Make It Happen…

Perfection. My best friend and at times my worst enemy… A concept many creatives are very familiar with, and a topic I have discussed at length in previous articles I’ve written about such as The Creative Process, Chasing Inspiration, and Mistakes to Mastery. In this article, I share with you one of my favourite photoshoots I have ever conceived and constructed, along with everything I learned from it. In the end, as frustrating as it can be to aim for perfection, there is nothing more satisfying than bringing your dreams to life. Here on The Wardrobe Blog I often share my weaknesses and my failings as a method of learning, growing, and improving my skills and creativity. Today I share with you my strengths, how they came to be and how I nurtured my passions to make them my profession.

“If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.”

— Napolean Bonaparte

Picture Perfect | The Ultimate Guide for Creators

Above: Velvet Dress & Necklace - Vintage, Flower Garland handmade for Katie Marvel.

Lesson #1. | Don’t Hide - Be Vulnerable

It may be obvious, but nothing that is worth it will come easily. This includes your skills, knowledge, and passions. The dream may seem elusive and it can take time, but in the end anything is possible with enough focused dedication. In this article I share the ultimate guide to creating your dream photoshoot for creators, bloggers, photographers, stylists and anyone passionate about beauty, fashion and style. What separates the beautiful from the bland? The unusual from the everyday? The aesthetic from the ugly? Although the spirit of aesthetic itself, is undefined and unique to each of us, there is an equation to making any vision a reality. The start of this process lies in your ability to be vulnerable, to your audience and to yourself. Beautiful imagery takes soul and passion, and is never clinical. The wilder your dream, the more satisfying it is to bring it to fruition and this can be scary! Especially if you have doubts about your skills. Fortunately, self doubt is common for nearly all creatives no matter how accomplished. The key is to utilise your own inner critic, and harness it only when it is needed. It is also essential to experiment freely without judging. Over the years I have played, practiced, and perfected my photoshoot process to refine my photoshoots into a seamless and enjoyable time, and in this article I will share with you how to do this to make your content picture perfect.

Lesson #2. | Don’t Overthink - Do Learn to Play

Playing, experimenting, and creating purely for fun is essential to the process of creating any masterpiece. Initially, there may be a lot of play for you before you move on to other steps in the process, but being brave and experimenting with ideas, tools, skills, and techniques is what will lay the groundwork for the final result. Every creator will enjoy some element of play as a part of a creation, regardless of their experience or background. Once you do this process enough however, it will become second nature and as a result, you can anticipate options in your mind with speed and ease.

Tips for how to play, in preparation for your next photoshoot can include any element of the photoshoot that you contribute to, whether it be the styling, the location, the makeup, the direction, or all of the above! Pick one main area to focus on and brainstorm as many ideas that come to mind, without judgement. At least, not yet. For example, if you know you want to create a dreamy beach shoot, but can’t decide on an exact plan use questions to help you solidify your vision. What do you define as dreamy? What does a beach shoot feel like? What colours, lighting, angles, styling will create this atmosphere? Observe and select those elements, and use trial and error to see how they can be incorporated into your process.

Lesson #3. | Don’t Give Up - Do Practice with Purpose

Practice is essential for any skill, and I have always believed that beauty is a skill not a gift. No, I did not wake up in this dreamy outfit! I envisioned it, and created it through passion and practice. The most frustrating part of practicing a new skill is beginning, but focus on being resolved, and relentless in your pursuits! When I began creating, I often felt out of my depth and I was tempted at times to give in to my ‘logical’ side, and play it safe. I was very familiar with a desire for the unachievable… As elusive as it may feel, I have learned through practice that it definitely does lead to perfect with enough opportunity. Ultimately, it is worth all the hard work and sacrifice. The key to practicing any skill is with specific purpose. This means training yourself to be aware of gaps in your skills and knowledge, and deliberately observing and selecting areas that require improvement. This can feel somewhat depressing at first, especially if you are an amateur and only beginning your journey, but everyone has to start somewhere. I had absolutely no experience with makeup artistry when I started to teach myself! It’s easy to think that you just don’t have the ‘gift’ but with a little dedication, learning and focused practice you will improve. Now I have a world of options available to me every time I shoot!

Tips for practicing with purpose for your next photoshoot, include any area that you desire to see a change in. Learn to distinguish between what matters and what can be set aside. If your goal is to do exquisite photography, but you feel the outfits are lacking then it’s important to realise this as a styling issue and not photography. If you spend endless hours attempting to adapt the way you photograph only to see the same results, then it’s time to change things up! Ask yourself key questions during and after every shoot: What am I trying to achieve with this photoshoot? What do I want people to feel when they look at it? What concept am I trying to convey or communicate? What emotions or narrative is essential to the success of this shoot? How will the various elements of the shoot convey these, through the styling, photography and direction? The more questions you can answer with clarity, the closer you will be to creating your vision.

Lesson #4. | Don’t Criticise - Do Perfect and Refine

Perfecting your work isn’t about finding flaws. Perfecting is about refining the best of what you have created, simplifying, cutting back, losing unnecessary elements that don’t contribute to the end goal.

Tips for perfecting your photoshoots include writing a list of your goals, and reflecting on each experience. Anticipate problems by creating a Pinterest board or mood board and drawing up draft shoot plans in a notebook to help you execute the elements you’ve identified beforehand. Finally, perfecting your work will often include working with others to gain the knowledge, skills or other experience you lack. Embrace any opportunity to learn from others around you, and be open to feedback especially from those in your niche. I have been lucky enough on my makeup journey and through my photography business The Undefined Photography to work with an array of incredibly talented and skilled individuals, and I have taken the opportunity to get curious, ask questions, and embrace the earning process. This is the key to learning any new skill, abandoning your ego and letting go of your pride in order to embrace the unknown. As master artist and visionary Pablo Picasso once said: