Is time your biggest struggle?
Do you feel as if you take too much time when shooting?
Do you keep everyone waiting for that hot plate of food?
Does the food start to look tired?
Do you start to get tired?
There are so many factors to why photoshoots might not run like clockwork, and it usually comes down to 3 big reasons that lead to extra time:
- Food photography beginner or learning a new skill
One of the reasons you might not be going as fast as you want to is because you’re just beginning your photography journey, you’re learning so much about light and composition and handling food, that it is bound to take time. You’re soaking it all in and you must allow yourself to soak it all in. Don’t rush the process.
In the beginning you are building experience, habit & practice. Over the years, you establish a rhythm, process and also more knowledge and practice to anticipate and create.
The stronger your foundation, the stronger your skills will be.
If you’re not a beginner and you’re still taking time, it could be because you’re exploring something new. Perhaps a new style, new mood, a new composition, new piece of equipment, new kind of light, new food. Whenever we are learning and exploring, it is bound to take more time. So allow yourself that too. Recognize why you’re taking longer and give yourself the time you need without beating yourself up for not being quick and good enough.
So, the first situation in which you might be taking longer for a photoshoot is when you’re just starting out or learning a new skill.
- You don’t know what you want
The next reason you might be taking longer is because you’re not sure what you’re trying to achieve.
We all need a playday to stay creative but always working through a hit and trial method can be limiting. If you have the liberty of time, then this process might work for you but having a system, a process & knowing what to achieve right from the start makes us more efficient & definitely, pro!
Aiming for a particular style of photo in the end allows us to focus on achieving it. We hone our skills and our technique to make sure we get that result and not a side-product of our efforts.
This is particularly important if we want to work with clients because every client has a branding style, their own lighting style, mood, colours etc and we have to create for them in their style. Hit and trial does not work. We get hired and commit to creating their style.
Starting with an idea, a vision, a direction and an end result akes us exactly there and If you’re wondering how to do that. I have a free guide called the 10-step photoshoot which takes you through the process. What you need to decide before the shoot, during the shoot and after the shoot so that you can streamline your process, not miss out anything, save time and also achieve the results you’re looking for.
That’s the process I follow and have created after years of scratching my head about how to get more efficient. What used to take me 8 hours now takes me 2 hours and this process has helped me immensely, which is why I’ve put it together for you.
So, the second reason you might be taking longer is because you don’t know what you really want to achieve in the end. The solution is to start with a direction and create a process for yourself.
- You are stuck
The third reason you might be taking longer is because you are stuck. You are comfortable in your process, you’ve started with a vision of what you want to achieve, you’ve figured it out and yet, you’re taking much longer. You’re trying to create something but it’s not working and you’re either just staring at the composition, feeling frustrated and can’t put a finger on it.
No matter where we are in our journey, we all hit this particular roadblock. We all get stuck. The only difference is knowing how to get unstuck and to know that you’re stuck. Recognizing that you’ve everything in place, it’s not like you’re a beginner or learning something new, it’s not like you don’t know what you want from the photo – it means something is not working in what you’re trying to create.
Just knowing that allows you to immediately get into problem solving mode, into troubleshooting mode. You don’t have to beat yourself up for not being able to achieve the style, instead you’ve to ask what’s not working.
And the moment you troubleshoot, you figure out what needs tweaking or readjusting. Sometimes it’s something as small as switching out a few props, sometimes it’s the styling, sometimes it could be the light or colours. You just have to break it down and see which part is not gelling.
Be calm, be patient, be observant, pick one thing at a time and question it. You might need a bit of hit & trial to really test out the problem but recognising and understanding it will allow you to deal with it patiently. The longer you’ve been a photographer, the easier it will get for you to troubleshoot.
Conclusion
There could be several other reasons why you take longer but my purpose was to familiarize you with 3 common situations that might come up during a photoshoot and instead of doubting yourself or questioning whether you have it in you, know that there is a way out to each of those.
There is always a solution, some are instant and some take time and experience. If you can recognise the root cause, it’ll help you deal with it better and not end up doubting your skills.
Download the 10 step photoshoot free guide: https://myfoodlens.ck.page/yourfreeguide