Create The Perfect Themed Photo-shoot
Themed photo shoots are one of my favorite shoots to photograph and some of the most fun shoots. In order to get the perfect results there is a lot of planning that goes into the portraits. Things you will need to think about and focus on for planning your awesome themed shoot will be, location, props, wardrobe, lighting, temperature, makeup and hair.
Location can be very important to the ambiance of your themed shoot but not in all circumstances. I recently had some models interested in a 50’s themed vintage photo shoot idea and the location and props were some of the most important parts of the shoot. Sure we could have used a solid white background to shoot this idea but with the lack of environment, the viewer just wouldn’t grasp the entire concept of the vintage idea. So we were able to find a wonderful woman to share her living space with us for the shoot. Her whole apartment was filled with nothing but vintage furniture and the color scheme was spectacular. With the right lighting we could defiantly make the viewer feel like these shots were from another time.
Props for a photo shoot can consist of anything from jewelry, toys, and vehicles to furniture or full buildings. For the vintage 50’s shoot I shot, the vintage furniture and environment was the most important props. The clothing the models wore were also part of the props to help portray the look we were shooting for, such as a jacket or a teacup. Props don’t need to be extravagant or expensive but add a great visual aspect to your portraits.
Wardrobe is one of the biggest visual aspects in your portraits. Even if you are just taking regular family photos or personal portraits, your clothing makes a huge impact on the visual aspect of your photos. If you have stains or dirt on your shirt, pants and even shoes, that will show up in your photos more than seen by the naked eye. When the photographer edits the photos in processing, sometimes there’s minor details can be overlooked or can’t be fixed. It makes things easier for everyone involved showing up to your stuff clean.
Lighting is the single most important aspect of a photo session. This may not mean much to the consumer because they may not fully grasp the reason for lighting being so important. Without light, there will be no color and the less light you have the less information the camera will catch in a photo. Lighting can change the whole entire feel of a photo just by adding shadows, being extra bright or extra dim. Without the perfect light set up the portraits can be ruined. Natural lighting (from the sun) works great for outside shoots, but for shoots in the studio or on location in a building can be very difficult to work with. In most cases, natural light, or installed lighting in a building may not be enough or sufficient. The temperate goes a lot with the lighting. Keep in mind that photography lights, even the ones that just flash get hot. They heat up the room you are in adding to the body heat. This can create the problem of making the subject sweat during the photos, which will make the skin shiny. This effect can work well for some shoots but in most cases, portraits come out looking better without all the shine. Temperature also comes into play in outside and on locations shoots. Cold weather will affect the skin making it shrink in places or create Goosebumps which you may not think would show in a photo but it does. Here’s an example, when professionals shoot winter themed scenes for a magazine and other purposes, they shoot the modes in the summer time and use fake snow to make things comfortable for the model and making the photos come out better. Most people’s skin turns red when cold; no one wants to have a red nose or blue lips in their final portraits. And visa versa, they shoot summer themed shoots in the winter or colder weather to tighten the skin and give women hard nipples to make their body look much sexier in a swimsuit.
Lastly, hair and makeup are a considerable part of any shoot. Men don’t worry much about this part unless in the actual media profession. What I mean by this is, men with jobs in the media actually do wear makeup (minimal) in order to keep shine down and enhance features. For instance, some men in television as well as some models wear eyeliner and mascara as well as a foundation power. For family/personal portraits this is not necessary but anyone can use a powered to take care of any shine/oil on the face. For a theme shoot, the hair and makeup can make or break the relevance of the theme. For women and professional models, a full face of makeup should be worn for any kind of photo shoot. Full foundation, powder, highlighting and bronzing to accentuate the features can really make a huge difference in your photos.
Remember these 7 important things to plan/prepare before your photo shoot and along with a professional photographer you can create some brilliant themed photo shoots.
