Coordinating a fashion shoot?

Since I started working with fashion magazines, my appreciation for them has grown deeper. No one can ever truly understand the process like experiencing it, but I want to expand your knowledge and share how it unfolds from start to finish. 

Magazines have themes for issues and the fashion editorials published in the magazines represent that theme. A creative team is produced involving a photographer, stylist, hair and makeup artist. The brief is communicated to the team with different moodboards from grooming to wardrobe and lighting. 

MOODBOARD I CREATED FOR A RECENT MUSIC VIDEO

As the stylist you will request and edit looks borrowed from designers and fashion PRs. 

A date is set for the shoot and a call sheet is created, and sent to the team. The call sheet includes all details of the shoot and the team members contact detail. 

CALL SHEET EXAMPLE

Once the story has been shot, the photographer will edit down a selection of images for the magazine. The images are then retouched before being sent to the editor of the magazine for final approval to publish the fashion story.

The process can take anywhere between weeks and months, start to finish depending on the publication, budgets and release date. 

I still get butterflies when flicking through editorials that I styled in a magazine. It is a join effort, art created by artists. There is a story from every shoot and seeing the finished product is simply glorious.