If you’ve read a few of our blogs, you’ll probably notice a pattern. Some of our favourite photographs weren’t planned. That’s not because we don’t plan. Quite the opposite. Every creative shoot starts with an idea. Sometimes there’s a mood board, lighting sketches, wardrobe discussions, props, or set building. We put a lot of thought into creating something special before anyone even steps in front of the camera. But every now and then, the best photograph is hiding somewhere you weren’t looking.
One shoot in particular comes to mind. The original idea was to photograph a male model against our flower wall. On paper it seemed like it would work beautifully. Once we started shooting though, something just wasn’t clicking. There wasn’t anything obviously wrong with the lighting or the posing, but the images weren’t creating the feeling I had imagined.
As photographers, we can either keep trying to force an idea because we’ve invested time into it, or we can admit that it’s simply not working. I chose the second option.
Just a few feet away from the flower wall was a plain red seamless paper backdrop. Nothing elaborate. No decorations. Just a solid wall of colour. We moved over. The model changed jackets. I adjusted the lighting slightly. Then we started playing. Almost immediately everything changed. The confidence came through. The expressions felt natural. The colours worked perfectly. The photographs suddenly had an energy that had been missing only moments before.
At the time I knew we had something good, but it wasn’t until I was back at my computer going through the images that I realised just how special they were. Some of my favourite photographs from that entire session weren’t the ones we’d spent days planning. They were the ones we discovered almost by accident.
That’s one of the things I love most about photography. It’s a mixture of preparation and instinct. Preparation gives you the foundation. Instinct tells you when it’s time to let go of the original plan and follow something unexpected. Not every shoot takes an unexpected turn, but when it does, those are often the moments I remember most.
It’s a reminder that creativity isn’t always about making your original idea work. Sometimes it’s about recognising when a better one is standing just a few feet away. Those are the moments that make me love what I do. And they’re often the photographs that clients end up loving the most.
