HOW TO PLAN YOUR DOPE SHOOT

As we all know planning a shoot that is considered "dope" can sometimes be a difficult process for most people including me at some point. They're actually few things you need to consider while planning ahead for a successful shoot, let's lay them down.

- Theme and concepts
- Styling
- Mood
- Location

Theme and Concepts:

This is the starting point, expresses what you want to say, it's the reason your doing the project, having this decision I'll determine how you'll approach your entire shoot in terms of style and affect how your production will be done and what will be involved.

Styling:

Look for wardrobe inspiration based on the Theme and Concepts to create mood or tone for a photographic 'story'. Few aspects you can look into when choosing an outfit are Color, Texture, Layering, Accessories and Personality.

- Colour:
Is one of the key elements of any photo shoot. Your colour pallet determines the mood of the portrait, therefore it's important to combine the right colours to achieve the look and feel that you want. Remember, colour styling goes deeper than just the outfits you bring in. It includes the colour of your hair and make-up, your props and even the photographers choice of backdrop.

- Texture:
Is created by the fabrics you wear and the way in which you layer them. denim, leather, lace, Harvey knits, tweed and ruffles and crochet are all in creating texture and dimensions to your image.

- Layering:
Is the bringing together of the first 3 fundamental of photo shoot styling into a single cohesive outfit.

- Accessories:
Are important to a fashion shoot because they create contrast and a point of focus. Accessories can be used to make a simple outfit more dynamic or to draw attention to certain area I.e for portraits long earrings draw people's eyes to your month, a necklace to your cleavage etc.

- Personality:
Doing a photo shoot is all about exploring different sides of your personality. It's important to wear clothes you're comfortable in, but at the same time it's a chance to be bold and an opportunity to push yourself out of your comfort zone

Mood:

Look for what type of mood you want your picture to portray, this can be executed through poses or the feeling you get when you see the photograph. I.e. portray mood types such as feeling bored, dejected, depressed, miserable or sad.

Location:

If you're like me and you prefer outdoors rather than studio, choosing the right location can be challenging, as I always say a location with good lighting will determine the success of your photo shoot.

- Scheduling:
Determine if you are working in the morning, mid day, evening or at night. Look for a location that is not actively busy at the background as it may come as a distraction to both you and the model thus your pictures may not look as good.

- Privacy:
Depending on the project you have in mind, it will influence the degree of privacy that is expected from a particular location. Since most of the locations are public places, the of privacy is limited. Remember: it's important that you offer models a place where they can change clothes between scenes.

- Permits:
As we all know some places are protected therefore you need to get your permits in order before planning any further, some are quite easy to get, others can be demanding.

To sum it all up, in order to get the best out of your photo shoot or project you have to assess the above accurately weeks and months beforehand. In planning ahead you avoid waste of time and disappointments.

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