Whether a high-end production in New York or a snap of a selfie when you’re feeling yourself— a photoshoot is the key to collecting content. We’ve all heard the saying time after time “a picture paints a thousand words”. Call it cliche but whoever came up with that was onto something. In any field of marketing, the key to reaching a designated audience and consumer is through original and unique content.
Influencers. Models. Flashing lights. And cue the music. This isn’t all that can come to play. Here at Philly PR Girl, photoshoots are our thing. When writing social media and working to extend a client’s brand, we lean on a photoshoot to help us gather content to be showcased. Here are some tips & tricks for a successful social media photoshoot:
Come Prepared
It’s the same as anything else in life—BE PREPARED! Before the shoot, as the practitioner, you need to take a hard look at the brand you are promoting. Colors, values, products, services, messaging. All of these are major factors in the authenticity of branding. With these in mind, you are ready to start brainstorming concepts, topics, and ideas of what you wish to shoot and then integrate into the social media feed. A great way to begin preparing can be as simple as the creation of a mood board. Pictures, colors, styles, and words that motivate you and channel the creative energy you wish to capture.
The most important thing to have completed before a photoshoot is the SHOT LIST (*gasp). Yes, a list of products, props, shot types and angles serves as a checklist for you and your team at the shoot. This list is your plan of action and the collection of your ideas finally put clearly on paper.
Good Lighting
There is probably nothing better in this world than some good lighting…right!? Let’s start with natural light. The come-all-be-all to good-looking pictures comes down to the style and lighting on the subject. When the sun is cooperating, here are two things to remember:
- Don’t position the subject to block the sun; it creates shadows and darkens any outlines together.
- You want to face the sun! This creates a nice glow and applies a real-life filter to the picture.
If the sun is too dim or even too bright, here’s your solution—invest in a ring light. They’re easy to use, transportable, and they can be held or positioned to stand. With different lighting settings, you’re guaranteed to get the perfect shot.
Experiment
Even though you’re prepared with a laid outshot list…it’s not made of stone. Experiment! Try different poses, color combinations, expressions. Maybe the subject takes one shot looking at the camera but then the other looking away. With a variety of different elements and shots, your content will look original and not staged. You may have one idea coming into the shoot, but sometimes they don’t pan out—that’s more than okay! Some of the best social media posts are of content that was totally in the moment and spontaneous.
Collect B-roll Footage
Who knows what b-roll is exactly? B-roll is a term typically used in the film industry that refers to alternate or random content other than the main shot. B-roll can be anywhere from outtake videos, behind the scenes material, pictures, and content that is otherwise off the shot list. This extra content is amazing for marketing; for it can be used wherever there are gaps in the social media feed and even in aspects of public relations. When at the photoshoot, make Instagram boomerangs, shoot behind the scenes content, and take pictures of things that strike your eye as interesting.
Timing Is Everything
Whether you’re a hit snooze, go with the flow kind of person or not…the world sadly runs on time. Everything has a direct start time and end time, and in the professional field—you follow it. So here is where time management comes in hand. Be on time for your photo shoot. Give yourself time to set up, get a hold of the surrounding space, and even stake out some cool shots you wanna explore. If followed, not to a tee but close, it is guaranteed to be an effective process. The main point for time is really just delegation. With some delegation, the content will be representative of various creative strategies and have more appeal.
Charge Everything
Plug in your phone, set-up your computers, charge the cameras…charge everything! The worst mistake that can be made on the day of the shoot is if you walk in and all your technical equipment is dead. This sounds obvious but trust that this is common neglect. Double-checking, even triple, that everything is ready and charged up is just another extension of being prepared.
Stay organized!
Simple as that.
So now that you know some tips & tricks of how to execute a photo shoot, here is where Philly PR Girl can help. Whether Tik Tok, Facebook, Instagram, and even LinkedIn, original and new content provides an avenue for brand authenticity and promotion of services and products. People consume social media every day; it’s deeply ingrained in our daily routines. So why not get your company and brand showcased in this cycle? So strike a pose, let the creative juices flow, and let’s start snapping those pictures!
Reach out to us at Info@PhillyPRGirl.com or our Contact page to see how we can help your business come out on top.
