Over the past few years of blogging, a lot has changed. For one, I went through a complete rebrand. For two, I went from being scared to post outfit photos featuring myself, to sharing some with you weekly. And not only have I conquered that fear (for the most part), I have come to enjoy the process of creating style content and planning for a blog photoshoot. I love sharing content, especially revolved around fashion, and hope to keep improving as I learn more and more every day.
Since I’ve come to a point where I feel pretty good about my blog photoshoot process, I thought it’d be fun to give you a little behind the scenes look at how I plan for a blog photoshoot. I wish it was as easy as getting dressed & having the photos turn out flawlessly, but a lot more goes into it than you’d imagine.
Put it on the calendar
First stop, the trusty editorial calendar. This is something new for me as of early 2018 and it has absolutely changed the game. I’m so much more organized, content ideas happen more fluidly and my stress level has come down a notch. So, even though my life-saving calendar isn’t directly part of the blog photoshoot, I consider it the first step. If it’s not on my editorial calendar, it’s just not going to happen.
Decide on final concepts
A little over a month in advance, I’m penciling in ideas. I come up with broad topics I want to focus on and research fashion trends I’m loving to decide which ones I want to share. How do I do this? I’m constantly reading articles from sources such as Who What Wear, keeping up with other bloggers and then laying out any collaborations or campaigns I have happening that month. Holidays, travel or big events happening during the month affect my content most. The reason I don’t plan too far in advance is so my content feels relevant. There are times I’m working far in advance, scheduling months out, but I always try to keep my writing more in the moment.
Onto the fun part
Once I have the content mostly ironed out, I begin shopping and styling. I’ve been trying to keep shopping to a minimum, pairing maybe one new piece with items already in my closet. I’m sure it appears I have all kinds of clothes, but the truth is, I rotate very frequently. I sell on Poshmark, I donate really old things and I use ThredUp. Even before I had the blog I did this, but my process has definitely become more consistent. My purchases may be a little more frequent now to keep up with content (on a budget), but I’ve also developed better skills for keeping a current, but not overflowing inventory of clothing.
This is definitely the most time-consuming part. I’m really picky when it comes to clothes & I shop, shop, shop until I find exactly the right piece. But, once I find it, the styling begins and that’s the most fun. Our spare bedroom has been designated as a “dressing room” of sorts, so on any given day you’ll see outfits spread across the room ready to be shot. I try everything on before a shoot – from the jacket to the earrings to the shoes – & make sure it all works.
Location, location, location
I’ll be honest, I struggle with this part. I’ve switched it up a lot and my brand has grown and changed a lot, too. My favorite place to shoot is downtown Des Moines because I favor urban shots over rural. The outfit is always taken into consideration – we don’t want a messy photograph and I always want you to be able to see the outfit clearly. And to be honest, it’s sometimes trial and error. My photographer & I can be found wandering the streets before finally settling on a spot. Obviously, when traveling, this changes & the rare chance I’m shooting at home, it’s more reliant on lighting (hence my recipe photos in the same spot all the time). Once the photos are taken, it’s time to edit and prepare them for a post. Then boom, the post goes live!
I could go on and on about the blog photoshoot “process” I’ve been designing over the course of this past year and hope you enjoy these behind the scenes tidbits. I love answering reader questions (exactly where the idea for this post came from) so I encourage you to leave any in the comments!
If you’re a fellow blogger, do you have a certain process you follow?
xoxo. B
