Bohemian photo shoots are a lot of fun. They’re a great addition to your portfolio. If you want to shoot for brands like Free People, Urban Outfitters, and Anthropologie. What is Bohemian or boho chic? Think a hippy style with flowing fashion, neutral colors, and a laid-back feel. At first glance, you would think this style is easy to capture. It can be but it takes more planning than street fashion or an impromptu photo shoot.
Wikipedia gives a definition I can get behind:
“Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people and with few permanent ties. It involves musical, artistic, literary or spiritual pursuits. In this context, Bohemians may or may not be wanderers, adventurers, or vagabonds.”
Here are our tips for pulling off a bohemian photoshoot.
Location
The fun part of a bohemian shoot is finding the right location. If you’re doing this on the cheap, you can stay outdoors. If your budget allows, find a cool location that can provide many settings. With indoor and outdoor options. With locations find ones that have character and adds flair to your photos. In a bohemian case, this means old furniture, plants, and curated places. For our location, we found a place where the owner was a world traveler and an amazing decorator. This meant that every corner of his home was a photographer’s dream. Including the outside which was an oasis with rich greenery blooming. Giving us the perfect backdrop for our model. In fact, we plan on visiting again because we didn’t have enough time to use each nook.
If you’d like to book this location for your shoot visit his page on peerspace: https://www.peerspace.com/pages/listings/59ebeb43d834760c013dc29b#
Styling
For a bohemian shoot to pop off right. The styling needs to be perfect. With this style, it’s good to find a model that already embodies this style. Since they’ll be able to provide their own wardrobe. If not, you can visit stores and get inspiration online. When it comes to a bohemian style you want to include accessories - rings necklaces and headwear. Also, it’s good to find clothes that drape off the model's body. Find some inspiration online and make a mood board. That way you can share it with your makeup artist and model. Here are some things that work well for bohemian shoots:
Beach Waves
Curly Hair
Body Jewelry
Long Skirts
Earthy colors
Sandals
Bare Feet
Tattoos
Henna
Flowing Dresses
Hats
Maxi Dresses
Those are some ideas to get your creativity flowing.
Lighting
Time to get technical. When shooting like this you’ll want to capture the photos with natural light. This means shooting outside and scheduling your time to include some golden hour. This can be in the morning or at night. But, in Los Angeles we find the golden hour lasts longer in the evening. We always plan our shoots more midday to evening to take advantage of this. The golden hour will give your shoot a more earthy feel. Which is perfect for the free spirit vibe that you’re capturing. For the camera settings, I like to shoot at a high shutter speed. That way we can freeze the movements of the model. Which is important in this style of shooting. This allows the model to move without feeling rigid with poses.
Watch our full video on How To Shoot Bohemian below:
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What are some tips or questions you have regarding bohemian shoots? Let us know!