Behind the Scenes of an LMP Photo Shoot
If you follow @littlemissparty on Instagram, you're used to seeing the little pieces of our daily routines and the things that go on in our office. But what is difficult for us to show you is just how much goes into the photos we create so regularly for our blog. When we partner with brands, we always promise to deliver images that are not only high quality from the technical standpoint, but high quality in their contents.
As the Creative Director, I am responsible for coming up with the concepts for our shoots, making a list of the props we need, determining the best setting, styling the products, and giving outfit direction to our "models." As a team, we laugh about being fake models in all our photo shoots, but ultimately, we all have a great time dressing up and being on set.
Once I started full time at LMP last summer, I noticed sometimes we would show up to shoot something really fun, but NO ONE would come prepared with the right outfit for the photos. I knew it was a good time to start honing in on those little details to make our photos THAT much better. I took it upon myself to draw up detailed plans for every shoot moving forward. It might take more time out of my day, but it was so worth it to see the results in images that made me SO proud to be a part of the Little Miss Party Team.
One of our recent shoots for Lillet, I took extra photos of our setup behind the scenes so we could share how we truly transformed our space and took care in the detail of our outfit choices. I set up the dressing room with all the outfits I had hand-picked in advance alongside various accessories, hair styling tools, and our makeup station. I went shopping for spring outfits at H & M, Forever 21 and even in Seri's closet. We never feel as though we need to spend a lot of money to make these photos look amazing. We work with basic items that are easy to mix and match. I chose clothes to fit all of our body types so everyone would have a choice of what to wear that would make them feel most comfortable while still restricting us to a color scheme that would work best for the photos.
Luckily, we also are able to help each other with hair and makeup rather than outsourcing those services. I'm usually designated to curling Seri's hair (as you may have seen in her Instagram stories!) while Natalie is the best at doing everyone's makeup. We usually go with natural looks because I find it looks best for the camera, but we're always open to testing out new styles. Admittedly, we stick with using our favorite products, like the Rose Gold Bombay Curling Wand, the Paul Mitchell Express Flat Iron, Maybelline Super Stay Matte Lip Colors and various Naked Eyeshadow palettes by Urban Decay.
Not only did we wake up early to get dressed and ready for this shoot, but we also totally transformed Seri's sunroom to make it look like a spring time paradise! We started by moving out all her furniture and summer storage items and laid down a green turf. We then filled the space with a dining table, bar cart, dessert table, hammock swing, DIY Floral Chandelier and bicycle. We worked really hard to make the room look completely unrecognizable.
I'm really happy we had the chance to share some of these behind-the-scenes secrets with you. We realize it's hard to imagine how we make it all happen, and we want you to know you CAN do it too, but it's hard work! Transforming a space, choosing the perfect color scheme, and making everything look "picture-perfect" doesn't just happen. We make it happen with a planned vision and a dedication for execution.
If you're ever looking for more insight on our work at Little Miss Party BTS, please don't hesitate to leave a comment below!
xo
Maggie