Whether you’re putting together a production with family and friends or a professional stepping up their game, organizing your photoshoots can seem daunting. Fortunately, the process is made easier with the right tools and techniques. Here are five tips and techniques to help you organize your photoshoot’s cast and crew like a pro.
#1 Plan in Advance
One of the biggest secrets to staying organized with anything in life is to come up with a plan before you dive in. When it comes to your photoshoot, this means sitting down and brainstorming all the details before you start skipping ahead to organizing the cast or coming up with a schedule.
In order for a photoshoot to be organized, you need to know exactly what you want it to look like, how many photos you want to produce, along with the colors, the lighting, and the poses you want to use. It takes time and creativity, but this planning forms the foundation of a pro-level shoot. It also ensures you’re able to get the right equipment, choose the ideal location, and plan accordingly based on the weather and light conditions.
#2 Conceptualize With Your Crew
Once you have a vision in mind, it’s critical that you communicate that vision with your crew. If they’re part of the ideation process, you should sit down with them well in advance of the photoshoot and discuss everyone’s input. Talk about clothing, posing, and the general look and feel you’re going for at the photoshoot.
Hear out any concerns or opinions about the available locations and give yourself time to apply for any permits or other licenses you may need. You can delegate these tasks to your crew to help ensure everything goes smoothly, but make a list and check in with them to ensure no one has dropped the ball. For instance, you don’t want to find out at the last minute that a permit application was never submitted and now you have to send the whole cast home.
#3 Interview and Inform Your Cast
Once you have the vision worked out in your mind, and even on paper, about what your photoshoot will be, it’s time to choose your cast. You may be opting for professional models who have done it all before or doing a photoshoot with friends and family. In either case, the cast needs to understand your vision just like your crew does.
When discussing your vision with the cast, get more specific. While your crew needs to know the overall vision and how it relates to their specific jobs — like lighting, backdrops, and so on — your cast needs to know the vision you have for each of them as individuals. Professional models expect feedback about posing, for instance, while non-professionals will often require it in order for the photoshoot to go as planned.
While you are going to give your cast guidance throughout the photoshoot, making sure that they understand your vision in advance of the photoshoot will help you pick the right people and help them creatively prepare for the day.
#4 Create a Reasonable Schedule
Organization is both crucial to getting everything done within an allotted timeframe and dependent upon having enough time allotted to begin with. In other words, as part of your efforts to remain pro-level organized, you need to sit down and think out your schedule carefully.
Get the input from your crew (and even your cast) regarding how long it will take to set up the equipment, dress the models, handle makeup, prepare the lighting, and run test shots. If you have outfit or scene changes, you need to work those into the schedule, too. It’s always best to give yourself extra time and end up ahead of schedule than to be racing against the clock.
#5 Utilize a Call Sheet Template
The last tool that you should utilize to feel like a true professional and stay organized at your next photoshoot is a call sheet. If you’re able to organize with a call sheet template, the photoshoot is bound to go smoothly. This template allows you to save all of the important information for quick reference during and after the sheet.
Your call sheet should include the concept, timeline, contact information for everyone involved, and details about the location. It’s a crucial document that every professional photographer uses to keep the cast and crew on-schedule, and utilizing one is the quickest way to upgrade to a “pro-level” photoshoot and reap the benefits.
Practice Makes Perfect
Whether you’re new to the world of photography or you’re just looking to take things to the next level, following these foundational steps will help you keep your photoshoots better organized and produce better photos in the process. When you take the time to plan and you invest in the prep work, your photoshoots will flow better. At the end, everyone involved will feel more confident about the concept and results.
