Impromptu shooting: what you may want to know!
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Lissa Lew Editorial style shoot: the last drops of summer, a photo by fhfotos on Flickr.
The one thing about an Impromptu shoot is that you never know what you are gonna get. That morning I woke up all kinds of inspired as I looked thru dozens of images from a variety of places. I imagined the weather, the locations, but it can be difficult to get them to be exactly how you planned it. For me I’m used to having my plans changed on me, and having to completely adjust and rearrange my own plans. Flexibility, punctuality, and creativity are key for becoming a photographer. You gotta be willing to work with people, bounce ideas off them and be there when you say you will. It’s shoots like these that for me are the most stress free. I usually have a fairly graceful time period and I don’t have the stress of a client telling me what I need to get and how fast I need to edit it.
This shoot I actually went a bit more editorial/lifestyle. I wanted to have more playful images, but then have that edgier editorial look in some of them for my personal portfolio. Melissa is always a great sport, and easy to work with and direct. For many photographers it can become difficult to direct models, especially if they are newer. I would suggest working with a model that has more experience first so you can get an idea of good modeling and know what to look for before you just attempt to photograph someone with a pretty face. It would surprise you how many people get uncomfortable and rigid in front of a camera if they aren’t used to being someone’s “muse.”
So just a few pointers and recap: visualize what you want your shoot to look like. This will give you a better way to direct your model, and have a game plan coming into the shoot. Get creative! Forcing yourself to try new things will probably push your model and skills to another level. Sure you will probably mess up and take a handful of “junk” images but not every one of my images turn out the way I want them to either. Have fun! If you are fun and having fun your subject can feed off that. What you put into a shoot you tend to get out of it so give it 200%, make some mistakes, and have fun!
