Creating The Perfect Modelled Fashion Photography Brief
If you are booking a modelled fashion photography shoot with a trusted studio, or a new photography agency, you will want to be sure the outcome meets your needs and expectations.
Providing a clear brief is the very best way to ensure your products are captured exactly how you want to show them.
Having worked on thousands of model shoots in our combined 30 years of commercial photography, we wanted to share a simple outline for creating a fashion photography brief that will help us, to help you, deliver a successful project.
1. Think About The End Use
Where are these images going to be used? Are they for your website, for marketing material or promotion? Are they for your social media platforms?
The end use tells us a lot about the style of images you are looking for, but it’s not everything.
Who are the target audience for your images? Will they be seen by your retail customers, or B2B clients?
Is their purpose to sell, to entertain, or to inform?
Providing this insight early helps create a tailored approach which will ultimately get you the best possible outcome from your shoot.
2. Ecommerce Or Marketing Campaign?
The three main styles of shooting modelled fashion are on plain colour background, usually white or grey for ecommerce, on some form of creative or lifestyle setting, or out and about on location.
Your photographer will want to know early on which is your preference, as these all have different requirements when shooting.
Ecommerce shots can be completely cut out, with the model shown on a pure, clean background, or they can have natural shadows to ground the model within the image.
Creative and lifestyle backgrounds can be as simple as using some props, or a textured wall behind the model, right through to a full studio room set.
You can even choose to shoot your model in the studio, and then comp them onto specific background images, often a more economical or logistically easier option to shooting on location.
If the great outdoors is your preferred setting, your photographer will be able to advise on perfect locations and how best to plan your shoot. Then all you need to do is keep everything crossed for the weather you need!
4. Think About Your Brand Image
If you have a relaxed vibe you may want your model styling to reflect this with some movement in the garments, and relaxed casual poses showing a comfortable fit.
But, if you are all about sleek close-fitting sportswear, you may want to choose a model with the aspirational body shape that your customers are trying to attain and show exactly how the garments fit and move.
5. It’s All In The Details
As part of your model shoot, its easy to capture all those key features and extra details, so think about which are the most important to show branding or technical innovation.
Let your photographer know which shots you need to capture to fully convey all the hard work that has gone into your product design and development.
6. Size Matters
When it comes to studio schedules!
If you know how many items you need to shoot, and how many shots you think you need of each, let your photographer know so that they can give you the best timeframe for your project.
Share the dates too! Do you have a marketing milestone you need to achieve? Whether that is a launch of a new website, a new range or a direct mail deadline, giving this information upfront ensures there are no disappointments later.
7. Never Assume!
Often assumptions are made on certain photography styles and processes
“That won’t be in my budget”
- Or
“There is no way that can be done in my timeframe”
But reality may be different. Without a discussion with an experienced photography team you could be missing out on some interesting styles or concepts!
Ready to kick-start your next fashion photography project?
At Prodoto, our team work in a 28,000 ft studio fully equipped to handle any photography project. Find out how we can bring your fashion products to life with exceptional photography or get in touch below to speak to a member of our helpful team!
