Mastering Your Styled Sessions Like a Pro and Learning from One Photographer’s Mistakes with Judith Stoop
Episode 20: Show Notes.
Styled shoots or sessions are such a big part of running a wedding photography business, and we all need to make some mistakes in order to learn from them and improve, right? Well, you can also learn from the mistakes of others, and today’s show aims to help you do just that! Today’s guest is Judith Stoop, a wedding and family photographer based in Munich, Germany, who also has a passion for styled sessions. In this episode, Judith shares how her first few styled sessions went, what mistakes she made, what she learned from them, and how she makes sure her styled sessions are successful. What is great about this interview is that Judith doesn’t sugarcoat anything, because she wants to share the lessons she has learned. She also gives us some great tips and tricks for mastering styled sessions, and talks through how she sets up these sessions in a way that isn’t overwhelming. So, grab a pen and paper, take some notes, and make sure not to miss this episode!
Key Points From This Episode:
- Judith shares a bit about how she started her photography business.
- Photography was a hobby before Judith transitioned into it as a full-time career.
- Judith started shooting weddings because she liked being around people and fell in love with the intimacy of wedding photography.
- The first few styled shoots that Judith did were really difficult for her and didn’t work out.
- Judith explains what went wrong at the beginning, like unreliable models and bad weather.
- The frustrations of doing styled shoots with other people and not enjoying the process.
- Judith walks us through planning a styled session, from making mood boards to finding the right clients and local wedding vendors.
- Setting boundaries upfront and being clear on what everyone’s goals are for the shoot.
- Don’t forget about how you would like to be credited and legalities like model releases.
- What to do with the photos to benefit your business – publish them on blogs, share them on social media, update your portfolio or website.
- Tips for those just getting into styled shoots – start small and grow as you get more confident.
Tweetables:
“It is really important to set the boundaries and what to expect upfront before the shooting, or even before the planning starts. It has to be clear what everybody is willing to invest.” — @Judith_Stoop [0:10:55]
“It is just easiest to start small with just a nice looking couple, some flowers, and a nice location, and grow bigger as you get more confident with the whole styled shoot topic.” — @Judith_Stoop [0:16:06]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Judith Stoop Photography on Instagram
