Hi everyone! Last week I had an amazing opportunity to shoot with one of my favorite local boutiques here in San Diego, Miss Matched. This was my second time modeling for a boutique and I am having so much fun with it, along with feeling more confident and comfortable. I shared some behind the scenes photos on my Instagram stories and had so many questions about the process and how to get involved in something like this. I thought I would answer all your questions in one spot and hopefully this helps you generate a partnership with a boutique local to you!
How to get a shoot? How to get involved?
For each of the two boutiques I have worked with, the answer is different. For the first one I was tagging the location in every Instagram picture I posted, such as “Encinitas, CA” or “San Diego, CA”. They happen to be located in Encinitas and found me through that location tag. They reached out to me and asked to send me a few dresses to shoot on my own and in exchange I could keep the dresses, promote them on my IG, and they would also use the photos on their IG to promote both me and their clothing. I always try to go above and beyond when collaborating because you never know what this opportunity could lead to. That is exactly what happened here. I worked really hard at creating high quality photos and sent them way more then they asked for. They responded to this by inviting me to a scheduled photoshoot for their boutique.
The second boutique shoot I did was set up through the photographer I use often for my blog photos, Brittany Szabo Photography. They had found her through Instagram awhile back and really liked her style of fashion/lifestyle photos. She had shot for them before so when they asked her to come back and do another photoshoot she suggested I model for them. From there the boutique reached out to me directly and I accepted! I was most excited for this one since I work with Brittany often and we are very efficient together!
If there is a specific boutique that you really want to work with, I would suggest being active on their Instagram. Like and comment often so they start to recognize you. You can also get a feel for if that brand even collaborates with bloggers by clicking on their tagged photos or hashtags. It becomes pretty obvious when you do a little digging if that brand tends to collab or not! After a few weeks of activeness on their page you might receive some correspondence with them. If not, then go ahead and send a message asking if they collaborate with bloggers and if they would want to work with you. If you do this, make sure you elaborate on what you can offer them instead of just asking if they would like to collaborate.
How does the relationship work? Is it exclusive?
Most boutiques will have a rotation of models and photographers that they use. Since many have online stores as well, they are constantly photographing merchandise to upload. Miss Matched Boutique told me they do a minimum of 2 shoots per week and work with about 6 photographers.
Also, at the first photoshoot I did there were two models. As one was changing the other was being photographed. This was super efficient and we shot probably 30 looks total in 2 hours.
It is not exclusive. Many photographers and models work with multiple boutiques. Both these shoots I did were within a month of each other. I also independently shot clothing for additional boutiques in this same time period.
How do you prepare for a shoot?
Both of the boutiques I worked with requested that I arrive with hair and makeup done. I also made sure to have my nails done and a nice spray tan in advance. When you look good, the boutique and their merchandise looks good and the higher chance they will ask you to come back. They had sent a list in advance of everything I should bring, a nude bra, black sandals, etc. Also, for both shoots I did the boutique managers had all the outfits styled and ready, including jewelry, that needed to be photographed that day.
Is it paid?
Yes, I did get paid for both of these shoots. It averaged about $75 per hour. However, one shoot paid me in cash and the other paid me in a gift card to their boutique. This was agreed upon before the shoot and I was more then happy with it. Both times I left with a few new outfits as well.
Keep in mind that photographing, changing clothes, and walking around to different backgrounds can take a few hours. The first one I did was about 2.5 hours and the second one I did was over 3 hours. It is definitely a time commitment and a ton of work, but so much fun!
I have been having so much fun with these shoots, met so many amazing people, and have added some super cute clothes to my closet! Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Here are some of my favorite final photos from the shoot:
