How to set the vision for your photoshoot using a moodboard
Why should you use a moodboard for your photoshoot?
If you’re struggling to think of what to include in your photography session, it’s probably because you haven’t fully established your vision. A moodboard is your best friend at a photoshoot.
Even if you have the purpose of your photoshoot clear, it’s hard to visualise it without, well, a visual guide in the first place. So that’s where the moodboard comes in. But if you’re not a visual person? If you’ve never drawn up a moodboard before – where do you begin?
Tranquila, amiga, I absolutely love a moodboard – so sit back, relax and take in this guide to using a moodboard for your photoshoot.
How and why using a moodboard sets the vision for your photoshoot
Why is a moodboard important to your photoshoot?
WHY DOES A MOOD BOARD EVEN MATTER?
A moodboard matters when planning a photoshoot because….
Ultimately, a well-crafted moodboard is your visual shoot guide for the day, and will help to keep everyone on track with achieving your vision.
What does a mood board look like?
WHAT A MOOD BOARD LOOKS LIKE
So let’s assume for argument’s sake, you’re an organic florist and you want a lifestyle shoot of you and your seasonal floral arrangements. What does that look like?
Taking autumn as our guide for this shoot, we’ll break it down into sections.
How to lay out a moodboard in sections
Vision in words: warm, earthy, cosy, creative, seasonal – These will influence your colours, mood and shot types.
Mood: warm, cosy, creative
Props: secateurs, scissors, twine, vases, brown paper, ribbon..
Colours: rich oranges, yellows, reds, browns
Elements: berries, foliage, in-season flowers
Textures: varied & rich – crisp, velvety
Lighting: Some shadow, warm sun glow
Shot types: different types of florals & foliage laid out separately; picking or choosing bouquet elements from field / wholesaler; autumnal leaves & scenery; forming the bouquet close -ups and lifestyle environmental shots; finished bouquet in workshop / hands / in vase / as gift / boxed.
Pulling it all together to plan your brand shoot
For the sake of using a moodboard as a planning tool for your photoshoot, let’s establish the story: Pulling together the organic elements of seasonal nature, the creative process of putting together a seasonal fresh bouquet.
Here’s where you’ll look over your long list and cull it down to a more succinct, tighter vision that all sits together well whilst telling the story of the shoot. In the example above there’s a long list of shot types, which for an organic field – to – florist shoot we might cull to the following:
- Scenic field in autumn shots
- Picking from the field
- Laying elements onto workshop table
- Close ups of putting bouquet together & of final product
- Florist holding up the final bouquet
- In a rustic vase on a cottage / farmhouse table (in keeping with the organic country vibe but imagined in the customer’s house)
Or let’s say you have a colour palette of rich (’earthy’ denotes rich tones) orange, reds and yellows, but you’ve found pretty pastel pinks and greys in your planning. In reducing your colour palette to two to three core colours, those paler ones would be obvious ones to exclude.
What tools do you need to create a moodboard?
THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO PUT A MOODBOARD TOGETHER
Now that you know why it helps and how to craft your own moodboard, you’ll need the tools to help you.
I love the feel of paper and connecting with ideas off screen, but you can plan a moodboard the old school way or online. Even if you’re not a pen and paper person, I’d still recommend trying the scrapbooking method for really connecting with the creative process.
Scrapbooking method of creating a mood board:
For this, you’ll need:
- A pile of old magazines or newspapers
- Scissors
- Glue or sellotape
- An A3 sized piece of card
Alternatively you could use either of these:
- Washi tape & a blank wall
- Pins & a large pinboard
Making a mood board on Pinterest:
For sharing purposes, an online version of a moodboard means you can have other people add to it too.
Creating a pinboard in Pinterest and dividing it up into titled sections is an easy and more collaborative method. If you’re not familiar with Pinterest, it’s an online version of a pile of magazines, so you search for ideas, moods or styles and pin those you like to your own virtual pinboard. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a board on Pinterest.
Just be wary of falling into the trends and distractions caused by algorithms – remember to stick to your own vision!
A mood board will help you see how the shoot comes together.
So, now you know exactly how to go about putting a moodboard together, and how it will really help you to plan the look, style, shots and more, but ultimately it is a brilliant way for everyone to visualise the outcome of your photoshoot. And don’t worry if you’re the small business owner with all the brains for your work but no visual talent – that’s what your photographer is there for. Hopefully this guide will help you understand why a moodboard can set the direction for your shoot and engage you in the process.
GET MY BRAND SHOOT PLANNER
Do you need a little more help planning your brand photography shoot? If you’re struggling to establish your vision, location, types of photos, props and more, grab a free copy of my shoot planning guide!
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Or, write to me with all your questions.
