Hours of Preparation – Shoot

There are many aspects of a fashion photographer‘s life that might sound unusual to many, but I as a professional fashion photographer have grown so used to them, that it feels odd if these incidents don’t occur from time to time.

One of a similar event is when we take long hour of preparation for a single photo shoot, and it is over in just a few minutes. These events still amuse me, that I would have to wait and walk around for hours making sure each and every aspect, that would be included in the shoot will be perfect. However, when my actual job starts; which is to pick up my camera and take shorts – time seems to pass like just a few minutes. Funnily, at times it only takes a few minutes to get the perfect images I had envisioned.

My job would not be so easy if these aspects were not well taken care of.

There are so many aspects that go into building a perfect photo shoot, and that many of them cannot even be guessed by the best of us. Because when I say “long hours of preparation”, it does not mean it takes me long hours to set up my equipment. It might depend on the shoot, but I have a team of well experienced professionals that can pull it all together in a short time.

However, the need for hours of preparation goes into the model getting ready, hair, makeup, perfect dress, etc. These are the time consuming steps, but then again, these are the crucial steps. These are the steps that you need to get right, if you want to ensure that you are getting quality images.

There are times when you have the perfect shots in mind, but a few single technical details prohibit you from taking shots you know will be outstanding. These are the creative differences between me (the fashion photographer), the designer, makeup artist, hair artist. As there are so many creative heads involved; the ideal solution is to have a good meeting and discuss these ideas before the shoot.

It is such a simple, yet effective step; and unfortunately many professional photographers fail to take initiative on such matter. If you would just take out time to get on the same page, I am sure it would change the end results greatly.

I have been asked by many, that why do I arrive so early, when my services are only required at the end. I usually just smile, but today I felt the need to share my side of the story. The thing is, my “services” might only be required at the end, but I love being part of the process. It is the process that ensures great end results, the hours of preparation that goes into a single shoot. My job would not be so easy if these aspects were not well taken care of. This way I have the ability to make changes, and throw in my opinion when it matters. Being a fashion photographer is not just about being there at the time of the shoot, it involves a level of dedication towards the profession itself.