Lexar Ambassador Kelsey Johnson is known for her creative shots. In this blog, she shares her tips with how to increase your creativity when planning and executing a shoot.
Find Creative Inspiration
Creative inspiration is everywhere, and not just on social media. Keep an eye out in magazines, art museums, movies, and music videos. I even get inspired by locations I find on Google Earth. What’s going on in pop culture? For example, a trending music video can be great inspiration too.
Keep a running list of the new creative photo ideas you find and then reference this list on an ongoing basis. You can even plug them into a content calendar so that you stay on track with these creative ideas, especially if they are seasonal or depend on certain weather.
Create a Mood Board
I recommend creating a mood board for every major photoshoot you plan. It not only shapes the concept and helps you plan, but it also helps you come up with more creative compositions than you may have thought of in the moment. Be sure to screenshot your mood board and have it on your phone for easy reference while shooting.
And, as a bonus, commercial clients love to receive mood boards ahead of a photoshoot so they feel like they are included in the creative planning process.
Determine Your Story
Good creative photography tells a story. To elevate your work, it’s helpful to come up with a full concept behind your photoshoot ahead of time. Knowing your concept and storyline will help you shape the compositions and guide final edits so that the entire photo set has a story to tell.
Level Up Your Styling and Props
Props, wardrobe styling, hair, and makeup are what really pull a concept together. Those details really help with storytelling and making a concept work. You can search for inexpensive props and wardrobe at thrift stores or even hardware stores. Again, I suggest including the shoot styling within your mood board, so you have these ideas planned ahead of time and aren’t scrambling to put a look together the last minute.
Pose Direction
Whether you are the subject on-camera, or are behind the camera directing your subject, it is easy to fall into your same go-to poses time and time again. Ahead of your photoshoot, come up with at least three new poses you haven’t used before to try out in the shoot. It doesn’t matter if they are weird or out of the box, or don’t even work in the end. What’s important is practicing getting outside of your comfort zone to push yourself creatively.
