Our Process

Our decision to devote this entire publication to our 1-day styled shoot out was purposeful. We love our city and know the value of living here, yet are keenly aware of what divides us. We saw an opportunity to showcase celebrating black and brown love in our city’s architectural gem, the Milwaukee Art Museum. Marrying this vision with extending personal invitations to photographers to participate in capturing this love, felt full circle. We chose to follow our gut on this, trusting in what we both felt best and right.

Putting together a shootout has many steps, and we’d like to share our process, as a reference or guideline.

Planning - This kind of effort takes months of planning. Be strategic in planning ahead, this includes a strong design vision, selecting creative partners who share in that vision, weekly meetings (sometimes more), regular communication, and a strategic plan on the organization of that day.

Vision - In the beginning stage, create an Inspiration Board. Ours always evolve, yet the main components stay true throughout the process. This vision will determine what florals, linens, tables, chairs, dinnerware, stationery, cake/sweets, dresses, tuxes and models you select. We think of this as the “branding” for our shoots, the same way we would if we were working with a client on their wedding day.

Models - Once your models are selected, get their measurements: ring size to shoe size, and everything in between. It’s important you have their sizing before working with wedding salons and jewelry designers to ensure the selected clothing, shoes, jewelry will fit. And if it is too large, clips always work, too.

The Extra Mile - The extra mile includes anything—from personal invitations to the attendees to special touches the day of the event—in order to provide the best experience for everyone involved. For us, this meant having snacks and water available throughout the day for attendees along with a parting gift of homemade cookies paired with a thank-you note. For the models, this meant having a private area for hair, makeup, and getting dressed along with providing a lunch buffet of fresh fruit, sandwiches, and snacks in case they were hungry at any point in the day. Lastly, kindness and smiles can go a long way. People may not recall what you say to them, but they will always remember how you made them feel.

Video by Something Unique Film