A mood board can be much more than the color palette and design elements. It can represent your vision and provide a reference point for inspiration.

Mood boards are not solely for styled shoots. Envision the photos you want to create at every session and establish a clear vision. A mood board should give you clarity and stir all the feels within you to help you flawlessly capture it. Keep your mood board in mind during your shoot, and it will provide direction not only for the photos you take but how you capture them.

Pro tip: Are you a music lover? Is there a song that gives you all the feels? Can you imagine the perfect imagery that embodies the lyrics? Channel that originality into your mood board!

To create a mood board, think of a few words you want to translate into your photos (e.g., romantic, modern, dreamy, etc.). Gather some images that inspire your vision and put them together in Canva or Unfold. We recommend including one photo of the actual location or similar environment to help you envision how everything will come together.

Focus on finding images you aren't necessarily trying to replicate but represent aspects you want to capture. Do you want to remember to take some creative close crops? Do you want to concentrate on hand movements? Do you want to incorporate motion? Is using a particular type of light paramount to your overall vision?

Pro tip: Make the mood board your lock screen wallpaper, so you can easily reference it during your session if needed.

With your final images, make a mood board using your photos to see how you did in bringing your vision to life. Did having a visual point of reference impact your results? Can you see the mood board's influence in your gallery?

Vision is different than your photography style, as it goes beyond editing and lens preferences. It's having a mental picture of the results you want to capture and approaching the session knowing what you need to do to accomplish it. Artistic vision and storytelling transform photographs into works of art and brings further fulfillment to your craft.

There are dozens of photographers in every niche, so bring your original vision to the table to show clients they're hiring more than a photographer — they're also hiring an artist, producer, director, and visionary!

"An artist is not paid for their labor but for their vision."

Cheers,
Your Ginger Team