Introduction of a new column
I am happy to announce that this is the first article of a new column I’m starting in my journal. The series of articles shall be a guide for everyone who’s planning on shootings with the photographer of his or her choice. In other words, I’m trying to create a “How to”-advisor for clients. There’s going to be plenty of tips and learnings on what’s good to know for the time before, during and after a fashion shooting, so you can indeed profit from a best-performing campaign or from whatever else you want to have captured, e.g. pictures for a look book, image photos, etc.
My goal is to help you be happier with your commissioned photos and therefore, I want to give you some personal advice on what you can do in order to reach the results you wish. I am going to explain what matters when you are planning on shooting and how to find the right imagery together with your photographer, in order to get some perfectly matching pictures for your money, showing your products and convincing your buyers that you’re the right brand to commit to. Of course, most of the tips will also help those who are in a general search of some inspiration and help for any kind of shootings, because there’s going to be a lot of basic knowledge and some insider tips revealed. Everyone who’s interested is very welcome to follow this column and I hope that each of you will find the right piece of information for his or her project. As all my tips are based on my experiences and personal opinions, some of them may not be reflecting the way you approach shootings or working with photographers. But they might help you get another point of view and consider trying a new way eventually concluding in even more successful shootings.
Summary
To give you an overview of what I’m going to touch upon in the following articles, here’s a rough summary:
The first things I’d like to discuss are the fundamentals, about which I’m sure most of you already know a lot, but it’s quite important to deal with it again when it comes to photo shootings: that is to say the definition of your target group.
The second part is about how to make use of the impacts that different imaged locations, colors, perspectives, etc. have on people. By knowing enough about this, you can decide better which picture elements will influence your costumers to buy and wear your fashion.
Thirdly I’m going to give you more detailed knowledge about light situations and their effects. Of course, it’s your photographer who shall advise you best on that subject, but he or she will be happy if you already have a certain vision of it, because then it’s sure that you’re on the same page.
In the fourth part, I will go into the importance of the team on set, e.g. the choice of your model, who will then be your face of the brand for a while. I’m going to explain, why a make-up artist and a hairstylist are so important and how a fashion stylist will lighten your workload. Your part in the shooting is to watch the results and always tell the team whether you like it or not. You are the very boss during a shoot and, as the case may be, you are in charge of telling everyone what to do differently, since mainly everyone is there to please your expectations.
The fifth topic is about pre-production. I’m going to give you some tips on how to create good concepts for your campaigns and which details are essential to plan in advance. It’s better to define everything you want to see on the pictures before the shooting because when there’s too much room for spontaneous actions and many voices on set, it’s a receipt for chaos. Remember that everyone is under great pressure during the production day and a good concept helps to not lose the thread.
After that, category number six will approach more precise planning of your shooting, so that everything can work out perfectly at the production day. These tips will help you make a checklist, so you won’t forget the catering for example.
The seventh theme will contain some tips on good shooting schedules, which in reverse shall help you clock every step in advance and ensure that by the end of the day every planned image has been shot. You can, of course, delegate this to a production agency, who is specialized in that, but for the sake of completeness and in the event that you like to do it internally, I’d like to elaborate this for you.
The eighth and last topic is going to be covering everything you need to know about the post-production, which means we’re going to talk about the retouching process, the buyouts, and everything you should know about the handling of your data. It’s important to be informed here too, so you can date the shooting in time, plan your budget better, and communicate more efficiently.
Every topic will be divided into several entries providing you with a certain tip or advice. I will try to keep the frequency as regular as possible and also post each tip on Facebook, to make it easy enough for you to find the latest article. So make sure that you have given Heidi Rondak Photography a like (;
I think this going to be very exciting and I can’t wait to start. I hope that my suggestions will help you as any photographer’s client to tickle the best images out of him or her (:
Have fun!
Index
A – The fundamentals
#TIP No. 1: “Try to find the right imagery for your target group”
#TIP No. 2: “Decide before the shooting where you are going to use the photos”
#TIP No. 3: “Think about the formats first”
#TIP No. 4: “Set the scene within the limits of your financial resources”
B – THe imagery
#TIP No. 5: “The images’ effects – Part 1: How indoor locations appeal”
#TIP No. 6: “The images’ effects – Part 2: How outdoor locations appeal”
#TIP No. 7: “The images’ effects – Part 3: How perspectives appeal”
#TIP No. 8: “The images’ effects – Part 4: How the model’s attitude appeals”
#TIP No. 9: “The images’ effects – Part 5: How hues appeal”
#TIP No. 10: “The images’ effects – Part 6: How the styling appeals”
#TIP No. 11: “The images’ effects – Part 7: How make-up & hairstyle make photos authentic”
#TIP No. 12: “The images’ effects – Part 8: Do I need props for my campaign shoot?”
C – The light
#TIP No. 13: “All you need is light – Part 1: The value of natural light”
#TIP No. 14: “All you need is light – Part 2: The power of using flashes”
#TIP No. 15: “All you need is light – Part 3: When to use continuous light”
#TIP No. 16: “All you need is light – Part 4: Directions of light”
D – The team
#TIP No. 17: “A good team is half the battle – Part 1: The importance of the model”
#TIP No. 18: “A good team is half the battle – Part 2: The professional hair & make-up artist”
#TIP No. 19: “A good team is half the battle – Part 3: Why you need a fashion stylist”
E – The Concept
#TIP No. 20: “Concept is the key to success – Part 1: How to get inspired for a campaign shoot”
#TIP No. 21: “Concept is the key to success – Part 2: Mastering the art of mood board creation”
#TIP No. 22: “Concept is the key to success – Part 3: Let your mood board undergo a reality check”
F – the Preparation
#TIP No. 23: “The perfect plan to mount a production – Part 1: Book your storybook team”
#TIP No. 24: “The perfect plan to mount a production – Part 2: Why no commercial photo shoot will work out without a proper schedule”
#TIP No. 25: “Concept is the key to success – Part 3: Let’s say it loud and clear”
g – the shoot
#TIP No. 26: “Let the Photo Shoot Begin – Part 1: Simulation of a typical photo production day”
#TIP No. 27: “Let the Photo Shoot Begin – Part 2: Thy (the client’s) will be done”
#TIP No. 28: “Let the Photo Shoot Begin – Part 3: Don’t forget to have fun at the photo shoot”
Special 2020/21 edition – The pandemic
H – the Post-production / The Editing
#TIP No. 29: Coming Soon
#TIP No. 30: Coming Soon
#TIP No. 31: Coming Soon
#TIP No. 32: Coming Soon
H – the Post-production / The buyout
#TIP No. 33: Coming Soon
#TIP No. 34: Coming Soon
#TIP No. 35: Coming Soon
#TIP No. 36: Coming Soon
H – the Post-production / The data
#TIP No. 37: Coming Soon
#TIP No. 38: Coming Soon
#TIP No. 39: Coming Soon
#TIP No. 40: Coming Soon
I – the Book
This column is going to be an edited eBook and available when complete. Yeay!