Top 8 Tips for Preparing for a Fashion Shoot in Dallas
Fashion photography in Dallas is an exciting world as it involves gorgeous clothes and aesthetic accessories. However, the fiercely competitive process may overwhelm you as a client. That's why we're giving first-hand tips for preparing for a fashion shoot in Dallas and help you work with the production team.
Top 8 Tips for Preparing for a Fashion Shoot in Dallas
The process of preparing a fashion shoot in Dallas can be a whirlwind. Yet, even clients can plan for it by developing a concept, scouting the ideal place to shoot, and coordinating with a team of professionals. You also need to set a timeframe for casting and post-production.
While every photoshoot is different, these are the general ways for clients to prepare and have a successful fashion shoot.
1. Develop a Concept for the Shoot
It's essential that clients provide a general concept for the shoot, as it serves as a guide for the whole team on how to organize and accomplish the fashion shoot. Building an idea usually comes from answering the following questions.
Do you need an indoor or outdoor location?
How many images?
What kind of setup reflects your brand's message?
What are your pegs, poses, and backgrounds?
What kind of shots do you need?
What's your inspiration for hair and makeup?
Where will you get the clothes and accessories?
I ask my clients, what kind of shoot do you want to achieve? What are your visions? It's in these details that help ensure everything is in order for the shoot.
2. Scout Locations
Clients can also prepare for a shoot by scouting the right location according to the look and feel of the fashion photos they want. The place influences what time of the day you can shoot to achieve the best lighting.
Dallas offers several locations for a fashion shoot, including massive parks, colorful streets, industrial buildings, and Western fields. Ideally, pick a single location so that the team won't have to haul loads of equipment or have a convoy of cars traveling from one place to another.
This part can be time-consuming, so if you need help, our team has location companies and partners that can recommend the best places to hold a fashion shoot in Dallas.
3. Create a Shot List
Another way to prepare for a fashion shoot is to create a shot list, which details exactly how you want photos to look. Clients can work together with the photographer and stylist in determining the correct poses and number of images.
A shot list is crucial in doing a fashion shoot in Dallas because it dictates how many days the shoot will last. It also helps you choose suitable models, outfits, lighting, and set design.
There are times when a lookbook shoot can only finish 10 shots a day, depending on the complexity of the theme and the distance of locations. Lifestyle shoots may take more time, and high-end fashion even longer.
4. Build Your Creative Team
The creative team serves as the backbone of a fashion shoot, and each department has a specialty and vital role to play in the production.
It's understandable if you want your creative friends or family members to be part of the team. However, it would be best to hire professional photographers, art directors, wardrobe stylists, hair and makeup artists, and set designers.
With years of experience in fashion photography in Dallas, we count on a network of creative professionals you can collaborate with, ensuring top-notch quality for your shoot.
5. Cast Professional Models
There are several agencies in Dallas where clients can hire models that would suit any budget. Hold the casting call at least 2 weeks before the fashion shoot so that you have enough time to go over catalogs of available models.
Make sure to identify the talent specs, including sex, age range, height, and face profile. Our team can also help you with either live or online casting. Likewise, agencies can send model comp-cards with at least 5 pictures showing a model in a variety of shoots.
6. Bring Food on the Set
Dallas often has a humid, hot climate. With a typical 10-hour shoot for fashion photography, you'll need everyone on the set to have high levels of energy to function and work at their best.
Depending on your schedule, you can hire a caterer for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Catering is essential, especially if your models have dietary restrictions. Additionally, have a table where the production team can grab snacks and water.
7. Set a Timeframe for Post-Production
Even after the actual fashion shoot, the production team still needs to post-process the images. The timeframe may depend on the complexity of editing, so consider adding at least another week to your schedule for editing and revisions.
About 22% of consumers return products because the items look different from the images. This is why it's important for clients to work with an editor who can improve the highlights, textures, and colors of the fashion photos while keeping the models and overall mood appear as natural as possible.
While you may request and pay for the RAW files to be edited independently, it would be better to let professional Dallas photo editors do the retouching. In this way, the filters and extensiveness of editing stay true to the agreed theme.
8. Determine Your Output Requirements
Visual content gets 94% more views than text-only content, which is why you need to carefully craft the purpose of your images to attract consumer's attention.
It can be confusing when clients aren't clear about the end-use of the fashion photos. For example, is it for your brand's magazine ads or social media posts? Do you need various sizes for packaging, direct mail, brochures, e-commerce websites, or billboards?
I recommend finalizing the necessary file size, format, and layout before the shoot, so I can determine how to best angle and crop shots to make them appropriate for your materials.
Final Thoughts
With these tips, clients can prepare for a fashion shoot in Dallas and save time, resources, and effort in the process. For a more in-depth guide on what to do, our team has a 21-question guide to pinpoint what you need to prepare for a fashion photoshoot.