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This was my first lone fashion shoot. I had taken fashion workshops and classes where an instructor and other students were there to assure my ideas and thoughts as well as lend a hand to make sure everything attempted was successful. In this instance I was working with an agency for the first time and I had only met my model, makeup artist and hair stylist that morning when I came in.

Having been blessed with a model that is open to being creative and feels comfortable with you and the rest of the team is the only was to getting great shots.

Models who are timid or unfamiliar with you or your work will be less willing to try different ideas and the way they are feeling comes through in the photos loud and clear.

When doing a shoot I always start with a self check. Am I ready? Do I know what I want to achieve? Is my equipment ready? Do I know where I want the shoot to go? If you are unsure of what you want, or are doing, then the rest of the team who look to you for direction will also be very unsure of what they are doing. This leads to confusion and a loss of time and money, not to mention bad work.

I try and get the team together before the shoot or at least in one place at the start of the shooting day. The best time is while the model is in the chair getting ready for hair and makeup. I like to discuss the shoot and know my team’s ideas and input as well as what they want to achieve with the shoot.

In the case of this photo – the model was trying to get some creative shots for her portfolio and the makeup artist was trying to expand the types of looks she had already in her book. The model was very outgoing and open to trying different locations, poses and even was happy to play with creative wardrobe, since there was no stylist on board that day.

I usually also like to carry different props and accessories with me on all my shoots. Lots of shots can go from ordinary to amazing with the help of a fan, a hat or other items. I also bring things such as plastic fruit, ribbons, hair bows, clips pins, rub on tattoos, anything to make a shot extraordinary. Always try to push the envelope a bit. You always want your work to stand out from the crowd, not blend right in. I like to check and see what other photographers are doing; I then go as far away from it as I can.

This shot was taken in a small meeting room that had a tan painted wall. I turn out all the lights and used one medium soft box with a modeling light. I turn on my fan and just let the model do the movements she felt comfortable with.

The makeup we chose was very fresh and dewy using soft tones with lots of shimmer on her arms and body. Her hair was left long and loose to work with fan.

The model was not afraid to move and tried different things like jumping, hopping laughing, using her arms and legs, bending over and using her head and neck to make different angles for the camera.

Sometime models tend to get caught up in only use their eyes with the camera. They try to hard to connect with the photographer and the shots become boring. A models film should have a huge variety of movement and angels and a yes there will be some really bad shots hopefully mixed in with some really good ones.

This shoot was one of my most successful yet as another shot taken an hour after this one also landed me my second cover with another one of the shots used on a full page inside the magazine.

Teamwork, feeling confident and being creative are the most important keys to getting a good shot.

About The Author

Trish Connolly has been taking photos for over ten years. Working mostly with nature and freelance work, she moved over into portraits and children. With a special gift and the never ending help and support of her father Bob, Trish now has two photo studios operating and is now working in the fashion industry as well as teaching local modeling courses. She has also trained for the past two years at Focal Point Photography, in Vancouver Canada. Visit her website at KatwalkPhotography.com