CJ Johnson, the Executive Director of Fashion Benefiting Youth Artists, walks us through the stages of setting up a photo shoot. Here’s their Secret Garden story:
When I first had the brainchild of an intern-produced monthly photo shoot, the people I initially shared this idea with just nodded their heads and said “Hmmm” with a smile and quickly moved onto the next subject, or asked,“Well, where are you going to post these pics?,” in a very “duh” manner. However, I knew that it would be a viable idea and give young creatives the opportunity to perfect their craft. If anything, we’d just post it on our blog. Heck, that’s publishing isn’t it?
Here’s how everything was put together:
Early September 2009: Post on our website that we are seeking a Fashion Editor Intern, responsible for creating and executing a monthly photo shoot for organization’s blog.
Late September 2009: Haley Githens is selected to be our Fashion Editor Intern. She comes to her interview with a story board that painted a vivid picture of her ideal photo shoot and the aesthetic. I was stoked and equally impressed!
Late September 2009: Begin marketing a model casting call.
Late September 2009: Began pitching this endeavor to local boutiques to agree for them to loan clothes from the shoot. We got many “Are you nuts?” facial expressions, fake smiles, and “Who are you again?” responses.
October 10, 2009: Casting Call held at my dear friend’s vintage boutique, Parkerhawn Vintage. The casting call was attended by Haley, our marketing interns, and student make-up artist. We had over 15 real models attend and we were only looking for two! After the casting call, Haley selected her top three.
October 13, 2009: Selected models were notified. They were thrilled, to say the least!
Mid October 2009: Began mini-marketing campaign to announce the upcoming “The Secret Garden” intern produced photo shoot on Facebook, Twitter, and in our monthly newsletter.
Mid October 2009: After more explanation, several gracious boutiques agreed to provide clothes on loan for the shoot!
Mid October 2009: I visited and scouted a wonderful area of our local nature park for the site. An awesome photographer agrees to shoot “The Secret Garden” for free!
October 22, 2009: Starting early, I drove all over town to pick up the loaned apparel from participating boutiques. Then Haley, the models, our student make-up artist, myself, and my PR firm’s staff met at Parkerhawn Vintage for a styling session to curate the “looks” for the models and do fittings.
That experience was thrilling and complete mayhem! We were not as organized as we thought we were. We found that when you are styling three models and have so much to choose from, it can be really time consuming. We only had an hour and a half for this session. Talk about a time crunch!
October 24, 2009: I am making mad dashes and looking through my mother’s garage for props we can use for the shoot.
October 25, 2009: Shoot Day! Models and their wonderful mothers and our crew assemble to make this a reality.
We were a little more organized and had an intern or staff member responsible for each different model. The models had to change outside; their only privacy was held-up blankets! Haley dressed/styled each model for her first look, then the model sat for her hair and make-up, then she shot her set with the photographer, and that was our rotation for three sets for each model.
Post production was tough! The photographer took over 840 shots, so it took a while to clean up the photos and for Haley to select our top 20!
So, to anyone looking to organize their own photo shoot (which you should), here’s my advice: Be prepared, have alternatives, be organized, have fun, and most importantly, believe in your vision!
Overheard