Photo Shoot # 2

Done, the second photo shoot for Shelley's Vintage Life & Design, this past Sunday, woo-hoo!  It went really well! I’ve posted a few shots from the shoot, the actual photos that were taken will have to wait until I can get them up on the website once I get them from the photographer.  This one went a little more smoothly than the first; I learned a lot the first time and more this time. The next one will be better yet!

One of my ReDeux in prcess

Not only were there some fabulous vintage items used in this shoot, for the first time I included some of my original Vintage Re Deux pieces in the shoot. I am quite excited about that! What on earth is a Vintage Re Deux, you ask? Good question!

 Since I was a teen-ager I’ve been taking vintage stuff (mostly clothing, but jewelry and other stuff too) I find and re-making it into something else. I use vintage clothes for the fabric or other details, combine pieces or any combination thereof to create something new and just generally “re do” them.  Hence, the name Vintage ReDeux (it just looks and sounds cooler than plain old re do!)!

Models Waiting for Hair & Make-up

What went into getting ready for this shoot? An enormous amount of work and time, for one thing, but following are the steps I went through this past week or so for anyone who’s curious.

Step 1 – Find photographer, location and set up time; all essential for obvious reasons.

 

James, the Photographer

 Step 2 - Confirming the models. I have to know what sizes I’m working with ahead of time so I can pull items and put together outfits that will fit them. It’s not foolproof, I will still occasionally have an outfit that doesn’t fit the model I’d intended it for, but often it will fit another. However I try to keep that sort of switching around to a minimum. I am a huge planner. The most successful plans are detailed, but also have room for flexibility. This is the key to getting things done, I am absolutely convinced!

Lisa (on hair) and Krystin (make-up)

 step 3 – Pull items, start putting together outfits, accessorize. Figure out what I need to complete the outfits, whether it’s accessories or other clothing items. For clothing items I intend to make I go through my “to use for other stuff” stash and plan. I sketch out my ideas first, then adapt as necessary depending on what materials I have available. Everything original I create is made completely from vintage or recycled materials. Well, almost everything. I do buy new thread, needles, and some notions that are not useable or available except for new. All the major materials are 100% re-purposed and eco friendly.

The Waiting Outfits

 Step 4 – Check everything to make sure it’s all in good shape, make any necessary repairs.

Step 5 – Block out schedule for the next two weeks, leaving extra time for things that don’t go as smoothly as anticipated. Plan every detail, figure out everything  that could go wrong, plan for that, then go for it and be ready to switch strides mid-game if necessary!

For example, my original plan had me completely done with everything by Saturday night. However, an unexpected family crisis took almost three full days out of my week, leaving me scrambling a bit. I was still sewing Sunday morning and I didn’t sleep much from Thursday through Sunday. There were several items I had planned to make other pieces to coordinate with which I didn’t have time to get to. That meant putting together a few different outfits. Flexibility is essential!

Another unexpected shift happened Sunday morning. I had planned on shooting from 4 – 9 pm. I know it sounds like a long time, and it is, but we had to get to the studio, get everything unloaded and organized and get the models through hair and make –up before the shooting could even start.  It’s not a quick process.

I found out at about 11:30 Sunday morning that we only had it from 5 – 8pm. Yikes! So I shifted a couple of models back a bit and we just planned to get there as soon as we could and hope for the best! It was a bit of a scramble, but we got it all done.

Photography Happening!

 The shots turned out great though. James did a fantastic job! Krystin demonstrated her talent for hair and make-up and one of my BF’s, Lisa, once again proved that she knows her way around a comb and a can of hairspray! The models looked fantastic and as soon as I get them I’ll start loading them onto the site. 

All in all, a long yet successful afternoon. Once the shooting was done we loaded everything up again and headed for home. 

 There you have it, the bare bones of a photo shoot. Please check my website to see the results! 

www.shelleysvintagelife.etsy.com