Do you ever get the feeling that you left the house and forgotten something?  Do you check your camera bag 5 times to make sure you have the battery or memory cards?  Do you sometimes feel frantic and wonder if you are prepared?  I do!  But that is ok!  We all have our own ways of preparing for a photo shoot.  What works for some, may not work for others.  But I thought I would share with you how I prepare for my photo shoots.

Preparing for the photo shoot begins before the actual day of the shoot.  After the inquiry and the date is set on the calendar, I do a few things to help get to know the senior first.  This is my first step to preparing for a photo shoot.  I send out a questionnaire to each of my senior clients.  This not only allows me the chance to find out what they want out of their session but it gives me some insight into who they are and gives me some great topics to talk about with the senior on the day of the photo shoot.

I ask general questions such as name, address, phone number, email, etc.  I also ask for their parents names, emails and phone numbers.  Then I ask questions about the senior…where they are planning to go to college, what they want to major in, what their favorite pastime is and what their dream session would be.  All these things and more, help me get my brain working in order to plan the perfect session for that senior.  A session that is specifically about them and unique to their personality.

Below is a sample of my questionnaire.  Feel free to use this for your senior questionnaire, add questions that you feel are relevant or just use it as inspiration to create your own.

 

After the questionnaire, I start planning and preparing for the session.  I look at the list of hobbies the senior described on her questionnaire and I see if there is anything we can incorporate into the shoot.  Does she love music, play an instrument or have a hobby that I can use to tell her story?  I look at how the senior described her style.  Is she a girly girl that loves flowy dresses or a rocker chic that love leather?  Doe she want an urban or country type setting?  I brainstorm and really think about the look of the photo shoot.  From there, I think of locations that fit this senior’s personality.  If I don’t know of a place, then I will go location scouting to find what I am looking for.  I always make sure to have permission for the location of my choice, which is another step in preparing for the shoot itself.

After I get an idea for the shoot, it is time to run it by the senior.  I do this either on a phone call or in person at a pre-session consultation.  Both of these things gives me another chance to connect with my client before their photo shoot.  We discuss the wardrobe and I give my advice on what to bring to the shoot.  This all continues the process of preparing for the shoot.

After all the pre-session prep work, it is time for the actual photo shoot.  The day of the shoot, I check the weather.  I make sure to stay on top of this, especially in the summer when pop-up thunderstorms are common.  I send the client a text, letting her know I am excited for the shoot.  As the time of the shoot gets closer, I go over my check list.  I make sure to have everything I need packed and the check list gives me the confidence to know I have packed everything I need.  I make sure my battery is charged and in the camera, my memory cards are ready and my lenses are cleaned.  These things may all be common sense but having a check list to go over really helps me not stress and not feel like I have to turn the car around to go back and make sure I didn’t forget anything.

Below you will find a copy of my check list.  Again, feel free to use it for yourself, add to it for specific things you may need or use it just as inspiration to create your own.  Being totally prepared will help insure that you are going to produce the best possible work you can and it will give you the freedom to just have fun!!

Seniorologie 101 – {Prepping for a photo shoot}

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heck, yes i do!

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