1 WEEK BEFORE:

1. Clarify roles. Of course creative input is welcome — during the planning stage. By the time you get to the shoot, that creative vision is finalized and key people are charged with executing it. Everyone should know who the lead is on the shoot, who’s in charge of what, and what the decision-making hierarchy is.

2. Practice. Don’t wait till the day of the shoot to try things. Like in sports, there’s no practicing in the game. You practice and prepare before game time. If you go over your booked studio time, you’re paying for over-time, so it’s critical to have a solid plan going in.

3. Compile contact info. Make a list of cell phone numbers for everyone scheduled to work on the shoot and distribute to everyone involved.

4. Confirm all parties and call times. If anyone’s not confirmed, move to a back-up.

3-4 DAYS BEFORE:

1. Color hair. You’ll need your models to come in for this.

THE DAY OF THE SHOOT:

1.  Start on time. Make the models’ call time three hours prior to the shoot start, and the creative team’s call time four hours prior. This will ensure that models are in place to take the first photo the minute the photographer wants to begin. Don’t get the shoot started off on the wrong foot by making the photographer wait or creating an unnecessary rush in hair and makeup.

2. Be meticulous. 85-95% of your shot should be delivered in the actual shoot with minimal stray hairs, frizz, etc. needing to be re-touched after. Pay attention to how every shot is looking on screen and fix things as you work. The more you need to re-touch, the more the shoot will cost you. Attention to detail on set can save you a lot of money in re-touching.

3. Be a good host. Have water, coffee, and light snacks laid out (with straws to keep models’ lipstick intact). If it’s an all-day shoot, provide a lunch. Keep upbeat music playing that creates excitement and pumps up energy. If models are hungry, thirsty, bored, or tired, it’ll come out in the photos.

4. Be nice to the talent. Once the shoot begins, the model’s mood is key. If she’s unhappy, it can sink the shoot.

5. Post your selects:  As you’re shooting and “get” your shots, stick your top 1-2 on a wall so you can reference them as you continue to shoot. This is the story you’re building.

AFTER THE SHOOT:

1. Choose your pics. Put your final selects on the wall and spend no more than a week finalizing the story. When going back through all of your shots, always go with your gut. If you overthink it, you’ll never get anywhere. Choose, and send them for re-touching.

2. Give credit. Compile the names (correctly spelled) and the role of every person who worked on the shoot, as well as the names of designers or shops who loaned the wardrobe and the proper name of the location where you shot. Send this out whenever sending your photos for use.

3. Submit. If you’re submitting your images to publications for editorial consideration, find out what format they want their images in, the resolution the images need to be, and the proper avenues for submission. Remember to send them with your credits doc. If you submit incorrectly or incompletely, many publications will not bother to contact you and tell you so — you’ll just never hear back from them and you won’t know why. Who knows where your next shoot will take you?