Hello photography lovers, today we’re going to talk about the differences between shooting models and influencers.

We’ll compare those two and see what you can do in order to improve your photography, when you’re shooting influencers, no matter if this is your first time or if you’ve done it before.
We just want to make sure that after this episode you’ll have a breathtaking editorial!
And once you are done with it, you might even decide to submit it to our friends from Lucy’s magazine, because they are waiting for your beauty or fashion editorial to publish on their pages!

First of all:

When you’re shooting models, you can usually give them a role, you can even give them a whole new character. And that’s the best part about it, because part of their profession is to be some sort of an actor.
Compared to that – when you are shooting the influencer, you definitely cannot give them a separate character. You have make sure that you’re showing the influencers and their very best slide.
You can’t give them a character, but you can give them a mood.
So let’s say that you’re shooting an editorial, for one of the photos in your editorial, you can give them a happy mood.
For the next one, you can ask them to look like they’re curious about something.
And depending on the location that you’re using, and the surrounding area, you can give them different moods, but still keep their character in your photos.

The second point that we have prepared for you is:

With models, you can always cover their face, you can cover it with makeup, you can cover it with hair, you can even use a masks.
You can do pretty much everything, but with the influencer as I said in the previous point, you definitely have to show who they are.
So covering their face putting on masks, this is something that I wouldn’t do if I were you.
Especially I’d this is my very first time photographing this person.

Bullet point #3

When you do the casting, you can just take a look at the model’s images and chose the right model for your story. And this model can be someone you’ve never met before. Someone you know nothing about.
But with the influencers, you definitely need to “know” them in advance, and this is turning into one of my most favorite advices! – Come on, say it with me! You need to do your research!
So again, when you’re shooting influencers, you have to do your homework you have to research who they are, and what they’re famous with, because your story will be based on their character and not the other way around.

The fourth difference!

Usually your model will come on time on the day of the shoot and be ready to start with the shoot right after hair and make up.
They simply know that they are here to work, so they’ll be pretty much be set to start right away. And it’s not exactly the same with the influencers, though they’re very aware of how to act on a photo shoot because they shoot pretty often. You usually have to help them to get into the mood because they might not know anyone from the team, and they probably need a little bit of adjustment time.
So you can help them with that during the hair and makeup.
If you’re going to shoot in a studio,  go there a little bit earlier, set your lights, so that you can spend the time for hair and make up with the influencer and just talk to them, see if they need something, ask them everyday questions to help them relax and make sure they are comfortable and ready for the photo shoot.

It’s time for difference #5!

And this time I’ll switch things around and I’ll start with the influencer.
You have to take into consideration their opinion on how the photos are turning. Whether they like themselves and if there’s something to be improved or changed.
When you take a few shots, make sure that you have some pretty good ones then just turn the camera around, show them the results and make sure they love what they see.
It’s a simple way to make them feel more confident and you’ll guarantee yourself a better result.
Compared to the influencers – models are usually exactly the opposite.
Usually they need a little bit of help at the beginning, when you have to show them what exactly you prefer and want from them. And after a set or two the adjustment time for them is over and they are ready to continue with the rest of the sets.
But sometimes, especially at the end of the photo shoot, they don’t even have to look at the photos to make sure that they’re good. They simply know what you want, because this is what they do for living.

Point number six

is to be very careful with retouch the when we talk about influencers, because you have to make sure that above all everyone can recognize them.
Of course, you can remove things that are not going to stay permanently on their face, but I believe the best advice here is to ask them if there is a specific thing that they want you to remove.
If we talk about models, the scenery here is completely different.
With models you can basically change and retouch pretty much everything.

Number seven.

This one I find very funny, but it’s the absolute truth!
Influencer are the 21 century celebrities.
And this means they have fans!
And this can be a pretty big deal, especially if you’re shooting outside.
Fans, can want photos or signatures and this is so great, but at the same time it takes a lot of your time with the influencer.
And you can not ask the Influencer to just ignore their fans, because they are the reason why the influencer exist.
So they will have to give them a little bit of their attention.
And that’s why point #….. was so important.
Let’s say that your Influencer is famous mostly among youngsters and teenagers, if you know that in advance you’ll probably won’t chose a location near a school or a park right?
And when we’re shooting models outside, people are stopping, too, yeah, but your model’s attention won’t be interrupted and if there is someone super interested in your process is probably just a fellow photographer, which can be really great because it means that we can also make some friends.
But the best part about it is that usually they’ll keep in mind that you’re shooting at the moment and they will not interrupt you. And if they do – you can always ask them to wait a little bit more to answer their questions.

Difference 8:

Talking about time – be aware that very rarely an influencer will have the opportunity to spare a whole day just for a photo shoot. These guys are busy!
So you’ll probably have very limited time. Make sure to have a mood board, to stick to it, to shoot fast and to have a team around you that you can rely on.
Ir you are shooting a model, the only limit you might have is related to your overtime budget.

Difference 9

We already mentioned the celebrity status of the influencers, right?
So just like with every celebrity photo you should know that your selection and retouch will most likely be approved by the Influencer or their manager too. So you have to make sure you’ve got some extra time before the publication, in case the images need some emergency fixing.
The models usually see the images on the back of your camera and after the publication. So the only extra requirements for fixing might come from the magazine editor you are working with.
But even then I’d give myself some extra fixing time if I were you.
So if your deadline is April 15^th , make sure to be ready with the images by April 10^th, just as a precaution.

Tip number 10

We all have a favorite side of our face.
And that’s absolutely normal. You, me, the model the influencer pretty much everyone.
So when we talk about models, even if they have their own preferences, they’re probably going to be professional enough to fulfill your wishes and demands for the editorial.
When we talk about influencer, it’s a little bit different because these people rely on the way they look. So if they like their left side, but you prefer to shoot their right side, they’re not going to be very comfortable with it. So they might even tell you about this discomfort or if they stay silent about it – trust me you’ll be able to see it on their face. Or my favorite part – they’ll try to turn slowly, like you wouldn’t tell.

Here is my little trick for you.
If we’re shooting an editorial, we cannot shoot the model again and again, just from one side.
Let’s say that for your next photo you want your subject to turn right. You can always give them the little hint to turn their head towards you to capture his/her front or to look back their shoulder and this way you’ll still be able to see their left side of the face – the side they like.
This way they’ll be happy with their profile and you’ll be happy, because you have images in all directions.  

These are our tips for today! If you have any additional ones you can share them on our Facebook group called the fashion photography podcast.

Can’t wait to see you on Wednesday!