Hello, Bonjour, Barev – To everyone around the world !

We are having a Special Mid Week Post on TheLifeOfRhy today.

Keeping you all up to date with Fashion week Progress, Today’s Post highlights the importance of sourcing Accessories from Niche and other upcoming Labels as well as Creating a Clear Mood board for your Team.

Sometimes it may be hard to comprehend the vision behind someones brand or Collection, especially when you play an important role such as a photographer or a Graphic Designer, as you are expected to capture this perfect little image from the Designers Mind. At times you can Nail it, but often it can take about 2 – 3 Revisions to Really Capture or produce what they are after.

Working in the Fashion Industry myself, (and I’m not talking about my own label) I often find that if I am not Clear/ thorough enough, the final product, or artwork in this case, can take Hours, sometimes even days to produce ! Lucky for us though, we have all these great Online Tools and Programs that we can use to visually communicate what it is we actually WANT !

The Two websites I always visit are Pinterest and StyleSaint. I love the idea of Creating Boards and pinning images, the library of images displayed in the results are a Fantastic starting point for any mood board. It is also very easy to Share these boards with your colleagues and friends.

StyleSaint’s “Saint Society” is another favourite of mine. Same concept but I always look to Style Saints Tear Sheets for Editorial/Photo shoot Ideas and Poses.

The first step to clearly communicate with your photographers and videographers, models, Hair and makeup Artists etc. is a Short paragraph on your Collection. To accompany this you need something Visual, a collection of images, and this is where pinterest perfectly comes into place.

I’ve Created a Moodboard using Pinterest for my Upcoming Photoshoot. I have Named the Board “Rebirt”h – Have a look and let me know what you all think. If you have any positive ideas or suggestions, I’d love to hear them !

You can also follow me on pinterest or follow my board as I will be pinning away over the next few days – https://www.pinterest.com/ratavosi/rebirth/

You can have a look at my other Pinterest Boards to really get an idea – It is important to put together images that you Want rather than images that look good but don’t really relate.

Another Hands on approach for Creating a mood board is buying a foam board or cork board from your local stationery store, and printing the images you think are suitable, (whether they are from your pinterest board or a blog, or even google ) ,cutting them out, and pinning or pasting them on. This way you have a Real-life Board to relate to. You can then pin or paste fabrics swatches, pamphlets, accessories, contact details all on the one board. This is also an easier more interactive approach  if you are planning on presenting it face to face to your team.

Now that we have created our Moodboard we can now pass it onto our team and wait for some feedback.

Another thing to consider when preparing a Photoshoot is the Styling of the Shoot. Styling doesn’t just include venue, pose, surroundings – it was very much to do with Accessories and Items besides the Garments that you choose to complete the Overall Look with.

There are three Suggestions heres:

1 – D.I.Y : I always say, If I have the time to make the Accessories and Styling props myself I will do it ! It’s a great fun, and you honestly don’t know what you are capable of making until you finish your Accessory ! It is also good if you like to be in control, this way you create what you actually want, what you actually have in mind. There are also plenty of D.I.Y websites and blogs, as well as the power of Youtube ( much easier to see someone else making it so you actually know how to)

2 – Research, Research, Research – Always Keep a Folder, or create a favourites File dedicated to research on independent, Local, upcoming Accessories Designers. If you are specific enough in google your search will really help you out and find hidden talents that are just dying for someone to notice them and borrow them for photography. BUT REMEMBER, be nice, take extra care of their items and ensure you link back to and promote them when releasing your images on Social Media. Majority of the times these designers are very approachable and open to lending samples, especially if they are just starting out or are local. Visit their contact page and email them or give them a phone call. If you don’t hear back from an email within two days make sure you give them a call.

Of course, it’s understandable that sometimes google doesn’t find the websites to really special unique designers and in most cases they don’t all have their own website. That is Where ETSY plays an important role. Etsy is filled with Remarkable Handcrafted Talent and is definitely a vital tool for sourcing Accessories.

3 – Of course, if you don’t have the time for 1 and 2 or can’t find something suitable on the net, you can easily head to the nearest Mall, locate an Accessories Store and purchase your accessories… or do it online.

Hope this helps you guys prepare for your next shoot and be a little more organised.

Before I end this post, I’d like to remind you all that my Fundraiser is still running and all contributions are welcome. There are some great Perks to be claimed if you’d like something in return, as a memory, and every contribution receives a Facebook Shoutout on our Facebook Page !

https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/fwlz9

xxx Much Love,

Yours Truly

Rhaya