Photography can be used for all kinds of things. This could include producing images of objects that can be used for advertising or selling purposes, capturing a special moment, documenting an incident, a building or even a moment in history. The possibilities are endless. Concept photos differs from many of these types of photography in that it is used to convey an idea or a story. This means that there needs to be some planning involved in order to pull it off effectively.
What is conceptual photography?
Conceptual photography is a visual art genre that is used to illustrate a particular idea. Rather than simply taking a photograph because you can of something, a nice piece of architecture, a sunset, your children playing, these are photographs that are more staged in order to offer up a suggestion to the viewer. They have been around as a concept for a long time, even since the early days of photography. One of the earliest examples of this type of photograph is “Self Portrait as a Drowned Man” which was taken by Hippolyte Bayard in 1840. Of course, the subject matter of this type of photography does not need to be quite as macabre as this.
Develop a theme
The first stage of planning any photoshoot is to develop the theme. When you are working for someone else, they may often have a rough idea of what they are looking for and the direction that they would like the photoshoot to head in. However you should be prepared for them to have ideas that could be unworkable or no idea at all. The theme should be based on the message and any emotions that you need to convey. Often, the development of the theme can be the trickiest part of planning the concept for a photoshoot.
You may want to collate any ideas that you have on a mood board that you can to as your ideas take shape. Another great way to gain some inspiration for your theme is to take a look at the work of other concept photography on a photo sharing platform.
Find the right location
Once you have developed a theme you should have a rough idea of what it is you want to achieve. The next thing to consider is where you would like to take the photographs; your location plays a huge part in helping to set the scene of the story you are trying to portray to your viewer. It is really important to go and explore any locations that you might be considering. Think about the light, how busy these locations might be – because this may hamper your photoshoot – and also whether you will need permission to shoot here.
Find the right props
In order to tell a story with your photoshoot you should consider what props you might need to help your model. These can be as subtle as you like but should add to the message you are trying to get across in your photoshoot. Do not select too many props as this could cause your message to become distorted.
Be flexible
If you are shooting outside, then you need to consider how the weather might affect your photoshoot. If inclement weather will work for you just as well as a sunnier day then you shouldn’t have any issues. However, if poor weather will cause you issues you will need to allow for the flexibility of postponing until another day. If timing for your photoshoot is tight then you may even want to consider whether you can work with a change in the weather by having two different concepts for your photoshoot.
Alternatively, perhaps you could incorporate props like umbrellas, or large floppy sun hats, depending on the weather. Sometimes thinking outside the box can actually work really well.