When you’re looking at putting together your fashion portfolio you may be lost in what you should include and how to make your portfolio stand out amongst hundreds of others like you. If you didn’t attend fashion school or if you’re wanting more samples of work that aren’t school projects, photoshoots are the best thing you could do. They’re especially great if you want to work in any kind of editorial work, design, creative direction, styling, or even marketing. Organizing a photoshoot can be somewhat intimating at first until you get the hang of it, then before you know it you will be organizing shoots every weekend!
What is your Purpose/Outcome
The first thing you need to establish before getting started is what your goals are for the shoot. Are you wanting to have samples of work for styling or creative direction? This is important so that you can base your entire shoot around that and recruit the right people to assist you.
What is your Story/Theme
Next thing to figure out is the story and/or theme of the shoot, you don’t just want to shoot random photos. You need to demonstrate in your portfolio that you can organize a shoot around a story and execute it, then decide on a theme…will it be retro, bohemian, carnival, fantasy, etc.
Location
Once you have your theme and story you will be able to get a better idea of where to shoot, or you could even work backwards if you see a location you think would be an amazing setting for a shoot then plan a story and theme around it. You could also wait to decide on a location until after you find a photographer, they may know more sites and cool places to shoot. Something to keep in mind while planning a photoshoot is if you’re going to have multiple locations make sure they are either close together (within walking distance) or you have rides for everyone.
Photographer
This is obviously for those who aren’t wanting to get into fashion photography and take the photos themselves, you will need a photographer. It can be really easy to find an eager beginner photographer to collaborate with, most photographers just starting out will need tons of experience and photos for their own portfolios. I’ve worked with photographers that I’ve found through friends, school, but mostly through Instagram. You can search hashtags in your area to find some photographers who are willing to shoot, and you can see their past work on their profile. Keep in mind that if you’re not planning on paying anyone (like most of these portfolio shoots) then don’t expect professional-quality photos, most of the photographers you would be working with are starting out just like you.
Model
My first few photoshoots I primarily used friends and other girls in my fashion class to model for me. Again, because it’s a TFP (Time For Photo) photoshoot you won’t be working with professional models, look for beginner models and individuals looking to expand their portfolio. Same as finding a photographer I’ve found most of my models on Instagram using hashtags that represent my area. You would be surprised how many people are willing to do free shoots. Create a mood-board for the model ahead of time to give them an idea of the shoot and if it’s something they’re interested in before committing.
Create a Shot List
Time is so crucial on a photoshoot and you don’t want to waste any of it planning and deciding what you want to do while everyone is standing around. Be mindful of people’s time because it is a free shoot (most of the time) so be prepared and plan ahead. Create a folder with different images you like, focusing on how the photo was taken, this will then be given to the photographer as reference then let them use their own creative judgement for the final product. Because it’s also a portfolio for the photographer you don’t want to hover over them making sure they’re taking photos EXACTLY how you want them, they are an artist too and have their own style.
Hair & Makeup
Most of the shoots I’ve done I just got the model to do their own hair/makeup for a more natural look, however if you’re planning a high concept shoot with dramatic clothing and you want the hair and makeup to be more exotic then getting a hair/makeup artist will be a great idea. Contact local makeup schools and ask to pass along your information for any artists wanting to get more portfolio work, so many makeup artists are always looking for any experience they can get. Keep in mind if you’re planning on using a makeup artist you will most likely have to pay for at least their supplies. Because they use products, it costs them to do free shoots so they will often ask for some money to cover the costs of the supplies used….that’s why a lot of people opt to either do the makeup themselves or have the model do it themselves.
Call Sheet
If you ever get to work on a professional photoshoot, film, or TV set you will get familiar with the concept of “Call Sheets”, basically just an informative schedule. You don’t need to make an intensive Call Sheet for a free shoot but giving your model, photographer, and other people involved, general information is always a good idea. It should include everyone’s names on it that will be involved in the shoot and what their position is, time and place to meet/start at, list of all locations you will be going to, the theme of the shoot, and anything they need to bring.
Your first photoshoot will never go as planned and that’s perfectly fine, in fact most photoshoots never go completely as planned anyways. As long as you’ve planned enough to keep the shoot going smoothly and have no long pauses in between to try and figure out what’s next you’ll be fine. Organizing photoshoots has come to be one of my favourite things and it’s a great way to network with other creatives in your city and get the opportunity to collaborate with them. Working with different people will grow your contact list and could help land you a job!
