Hey there! Me Here. What do we think of this new series, Bon Business 101?
I know it’s only the second post so please keep sending your questions because I want to try and answer every one I get. Hopefully to help prevent you from making the same mistakes I did (like packing up my entire apartment for a photoshoot, more on that below) and so we can all learn together because whether you’re doing a website for your company, a blog, side hustle or personal shoot (engagement, wedding, baby, etc.) I think you’ll find the below questions to be extra helpful.
And while on the topic of helpful, I pretty much need all the help I can get in life these days between my day job, the blog, business and wedding planning I could really use a few (more like 10) hours in the day along with a extra set of hands or two. So when Arthur, a personal shopping service that helps you find clothes you love online for only $25, reached out about collaborating on a shoot I said “Yes please!!”. I had a week and a half to pull together a full website shoot for my Spring/Summer collection and three events, a day job and a weekend out of town in between so to say Arthur was a help is an understatement these people are LIFESAVERS and not to mention totally know how to style an outfit way better than I can with a brain of mush.
I sent them images of my aprons and the scene I was creating for each one and in only 24 hours my super sweet stylist had already filled my closet with looks and texted me to see what I think. Uhm can you say UH-MAZING? I simple went online, added everything to my cart, checked out and then it arrived just in time for my shoot and I have to say I’m kind of obsessed with the outfits. From the after work look paired with “Sage” and Mother’s Day prep paired with “Slice of Plum” to the spring dinner party paired with “Plum”, each outfit worked perfectly with my aprons so I’m sharing all my website photo prep tips below along with some more shots from the shoot!
5 Essential Questions to Ask Before a Website Shoot
What is the overall branding tone? First and foremost, you want to consider your target market and the overall branding of your company. What colors/looks is your audience drawn to and how are you going to achieve this? For me, my audience is more the white and simplistic but rich in contrast vibe so I opt towards photos that achieve this while staying true to the Bon Aprontit brand.
What is the scene? Are you shooting new products for header images? Are you looking for shots to promote holidays? After figuring out what your goal of the shoot is, set the scene. Pick a place that not only represents the brand but also set the tone for the shots and what you are looking to achieve. If you’re shooting a winter holiday scene, you are going to want to add warm and wintery touches to your location even if it’s the dead of summer and 100 degrees out the window. For me, my scene is always showing that you can look fabulous when in the kitchen and without much effort so I choose a simplistic white kitchen and create different scenes with my outfits and props. (more on that below)
How will it be styled? Are you shooting just products? Will you need a model? If so, what will she wear? The biggest thing to remember is the end goal is to promote the product but when promoting the product you want to make sure every little detail around it supports it perfectly. For example, my product is aprons that are styled over outfits based off different occasions so after setting my scenes (baking a cupcakes for Mother’s Day, making a dessert for the casual picnic party, making a pie after work for my family, etc.) I then choose my outfits to complete this and luckily this time I didn’t have to do it alone thanks to my friends over at Arthur. (In case you skipped straight to the good stuff, scroll back up to learn more about them because they’re kind of AMAZING!)
What props are needed? This is one of the most important things and the one that you’ll completely over estimate on. The first photoshoot I did, I literally packed up my entire apartment and brought it to the shoot and didn’t leaving a single kitchen behind. I even brought my kitchen aid mixer, yup I brought it all but I spent more time loading and unloading the car then I did using any of it at the shoot so for the last shoot I planned out every single prop. I wrote down each scene and what you would need for that scene to look complete but not overbearing. I used some kitchen items and a few food items. (P.S. always fake this. That dough down there was pizza dough that doubled as pie dough and sugar cookie cutouts for this shoot;))
What shots are needed? Last but definitely not least, make an exact shot list of every shot you need. Do you need vertical header images? Do you need a shot for an e-blast? Do you need styled shots or plain product shots? I write out every single shot down to how I will pose for it and I know it’s sound crazy but it’s the biggest life saver after a shoot when I get the photos back and am not missing one I needed but forgot about. It also helps you quickly get the shots and then move on to the next.
Are you looking to launch a website? What type of photoshoot will you be doing? Do you have any tips for how to approach a shoot?
Looking to try Arthur for yourself? Use promo code BONAPRONTIT to enjoy an additional $25 off your first purchase. Plus all orders include complimentary shipping & returns, and your first request is on the house!