Show, Don't Tell & 9 Other Photoshoot Tips for Photographers

Today I'm sharing quick and easy photoshoot tips! Bear these ten tips in mind for your next shoot with a model...

1. Test the water with test shots. Always begin a shoot by letting your model know that you're taking a few test shots. Go ahead and start snapping a few photos with your chosen camera settings and seeing how they come out. Look at the photos you just took. How are they exposed? Does it look good? Take this time to tweak the settings.

2. Communicate. If you’re taking test photos, let the model know. When you’re going to start taking ‘proper’ photos, let them know that too. It’s all about communication, this way your model will feel comfortable with the shoot.

3. Show, don't tell. Don’t just vaguely say to the model what you’d like them to do, or expect them to know exactly how to move in front of the camera. Do the pose yourself so they have a visual guide. Alternatively, show them an example of the pose on your phone.

4. Share while you're there. Throughout the shoot, show the model the photos that you’re taking. Once you've taken a few photos in that location or in a certain pose, turn around the camera and show the model the display. This way they can see how their looking and they themselves might have ideas on how to pose differently show their ‘better’ side.

5. Let your model lean. This is a fancy way of saying, encourage your model to interact with the location. Ask your model to lean on walls, hang off lampposts, sit on the curb-side… A street style photoshoot is not just about like a model standing still and posing. It's about interacting with the environment to get interesting and dynamic images. It will also loosened up the model.

6. Add a prop. It’ll add little bit of interest to the photos, as well as giving your model something to do with their hands.

7. Get moving. With a faster shutter speed, say 1/1000th of a second, you can freeze the movement in time. So try shooting at a fast shutter speed and ask your model to walk, run, jump, twirl… whatever! Alternatively, try a slow shutter speed, this will introduce motion blur which can be an interesting effect.

8. Overshoot. Film photographer's will gasp at this tip, but if you're shooting digital you might as well make sure you have every kind of photo you could possibly want. Make sure you have a closeup, a mid shot, a full length shot of the whole outfit, and perhaps detail shots. Try different angles, try different areas around the location. As much as you can in the time that you have.

9. Stop, check, repeat. Throughout the shoot, double check the photos you've been taking. It might seem obvious now, but when you get carried away in snapping the photos while focusing on the model and poses, you can miss the fact that the lighting conditions have changed. By checking the photos you’re taking every now and then, you’ll be able to spot any changes in the exposure and correct for them.

10. Time is money, so don't overspend. Don't take up too much of the model’s time. Try to keep it under 1 hour per look or location. Don’t spend hours and hours trying to get the perfect shot, you’re just wasting both the model’s time, and your own.

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There you have it 10 tips for your next photoshoot! For more tips, check out my course (with a 14-day free trial of Skillshare): How to do a Street Style Photoshoot: Finding a Model, Location Scouting, Styling & the Shoot Day.

Follow me and my photography journey on @shotbyclairep.