One of our fav. photogs is back to tell us all about her themed sessions: Sarah-Beth Photography. Read on to learn about how Sarah does her amazing sessions!
How did you start doing themed sessions? Back in October 2011, I had the idea to do a themed session for fun. Just for me, to stretch my creativity, and to do something different than the family sessions I had been cramming in all month. I decided on a “good witch, bad witch” theme, a spinoff of The Wizard of Oz. My good friend Ashley collaborated with me frequently on shoots, providing hair and makeup for boudoir shoots, so I asked her if she’d be interested in helping me with this shoot. She had the rad idea to find a model who would agree to dying her hair dark for the “bad witch” part of our shoot. To make a long story short, the concept was perfectly executed, we had an awesome model (who remains a client of mine even now!), and the high I got from that creative process was enough for me to start diving into themed or styled sessions for all of my clients.
Do you have the props or do the clients bring them? Both. My clients sometimes come to me with theme ideas, and we’ll work together to gather everything we need for the shoots. I’m lucky enough to have some really amazing and talented clients who are able to bring absolutely insanely awesome things to the table, so it’s easy for us to feed off of each other to create the look we’re going for.
If you get them, where do you find yourself getting the props? Just about anywhere and everywhere! From antique stores to borrowing items from friends, family or peers, to scouring online boutiques, ebay hunting, and going through my own things to see if I have something that will work. I make it a point to not spend crazy amounts of money on each styled session, because it would be counterproductive. So, I try to be as frugal as possible, finding gems anywhere I can. I also keep my eyes peeled for online sales of things I may not necessarily need now, but know I could use in the future. I’ll purchase them and set them back until the perfect opportunity arises.
How long does the session last? As long as it needs to. None of my sessions are time limited (with the exception of mini shoots, which I offer 1-2 times a year). I want the process to be as organic as possible, so we just go until I feel we’ve gotten everything we need. Usually I’d say 1-2 hours. The “good witch/bad witch” shoot was a full day thing, however. We shot the good witch part at sunrise, spent the afternoon creating the transformation, then raced back to the location for the bad witch part of the shoot at dusk.
Do you do them year round or only sporadic times? It all depends on what my client is wanting. I don’t have a ton of time to do styled shoots just for me anymore, so currently I’m offering styled shoots to clients all year round, and I continue to create concepts for my small group mentoring sessions that I offer 2-3 times a year.
Do you market them differently than your regular sessions? I don’t market them a ton, actually. But this year I’ve received a huge surge in clients inquiring about styled shoots, which is super exciting. I have a price list offered on my blog of styled shoots, the concept is outlined in my sbp welcome packet I send to booked clients, and I make sure to have a special “styled shoot” category on my blog for anyone to peruse at their leisure. Styled shoots are still pretty uncommon. I’m seeing a ton of photographers now offering styled mini sessions, but complete unique styled shoots for individual clients is less common. I’d also say that showing off the images on facebook has been a great marketing tool as well.
Do you find an increase in clients asking for this type of work? Yes! Especially this year! It’s so exciting. I have currently four styled shoots my assistant and I are planning for clients for this year, and a few more clients who have shown interest. I’d say that last year I had only one or two requests for a styled shoot, so this year is showing a much bigger interest so far.
Do the clients come up with the themes or do you? It’s a collaboration. I tell my clients all the time that my creativity is nothing compared to their vision. I want them to have a huge input on what we do, because after all, the shoot isn’t about me at all. I’m just the one to capture it. I send out questionnaires, we will do private pinterest boards, go shopping together, have several meetings to discuss the plan, and email back and forth incessantly. I don’t do anything without their okay first. It’s very important to me for it to be exactly what they want. If I have a client that wants a styled shoot, but they’re not quite sure what kind, I’ll then throw out some ideas on location and wardrobe to get a feel for what they’re thinking. I’ll sometimes ask them to provide me with a favorite book or movie or even a favorite shoot of mine to begin building a plan. Usually from there, we’re able to come up with a concept together.
How do you pick locations to go with the style you’re looking for? Oh, location hunting is huge! I’m constantly scouting out new spots to shoot. I ask friends and family if they know anyone with land or a specific location I’m looking for. I drive around, seeking out certain light at certain places at certain times.
How far in advance do you plan these types of shoots? I prefer at least three months of planning. Just because life is busy for me outside of the photography world, so planning last minute can be pretty stressful!
Do you just do these sessions with kids or with other types of portrait work? I do them for anyone and everyone! That’s the fun in it. Of course, I absolutely love photographing children, and there’s something magical about styled shoots for just the kiddos, but styled shoots for families or individuals is just as fun! I’m currently working on a concept for a client of mine that is something unlike anything I’ve ever done before. It’s exciting to think outside the box and collaborate for a fun unique shoot.
Sarah-Beth Photography | Facebook| Mentoring
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