4 Tips for Shooting Spring Lifestyle Photography
Spring is easily one of the most beautiful times of the year for photographers who love the outdoors. The flowers are finally starting to bloom, the days are getting longer, and the sun starts to shine on the landscape creating new bursts of color. The spring season creates the perfect backdrop for lifestyle photography, and we're sharing our top 4 tips on how you can make the most of it for your next photoshoot. At Shutterstock Custom, our clients work with our contributors to create custom content that highlights their products or services every season. Read this guide before your next spring photoshoot so that you can blow your clients away with the content you create that fits a perfect spring mood.
Plan your shoot around the weather
In spring, the weather tends to be a bit volatile. Some days will be sunny and bright, fooling you into thinking summer is almost there. Others might be rainy and overcast, allowing you to think that winter is never going to end. Ensure that you check the weather forecast before you plan your outdoor shoot and confirm your models. Many Shutterstock Custom clients prefer shoots that have an abundant amount of natural light or during golden hour, so ensure that you have enough light during the day to capture the beauty of spring in full. For some suggestions on creating beautiful images during golden hour, check out these tips to get you started.
Pick a location that has variety
You might have a list of your favourite locations that you use for lifestyle photoshoots, but before you confirm that they are the right fit make sure that you can capture a variety of shots within that location. One of the most important things to keep in mind when you are submitting content to clients, is to have as much variety in your submission as possible so that the client has a lot of image choice to choose the ones that best fit their needs. For more tips on achieving variety at one location, check out this article before you confirm your next shoot spot.
Bring wardrobe options
Spring is all about color, and whether you select pastel colors our bright colors, make sure that you have some options for your models to change into. Alternatively, ask them to show up to the location with a few changes of clothing that matches the brief theme. Changing wardrobes is a really easy and simple way that you can achieve variety when you are on location. For Shutterstock Custom assignments, follow the brief guidelines and pick your colors according to the theme. Make sure any clothing worn by models does not display logos (unless you are shooting for a specific brand) and keep it simple. The wardrobe choices you select should compliment the theme you are shooting, not take away from it’s focus. The spring assignments that we assign to our contributors will often state what clothing your models should wear, but double check with your Project Coordinator if you have any questions or concerns before shooting.
Have fun with it!
Lifestyle photoshoots are documentary style photoshoots where you have the ability to capture and bring that moment to your audience. While you are shooting, you want to capture a variety of interactions that are authentic and not always staged. If you are shooting spring photographs at a park, have the kids play at the park or bring props for them to interact with. If you are having a picnic, have options for the models to actually eat or seconds of everything so you can capture an organic moment in between takes. The best lifestyle photographs are often the ones that happen in between posed shots, so keep it light. For more tips on creating a comfortable shoot environment, check out this article.
We hope these tips help you when you plan your next lifestyle photoshoot this spring. The most important thing is to keep it simple, and have fun with it! Emotions are easily shown through the images you capture, so get outside and have a fun time capturing custom content in the sun.
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