Although it isn't uncommon for models and photographers to meet up and shoot on the fly, if you're a bit more of a control freak (like myself!) and prefer to have some kind of game plan to follow, then mood boards are going to be one of your favorite tools to utilize in the course of your modeling career.
I LOVE putting together mood boards. It helps me visualize what I want and keeps everyone on the same page. I can't stress enough how beneficial it is to learn how to throw one of these together.
WHAT IS A MOOD BOARD?
A mood board is essentially a collection of reference/inspo images that models and photographers can use for inspiration and serve as a loose guideline of what types of photos they want to capture. Think of it as an illustrative blueprint.
You know that little thing called Pinterest? Well, that's basically today's version of a mood board so if you're familiar with Pinterest, have your own account or have ever seen someone's Pinterest board, learning the ropes of putting together a mood board for a modeling shoot will be pretty straightforward. You don't need Pinterest, although you can certainly use it for that purpose.
WHERE DO YOU START?
Let's keep this simple and assume you already have a photographer to shoot with. The first step is to discuss putting together a mood board. It isn't mandatory but many photographers will be pleasantly surprised if you mention wanting to use one; it shows your level of professionalism and how serious you are about creating great pictures.
Whether you put it together yourself, the photographer provides you with one or if you both collaborate by contributing images, the most important thing is to choose images that fall along the lines of what you're looking to shoot.
Depending on the theme/look, you can use any number of sources to find the photos: Instagram, Pinterest, Google Images search and stock photography sites are all ideal places to start searching.
WHAT TYPES OF IMAGES SHOULD I CHOOSE?
Whatever inspires you! But remember: it has to be similar to what you want to shoot. Need to update your portfolio with beauty images shot in studio? Then the mood board should be a collection of similar images. Want to do something editorial or high fashion on location? Then don't include images that fall outside of those categories. See where I'm going with this?
The key to selecting inspo images for mood boards is to not go overboard or overthink it. Oftentimes, the images that make up the mood board aren't all the same but may have a running theme throughout, such as location, composition/pose, hair/makeup, wardrobe, etc.
There is no minimum or maximum number of images needed for the mood board and they all don't have to come from the same source or photographer. Have fun with it and only add photos you really like that inspire you to be creative.
DO YOU NEED SOFTWARE OR AN APP TO CREATE THE MOOD BOARD?
Definitely not. You can insert photos into a Word document, create a PDF, use Photoshop, a collage app/collage website or you can simply email over the images individually as attachments. It's completely up to you how to present the mood board.
The best way to illustrate the use of mood boards in practice is to showcase some examples.
EXAMPLE #1: MOOD BOARD FOR LIFESTYLE SHOOT
This is a mood board I put together and sent to a photographer I'm shooting with in a few days:
THE LOOK: I'm aiming for candid, lifestyle shots that don't look too posed. Being outdoors with natural lighting always makes for great lifestyle images and it would be a combo meal of full body, half body and some closeup shots.
As you can see, it's not a shoot centered around getting a headshot. It's about capturing moments of me interacting with my environment, doing every day activities.
Now that I've shared this mood board with the photographer, we've agreed on a cool downtown city location that will give me the looks I want. I'll have 3 outfits: 1 casual look, 1 dressy casual look and 1 business look.
EXAMPLE #2: MOOD BOARD FOR BEAUTY SHOOT
This is a small sample of a mood board put together for a beauty shoot I just did about 2 weeks ago. The photographer and I both contributed images we liked but for the sake of simplicity, I only included a handful below:
THE LOOK: As you can see, this mood board is drastically different from the one above. What drew the photographer and I to these types of images was the composition (i.e. close up versus full body shots), the use of color, dramatic lighting and the importance of having great makeup and hair.
I got the images back from the shoot but since we are planning to submit them for magazine publication, I can't share them just yet!
EXAMPLE #3: MOOD BOARD FOR GLAMOUR SHOOT
Every once in a while I get inspired to do something on the sexier (but still tasteful) side. This was the mood board I provided the photographer with:
THE LOOK: I liked these poses because it shows the models interacting with the car and making the car itself part of the photo and not just a prop. I also included the makeup looks I liked, which I shared with the makeup artist.
I did NOT choose these images for the wardrobe. I already knew what outfits I wanted to wear and mainly relied on these images for guidance related to posing with a car outdoors. It's important to note that when creating mood boards, you don't have to take everything literally or copy every pose. Take from it what you want and put your own spin on it.
THE FINAL RESULTS
Here are a few of the images that resulted from that shoot. You can clearly see where I borrowed from the mood board and where I kind of did my own thing:
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| Photo Credit: 707 Multimedia; MUA: Sophia Musto |
EXAMPLE #4: MOOD BOARD FOR MALE MODEL
Yes, male models also need to get on the mood board bandwagon! This was a mood board I put together for my boyfriend a while back when he needed to get back in front of the camera for new headshots and additional portfolio images (I don't have access to the final photos but they turned out nicely). :-)
THE LOOK: This mood board was aiming for ideally a studio shoot, with great lighting and a mixture of posed shots and candids. We also liked the wardrobe selections and used that as a guide when putting together outfits.
Actors, celebrities, models...anybody can be in the photo as long as it's a photo you love!
THE BOTTOM LINE
Mood boards are the perfect planning tool for any shoot, regardless of what the look/theme is. There is no shortage of reference/inspo images you can come across that will help you and your team put together a fantastic shoot.
If you happen to create looks and poses that aren't depicted in the mood board, that's totally okay. Use this tool as more of a reference instead of following it to a tee.
And don't forget: you can use mood boards to get as specific as you want. This includes creating a mood board just for makeup looks, hairstyles and wardrobe!
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