Anyone who has ever been involved in a photoshoot on location knows that there are a lot of logistics involved in getting the perfect shot. The team at Louenhide loves any excuse to get out of the office and you could catch them shooting anywhere from Toowoomba to Tassie.

The Brisbane-based handbag and accessories label focuses on taking every campaign to a new level and there is nothing they love more than capturing fun, fabulous, and heartwarming moments through the camera lens.

Follow their 10 tips for running a photo shoot on location if you want your content to turn out just as dreamy as your backdrop.

Always be on the lookout for a good location

It’s important that you select a location that suits the vibe of your collection and the season. So, make sure you keep a list of your favourite locations to choose from. Pure Locations is a great location agency that gives you access to properties with incredible architecture and alluring natural backdrops. You can also save a wishlist of beautiful locations that you discover on Instagram, Pinterest, or TikTok. Always save as you go! You’d rather be looking at it than looking for it right?

Get excited and inspired

It’s important to get excited about your location photoshoot and plan ahead. Think about the season that you are shooting for and what imagery will inspire your customer at that time. Make sure you understand the designs in the collection that you are shooting and what types of customers would buy them. How might they want to wear or use the products? Start mood boarding and think about the story that you want to tell. From there, you can select the perfect location.

Start with the end game in mind

We’re really lucky because we have a great creative in-house team. We only have to book a photographer and models for our shoot day. Either way, it’s important that you get your team together well ahead of your shoot day to start planning the type of content you will create. We all catch up and brainstorm the EDMs, campaign videos, Reels, and imagery that we want to capture. We’ll even start a song search to find music that aligns with the collection. If you want to get the most out of your shoot day, it’s important that you start with the end game in mind.

Scout the right models for your brand

It’s no secret that scouting the right model is important. It’s the person that your customers will connect with when they see your campaign. At Louenhide, we select our models a little bit differently. We pick models from our network of family and friends. We always want our brand to be super relatable, so we love seeing lots of smiles in our photos. Our models even style our bags with their own outfits. It’s about showing customers that they don’t have to have the most expensive outfit to look a million bucks. Every brand will have a different approach, but always make sure that your model embodies your collection and your brand.

Create a brief that’s fun to look at

Your brief should get everyone excited for shoot day. It should also ensure that everyone’s on the same page. The words, “off-duty-model” can be interpreted in a million different ways. So, make sure you have heaps of pictures and words that describe your vision to everyone involved. From the photographer to the model, everyone should understand what you’re trying to achieve. Make sure your brief is inspiring and easy to digest.

Set a schedule

Your timetable makes sure that you capture everything that you want on the shoot day and that no one misses out on their content. It also helps your team to find their flow quickly. We always make sure that we have time allocated for flat lays, photography, and video, as well as scoping out the location when we get there. We also make sure that we have multiple models booked so that everyone works on rotation. You should also have someone acting like a project manager and keeping the team on track. It’s ok if you lose 15 minutes here or there, as long as you’re looking ahead and adapting the plan.

Give everyone a clear role

Everyone needs to know who is on set and why. That way, you can support each other to get the content that you need. We always help each other out, but we know when to stay in our own lane too. You can really get the most out of a photoshoot day when everyone is playing to their strengths.

Prep your survival kit

There are a few essentials that you always want to have on location. You can’t go without tape, staplers, sharpies, clipboards, blue tac, and a first-aid kit. Plus, a pen and paper to write down coffee orders!

Go with the flow

You can’t control the weather, so just play into what you get on the day. It started pouring on a recent photo shoot at The Granary in Tasmania. But, we were ready with umbrellas on set. We captured a photo of our model Paris, holding her handbag and the umbrella while she’s smiling and laughing in the middle of a paddock. It turned out to be everyone’s favourite from the day! We also ended up closing up all of the windows to the house and took photos of the team sitting around the couch. We would never usually do this and got the most incredible series of shots.

Appoint a snack captain

You’ve got to have plenty of snacks and a lot of coffee to keep the team’s spirits high throughout the day. Get as many twisties as you want! We also make sure that we always have a sit-down lunch and debrief for half an hour so we have a clear plan for the rest of the day. Your content will turn out so much better when there are good vibes on set.

Location photoshoots are a lot of fun. They are also hard work and a little bit of planning goes a long way. When you’ve gone to the effort of securing and travelling to a location, you want to make sure you capture as much content as possible. You’re building a brand at the end of the day! So, make sure you tell a story and create something worth sharing.

If you want to see what Louenhide gets up to on-location, then check out their Flaunter profile for their latest snaps.

10 Tips for Running a Photoshoot on Location