What you didn’t know about the Acorn Studio Portrait experience...
Let me guess.
You’re considering a studio shoot but don’t know where to start?
We aren’t here to just snap a few pretty pictures and call it a day - we are passionate about providing not just a product of kick-ass photos but a service that makes you come back for more!
We have decided to give you an exclusive look behind the lens, into our Acorn Experience when you book a shoot with us in our studio. Check it out!
The Booking
As we mentioned before we are passionate about building a connection with you and we believe that this happens right from the first email. We have curated our studio portrait booking experience with you in mind and created a Studio Portrait Collection for you to browse through. Once you have confirmed what Collection you are after we want to know a little more…
What is the message you are trying to portray?
We know a picture says a thousand words so the message you are trying to portray is important. We aren’t necessarily always looking for something super deep and meaningful but even thinking of phrases such as “I want to look approachable”, “I want to look strong”, or “I want my images to be family-friendly” aids in the creation of visual communication. Sometimes with different Studio Portrait sessions, you may be wanting to communicate a certain message or theme. This may be something along the lines of wanting to come across as natural or you may be fun so you want to communicate that through your portrait. There are many ways that we can help you to communicate your message.
This includes
The colour paper backdrop you use
The way we light your image (i.e. is it light and fun or a bit more moody)
What you wear
Props
Recommendations on other vendors you could work with to create the look you are after (Hair and Makeup, Stylists, florists)
What are your inspirational images?
We are visual people so we communicate best visually! We recommend making a Pinterest board or having a scroll through Google images or Instagram and sending us screen grabs - the more the better. This is the BEST way to help us understand the vibe and creative direction of your shoot. We will refer to these images throughout your shoot to help you stay inspired and to give us a base to work with in terms of poses and lighting. This will also help us to cater and give any suggestions on what we can do with your shoot to achieve the results you are after - this could be that we notice a lot of your inspiration shots are done with natural light so this will change how we approach lighting you in your session, OR we may notice that your inspiration is dark and moody but you are trying to communicate that you are happy and light so we can chat about what will be best to achieve in your shoot. Above all we want you to be utterly stoked with the results so by visually communicating your vision to us we are able to make sure we are all on the same page!
Where will you be using the images?
Why is this so important? Well, we are happy you asked. Where the image will be used will dictate how we edit, what we prioritise on the shoot and what we prioritise in the post-editing. When we give you your final photos we provide two versions - High Res: meant for printing & Low Res - perfect for web and socials. However, there are a handful of things you need to consider when you think about where the photos will be used:
Will the photos be used on social media? If so we need to consider that places like Instagram only offer a 4:5 ratio for their portrait photos so this will dictate how we frame your photos in the shoot to allow for the best results on social platforms.
Will you need a cover photo? Or do you require a landscape image? It is easier to make a landscape photo portrait than it is to make a portrait photo landscape so we want to make sure we deliver an image you can use for that purpose!
Will you be printing the photos? And if so, how big? For things such as booklets, business cards, flyers etc. your files will be great however if you are looking to do large format printing on something like a billboard or on the back of a bus then editing requirements look a little different. It is important to note that any airbrushing or “photoshopping” is an additional cost (which is usually needed for large format printing). Chat to our team today about what will work best for you!
The Prep
Now that we have booked you in and gone through the nitty-gritty details, let’s chat about how to prep for your shoot!
What Acorn will do for you;
Timelines and schedules. This isn’t our first rodeo and part of our service is to make sure we achieve the best results in the time we have with you so we will make sure to put together a timeline that will work best for you!
Make sure you have dotted your i’s and crossed your t’s. We know there are a lot of things to consider when you are prepping for a photoshoot so we will touch base with you if there is anything missing or anything that you may need to consider.
Offer you a space to get ready. We like to open our studio up for you around about an hour before your actual shooting time to make sure you have the time and space to get ready, steam your clothes (yes we have a steamer), meet your hair and makeup artist (if you have booked one) and check yourself out in our floor-length mirrors! This is an awesome opportunity to get your “head in the game” and make sure you are in the right headspace to put yourself in front of the camera.
What you can do for yourself;
Prep your look - If you are struggling with picking what to wear, check out our handy tips here. We HIGHLY recommend bringing options! If in doubt feel free to send photos to our team.
Hair and makeup - You can either do this yourself or get someone who already has over 10,000 hours in their profession to do this for you. Plus side of having a professional do your hair and makeup is that confidence boost it gives you get just before your photos are taken. If you aren’t sure where to start we can recommend some amazing Dunedin locals that will help you to feel confident!
SLEEP - one thing that super surprises people after a shoot is how exhausted you feel. It is a big 1-3 hours (depending on your Collection) where you are constantly working on it, checking yourself out and then doing it all over again. Make sure you come to your shoot well rested so you can give your best in front of the camera.
Relax and Breathe - this may be the first time you have gotten your photos taken or you may be a seasoned pro. Either way - we have got your back 100% and we will work hard to make sure you are comfortable in front of the camera and have some direction.
The Shoot
Woohoo, the day is here! While every portrait shoot looks a little different, there are a few key things that we provide as part of the Acorn Experience
A Warm Beautiful Studio - Being in Dunedin we are well aware of Jack Frost nipping at your toes. When you are warm you are relaxed so we will make sure to get the heaters cranking! Also, we use our studio regularly for in-house content so we try to keep the space as beautiful and creative as possible, whether this is with floral installations or creative books on the table for people to read. We might be biased but it is a beautiful wide-open space.
Drinks & Snacks - We don’t want any hangry moments - for our shoots that are over an hour, we will provide a beautiful platter of treats for us to share. For every shoot, we offer a wide selection of cold and hot drinks to make sure you are hydrated and ready to work it!
A Studio Assistant - For most of our shoots we will provide an in-house studio assistant. This person will act as another set of eyes, checking for any pieces of clothing that are out of place or hair that might have a mind of its own. But most importantly they will help with making sure you are feeling relaxed with their great banter and good music taste (haha no pressure or anything)
Behind the scenes - As the cliche goes... “It’s not about the destination, it is about the journey”. We love documenting the journey to the final product and will try to capture as much of the BTS as possible. We will do this in multiple ways by either capturing it on camera or on our phones. We love to share this on our social media platforms and share the Acorn experience with others (with a cheeky tag for you as well)
Opportunity to review your images - we will take moments throughout your shoot to review your photos with you on a big TV screen - this may seem intimidating but we think this is the best way to give yourself feedback, to figure out what you like and anything you personally want to change. It is amazing how the slightest tilt of the head, the angle of the body, or a certain movement can make all the difference and this gives us a chance to review, recoup and go again. We want to make sure you are happy with the product and by reviewing your images regularly throughout the shoot, it helps us to figure out what angles you like and what you are vibing.
Final selection is in your hands! At the end of the shoot we will put the final decision on what final photos you would like delivered in your hands. We will give our opinion (if you need it) but at the end of the day we realise that YOU are the one that will need to like your photos so we want to make sure you are happy with the final delivery. And don’t worry if you fall in love with a few more than what your Collection offers as you will have the opportunity to purchase more images!
Afterwards
After your shoot, there is about a 1-3 week turnaround for your photos to be edited and delivered (depending on how intense you require the editing). We deliver all of our portraits through an online gallery that allows you to download high res images (perfect for printing) and low res images (perfect for web and socials). If your photos have a “release date” we will totally respect that, however as we mentioned we may chat to you about sharing your photos and any other content we have captured on our social media.
And then from there feel free to share, post, and print your images!
We hope you enjoyed an exclusive look into the Acorn Experience with our Studio Portraits. If you are thinking of updating or would like to discuss some ideas you have for your next shoot, contact our team today!