Things To Consider When Shooting On Location

Shooting outdoors can be tricky. Here are a few tips for planning your next outdoor photoshoot.

Keep An Eye On The Weather Forecast & Always Have An Alternate Shoot Plan
When shooting at outdoor locations you’re at the mercy of the weather. Wind, rain, snow, fluctuating temperatures- All of these things will influence what you pack, transportation, how you’ll shoot, where you’ll shoot or if you can shoot at all. Production Kit essentials such as sunscreen, hand warmers, extra layers, portable/ collapsible change-room, water, food, first aid kit. etc. Having one or two alternate shoot dates or alternate location incase weather changes last minute is also important due diligence.

Scout Locations Ahead Of Time

Familiarizing yourself with the shoot location as best you can is a must. If you can visit the location in advice and scout out the most ideal spots to shoot and get an idea of what time of day might be best to shoot in based on the position of the sun. It is also important to know what options are available for the rest of your creative team. Hair might need access to electrical outlets, styling will need a space for the talent to change, makeup might need to be able to was their brushes.

Coordinate Your Shooting Schedule Based On Where The Light Is Coming From

Make sure to pack any modifiers you might need-You might want to pack kit lighting, an on camera flash, a reflector or a scrim to diffuse or bounce light depending on the desired art direction. If you’re shooting at high noon in direct sun and you want the light to be soft you might find cover in a treed area or use a scrim to diffuse the harsh light.

The Sun Waits For No One

Being able to keep a tight production schedule is important because when you’re shooting at an outdoor location your light source is constantly moving and once that light is gone, its not coming back so make good time, get the shot and keep moving.

Extra Hands Are Always Helpful

After considering all of the above one of the best things you can have on location is an extra set of hands. Helping hands can carry any necessary items, hold a reflector, watch valuables.

To book your next location shoot please contact Megan at megantoriglia@gmail.com today.

How To Prepare For Your Personal Branding Shoot

Location or Studio?

Choosing where to shoot is important. There are pros and cons to shooting on location. The two greatest hurdles when it comes to shooting on location are weather and the general public.

You may plan to shoot at a great location but then the shoot gets called due to rain so if you want to shoot on location always have an alternative date in place just incase there is a bout of bad weather. 

The other main issue is that if you get to a popular location too late in the day it can become over crowded resulting in busy backgrounds that take away from the intended focus. One way to avoid this issue is to shoot early in the day before too many people get there and to get creative with camera angles.cv I once visited the Palace of Versailles just outside of Paris and despite the palace gardens being overcrowded with tourists I was able to minimize the appearance of this by shooting at strategic camera angles.

Shooting in studio can be a great way to create consistent imagery in a controlled environment. Indoor spaces can be much more convenient to shoot in during the winter. 

Wardrobe and Styling 

When selecting your wardrobe for your shoot try to stick to a colour palette that is reflective of your personal brand. General rule of thumb is to avoid bold or trendy prints and patterns as they can be visually distracting and trends are more temporary and don't make for the most versatile or long lasting (ever green) content. Choosing outfits that feel cohesive as a wardrobe can be visually strong. It is also important to consider the accessories you will be pairing with each outfit. Thoughtfully paired footwear, jewellery and other accessories such as belts, hats and hair accessories can pull a look together and strengthen the communication of your brand aesthetics. 

Props 

Props are another component of personal branding shoots that are worth considering. What props are relevant to your personal brand? Are you a personal trainer? Perhaps bringing weights, a medicine ball or other fitness equipment is a good idea. Thinking about what props might help visually communicate your brand can be an important part of personal branding shoots. Sometimes it can be as simple as considering if there is a specific piece of furniture or style of stool you want to pose on.  

How will you be using this content?

It’s important to consider how you will be using the imagery from your shoot ahead of time. Thinking about the context in which these images will be utilized. Will you need the images to be shot horizontally so that they can be used for Facebook or advertising banners? Do you require extra space for text in a web layout? Perhaps the image will be cropped square for Instagram posts. All of this is helpful to communicate to your photographer ahead of time so that they can ensure you receive your assets in the correct format.

References and Inspiration

Finding visual references and mood boarding can be a great way to prepare for your shoot ahead of time and tools like Pinterest make it easy to keep organized and collaborate with creative team members such as Hair, Makeup, Styling and Photography. It can also be helpful to find visual references and inspiration for posing so that when you feel you may have exhausted all your own ideas, you can draw from a library of inspiration that allows you to work efficiently and without having to take much pause.

To book your personal branding shoot please contact Megan at megantoriglia@gmail.com today.

Five Types Of Imagery You Need To Market Your Business.

In todays digital marketing world it is important to always be optimizing and creating engaging visual content that will encourage your audience to stop scrolling mindlessly and actually interact with the content you’ve created. Below are five forms of visual communications to implement in your marketing strategy today. 

1. Campaign Worthy Images of your Product or Service

Put your products and services in the best light by having them professionally photographed. Utilizing clean campaign imagery that puts your products or services front row and centre. These ever green images are often able to be formatted is a variety of ways that can be used for advertising, social, web, and print. 

2. BTS 

Ever hear of the saying “its not the destination, its the journey”? Well people love a good story and by sharing your business or brand’s story through behind the scenes you allow your customers or clients to come along on the journey with you and become more emotionally invested. Sharing in your success and set backs and allowing for people to peek behind the curtain creates a deeper sense of investment and radiates authenticity. 

3. How To’s 

Sharing a series of images or even a video that gives a step by step explanation or tutorial can be golden content that has a wild impact when it comes to driving engagement. Wether it be a video for a large search engine platform such as youtube, click through lead magnets that send traffic to your website like Pinterest or saveable algorithmically friendly carousels or reels for instagram How To’s give your brand’s content the opportunity to be informative, entertaining, enticing and empowering for your audience.

4. UGC

User generated content can be an excellent option as it offers social proof, credibility and demonstrates how your consumers integrate your products or services into their everyday life. Another added benefit of utilizing UGC is that it is often budget friendly as users are usually happy to share their credited content at no additional expense to you. 

5. Moodboards

Share what inspires you! Moodboarding is a great way to share your inspiration and connect in a unique way. Wether it be a collage, Pinterest board, carousel or gallery of I’mages you find inspiring- this can be a way to visually communicate a bit more about the subconscious and origins of your branding journey and where you draw inspiration from.

BONUS- Visual Text 

Text and copy laid out in an aesthetically pleasing and visual way can be a beautiful addition to weave into ones branding and can inspire, engage, educate entice and excite and audience. It can be used to announce the launch of a new product or service, share tips, instructional information or even inspiring quotes. Text can be an algorithm friendly piece of visual content as it is often saveable, shareable type of imagery that is easy to implement in your marketing. 

To enquire about creating custom content for your brand please contact Megan at megantoriglia@gmail.com

Four Types Of Skincare Imagery For Your Next Brand Shoot

Creating imagery for skincare and beauty brands is one of my favourite things to do. When planning shoots there are four types of imagery that are must haves on your brands next shoot shot list. 

1. Product Shots
   
   Featuring shots of the product itself (off-model) is key. This gives you the opportunity to build brand recognition, so that potential customers can begin to visualize your products on their shelves, or spot it at the store. The ways you can capture your products are endless. A few of my favourites are by shooting the product as a flat lay/aerial, up close and in detail, in action (prior to application, usually with hands) and as an experimental shot that demonstrates the product’s contents and packaging in tandem.

2. Application

Imagery of skincare or beauty products being applied can be a beautiful way to convey emotion and practicality while humanizing the visual experience. This can help with relatability and personalization while adding credibility to your product.

3. Tools 

Using tools/props is a great way to create added visual interest, and it’s a great way to feature accessories you may carry, or cross-promote partner companies that can in turn repost the assets and further your reach.

 4. Close Up Beauty & Texture

Close up, macro shots of product on the skin can make for compelling brand imagery. This is ultimately my favourite type of skincare and beauty imagery to create as it features the quality of the products within the context of how they are to be used. 

Planning an upcoming product launch or refreshing your asset library? Inquire today about booking a shoot.