Grand Colorado on Peak 8, Breckenridge, CO
If you've never been involved with a lifestyle photo shoot, you may be in for a big surprise: the time and costs involved with such a shoot can be overwhelming, but there are certainly ways to contain costs and get great lifestyle images. In this article I talk about casting models or working with employees on property. Although you can save a lot of money by working with employees, I highly recommend that you hire models from a local agency whenever possible, this will ensure you get professional models who are used to being in front of the camera. Also, you will be able to cast models with the right ages and demographics and your models will be able to work the hours for which they are hired.
Regardless of whether you cast employees, friends or professional models the following are some guidelines to prepare for a successful photo shoot:
The Reach Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton, Key West, FL
In a nutshell, that is how your lifestyle photo shoot should proceed.
Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort and Spa, Marco Island, FL
With a good stills producer working on your shoot you can get approximately 7 to 8 shots a day, providing your models can work overtime. Professional models will need to get paid overtime for any hours over an 8 hour day and this includes any breaks and time in hair and make-up. Without a producer or someone on property who is a skilled event coordinator, 4 or 5 shots maximum is about what you can expect.
Canon EOS-1D X MKIII
Canon 5D MKIV
Canon 5D MKIII
Canon 6D MKII
Nikon D5
Nikon D4S
Nikon D750
Nikon D850
Sony a7R
Sony a7R IV
Greg Ceo is a professional hotel and resort photographer based in Brooklyn, NY and Savannah, GA. He has worked on an episode of Hotel Impossible and written for Lodging Magazine. He has shot for Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Omni, Starwood, Wyndham, and boutique hotel properties around the world. See more of his work at www.gregceostudio.com.
Grand Hyatt: Atlanta Buckhead
Hyatt Regency: Grand Reserve Coco Beach, PR; Boston; Cambridge; Boston Harbor; Columbus; Minneapolis; Savannah; Wichita; Lost Pines, TX
Hyatt Centric: 39th and 5th New York; Faneuil Hall Boston; Key West
Hyatt House: Augusta; Mount Pleasant; Nashville at Vanderbilt University; Orlando at Universal; Charleston; Charlotte Center City; Sumter
Hyatt Place: Aruba; Atlanta Airport North; Austin Arboretum; Florence; Mount Pleasant; Long Island East End; Poughkeepsie; Charleston; Moab; Phoenix/Mesa
Andaz: Savannah
Hilton: Albany; Brooklyn; Denver Inverness; Rochester Mayo Clinic Area, MN; Ocala; Marco Island, FL
Tapestry: Cotton Sail Hotel Savannah; Watt Hotel Rahway, NJ
Curio: The Reach Key West; Chrysalis Inn and Spa, WA
Canopy: Charlotte
DoubleTree by Hilton: Boston Bayside; Manchester, NH; South Bend; Cleveland (Beechwood, Independence and Westlake); Nashua, NH; Desmond Malvern, PA
Homewood Suites: Buckhead, GA
Embassy Suites: Marlborough, MA
Westin: Hilton Head Island Resort and Spa; Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa
Marriott: Savannah Riverfront; Visalia, CA
Aloft: Tempe
Element: Miami
Tribute Collection: The Alida, Savannah, GA
Sheraton: Raleigh
The Pierre
Charleston Place
Times Square
Minneapolis
The New Yorker
Homestead Resort
La Costa Resort and Spa
Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Montelucia
InterContinential New York Times Square
Crowne Plaza: HY36 Midtown Manhattan
Hotel Indigo: Gainesville, FL; Austin Downtown
Holiday Inn Resort: Beach House, Hilton Head Island, SC
Even: New York Midtown East
Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort, Aruba
The Adelphi, Saratoga Springs, NY
The Biltmore Hotel in Miami, Coral Gables, FL
Sanderling Resort, Duck, NC
The Townsend Hotel, Birmingham, MI
Breckenridge Grand Vacations, Grand Colorado on Peak 8, CO
Mountain Lodge Telluride, CO
The Mayfair at Coconut Grove, FL
The Redford, NYC
Journey East Hampton, NY
The Glen House Hotel at Mount Washington, NH
Ashworth by the Sea, Hampton Beach, NH
Palmer House Resort, Manchester, VT
Inn at Harbor Hill Marina, Niantic, CT
Inn at Middletown, CT
Historic Hotel Bethlehem, PA
Star Suites, Vero Beach, FL
River Street Inn, Savannah, GA
Hotel Ignacio, St Louis, MO
Hotel Tybee, Tybee Island, GA