What Is an Editorial Photo Shoot
Editorial photography is a series of images that tell a story, and you’ll often see them in magazine articles, news articles, or online publications. While commercial photography focuses on selling a product, editorial images are more about emotions and storytelling. An editorial photo shoot means photographing those images with a narrative in mind. When people think of narrative photography, they often think of photojournalism. However, the chief difference between editorial photography and photojournalism is the amount of creative freedom you have with the former.
The Types of Editorial Photo Shoots
The term editorial photo shoot is a blanket term for a variety of editorial styles. Here are some of the more popular ones.
Editorial Fashion Photo Shoot
Editorial fashion photography focuses on fashion, like clothes or accessories, to highlight a theme, trends, or a narrative. Fashion magazines often have editorial fashion photo multi-page spreads dedicated to this type of photography.
Lifestyle Editorial Photo Shoot
Lifestyle editorial photo shoots focus on everyday life, capturing real-life interactions. A good example would be a photo of a family playing board games in their living room, featured in an interior design magazine.
Portrait Editorial Photo Shoot
Portrait editorials focus on people, often for interviews or news articles. Photographer Annie Leibovitz is a well-known portrait photographer famous for her unique portrait editorial photo shoots.
Travel Editorial Photo Shoot
A travel editorial photo shoot focuses on travel stories and places, bringing travel stories to life. For example, an editorial feature may take readers through an ancient city like Petra. As a travel editorial photographer, this may mean shooting on location and assembling your editorial images at home.
Photojournalism Editorial Photo Shoot
Photojournalists capture real-life events or historical moments to tell a compelling story. Examples of photojournalism editorial photography include photos of a political rally, a landmark speech, or a riot for a news story.
Sports Editorial Photo Shoot
One of the more popular types of editorial photography is sports editorial photography. These photo shoots focus on sports, athletes, and key behind-the-scenes moments before or after an athletic game.
Food Editorial Photo Shoot
Food editorial photography focuses on photographing food for recipes, chefs, and restaurants.
The Responsibility of an Editorial Photographer
Editorial photographers carry a significant responsibility. They must tell a story creatively and effectively while informing, swaying, and evoking emotions from their audience. Unlike commercial images, which are solely intended to sell a product, editorial images carry much more weight. If done right, editorial photos can influence public opinion or even start new trends.
Planning a Fashion Editorial Photoshoot
Now that you have an idea of what an editorial photo shoot is, you may want to think about what it takes to plan one. Planning an editorial photo shoot is key to creating compelling images.
Research Your Idea
Research your idea and come up with a creative concept. If you’re working with a creative team, collaborate so you can refine your vision. Look for compelling story concepts that will grab readers and show off your artistic vision. Choose a topic or subject matter that ignites your passion. Then get as much information as you can on your subject to ensure you bring the right photography gear. Consider shooting your story from different angles and perspectives to add depth.
Create a Mood Board
Mood boards are the first visual representation of what your concept will look like and are essential in bringing your vision to life. You can create the visual elements with storyboards or use stock photography as reference images. If you have more than one shoot day, print a mood board for each day so your team is on the same page visually.
Plan the Nitty Gritty
With your concept and visual style in place, it’s time to plan the details. Create your shot list (action photos, close-up images, wide shots), gather your camera gear, and ensure you have the right lighting package. On the shoot day, will you be bringing artificial light, or will you rely solely on natural light for an outdoor photo shoot? If you’re planning a studio shoot, ensure you have your basic lighting equipment as well as any extra lights you may need. And if you’re shooting a series of fashion shots, you’ll need a fashion stylist, hair stylist, and makeup artist.
Capture the Decisive Moment
As skilled photographers know, it’s all about capturing “the shot”, that perfect moment that’s the crux of your photo series. Sometimes that moment comes after plenty of waiting; other times, it’s an impromptu moment that captures the essence of your narrative. For fashion editorials, this is your beauty shot. Essentially, it’s the most important shot in your photo series.
Finesse Your Photos in Post
The beauty of editorial photography is the amount of creative freedom and the ability to show off your visual style with your editorial images. Whatever editing software you’re using, you can create dynamic shots and amazing photography by tweaking, blending, or even compositing photos. In other words, post-production is your opportunity to create a photo series that will impress your clients.
Deliver Exactly What’s Expected
If you have an editorial assignment, you’ll typically get a creative brief outlining the narrative the client would like to follow. Creative briefs are often a great chance for photographers to show off their creative vision while delivering what a client wants, so try and fulfill the brief completely and deliver exactly what is expected.
Interested in creating an editorial photo shoot for your fashion photography portfolio? Contact Daria Koso to brainstorm!
