5 Tips for Working With a Photographer

Have you ever thought about getting some professional shots of your creative practice done, but don't know where to start? These are my top tips for working with a photographer, gleaned over many years of working as an interior's journalist and working on huge photo shoots for some of the UK's biggest interiors and lifestyle titles... and I applied them to my own, small-scale, branding shoot too!

1. Make a shot list - An important part of any photographic shoot, whatever the size or subject. Do you need head shots? Lifestyle? Specific corners of your space? A special location? Write these 'Must Take' shots down and then consider how you'll use the images. I asked for two locations (my studio and Garlick Lane) and a mixture of portrait and landscape images so they would be suitable for press, social media and my website. Share this with your photographer before the day of the shoot.

2. Create a moodboard - Cut and stick images from magazines, or collate pictures on Pinterest, of the type of shots you want. Once you've got a good selection, you'll be able to see a theme emerge - are you drawn to bright, light pictures, or darker, moodier ones? This will give you, and your photographer, an idea of the look you're going for. Bonus tip: Match your photographer to your moodboard! Look at the type of pictures they take to see if they're similar to the ones you want, before you book your shoot.

3. Gather props - Photographers love taking little, incidental shots of your space and the things you have collected. Think favourite mugs, collections of feathers or stones, inspirational books, tools of the trade. You have all the things you need already so don't feel you need to go out and buy anything new or fancy - the more worn, or used a prop is, the better it looks in a photo.

4. Be authentic - Do you live in jeans and paint-splattered t-shirts, or are you more of a fancy scarf / knitwear type of person? Again, you don't need to go out and buy new clothes, just for the shoot. Choose something you're comfortable in, put out a couple of simple changes you can fling on for a different look, and own it. If you feel good in something, you'll look good in it too. Same goes for make-up. I'm not a big wearer of make up on a day to day basis, but I did go 'Saturday night' for the shoot - a touch of eye shadow, some mascara, a dab of concealer and some powder to take the shine off my nose... oh, and I did lightly colour in my grey-blonde eyebrows too!

5. Notice the light - If you're having your photo shoot in your own space, make note of the best light before you book a time slot with your photographer. My studio (aka corner of the kitchen table) is south facing, but gets indirect light until about 11.30am at this time of year. Bright but no shadows is ideal. However, do not get hung up on the perfect light conditions - a good photographer will take into account the weather, time of year/day and ambient light in a space. A great photographer will not make you even think about it!

All photos by Holly Bobbins Photographer