Cameo Collective Coat | Trousers Similar | Gucci Boots (Old, but similar here and here) | Shearling Bag Similar here and here | Chunky Scarf Similar | Le Specs Sunglasses
While Instagram makes blogger photoshoots look like a breeze, that couldn’t be further from the truth. This holiday season, we’re extremely busy working with various brands on campaigns. And a few of the things we’re tasked with are coming up with concepts, scouting the right location, planning outfits, and most importantly getting the money shot. We usually try to knock out a few shoots in one day to make the most of our time. At times like this, we leave it to Uber to get us around to multiple spots within hours. Since you guys are always asking about photography tips, I wanted to take you guys on a behind the scenes of a successful photoshoot.…
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The Planning
Everything starts with the concept. Dan and I never shoot without this, so we’ll start by rifling through old magazines and gandering through Instagram or Pinterest for inspiration. For this particular shoot, we were working on a campaign for a brand surrounding winter and the holidays. Once we have the concept, I’ll plan the outfit and have Dan help with the kind of framing we need and location. To play on the winter theme, I went with a cozy layered look with bold colors and fun textures. I love picking out outfits with strong color palettes because it always makes a bleak day feel so much brighter. Plus, color photographs extremely well.
The Logistics
When it’s time to shoot, Dan already has an idea of where he wants the photos to be taken. But since we always use UberX anyway, we can easily jump from one location to the next. Here, Dan wanted the urban, edgier vibe of Chinatown. Since it’s filled with brick red buildings and lots of foreign signage, we thought it would be a nice contrast against the yellow coat.
During the ride, we talk through the shoot and review the frames we need. It’s so helpful to make a shot list because when you’re working with many brands, it’s easy to forget. And the worst thing that happens is you have to reshoot something because you missed a photo.
What we love about using Uber on shoot days is the flexibility of different ride options. If we ever need to have multiple people at a shoot, we can upgrade to an UberXL.
There are even times we need to buy props, and we’ll make multiple stops in one go. It makes our lives so much easier.
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The Execution
Once we’re at the location, it’s showtime. Many people feel uncomfortable posing for the camera in public, but it’s a fear you get used to and will eventually get over. After about a hundred shots or so, we’ll grab a snack, change into my next outfit, order an Uber and move onto the next location. The flexibility of having Uber saves us the hassle of finding parking and getting around traffic. It’s so much easier to focus on the creative process, hop out of the car to take a few snaps, and repeat.
Thanks to Uber for sponsoring this post. All text and opinions are my own.
