Fashion Photo Shoot Planning: Building a Team

Building your creative team for a fashion photo shoot is an important task. This team will bring your ideas to life. You should select this team with care to bring your story to life. Every member of your team is important. This includes the models, hairstylist, makeup artist, designers, stylists, and even producers. Pick each member with confidence, they should be the best suited for bringing the concept to life. Follow these four steps to build a top-notch team that will help make your fashion photo shoot out of this world.

So you’ve got a fashion photo shoot planned, but what talent do you need to make your shoot a success? Make a list of elements involved in your photo shoot, as well as the skills that each one requires.  Then, use that list to determine what kind of talent you need to bring on. You know you will need a model—but will your model be wearing makeup and need to have a certain hair style?  If so, you would need a make-up artist and a hair stylist.

Depending on the size and complexity of your shoot, you may need more than one person in the same position. Some shoots, for example, call for two or more wardrobe stylists, or a lighting director and assistant.  Other crew members, such as a digital editor, may be called for as well. Use care when planning who you will need on your team and what their roles will be.

Step 2: Find the talent

Now that you know what you need for your fashion photo shoot, it’s time to find the people with the skills. Your model can be a great starting point. If you don’t already have a model in mind, you can find them through modeling agencies or sites like Model Mayhem. Sites like this put you in direct contact with the models. This can save you money by eliminating the middle-man!

You can find creative talent in a similar manner. Both new and experienced creative professionals showcase their work online. Instagram and LinkedIn can be great places to start your search. Beauty colleges also tend to have a good selection of talent if you’re on a budget. Many emerging stylists and makeup artists will work for little to no cost to build up their portfolios. You can also use fashion job boards and sites like Craigslist. Just remember to be clear about job requirements. Fashion Mingle’s fashion directory is also a great way to connect to fashion professionals.

Step 3: Define team expectations

Once you’ve assembled a team for your fashion photo shoot, you have to communicate your vision to the team. Besides creative expectations, you should also be clear about expectations of courtesy and professionalism. Foster open-mindedness, politeness, and teamwork through example. Make sure that there is an open dialogue for questions. Share the answers to questions with the entire team to make sure that everyone is on the same page.

Step 4: Nurture the relationships

You’ve assembled your fashion photo shoot “A” team—good job! But it doesn’t end there. Word of mouth and personal recommendations go a long way in the fashion industry. Keep in touch with your team members, and let them know when you’re attending events. Networking events are great places to meet creative talent, and can give you a pool of experienced candidates to choose from for future shoots.

Following these four steps will help you create a stellar team for your fashion photo shoot. If you are a fashion student or professional looking for more tips to succeed in the fashion industry, register at Fashion Mingle. Fashion Mingle is the only fashion directory that allows you to connect, collaborate, and create with the industry professionals nationwide. Sign up today!