Employing a photographer for The Prawn Shop

Due to the growing sales and online attention my clothing brand The Prawn Shop is receiving i contacted a photographer i know and explained how i would like to have some more professional photos taken for my website and promotional material rather than the images i currently use where the clothing has been photographed on a wall in my bedroom. Not very professional but still attracting customers. 

Earlier this month i set up a meeting with the photographer, we discussed my ideas for the shoot such as the lighting, the props and how many models i would be using. I thought it would be appropriate to have one model per t-shirt/jumper the design; to promote the brands ethos of body acceptance, equality and diversity. There are 16 designs on the Prawn Shop website and so i created posters and hung them around the university asking for volunteers to model, many people replied and after sorting through the applicants i recruited 16 people to model. 

Opposite is the contact i provided for the photographer. 

Studio A in the photography department was booked out by the photographer for two studio sessions, the first taking place onTuesday the 28th and the second taking place on Monday the 4th of December. 

In preparation for the shoot i spent two days painting a backdrop, the backdrop is a light pink bed sheet which i painted imagery similar to the images on the clothing on to with red acrylic. 

On the day of the shoot more props were collected; a large plant taken from the photography studio and a flat chair type cushion for the backdrop to be laid upon for the models to be sat on and a dark red bean bag. 

Both shoots went really well, it was interesting to see how important very aspect of the shoot is, such as the lighting; using red gels over the lights to give a pink hue, making sure the props are positioned the same in each shot and having continuity within each models individual shoot; we ensured this by looking back at the images and trying to have each model do similar poses. 

The models all came with different clothing for me to style; to ensure i was projecting the right look alongside the clothing i designed. 

I am currently waiting on receiving back the shots from the photographer, he is going to select the best shots from each models shoot; ensuring that there are at least 5 images per design as specified within the brief. 

I'm really excited to see the finished shots, the website is going really going to push the brand i believe and make it in to a more professional clothing brand rather than just a small business one. 

After i get the shots back i am going to make look-books which i will then send out to magazines and clothing labels which i like in the hope that i perhaps get a response or even a work opportunities.