Creating a Style Shoot
A styled shoot is a micro event setting, you can also call it a mock wedding created by a team of event professionals. The professionals can flex their creative muscles by collaborating to provide their expertise and services. They provide this in exchange for images and mention of their own work with an end goal of publication in a print magazine or online blog.
Some of the pros in doing a styled shoot:
These shoots provide exposure for various types of professionals, if done correctly.
You can gather some great photos to use in your marketing and social media forums.
Working with other pros helps form long lasting professional relationships.
Shoots should be submitted to print magazines first and then blogs.
Can be used as a great form of inspiration for potential clients.
Some of the cons in doing a styled shoot:
The ones that are worth it take time and planning.
Can be costly depending on your profession / group of professionals.
The steps in planning a style shoot are usually simple for a seasoned pro. It is always great to try to add as many different professionals as you can. This allows for the costs of the shoot to be spread out among more than just a couple of professionals.
Designing the Shoot
The MOST important part of a styled shoot is the vision behind the shoot. Do not duplicate something that you have seen on Pinterest, what inspires you? If you do not design reach out to an event designer to put the pieces together and you do the planning and orchestration of the day of the shoot. This shows your skills as a planner!
If you are doing the designing, then be true to yourself. Be unique. Be real. If there is something that inspires you go for it. A style shoot is a great way to let your creativity flow! Remember think big and then dial it back as needed. Create a vision board, make lists, and think about what professionals you’ll need to pull it all off.
As you design and plan your shoot keep in mind your budget also. As other professionals volunteer their services for the shoot you would of course subtract that aspect from your budget, but some professionals like the florist, caterer and such may ask for a stipend to pay for the product that they will be using during the shoot.
Communicate your idea to the team. Let them know what ideas you have in mind and listen to what they have to say. Let them tell you their expectations of the shoot also. Let them also tell you what their limitations are so you can find someone to fill in if necessary.
Now its time to start the lists of things for the shoot. You will need a list of professionals being used on the day of the shoot. This list should include contact information such as name, phone number, email, website, and any description that will help you find them easier in the future. Do not forget to add their social media handles. It will be one of the things that magazines and blogs will need to take your shoot to print!
Your next list will be the list for ETA of Delivery/Set up of the style shoot. The purpose of this list is for an item being sent to make sure that it shows up on time. Your list should include tracking numbers, estimated delivery dates, and items that never showed up.
One of your most important lists is the project timeline. The importance of the timeline is for you, as the planner, to stay on track with coordinating. Your timeline should have dates you expect:
Professionals confirming their availability.
Delivery Items and Dates.
When the items are due to be back to their owners (if renting or borrowing)
Confirming AND reconfirming the venue or shoot location
Sort this task by the dates you plan to execute following up with the venue or shoot location. If there are multiple shoot locations for one styled shoot, have these noted on your timeline. The more detail you put into your timeline, the more it will help you understand the scope of the project.
The final list that you will need, the one that you will use the most is the day of itinerary. Just like the actual events, your styled shoot should have an itinerary that shows what should be happening within each hour of the shoot. Some things to keep in mind when putting this together are:
Priority of Responsibilities. An example is the makeup artists, hair stylists, floral designers need to be there first to set up.
Model Schedule
Set up time
Venue allowance time
Availability of vendors
Work with the photographer to see how best to schedule
Do not forget to schedule breakdown
Return of rental items
Be as detailed as possible and make sure that you communicate regularly with the professionals that are involved. Gather everyone once they arrive and host an initial meeting, do a quick tour of the area and let everyone relax before they get to work.
On the day of the shoot, you will need more than patients to get through, you’ll need your wedding survival kit, all of your lists and use it to have some fun, relax and enjoy. Things will happen, they always do but you can be prepared.
Always assume that set up will take two to three hours at minimum. This includes loading or unloading the cars and trucks and everyone working on setting up their craft. Make sure that you stop helping occasionally to do a walk through to make sure that no one has questions. Once the shoot is over be sure to make sure everyone cleans up their area. The more help you have to break down after a shoot, the faster for everyone to go home.
If your cake is real, be sure to cut up the cake for all who helped, and it would be a great treat after a long day of shooting! So, maybe add paper plates and forks to your list of essentials if you plan to do this! The next day, make sure that you call / email all the professionals that you worked with and thank them one last time. Ask for feedback about the shoot, how did things go, do they feel like it was a success, would they like to do another?
Do not keep bugging the photographer about the photos. They are usually just as excited as you when it comes to style shoots so just wait until they have edited images for you. Then when you share photos, everyone should be listed as what they do and a clickable link displaying their handle name, for someone to see their profile easily.
After receiving the final product from the photographer, make sure to submit them to the media outlets of your choice. You may have to wait to share photos on social media until you have a magazine or media outlet willing to print them. So, let everyone know not to share until everyone has decided on the outlet and you know what the rules of that outlet are.
