Pixiq

When most people see an advertising image they seldom think about what goes into making the images or the amount of work that is required to make these images come to life.  

My recent Farmers Insurance ad has just released and I am very happy with the image but it tells very little about the work that goes into making it.  The first thing young photographers are surprised to learn when shooting advertising assignments is the amount of work that goes into pre-production.  Every detail is carefully organized, and for every element you see in the final ad there is an assortment of options available to switch things around if needed.  Notice the three chairs options, various globes and books.  

The wardrobe is very important and carefully selected for each shoot, so the wardrobe stylist brings a variety of options to select from.  Everything that can be done to ensure a successful shoot must be thought of and researched. The wardrobe stylist will sometimes spend weeks, when possible, putting together the assortment of garments, accesories and props for a shoot.  

The questions I am asked most when speaking to up-and-coming photographers, or photo students, tend to revolve around the technical aspects of the shoot. Which camera, lens, lighting, etc. are used for the shoot, but this is the least important element really.  Once you are proficient as a professional photographer those elements are as natural as brushing your teeth.  The hardest part of doing large-scale jobs of any type is pre-production.  Pre-production involved everything you need to produce or create the photo.  This includes everything from having the right food to having the right music, studio space, team, etc.  The small details are sometime the most important.  Car service pick-ups, airport pick-up and drop off of clients.  Parking, internet availability, ipads available for clients and phone lines are all elements that should be taken into consideration when working to produce advertising assignments.  The little things can make or break a shoot so look for a great producer for every job.  Once you have a strong producer your life will be much easier.  A great place to search for producers is Lebook.com.  There are other sources to find great talent but I love Le Book and have used them for years.

 For more information on how to produce a photo shoot check out my three days seminar on fashion and beauty offered from CreativeLive.  This three day workshop gives you a very good idea of what it's like to be on a shoot by taking you through the process of an actually shoot.  You get to see a shoot happen from concept to lighting set up, hair and makeup discussions before shooting the models, direction of the team and learning how to work with storyboards for clarity on the shoot.  This shoot is based on a fashion and beauty magazine story, but what you learn from this video workshop is valuable for photographers in all fields.

It's difficult to know where to find the best information regarding photography but you don't have to take my word.  Just read any of the 65 reviews from people all over the world who watched the  CreativeLive Workshop online.  For those who are interested, the tech information is included and you get the benefit of having questions asked from photographers around the world.

Always Dream Big!