…Kevin Bacon?

I played a game with friends a few times called “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.” It was based on the “six degrees of separation” theory, which states that every living person is separated by no more than six relational steps. This, of course, includes famous people like, for instance, Kevin Bacon (ok, maybe formerly famous). So you’d sit around and try to think of people you knew, who knew other people…etc. through up to six steps until you reached someone famous. I think the appeal was that it made us all feel a little bit closer to Hollywood.

Your Business Photo Shoot

Well, feeling a little closer to a Hollywood icon (or former icon, as the case may be) might be fun, but it probably won’t help you in your business. However, when it comes to your business photo shoots, you want them to look as much like Hollywood as possible. In our experience shooting video and still photography for businesses, there happen to be six important steps to prepare for your best possible results. So we call these our “six degrees of preparation” for your business photo shoot.

1. Prepare Your Wardrobe

One of the simplest ways to enhance the quality of your shoot is to carefully plan what all the subjects will wear. Ignoring this can have a seriously negative impact on your finished product. You want to represent yourself in the best possible way, and clothing is very important to the overall tone and quality of your shoot. Here are some tips.

• Wear ONLY solid colors.
• Choose neutral, muted, or subdued colors.
• Do NOT wear green.
• Coordinate colors and styles with other subjects.
• Coordinate colors with your background.
• Make sure the style of your wardrobe matches the impression you want to create.
• Remember the shoes. Bright pink sneakers are probably not going to work.

2. Prepare Your Hair

Hair is another important consideration. Of course, photos can be edited, but this takes time. Save time and expense by following some simple guidelines for hair.

Wear hairstyles that fit the desired overall tone and impression of your shoot. If your office is super casual, some subjects may want to upgrade. Just make sure they don’t go too far. If someone feels very unnatural, it will be noticeable.

Wear more or less normal hairstyles. Again, it’s important that everyone is as comfortable as possible.

If some of your subjects have wild or brightly colored hair, you may want to ask them to make a change. This may be sensitive for some, but let them know it’s temporary!

Haircuts or style changes should be scheduled about two weeks before your shoot. Haircuts and styles rarely look their best the first few days out of the salon.

3. Prepare Your Environment

If your shoot will take place in an office, you may need to schedule a special cleaning day. The camera will pick up every speck of dust on shelves, plants, etc. in your background. Your photographer should visit the site and help you plan what areas will be shot. Pay special attention to those areas, but to allow for spontaneity, you probably want to do a thorough cleaning of every area where the camera might be.

If you will use a backdrop, make sure you have plenty of space. Talk with your photographer in advance and make the necessary adjustments before they arrive if needed.

Maybe your office has a face for radio. Many very successful businesses have office spaces that aren’t particularly photogenic. In this case, you may want to choose another location. Talk with your photographer about where this might take place. Once a location is chosen, make sure it is clean and prepared as well.

4. Prepare Permission

You will need to make sure you have the proper release forms signed by all subjects in your shoot. Your photographer should provide all the necessary forms for you, but you should know the guidelines yourself. Here is a link to important info on our site to help you be prepared for the legal side of things.

5. Prepare Your Story

Yes, your photo shoot is a story. You have a specific message you want to communicate, or you wouldn’t be investing in a photo or video shoot. Discuss this in detail with your photographer and plan out all your shots. Compile a specific list of shots you want to get that tell the story you want to tell. This effort will save you time, money, and dramatically improve your overall results.

6. Prepare For Business

You may or may not want to schedule your shoot during regular business hours. This can be an important part of your plan since it will impact factors like background noise, background movement, and the availability of your subjects. Discuss this in advance with your photographer.

Professional Results

Taking these important steps before your shoot will save you time and money. In addition, advance preparation in as many areas as possible will make your shoot much less stressful and much more enjoyable. This ensures that you get the professional results you want, and make your message come across with clarity and impact.

At McWilliams Media in Tulsa, Oklahoma, we specialize in telling your story. Our professional photographers will work with you to plan, prepare, and execute a photo shoot that tells your story in the most powerful way possible. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.

The post 6 Degrees of Preparation: Getting Your Photo Shoot as Close to Hollywood as Possible first appeared on Website Design | McWilliams Media |Broken Arrow, OK.

STILL PHOTOGRAPHY

In the U.S., every citizen is guaranteed a reasonable expectation of privacy. This means that if someone is in their home or on private property, that individual has the right to prevent you from taking photos of them. In order to use photographs taken in private settings, you must obtain a photo release.
However, photographs taken in public settings such as public parks and shopping venues are technically legal. Because the subject is forfeiting their right to privacy the minute they step onto public property, you are legally allowed to capture images of them. No one can legally prevent you from taking photos in a public space.

[bctt tweet=”Photographs taken in public settings such as public parks and shopping venues are technically legal. ” username=”mcwmedia”]

Although you may be allowed to take photos as you please in a public setting, it does not mean you can use these photos however you want. Photos taken even in public settings cannot be used for personal product or service promotion, without that individual giving consent.
In the end, it all comes down to intent. If you take a picture with the purpose of using it to promote something or someone, it’s best to be preemptive and acquire a photo release. Better safe than sorry!

VIDEO

The rules on video release forms are very similar to those of photo releases. Like photography, if the video images you shoot are going to be used for commercial purposes, you must obtain consent first.
Shooting a crowd of people in a public area generally will not require consent; however, you cannot shoot video in a public setting then proceed to sell these images. This is classified as an invasion of privacy and is likely to result in an expensive and time-consuming lawsuit.
And again, when shooting at private events or on private property, you must always obtain consent for the images you capture.
Photo and video releases are complex and full of legal jargon. Don’t let the confusing explanations and paperwork throw you off; these easy to remember rules will keep you, and your work, legal and successful! After all this talk of a photo release, we need to make sure you have one to use! Sign up below and we’ll send one to your inbox that you can customize for your business.

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What We Did for A Week in California

We were so excited to finally meet face-to-face with our California clients! We had been doing work for some of them for quite awhile, while some we had never met. The trip included 13 hour work days, lighting and media storage challenges, but also a lot of fun with our new acquaintances, time spent coaching and encouraging them to further their reach in business and ministry.

Client: Joy & Hope Restored

10 Week Video Curriculum

The first 2 days were spent with Sarah Byrant of Joy & Hope Restored Ministries. We videoed her entire 10 week curriculum on Living In Freedom. She had an audience join her for some of the videos, while others she shot alone.

Biggest challenge:
Lighting. The home we shot the videos in was absolutely beautiful, but offered only natural light. We had to be creative with when and how we shot the videos to make sure we had adequate lighting.

Biggest success:
We used a new format for a testimonial video. We can’t wait to see how that turns out!

Client: Stepping Into His Image

Indoor & Outdoor Workout Videos & Group Testimonies

The next day was spent at the park with Stacey & Erika of Stepping Into His Image. Stepping Into His Image, or siHi, helps people move toward joy and restoration through a journey of spiritual and physical fitness. They already have the curriculum printed, but wanted to add workout videos so their digital product would be complete. These girls were great! Such a pleasure to spend the day with them in the nice 80 degree California weather.

Biggest Challenge:
Cars, Planes & Sunburns. The park was right next to a large apartment complex that had plenty of Fedex and UPS deliveries that day. We were also close to the airport so the planes wanted to chime in as well. Relieved to be away from the 100 degree, humid days of Oklahoma, we weren’t thinking too much about the effects of the sun. The cool breeze was deceiving and Jamon ended up with bright legs while hiding the boom mic, oops!

Biggest Success:
It was so rewarding to see the hard work from these ladies pay off. They were completely prepared and ready to dive in. By the end of the day, they were relaxed and conversational with the camera, that is a success!

That evening members of siHi were asked to give a group testimony as to their journey through the program. Barb, one of the recent members of the program welcomed us into her home. She might have changed her mind after she realized the mess we were going to make! Because of lighting, we ending up moving all of her furniture, more than once. The couch ended up in the entryway, TV taken apart and kitchen decorations moved to the hallway. Barb is photographer so I went to every room of her house to gather pictures that would work for the background of the videos. Her work is amazing by the way!

Client: Ed Bryant

Testimonial Video

We did some video work for another one of our clients, Ed & Jan Bryant. They weren’t just clients, but quickly became friends. They so graciously hosted us in their home for the duration of the trip. We woke up to breakfast every morning and dinner every night, even when our arrival for dinner wasn’t until 11:30pm! His photo location was by far the most beautiful, but definitely the most interesting.

Biggest Challenge:
Construction sites & Coyotes. Yes, I said coyotes. Because of the construction happening for the new homes in the area, the wolves were apparently being ran out of their natural habitat. In the middle of a shoot, a coyote ran out from nowhere and was 10 feet behind Ed. That was one of two appearances that coyote made that day. Our testimony shoot with Ed temporarily turned into a National Geographic scene where all eyes were on the wildlife!

Biggest Success:
Their hospitality was over and above what we could have ever expected. They took such wonderful care of us offering everything from food to sunscreen for our time there.

Some other lessons we learned on our first on-site video shoot-

• We needed more time to upload and preview video before continuing to the next location.
• First thing we look for when we entered a building: electrical outlets. We always had batteries or equipment that needed to be charged.
• A gimbal is a cool gadget, but was too much work for such an intense trip.
• More down time for us will be a necessity next time. If it wasn’t for our hosts, we would have been running on coffee and fumes for the entire trip. A well-rested team is sharper than a run down one.
• No matter how great your audio equipment is, you will never be able to plan for all the interferences you will encounter.

Would we do it again?

The answer is a resounding YES. What overwhelming overshadowed all the technical challenges of the work was the time we spent pouring into the visions and dreams of the people we worked with. To inspire and encourage these individuals is what McWilliams Media is all about. Yes, build websites, create great designs and can work your social media like a champ, but ultimately what we are all about is the dream behind all the work. We are about the client and doing whatever we can to help launch their business or ministry dream.

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