5 Mistakes you should avoid when planning a Styled Shoot

At Amanda Douglas Events we tend to do a lot of styled photo shoot. We absolutely love them. We love how creative we get to be, how much fun we get to have with vendors we usually only get to do events and weddings with and how hands on the process is. Styled shoots are usually a day long affair with weeks of planning so it really is a mini little event. They’re a lot of work but really are worth it if you do it right.

With having planned over 20 styled photo shoots and 75+ weddings you start to get a really good feel for what works, doesn’t work and, what looks good. There are things that we have tried that haven’t worked as well and we always makes notes on how to make our shoots that much better next time.

Because no one should go in blind we wanted to put together a post to share with you 5 things to avoid and 5 common mistakes people make when planning a styled photo shoot.

They don’t pick the right photographers

When planning a photo shoot the very first thing we do (after dreaming about the theme) is start thinking about who do we want to ask to be the photographer. Every photographer has their skill set just like every designer does, so picking someone that’s the right fit (or not) will make or break your shoot. (For example: If you’re wanting a shoot in the style of what’s featured on Wedding Sparrow and you don’t pick a photographer that specializes in film then you’re already 5 steps behind)

You need to consider what you want the shoot to look like in the end and who would best capture that.

You didn’t layout the design presentation professionally

We get a lot of questions like: “How do you get vendors to be a part of your shoots? I always have so much trouble getting people on board!” You have to create a presentation, something that shows them you’re serious about your styled shoot, about them being a part of it and, you know exactly how you want them to be involved and what you want to do with this shoot.

Of course you can’t guarantee you will get a feature in any certain magazine or blog (I know we’re still trying our darnedest to get on GWS and 100 Layer Cakes!) but you can say what you plan to do, where you plan to submit and how you plan to feature it professionally within your company and social platforms. You need to make vendors feel like this will be worth their time and money.

Be sure to also write up a really great email when presenting it. Don’t make the mistake of putting in all this effort into the theme, colours and, visuals only to write a “Hey, I want to do this shoot, you want to be a part? See attached!” email. No one will take you seriously. Come to the table with confidence, even if you’re new. We all start somewhere!

Lighting wasn’t factored into your design

Lighting is everything. If you want an airy open warm feeling shoot picking a hotel as your location is likely not going to get you what you want. Even the most amazing photographer can’t make a location into something it’s not.

We’d always suggest picking a location that naturally lends it’s self to what you want it to be. If you want an outdoor setting pick one! (But always have a rain plan). If you want to do twilight photos then plan your shoot, and timing, in such a way that you get that beautiful brighter light right before twilight for your tablescape and detail photos and get those couple shots that everyone loves at that golden hour.

Bad lighting will ruin your photo shoot so be sure to really plan this in. We’re not the hugest fans of needing to use on camera flash because it can make things look unnatural. We’re all about natural beautiful clean light. If that’s not your jam make sure you plan to what is your taste.

You went too minimal on the details

No matter where you’re going to submit your styled shoot they’re going to want a ton of details. If you go too light on the details you’ll likely not get a top ranked feature or a feature at all in some cases. The table needs to look full and finished and it needs to look “just right”. Spend the timing collecting, purchasing and, working with vendors to make sure you have everything you need. Make sure you include three vendors that sometimes get overlooked: stationary designers, jewelry and, dessert designers. All three vendors bring so much to the table and finish any styled shoot design. We always like to include menus, table numbers, place cards or a styled escort card table and of course styled shots with the full stationary suite.

On the other hand a slight word of cautious; don’t go too heavy on the details. If there’s no room at all on the table it might overwhelm the senses and give off a feeling of chaos and unless that’s your theme we’d steer clear.

You didn’t consider the styled shoot as a branding move

One of the biggest reasons we do styled shoots is to reinforce our brand. If you’re not thinking about your brand, your image and, how this will attract you clients, or the right clients more over, then you need to go back to the drawing board with that at the forefront of your planning.

You’ll find that there are times that you won’t book clients that are your “ideal client” or that don’t have the style of wedding that you normally would do. Sometimes the service you’re providing to your clients is just a logically one like Day of Coordination and that’s totally fine. Like us we’re sure you love working with all of the different clients you get but also, like us, you probably enjoy getting in there and getting creative with your clients and working on the design too. This is where styled shoots come in. They’re the perfect time to showcase your work, what you can all do and, show something that’s maybe a little edgy or trend forward. Maybe something that brides seem a little hesitant to try because they just simply haven’t seen it in action.

This is your chance and your time to have a little fun and push the boundaries a little but make sure you’ve always got your branding woven into every shoot.

If you’re doing a styled shoot we’d love to see it! Leave us a comment with the link below!

We have an amazing group of wedding planner friends that have shared some of their top tips for planning a styled shoot:

“Create a timeline for a style shoot just as you would for a wedding day. The timeline keeps you guided, on point and on time. This also keeps your focus and helps all the participating vendors. It will show your professionalism. As you are creating your timeline it will also help you realize exactly what you need vs just putting it together and realizing you could have done more” – Athena, Coalesce Creations

“Shot lists per vignette and per vendor if possible, especially for the vendors not on site that day (paper, jewelry, etc)” – Sid, Ruby Refined Events

“Search for other wedding professionals who are at the same stage as you. If you’re a novice wedding planner, reaching out to high end wedding professionals may not be the best use of your time since they may not be interested. Don’t take it personal when a wedding professional turns you down, not everyone wants or needs a styled shoot to add to their portfolio” – Maureen, Maureen C Weddings & Events

“When planning your styled shoot have an idea of which publication you intend to submit to and gear your design elements towards that publication. Each publication has a “look” so don’t just blindly submit to publications being hopeful. Be intentional and you will have more success in getting published” – Atosha, Larger Then Life Events

“The photographer is the most important piece! Without great pictures, it could be a waste of time and funds! Make sure you do your research and get a great photographer that can take pictures in any element, and take many different styles! ” – Sabrina, Enchanted Vizions

“Just had this conversation with a new Photographer please understand that you can not have your watermark on your photos. You have to trust and believe that everyone you work with will give you credit. Trust the team” – Lorna, It’s Your Day Service

“It’s just about as much work as a wedding — don’t underestimate the time commitment!” – Kelly, Kelly Dellinger Events