#1 – Communication!
Be very specific with your vendors about your Styled Shoot!
– Create mood boards for your vision
– Tell your vendors what you want
– Tell your vendors what you do NOT want
Having a very specific conversation with a vendor about what you are looking for does not negate their creativity! It helps everyone’s expectations to be met. Many of the shortcomings of our early shoots were because we were not specific enough about what we did want and what we did not want.
#2 – Hire Professionals
yes Hire! more on that in a bit…
– Bring on professional vendors. It might be tempting to ask a friend to make the cake or to model, however, in hiring professionals you know you are getting someone who is well versed in their trade and knows what they are doing.
– Our Earlier shoots would have been more successful if I had hired professionals, like models and vendors like the calligrapher.
#3 – Bring a planner on board!
– All of my early shoots were done on my own or with another photographer friend
– Partnering with a planner has many benefits. One, you have their expertise, and if you are just getting started their vendor connections. Two, you will have help. Setting up and breaking down a styled shoot is a lot of work. Having help from a planner or a planning team for your Styled Shoot is very beneficial as you can focus on the photography! Three, they can pull elements in that you might not have thought of and they have their finger on the pulse of today’s bride.
– Partnering with planners will elevate your brand, bring cohesiveness to the shoot, and streamline the execution of the shoot.
#4 – In a styled shoot Less is more!
When putting on shoots think quality over quantity! Save up to be able to splurge on the right flowers, gowns, and details to match your brand voice, because otherwise, you are just wasting your time and money.
Remember point #2 when I mentioned hiring professionals? Another mistake I made early on is expecting other vendors to be on board with participating with no compensation. Doing it right means spending some money on your shoot.
I highly suggest only doing 1 amazing styled shoot a year for yourself and putting all you’ve got into them!
Curious About Creating Your Own Styled Shoot?
One of our deepest passions is to teach others how to be successful in the wedding industry. We have seen our business grow in leaps and bounds by doing our own styled shoots!
