What to DO and NOT do for a styled shoot

You get to the styled shoot and are immediately overwhelmed. Photographers are everywhere! Once you get to take pictures, you freeze and forget the poses you wanted to do. Finally, it’s done. Once home, you realize you hardly got any close-up images. No! There were so many vendors involved and now you don’t have ANY useful images of their work.

Styled shoots can be a problem. Especially when it comes to making sure everyone is happy. That’s why I decided to interview Brooke Scherf who is an amazing Idaho hairstylist. I got her perspective of what the DO’S and DONT’S are from a hairstylist’s perspective.

Before I go into what she said, you have to know how amazing Brooke is! She does things with hair that blow my mind! Think crazy intricate braids! So, if you want “Wow’ hair, go to Brooke. I will always recommend her, especially because she’s not only great at what she does but makes your whole experience so fun! I’m definitely a fangirl!

Now, the interview. Brooke’s main “don’t” is about having some kind of connection before being asked to be a part of a styled shoot. She has had people in the past, who aren’t following her on social media, have never dm’d her, and approach her with a “we need a stylist, want to be ours?” This approach doesn’t work and isn’t very kind and thoughtful of the vendor your wanting to include in your styled shoot. So, how do you work with people you haven’t made a connection with yet?

It’s really simple. First, follow them on social media and engage in their content. Engaging is key! Leave comments on the images they post and interact with their Instagram stories! Make sure that you do this for a while before asking for them to be a part of your styled shoot. This helps them to have you on their radar.

Typically, vendors who are involved in a styled shoot are doing it for free. Brooke mentioned, “When it comes to styled shoot’s they are asking for my time and talent, which I’m more than happy to give. All I ask for is content.” So photographers. Make sure you not only give access to all the vendors the images you take but have a fast turn around time. Especially if there are a lot of photographers involved in the styled shoot. You will be a forgotten photographer if you take weeks and weeks to deliver your content from the styled shoot. Don’t do that!

When it comes to what angles to get for the hair-due, Brooke mentions she loves “all the angles”! Make sure to get close-ups of the front, sides, and back. To take it a step higher, grab the stylist and have her “mock” a few curls (or whatever the hair due is) on the model. Brooke specifically mentioned that she loves it when the photographer will come to her parlor to take images. This way she can get more images that match her Instagram feed.

One last thing to think about is tagging vendors. Even if the session is from two years ago, tag them! It’s important to always give credit to those who worked so hard to help create a styled shoot. So don’t forget to do this.

Next time you show up to a styled shoot or create one yourself, remember these tips! They will help you stand out from other photographers and serve vendors better! I’m grateful Brooke took the time to answer all my questions, she’s amazing! Coming up, part three of my series will be the “do’s” and “dont’s” from a florist’s perspective. Don’t miss it!