Social media PR Photoshoot

7 Building Blocks of Photography 2

Despite being a country boy, I love shooting around town because for me it’s different. All those buildings and pools of light between them are delicious. All you gotta do is see them and know how to use them…

So Who Are We Shooting For?

Ewelina is a social media marketeer so the images have to reflect that kind of lifestyle. It’s out there and revolves around a smart phone so that has to feature heavily. (Personally I think it’s amazing to be paid to post selfies of yourself doing cool stuff to followers)

The people who follow Ewelina need to relate to her and see something of her personality in the photos, so the photographer has to capture that. Luckily, Ewelina and I have known each other for years so in this case it was easy. Even though I sounded a bit bossy in the video!

Directing Your Subject:

Don’t forget the person you’re shooting cannot see what you see through the viewfinder and have no idea what photo you’re taking. It’ll sometimes seem strange to them that you want them to face the other way or stand in what to them, seems an unlikely place.

Camera Angles:

Remember, you’re shooting for her audience - not yours! So find out who they are and make the shots appealing to that demographic. In Ewelina’s case that’s going to be younger, social media savvy people so a few tilts and angles are good. We’re talking stand out from the crowd so having people in shot for her to stand out against is good. Where to stand and when to click...

Ewelina-Bournemouth

She’s Bournemouth based so include shots that are recognisable, like the bus.

Light:

Find and use light. Towns and cities are perfect for this because of all the wonderful pools of it I mentioned just now. At Ben & Jerry’s we had great quality light under that overhang. It’s soft, directional and because of the exposure difference between highlight and shade, there’s separation form the background too.

Ewelina-Bournemouth-Red

(We also have colour matching with the blacks and reds which make it even better.)

Remember, non photographers usually think shooting in the sunshine is best so your direction is important. Make sure they trust your judgement.

Location and Environments:

Remember this is about her audience. It’s about standing out from the crowd which is why i included numerous shots with people in them so Ewelina stands out. You can do this with depth of field, light, clothes…

Ewelina-Bournemouth-Blue

A photographer has to see an opportunity and know their camera controls intimately enough to exploit it quickly before it’s gone. The ability to shoot a ‘correct’ exposure in manual mode is only the beginning.  What is correct? Cameras won’t always tell you the correct exposure because it doesn’t know what you want. It’ll tell you what it believes is the best place to begin.

There’s Lots to Think About:

As you can see, there’s loads of stuff to be in control of, so take plenty of shots. By that I mean considered shots - not spraying and praying there’ll be a good one. With so much on your mind it’s easy to miss something that can ruin an otherwise great image. I completely missed the bottle of cleaning spray behind Ewelina at Urban Reef for the first few shots and I’ve been doing fast moving PR photoshoots for years.

Photographers have to be able to think quick, know what to do and sometimes improvise. Even Landscape photography which appears to have plenty of time can catch you out. What about that fleeting moment when the shaft of light breaks through the clouds for just a couple of seconds to highlight a lone tree on a hill?

If you haven’t looked around you, thought the possibilities through and know how to act, you’ll miss it. If you are already good with your camera, what it does and how to use the controls, do yourself a favour and learn how to think these things through so you don’t miss it. If you’ve not done so already, get yourself on my 7 Building Blocks Of Photography course now…

Best wishes...

mike signature clear

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