The other week,when I was in South Carolina, Lauren Foster of Love Lola Blog  and Jessi Nichols Photography and I met up to knock out some pictures we wanted for our blogs. I frequently get asked questions about collaborations, blog photoshoots and content so I figured a fun post where all of my secrets, tips + tricks are spilled may be helpful (specifically for shoots that involve other creatives and/or brands).

1. Brainstorm

Before you reach out to other creatives or brands, it’s important that you have an idea or project in mind so that all of the creating doesn’t fall on them. At least some plan of action is needed before you pull in others.

2. Reach out

Once you’ve brainstormed a few ideas and directions that you could take the collaboration, it’s time to collaborate! Reach out to other bloggers + creatives that you may have in mind to work with. Tell them what you’re planning, give them an idea of what they can expect and how it will benefit them (have access to all of the pictures, are you co-writing a post, are you hosting a giveaway together?). I’d also suggest to find someone that you feel is similar to you: aesthetic, or following, or content, etc. For this shoot, we reached out to a local photographer (Jessi Nichols Photography) and videographer (Hamilton McAfee).

3. What brands may be needed?

Are you doing a styled shoot? A fashion shoot? Content for a food blog? Figure out what specific needs there are and how you’ll get them met. For us, it was a fashion driven shoot. I often collaborate with a local boutique in Birmingham, Alabama so I told them about the possibility of this project and asked if they’d like to be included. They’d provide outfits and I’d provide pictures of those outfits for their own use + content.

For more information about an actual content shoot for your blog and the in’s and out’s of that, read this post I shared a few months ago!

Once all of these questions are answered, it’s time to make a move! Next we figured out where and when the shoot would take place. For us it was in Greenville, South Carolina at Caviar and Bananas (a well lit cafe in the heart of downtown) on a weekday afternoon (to avoid crowds). 
We walked away with great pictures (thanks to Jessi Nichols Photography) and content that we can both use for the next few weeks. But, it’s not all about the pictures. It’s about the relationships you’ve made, the movement toward community over competition and the opportunities you’ve opened yourself up to by choosing to not do this alone.

Here’s a quick video to share a few more details of the day and bring you alongside of the shoot!