pair of stockings with lingerie to add deeper boudoir feeling.
  5. Book – might sound odd, but simple book can make whole new level to your photos simply by adding a storytelling mood. Model can pretend to read, cover with that, play with the book around.
  6. Red lipstick – pretty seriously, there was countless situations when photographer ask me if I have one on the shoot and I had not (especially when shooting outdoor when model brings a backpack or small bag with previously agreed outfits). You might forget to tell your model in advance – so be ready and have one in your pocket 🙂

Ideas for outfits – lingerie, props & sexy and dreamy outfits

1. Andi Bagus – bikini, crochet pieces and clothing

https://andi-bagus.com/

– handmade clothes brand from Bali; bit more expensive but amazing looking stuff, especially for outdoor shoots -their jumpers, crop tops and shorts look really awesome.

2. Honey Birdette – exclusive lingerie

https://www.honeybirdette.com/

  • the fanciest lingerie I have ever seen – really that kind of luxury one.

3. Victorian Choice – victorian dresses (something storytelling and moody)

https://www.victorianchoice.com/shop/pc/home.asp

  • really proper and lovely victorian dresses with perfect quality – you can also find a dresses from Alice in Wonderland, Tudor Renaissance to gothic and Game of Thrones kind of dress. I love this shop btw. 🙂

4. Carbickova Bijoux – stunning jewellery and props

https://carbickovabijoux.com/

  • absolutely amazing jewellery and headbands. As it can go far away from you budget, you can get some inspiration just by checking those stuff as every thing looks like masterpiece.

5. SHEIN

  • well, you probably know Shein, but when searching “lingerie”, you might find really similar outfits as those above – the quality is questionable though, but either way it might look great on the shoot. Plus – the price is just good.
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5 activities to improve your skills and attract more clients for paid photoshoot

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Spoke with few friends, who are expecting a baby and looking for pregnancy shoot/ looking for a photographer for their wedding/ looking for couples photographs/ looking to make some nice photos for a family calendar etc.…people are still looking for photographers. But I also asked them WHY they picked this guy, this photographer? What was the main reason to shoot with him/ her?

Those 5 points I heard most, it has either:
  • amazing portfolio, or
  • great references, or
  • personal recommendation, or
  • specialisation ( amazing animal photos, excellent newborn pics, cool weddings pics…), or
  • acceptable price.

1. Be UNIQUE and original

The key is to be creative. People are demanding and want to have something extraordinary, something they can show proudly to their friends or put on the wall – that’s why being unique is so important. If you would do simple portraits in white background, there is nothing creative at all and photos have no soul – so they will rather ask their friends to make some photos with an iPhone as it will be at least fun. How about you show that YOUR photos are worthy?

Create a moodboard of photos you like or admire and think about why do you like them. Is it the colours or editing? Or mood and story? The details really matter – might be the props, the outfits you can then recommend to the theme you offer, the unique outdoor location you might have found, all little details coming along with the creativity.

You can also explore Instagram – many photographers found their unique point of view and that’s why people are following them – those photographers sometimes sell their presets, which is also great way to learn and improve – to try their way.

@Karolina Ryvolova photography
@Karolina Ryvolova photography

2. Expand ideas

You don’t have to shoot everything, but on the other hand if you want to get more work and don’t want to spend few years of being focused on one area to become an expert, you can find another themes you enjoy to photograph. You may expand to food photography, children AND newborn, animals, products photography, wedding, couples etc. You would be surprised how much money people are willing to spend to photograph their beloved ones.

  • How about asking a wedding butique to make them some nice photos for their website or social media?
  • How about taking photos of commercial objects (buildings, offices) for their promotion?
  • How about asking real estate agency, if they need some nice photos of new apartments for rent?
  • How about asking people around or friends, or contact owners of airbnb apartment to make them new nice photos for better advertisement? Or hotels around you?
  • How about contacting pubs or restaurants nearby if they wants some new photos for their web/ social media?
  • Or how about running a competition on your social media page run about winning a free photoshoot – as an exchange to get a big traffic to your photography business/ hobby?

There are a lot of options to explore.

Airbnb photo

3.  Create cool business cards

You don’t necessary need an official website – nowadays people are getting traffic just by social media. But if you want to ask some businesses nearby if they would like to collaborate with you, it is a good thing to leave something behind to remind your name and not be forgotten. You may even put a QR code on the card so people can just scan the code and it will lead them into your fan page/ website where they can see your awesome photos.

@Pinterest

4. Sell photos online

If you travelled a lot in the past and collected great pictures, or if you have simply nice photos of products or everything you can think of, you might offer them for sale on ShutterStock or similar websites. On ShutterStock photos must be JPG format and at least 4.0 mega pixels, and the earning is quite small, but – better something than nothing. (You might check this link for more details.)

My own photoshoot for club in Czech Republic

5. Create your own project to boost your portfolio

If you always wanted to shoot with pro model, I believe there is no better timing than now. Every country has its own great professional models which always seemed to be too good, and those models cannot travel now, so they might be more available. If you always had some cool project in mind, just post a casting call on either social media or on official photography website (find more here) and wait for replies (or ask your favourite models directly.) If you don’t have any special idea in mind, just explore Instagram and create a moodboard. You can either make it as paid shoot (so you will pay your model and as exchange you will own all photos) or come up with free “TFP” photoshoot, but in this case you have to deliver your models some previously agreed photos as exchange.

Please remember: if you want to shoot with pro model for free, you must add some value to the photoshoot (something really great or unique) otherwise models would not have an interest.

Main picture & instruction: https://designbundles.net/creative-designs/276810-beautiful-photography-business-card/rel=ndE85G

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Photoshoot vouchers – 6 ways to satisfy your clients when they expect unicorns

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Christmas are coming – yay! I have literally no gifts bought nor any vision, and I actually haven’t even seen any calendars for 2024- I hope they will show up, otherwise I will be quite worried there is something wrong.

Online services are running on 110% and people running out of ideas what to give – and vouchers are simple yet quite popular choice.

How about to start your own project?

Christmas gift – photo session voucher

This is not just for photographers who wants to make more money, but also for those who  wants to expand portfolio by TFP projects (time for photos).

I will be very honest with you in this article – have noticed there is still not negligible businesses running by photographers offering a vouchers for a photoshoot – for example you pay certain amount and you will get two or three hours of professional shoot with MUA, styling and final photos.

I have seen a few and must admit the price is not actually cheap; and if you targeting families, young families, couples etc., you should succeed and sell spots quite fast.

Advertising on Groupon or social media should not cost you a fortune – the expensive part is the time you will spend on photo selections and editing.

There is so much you can shoot – families, newborn, portraits, glamour or some boudoir indoor if you have a location available; or just stick with family/ couple portraits outside.

I saw a few marketing campaigns for those vouchers, the idea behind that seemed great to me so I did a little research about reviews of each business – and was quite shocked. There was a lot of negative reviews, and found 6 repetitive points people really complain about. What they are and how to handle them?

1. “We tried just few outfits” – Tell them specifically what to bring

It’s quite useful to let people know, what they should pack for a photoshoot. Avoid that “bring everything” because it is confusing option and then they will show up with 4 big suitcases of all different clothes – which would make you and your MUA/ stylist crazy.

Be specific, tell them to bring around 8 favourite pieces – some dress, some jeans and shorts (skirts aren’t recommended as non models usually don’t know how to pose in that- time saving), and one special thing they might have and make them feel special.

Add maximum one high heels. If you have light background, you don’t want to change it after every clients shoe prints.

2. “The makeup was not what I expected” – Inform your clients and makeup artist about the final look

The right makeup artist (MUA) for that kind of business should handle not just makeup, but also hair (brush, make volume, simple style) and is recommended to ask her if she can help with outfits and final look – at least for first photos.

You should be specific about the final makeup – recommended is natural and simple, as it must take maximum one hour (perhaps less), otherwise you would be loosing money.

Tell your clients in informative email before shoot:

  • what to bring
  • to wash hair a day before (for better styling),
  • coming without any makeup (to save time again)
  • …and that the makeup itself will be professional, natural yet highlighting the best- then, your clients won’t be expecting any super cool dark makeup ala instagram “models” and not disappointed afterwards- your clients might sometimes have quite unrealistic expectations. Cool “evening” makeup might look great, but would take tow hours and time is money.

3. “The studio looked really dirty” – Your studio is like your business card

If you have your own studio – no matter if in your spare guesthouse, or basement – it must look professional. People who pay you for a shoot should not see any mess nor smell anything strange. Simple and clean is the way to go.

If you shoot outside, you should make a research about which locations you are going to use and pick ones really pretty or unique, without people walking around staring at your clients.

4. “The photographer was creepy” – Be professional and polite, always

I read about photographer telling his clients to “be more sexy, give me the sexy look!” or “this would look so hot on you!” – please don’t scare your clients, as they might think you are flirting with them, which might lead to really awkward situations. If your subjects are shy, it might be difficult to make nice photos, but you must count with that. Be ready to warm them up by playing their favourite music, talking with them, occasionally show them photos to see what is great and what’s not, and start slow – the first photos will be most likely unusable, but the ones after that workout will be much better. They paid for their shoot so they should enjoy it as much as possible to recommend you to their friends.

5. “I don’t like the photos” – tell your clients what to expect to avoid disappointment

Your clients will be indecisive when it comes to selecting photos. If you don’t have many clients yet, you can either send them certain amount of photos and let them to choose (it will take them a lot of time though) or send them your X favourite – edited already, or to choose for editing. So many ways, but the key is to decide that prior the session, so clients knows what to expect, otherwise they will expect to receive unicorns. (Unrealistic expectation.)

6. “I received photos after few months” – Think twice about the timeframe for photo delivery

People usually wants their photos as soon as possible without knowing how much time takes selecting and postproduction, and I read so many complaints about photos sent late or very different results than they expected.

Don’t promise anything you cannot achieve. Count the average time you will need for post processing and then how many clients you can handle in one week. Really important is quality over quantity to not end up with empty calendar. Be honest and realistic – then no one could give you negative rate.   

Because nowadays in online world is credibility and positive reviews the most important asset you can have.