A little more about styling a photo shoot....
Step Four: The props. Props are important. They can be as little as jewelry, as big as buildings. They can be cars, bike tires rims, or just about anything else that helps tell the story. Because the location had such great color and architectural components, I didn't use many extra props other than jewelry and hair pieces, which we switched out several times. I try to match the feel of the location with the props, so when I was browsing through some stores before the shoot, I picked up red and teal flower hair pins, found two awesome "hats", and kept my eye out for jewelry that might work. Wendy has a amazing selection of props, which she kindly brought with her, and we also dug through Ella's jewelry before we left and she brought out some of her wicked shoe collection. For photos, it's generally better to over accessorize -- you might feel a bit out of place but it always looks better in photos to be a little heavy on the accessories rather than light. It gives the photo more depth, more feel.
A few examples of how hair pieces can drastically add to the feel of a photo.
Props don't have to be jewelry...
And finally, The shoot. Really, Ella was just amazing. She was a little nervous to start out, but really relaxed and gave it her all and did beautifully. For those of you who don't know, Ella is my riding instructor. One of the things she has told me over and over, when I'm trying to master something difficult is "You have to want it in your soul." So I turned that back on her for the shoot, telling her that she was going to rock it, but she had to forget that she was Ella, and want it in her soul. And she did!
One of the tips I picked up from the ever brilliant Jasmine Star is to never start with your best location. So we started with a good spot, but not my favorite, until Ella got a bit more comfortable with the modeling and had spent some time with Wendy, too. I tend to pose fairly simply -- I show my model/client what I'm after, then let them adapt it to their style and comfort, making small changes if needed. Because I was going after an edgier, editorial look, some of the poses were not as natural as they would be if I was posing someone for "prettier", softer portraits. But Ella still rocked them, making them hers and adjusting to everything.
All in all, everything exceeded my expectations for this shoot. I had a great time with great friends and came away with some amazing photos. A huge thanks to Ella, Jared, and Wendy! <3 you all!
No comments:
Post a Comment