follow

Read the Blog

CONNECT

NAVIGATE

Brittney Sue Photography

What I Learned From My First Styled Shoot

September 7, 2015

What I learned from my first styled shoot-Brittney Livingston photography

Well, the day has some and past and I can officially say my very first styled shot was a success.  This tuscan-themed-romantic-bridal shoot was a true labor of love and I poured blood, sweat and even some tears into creating this styled shoot.  It was a full on production and I am still trying to “recuperate.”

Styled shoots, as I have learned, are not as glamorous and easy as they appeared while drooling over past sessions I had viewed on wedding blogs.

Don’t get me wrong, I love it and I hope to do more in the future but there are many things I wish I would have knows before planning this styled session.  I not only was there to photograph this session, I became the planner, my florist and jewelers doubled as stylist, and I even enlisted a couple husbands to help with some heavy lifting.

This point behind this post is not only to give a behind the scenes look at the evening but to give some helpful tips to my fellow creatives looking to take on a styled shoot of their own.

Running Hare Styled Shoot-29

Most vendors are eager to join you for your styled shoot for the exposure.

I reached out to other creatives on a few of the Facebook groups I am apart of and the response I got was overwhelmingly positive! No sooner had I asked for creative vendors, I had multiple emails of creatives wanting to be apart of this shoot! I was thrilled!

What I wish I had done differently? I wish I had made a Pinterest board before reaching out to anyone of the exact concept I was going for.  this would have make the whole planning process smoother I think in conveying the look I wanted to the florist, jewelers and Hair and Makeup team.

What I learned from my first styled shoot-Brittney Livingston photography

Start the process by finding another creative who has done this before.

Y’all, I totally took on way too much of this myself.  There were times when I was completely overwhelmed and thought about throwing in the towel, I am very happy I didn’t, However.

What I wish I had done differently? I would have reached out to fellow creatives in my area who had experience with styled shoots and asked to partner with them or for advice.

What I learned from my first styled shoot-Brittney Livingston photography

Try to incorporate as many vendors as possible and have a wide range of creative fields.

A few of my vendors have been published before, whereas I had not. (Until now!!) Editors love it when there are a large amount of vendors to highlight and show their readers, in this case brides, an array of companies to choose from when planning their own wedding.  The chances of an editor recognizing one of the vendors you incorporated in your shoot are also created with the more vendors involved.

What I would have done differently? Not much in this area.  I had florals, a venue, a dress designer, two jewelers, a vintage furniture rental company and two hair an makeup artists.

Running Hare Styled Shoot-70

A few other key details:

Bring food, water and snacks.  I was starving during our entire shoot and not having anything to snack on was a drag.

Plan a shot list ahead of time of the exact shots you want with which models, florals, and jewelry. This will help ensure a smoother shot.

Bring bobby pins, safety pins, double-stick tape, a steamer and dress clips.

Dress comfortably and expect to get a little dirty.

Bring a step stool.  There were a few times I was climbing on tables and chairs, even an old wine barrel to get the angle I was looking for.

Finally, have fun and be creative!

What I learned from my first styled shoot-Brittney Livingston photography

I would love to hear from you! What things did you learn from your styled shoot?

You can see the full blog post on the styled shoot here: Tuscan Themed Styled Bridal Shoot

We have been featured!! Bayside Bride

comments +

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *