Happy New Year Young Photopreneur’s! I hope that January has been a great start for 2010 for you. I know that many of you have photo shoots in mind to build your portfolio and may even want to step it up a bit in the way you put them together. So I wanted to give you some insight an tips on how you can have a smooth productions the next time you shoot!

Ever wonder how a photo shoot is produced? The photography world can be such a mystery sometimes, that even photographers have a hard time finding the right answers. 

Not until you experience it for yourself, will the puzzle pieces start to come together, and everything seems to make sense.

Sometimes reading a book will not always give you what you need. However, any information is ALWAYS helpful, and I’m here to give you a first hand perspective on how it’s done.

I recently had the opportunity to shoot a photo series at a hip new restaurant located in Orange County, California. I already had a vision of what I wanted to create, and with the permission to shoot at this venue, the vision started to unfold and materialize.

I’d like to take you through the process of how this production was done, so the next time you have a photo shoot, and you’re not sure where to start, you can refer back here for some tips. 

Two Weeks before the shoot:

You’ll want to set aside ample time to set up your shoot, a lot of work will go into it, so you’ll want to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Scout for a location:

Two weeks before the shoot I contacted the key people at the location I wanted to shoot at. I spoke to them in person about what I was looking to do and asked permission to shoot there. Luckily, they were the nicest people in the world and had no problem with me shooting at their restaurant.

Sometimes you’ll need to purchase a permit to shoot at certain locations, so make sure you do your research.

Brainstorm your concept:

I later met up with my Art Director to go over the concept for the photo series and brainstorm on how we’d set up each scene. Having help when producing a shoot can be a tremendous stress reliever. As creative people, we like to do things ourselves to make sure it’s done correctly, however we don’t always have to do EVERYTHING! Consider bringing people on board to balance the responsibility.

Mansfield, my Art Director wore many hats on this production. He became my sidekick and helped me make this shoot a success. 

Casting Call: 

After going over the concept, we put out a casting call for models, as well as contacted modeling agencies for options as well. We were going to need at least four male models and four female models. 

Assemble your crew:

After finding the talent, I was then in a position to contact my make up artist and go over the concept with her as well. 

I also contacted my film director to inform him of some footage we could get of the shoot.

So everyone was on the same page. The crew and talent all knew the concept, and had all the information on call time, date and location.

One Week before the shoot:

Meet on common ground:

You’ll want to make sure there’s a place for everyone to meet on the day of the shoot so that people have a place to get something to drink and eat, sit down, and also for prepping the models. 

Luckily, the location was walking distance from my house. So everyone could easily meet at my house, and then drive over to the location when ready to shoot. 

Photo Assistants:

Just the simple fact of having 8 models for this shoot was enough for me to know I was going to need a lot of help. I contacted two assistants to help me on the shooting day, and the extra hands proved to be an invaluable asset. 

Four days before the shoot:

Props:

There were a couple specialty props I knew I needed for the shoot. You can hire a wardrobe stylist in this instance, however, since what I needed wasn’t too complicated, I and my Art Director went and picked it up ourselves. 

Kraft Services:

It’s your responsibility to make sure your crew and talent is well hydrated and fed. Contacting someone who specializes in Kraft Services is one option, or you can also simply order from a local eatery.

One day before the shoot:

Send out the final version of the call sheet, and contact all talent and crew to confirm for the next day. 

I always test out my equipment to make sure everything is working properly, and I also test out any rental equipment. 

A checklist is good to have, just to be safe that you’ve gotten everything you’ll need. 

Day of the shoot:

For this particular shoot, of course it had it’s ups and downs of stressful and not so stressful moments. However, thankfully the entire day turned out extremely well. With the amount of crew and talent on board, everything went exceptionally well.

6am:

Have meeting spot ready for crew and talent. Get equipment ready for loading and transporting to the location.

7am:

Crew arrives. At this time, the make up artist and film director started to set up and get ready for the talent to come.

8am – Talent call time: 

By this time, the female models arrived to have their hair and makeup done. Each model took anywhere from 30-45 minutes. So you’ll want to make sure you have enough time to have your talent get ready before the call time of actually shooting. 

9am:

BREAKFAST! YUMMY! TIME TO EAT:)

At this time, the male models also arrived.

11am:

My assistants and I loaded the cars with equipment and drove over to the location to set up. We also took note on how we’d navigate the shoot; Where and when we’d shoot in the restaurant. The manager of the restaurant let us use an entire section of the place!

It was fantastic, because we had the eating area to use, as well as a dancing floor and vintage cars to take advantage of.  

Noon:

After the models were fully dressed and hair and make up was done, we started carpooling everyone over. From there, we spent the next 4 hours shooting each scene we discussed. 

My Art Director was amazing in helping me set up each scene and making sure we were getting everything we had envisioned. 

The Story:

Original Mike’s, the restaurant we shot at, has a great ambience. I’ve passed by it hundreds of times, but not until recently did I consider shooting there.

The story I had in mind was to have a couple going out to eat, they sit down and have there drinks brought to them, when the guy gets a message to call someone. 

At this point, he leaves his date to make the call, while she stays behind. She takes a sip of her drink, passes out, and is kidnapped!

He then has to find her, and the only way to get her back is by flashing his Michael Jackson studded glove to blind the kidnappers!

It’s a Wrap!:

By the end of the day, the crew and a few models stuck around to help me clean up the restaurant and leave it the same way we found it. 

I thanked the manager and told him how appreciative I was for him having us and giving permission to use the facility.

I collected the signed model releases, and then called it a day!

It’s always fun to have a wrap party. So if your crew and talent have the time, you should reward their hard work.

That was a busy day for everyone, so we weren’t able to celebrate. However, we all had a lot of fun during the shoot!

Thank You:

I like to send thank you letters to all that was apart of a shoot. It shows that you appreciate others’ help and I’m sure the person on the receiving end also appreciates it.

So there you go, a shoot from beginning to end! To see the entire “Smooth Criminal” series, log onto http://www.CheriAmour.com. Currently, the images are still being edited, so check back often for newly posted images from this photo story! 

Are you ready to produce your next photo shoot? If so, after it’s all said and done, come back and leave a comment on your results!

Or if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Until next time… Cheers to your success!

-Cheri Amour