Valentine's shoot with Dominika: behind the scenes in a few days | D'POSE STUDIO

Valentine's shoot with Dominika, behind the scenes – D'POSE STUDIO

This article is in progress. We are gradually adding videos from building the set, photos of our notes, the inspiration and captions for each frame. The outline and the story are ready, the content will follow.

Some shoots take weeks to prepare. This one came together in a few days. We wanted to release something themed for Valentine's Day, and by the time the idea hit us, the calendar already said 9 February. Step behind the scenes of one shoot built in a real hurry: from the first note, through sourcing things for the set, choosing the outfit and lighting it, all the way to the final frames.

A last minute idea

It all started spontaneously. We thought it would be nice to release something themed right on Valentine's Day, 14 February, something that fits the day. The catch was that when the idea came, it was already 9 February. That left only a few days. On top of that, we both had our day jobs, so the real time for planning, building the set and the shoot itself was truly minimal.

Even so, we wanted to make it in time and do it properly, not rush it. In this article we show how an idea like this turns into a finished shoot in a few days, what is hidden behind it and where we had to improvise on the fly.

How we planned it

Before we built anything, we sat down with our notes. We sketched out how Dominika would pose, what the background should look like and what we wanted the photos to say. We will add photos of our actual notes and sketches here, so you can see how the idea took shape on paper.

Photos of the notes go here. Pose sketches, the layout of the background and the shoot plan. (To be added later.)

Inspiration

To get a clearer picture, we gathered a few references and inspiration photos. It was not about copying, more about tuning into the right atmosphere, colours and mood we wanted to achieve.

Inspiration goes here. The photos and references we drew from. (To be added later.)

What we needed for the set

Once we had a vision, we wrote down everything we needed for the background and the scene. Some of it we had at home, some had to be sourced or built in a hurry.

Materials and fabrics for the background
Props and accessories for the scene
Little details that set the Valentine's mood
Things we had to make ourselves

The list and photos of the items go here. Exactly what we used for the background and the scene. (To be added later.)

Sourcing and building the set

This was the biggest challenge given how little time we had. After work we managed to run for supplies and build the set in the evenings. We will upload videos of building the set and the background here, so you can see how it all came together from a bare scene to a finished set.

Building the set (sample clip, to be replaced with the real footage)

Videos of building the background go here. How we assembled the scene step by step. (To be added later.)

The outfit and styling

Choosing the outfit was an important part. We tried several pieces, some worked right away, others we dropped after a test even though we liked them. We will add here what we finally went with, what matched the background and which pieces did not make it into the final look.

The outfit choice goes here. What we used and what stayed aside, even though we had counted on it. (To be added later.)

Gear and lighting

Finally, the scene had to be lit and the gear dialled in. We will add here what gear and lights we used, how we lit the scene and what we changed during the shoot so the result fit the Valentine's mood.

Gear and light go here. The equipment used, the lighting setup and why we did it this way. (To be added later.)

Behind the scenes

Short frames straight from the shoot, how it looked off camera during those few hectic days.

Behind the scenes (sample clip, to be replaced with the real footage)

The final frames

And here is how it all turned out. Despite the few days and the work around it, we made it in time for Valentine's Day. The full album is in the portfolio.

See the album in the portfolio I want a shoot like this

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