A Review of the Roles Involved in a Professional Photoshoot

Co-Written by Kirsten Lawler (Yes, in the age of AI we paid a copy writer to help us!)

*Prop Up Shop Studio Grip Kit* *- Photographed by* *Emily Schultz* *with assistance from* *David Daye*.

Let’s discuss what Creative Directors, Producers, Art Directors, Photographers, Prop + Food Stylists, and ALL THA CREW do, shall we?

So, let’s say that you’re new to the photo styling world, and you’ve got your first ever professional photoshoot on the calendar. That high of *finally* booking a creative project as a Prop Stylist or Assistant Prop Stylist might have worn off when you realized something: you have no idea who you’ll be meeting on the day of the shoot.

We’re all about being honest and helpful here, so we won’t sugarcoat things: there are a lot of roles involved in a professional photoshoot, which means you’re going to meet a lot of people, and learn a lot of things.

On the day of your photoshoot, you’ll meet the Producer, Creative Director, Art Director, Prop Stylist, Photographer, and potentially even a Food Stylist (if delectable dishes or drinks are involved). It’ll be thrilling, but going into that situation without a bit of knowledge about what each of those roles involve can also be slightly terrifying especially when there’s a shot list and timeline you’ll have to follow. This may actually be “your first rodeo” but we’re here to help!

Before Limonata was really a thing, Giulietta got her feet wet with art direction, prop sourcing and styling. Not long after, she realized that prop styling and art directing were her calling - but her on-shoot experience gave her invaluable insight about a variety of the creative roles that are involved in a professional photoshoot. We learn best by doing and watching, right?

Now, several or seven+ years later, we’re jotting our notes, learnings and experiences down so that you can learn about the roles and responsibilities involved in a professional photoshoot. Consider this a big, digital hug for your first day on the job - we’re proud of you.

So, what do Producers, Creative Directors, Art Directors, Prop Stylists, Food Stylists and Photographers do?

Grab that mental (and physical) notepad, we’re introducing the crew.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Creative Direction in the form of a poem by Limonata Creative

Generally speaking, the Creative Director (“CD”) is the head of the creative team or department. Ultimately, they’re responsible for contributing and communicating overall conceptual visions, ideas and stories to clients and photoshoot crews.

Creative Directors are brought in at the earliest stages of a shoot or production, because they oversee each role to make sure that everyone and everything work seamlessly together. It’s their job to bring the whole creative vision to life. In many cases the CD will work directly for a brand, an agency or publication and subcontract the crew. With smaller brands or start ups the owner may act as the Creative Director even while they’re serving many other roles within their small organization.

PRODUCER

Interestingly enough, Giulietta actually fulfilled the role of the Producer on a few occasions before realizing that it wasn’t for her. However, it did give her a huge level of appreciation for logistics experts, like Producers, who manage to orchestrate a large team.

The Producer essentially does the thankless job of working with both the client and the Creative Director to plan and execute the shoot. Their tasks range from booking the studio, contacting and hiring each member of the crew, booking flights and accommodations and figuring out catering, all while staying within the client’s budget. (Did we mention it’s a thankless job? Buy your Producer a coffee when you can.)

Serving as a Producer for a few photoshoots allowed Giulietta to figure out that she preferred to focus on the creative aspects, not the logistics, of a photoshoot. The beauty about working within the creative world is that there are roles for every kind of personality and strength - you might be a logistics master, and being a Producer might be your dream job! We fully support that.

ART DIRECTOR

While you might know Giulietta and Limonata Creative best for prop styling, we’d say that Giulietta really thrives in the role of an Art Director. Why? Well, art directing gives her the ability to dream up and execute sets as she envisions them. It also helps that she’s a talented prop stylist, too.

The Art Director is in charge of taking high level concepts and ideas from the Creative Director and developing the aesthetic, style and plans for how to achieve these visual goals. Building a shot list can be part of their role if it’s not provided already. They spend time conceptualizing how to achieve a look or tell a story. They put together moodboards with colors, reference imagery, sketches, potential props, wardrobe items, etc. to share with the creative team so that everyone is on the same page in terms of the goals going into shoot day. On the day of the shoot they are typically leading the crew from behind the camera and making sure the imagery being produced fits their art direction and that all shots are accounted for.

PHOTOGRAPHER

As you get into the world of prop styling, you’ll notice that many people will mistakenly assume that prop styling and photography are one and the same.

We’re not kidding when we say that about 30% of our inquiries are from people who assume that the photos on our site were taken by us. While we wish that were true, we simply aren’t photographers (rather far from it, actually). Prop stylists and art directors live within the set building and composition; photographers work behind the lens, and capture that set building and composition in all their glory.

The Photographer works with the Creative Director, Art Director and Prop Stylist. Prior to a photoshoot, they might weigh in on the shot list, model selection, lighting direction, day-of timeline & deliverables timeline. On the day of the photoshoot, it’s their job to arrive with all of the technical equipment - their camera(s), lenses, computer, tether, clamps, c-stands and other technical equipment. The Photographer also calls the shots on lighting, and will provide feedback in real time to the Creative Director, Art Director and Prop Stylist(s) about what’s working and not working both behind the lens, and on screen.

After the shoot, the Photographer will then spend hours culling and editing photos, before delivering them to either the Creative Director, or the client.

Photographers also work with Photo Assistants (“PAs”) who might have more specific subtitles like Digital Tech and/or Lighting Tech. Digital Techs are usually behind the computer - they serve to ensure their color settings are right, the camera’s focus is crisp, and that each file is properly saved. Lighting techs help set up and sync up the lighting to follow the Photographer’s direction.

PROP STYLIST

Behind the scenes image of Giulietta Prop Styling with photographer Scott Suchman for Little Sesame Hummus

Before Giulietta became a Prop Stylist, she wasn’t even aware that prop styling existed, or that it could be a career. Prop styling, in a nutshell, involves curating and arranging things in an artistic way to serve the purpose of a photograph or project. It’s an extremely intentional and detailed job, but one that makes a huge difference in the overall payoff.

While on shoot, you’ll see the Prop Stylist (hey, maybe it’ll be you!) arranging each item *just so.* The Prop Stylist bridges the gap between the vibe that the project, client and photo are trying to create, and the audience they’re serving - and they do so through moodboarding, curating props, and working with the Creative Director and Art Director to conceptualize and deliver on each individual scene. We could go on and on about the roles of a Prop Stylist, but we’ll let you learn more about it all here.

Prop Stylists often arrive with their own Assistant Prop Stylist for larger shoots. Their assistant will provide an extra set of hands to pack and unpack, build sets and fulfill the duties that their Senior Stylist requests. If you’re new to the prop styling and professional photoshoot world, you’ll want to read our blog on What it Means to be An Assistant Prop Stylist!

FOOD STYLIST (YUM)

Food Styling by Diana Jeffra of Culina Creative

Giulietta’s first photoshoot as a Prop Stylist consisted of two people: the Photographer, and herself. Together, they tried to make the cocktails they were photographing look good, but they could have looked much, much better.

That is where the strength, glory and prestige of a Food Stylist comes into play. At the time, the Photographer was learning to shoot food and beverage, and Giulietta was still a newbie at styling. They really needed a Food Stylist to help make those cocktails translate on screen. Giulietta knew how to place the cocktail and style its surrounding setting, and the Photographer knew how to achieve beautiful lighting and take a gorgeous shot, but they needed a Food Stylist to make their subject (the cocktail) come to life.

It’s the Food Stylist’s job to make you, the audience, want that particular drink or dish. They make the food and drinks for ads and photography - they’re the ones who take food, and turn it into art. And because we ourselves aren’t food wizards, we’re going to tag in someone who is: read our friend Diana Jeffra of Culina Creative’s blog, “What’s a Food Stylist?”

OTHER ROLES YOU’LL FIND ON SET

Make Up Artist Perryn Morris / Hair Stylist Angela Ward / Model Sofia Jaramillo / Wardrobe Stylist Danielle Wood

Hair and Makeup Artists
Wardrobe Stylists
Prop Masters
Gaffers (AKA on-set MacGyvers who can rig anything in a jiffy)
Set Builders
Hand Models (Yes, this is a profession. And yes, Giulietta has done it)
Models (AKA ‘The Talent’)
The owners of the property or home you’re shooting in, just to keep things spicy.
Clients (Actually better than you think, because they can provide helpful insight and approve things on the spot).

Professional shoots are a complex composition of talent, teamwork and vision.

When all of these disciplines are working in sync and communicating clearly? It’s a thing of beauty. While we do it for “the work” and “to pay the bills,” (ugh) we also do it because we genuinely love working with one another, and creating art. It also helps that we have a great time while doing it.

And That’s A Wrap on this Blog Post!

Oh But Wait…Have a photoshoot of your own to book?

Our Prop Up Shop Photo Studio is **now available** to rent for your upcoming shoot! Go ahead and check out Prop Collection, Surface Collection, Grip Kit (shown above), Kitchenette and other amenities that are all accessible to you during your production. Simply fill out our inquiry form to set up your booking. Pro Tip: if you rent for a full day (8+ hours) we’ll apply a 10% discount to your booking.

STUDIO PRICING & MORE

Client Gallery

Not convinced? Browse our Client Gallery showcasing a sampling of past work from us and our clients produced in the Prop Up Shop studio. Whether you’re shooting still life, portraits, food, product, you name it our space can handle it and help elevate your next production.