Planning a Photo-shoot.

Theme: Advertising jewelry and accessories

We see advertisements for jewelry and accessories many times everyday, whether it be in a magazine, on the television or in the news paper, it is one of the largest and most popular forms of advertising. It is also very versatile in terms of where shoots can take place, they can take place on location pretty much anywhere but can also be shot in a studio.

Location of the photo-shoot

The location of the shoot will be in a studio with the use of lights and a backdrop, it is more practical to shoot jewelry in a place like a studio as there will be no outside distractions which you may get in an outdoor location, this way the focus will be firmly on the things being advertised.

What is required (models, costumes etc..)

Obviously, with the main aim of the photo-shoot being to advertise jewelry we would need both jewelry and models to wear the jewelry to make it an advertisement. Also, I need to make sure I have a ‘contingency plan’ in case anything goes wrong in preparation to the shoot. For example, I might need to make sure I have models on stand-by in case the model that I have planned does not show up. Also make sure I have back-up hair and make up stylists if they are needed.

Selecting and protecting equipment

When we are doing the shoot we will need to take a number of precautionary matters to ensure that the equipment that we are using is kept safe and secure at all times and is not at a risk of breaking or being damaged in any form. One way of doing this would be by using a tripod whilst taking photo’s, this takes away the risk of the camera being dropped. However, we will need to make sure that the area that the tripod is stood on is flat and that it will not be easily knocked over, we also need to make sure that the camera is securely placed in the tripod.

Legal and ethical considerations

When planning a photo-shoot a number of legal and ethical considerations need to be made. One of these considerations is to avoid any copyright infringements at all costs. Also, before the shoot I will make sure it is okay with the land owner that we shoot on their land, if for some reason they decline to allow us, I will have another location as part of my contingency plan. Also ethical considerations are just as important, with these you need take things such as religion into consideration. For example, if the shoot is advertising something such as alcohol which is banned under some religions, the model may not feel comfortable continuing to model in the shoot if it were to go against her religion.

Risk-Assessment.

In order to do our photo-shoot correctly we need to take a risk-assessment. This is to make sure that we are not taking any risks whilst we are shooting, this can vary from the location being unsafe for example if we are shooting in the woods and there is a log lying around it will not be safe as the photographer or the model may fall over the log and injure themselves, a risk assessment is compulsory before any shooting can take place.

Shooting Schedule

As we are shooting for a magazine we need to have some form of schedule in place to ensure that we meet our deadline. If we do not meet our deadline and get the pictures to the magazine on time there is a chance our photo’s will not be published or the publication of the magazine might be delayed.