Planning a shoot can be overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. To make things easier, we've gathered some helpful information, from tips & tricks to the way we work. Some might seems obvious, but trust us, stuff will slip out of your mind when you're in a rush. Our goal simply is to help you prep the shoot and know what to expect when working together so we can get the best result out of the photos we're going to take for you.
props
Here is a list of what we suggest to have on hand to add interest to the photos and so we can easily create different scenes:
Books, newspapers, magazines // Pen, notebook, reading glasses // Plaid, blanket, big scarf // Flowers, greenery // Coffee, tea, teapot // Games: a set of cards, chess board, backgammon // Wine & Champagne // Sunglasses, straw hats....
bed sheets + tablecloth
This one definitely depends on the look you’re going for, but if you want clean pictures of the room or the restaurant, I highly suggest having the housekeeping prep the sheets/cloth beforehand so there are no wrinkles. Alternatively, you can have a steamer on hand so we can make sure the elements look their best before taking the photos.
models
Having professional models on location can be very expensive.
A great alternative is to ask your staff if they’re comfortable starring in some of the photos. And if they don’t want to show their faces, it’s totally okay! Sometimes, you just need a hand holding a cocktail to give the picture this extra warmth, or someone standing from the back on a balcony to make it more relatable.
alcohol alternatives
Don't wanna waste expensive Champagne or wine? Here are some workarounds.
For Champagne substitute, you can fill a glass with sparkling water and add a couple of drops of coke in - we promise you won't be able to tell the difference.
For wine, it's even easier: use grape juice for red and apple juice for white.
mood board + shot list
We’ve found over time that these are the easiest options for clients to share their ideas in a clear and effective way. For your mood board, we suggest using Powerpoint and just having a slide for each space we’ll be working on. For your shot list, an Excel sheet should be your go-to. You can categorize the shots needed and go deeper into details for each one of them while allocating them in specific time slots.
Here are some mood boards and shot lists from past assignments,
to give you an overview of how they’re built: Google Drive
color grading / editing
Each visual artist has their own aesthetic and when you hire one, we can only assume it’s because you like their style, right? You wouldn’t hire a creative (no matter what their job is) and ask them to copy the style of somebody else.
For photographers, most of their « signature look » comes from their color grading and the way they’re editing images. So when clients ask for some adjustments we're happy to make them, but it still has to look and feel like our work.