STYLED SHOOTS

I have been very fortunate to create wonderful relationships with local vendors through styled shoots. Some of the vendors from shoots have become clients themselves, inquiring about client gifts, logo designs, or hand-scripted thank you notes. Through these opportunities, I learned a lot about myself as a letterer and designer, going outside of my comfort zones for creative exploration.

I truly believe that styled shoots allow creative vendors the opportunity to experiment in their craft, and create inspirational pieces for our future clients…while doing it together. There is a wonderful honor when a fellow creative reaches out to fulfill a vision, with etiquette that is focused on mutual respect. 

RELATIONSHIP

If you're getting ready to ask someone to contribute something to your planned shoot, consider your relationship with them. This vendor should be someone you would recommend to your clients. A styled shoot, after all, is a chance to network and build community. A one-time request to gather volunteered materials without any future contact is not how you build a network and community.

NOTICE

When requesting items like an invitation suite, welcome sign, hand lettered mirrors (or anything that takes time to create), providing less than two weeks notice is not courteous. This needed time allows the hand letterer (or other vendor) time to come up with an original design, materials, and budget for the shoot. It allows enough time to work on items for the shoot that doesn't require paid work be pushed aside to make room for a volunteered project. Also, be aware that while some vendors can provide the items, they may not be able to attend the shoot. The requesting vendor will need to allow enough time to prepare the item and orchestrate a time to pick up or drop off the items prior to the shoot.

Give very specific details - Date, time, location, vendors involved, requested items from the vendor, and if they will bring the items to the shoot, or schedule a pick up/drop off beforehand.

Quality time = quality product

RESPECT

Be mindful of what and how many items you're asking for. Each vendor involved in the shoot is the professional in their field and are aware of the logistics involved with providing those items. Consider that your vendors will have high costs and labor involved. For example, requesting a hand letterer to prepare large signage ($100+) and an original invitation suite in a limited color ($300+), florals from a florist ($500+) is a considerable investment. A photographer may not invest any money, but the are supplying their time. Every vendor’s monetary contribution might not be as high, but you want them to be a part of the shoot based on their skill. The outcome of the shoot is not only relative to their business, but the outcome created from each person’s creative skill set.

In the event that something goes wrong, like a wind-storm that makes photographing the veil too difficult, or an outdoor shoot gets caught in a rain squall and makes the paper impossible to photograph, or an overexposed roll of film makes every image difficult to use - it is so important to be honest about what happened.

These types of requests take a lot of time and money to fulfill and usually larger quantities of items are reserved for paying clients. If you're asking for more than one or two large items, or asking for more than five items in total - you should be reimbursing the person you are asking. 

DELIVER

There is nothing worse than sending off some lovingly created pieces, waiting to see what beauty is created, and then getting the image gallery back only to discover your work wasn't photographed, or only a few of your creations were captured. A styled shoot comes with the promise that your work will be captured by a professional so that you will receive marketing photos, gain exposure to clients and publications, and bolster your portfolio. If you send out goods to someone who has promised this, they need to deliver on that promise. There should be equal attention and care paid to all contributed items.

COMPENSATE

These types of requests take a lot of time and money to fulfill and usually larger quantities of items are reserved for paying clients. If you're asking for more than one or two large items, or asking for more than five items in total - you should be reimbursing the person you are asking. 

If you're hosting a workshop, doing a shoot for your own branding purposes, or working with a client in a paid one-on-one arrangement, anything that you ask people to contribute to said shoot needs to be compensated. Attendees of your workshop are paying you for your time, materials costs, and expertise. You in turn need to compensate those who are providing those materials to you. I have no other way to phrase this but that it is very rude to expect someone to donate time to something you are directly profiting from. This is akin to you being paid to cook someone dinner but asking a grocery store to contribute all of the ingredients for free (all while promising you'll mention them at the dinner party).

CREDIT

AVAILABILITY

INQUIRY REQUEST

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