Later this week I’ll be teaching a styling workshop at Craftcation, so it felt right to share the next Behind the Scenes post.
Today I want to talk about pushing a project a little further and getting the most out of every shoot. It’s not the flashiest topic, but honestly, hard work rarely is. It can be tedious and frustrating, yet that persistence is what lifts good ideas into truly memorable ones. Whether you spend an extra hour refinishing a piece of furniture until it looks just right or move a prop a fraction of an inch to capture the exact composition in your head, those small efforts add up.
It may sound a little obsessive—and it is—but it’s worth it.
Here are my five essential tips for getting the most out of every shoot, whether you’re working solo or with a team:
1. Consider everything. Don’t focus only on the main object or DIY itself. Pay attention to the entire scene: foreground, middle ground, and background. Details matter. While “done is better than perfect” can be true, I’d rather spend an extra hour refining a shot and be proud of the result than rush and feel unsatisfied later.
2. Be willing to change things. If something isn’t working, don’t waste time trying to force it. Try a new arrangement, shift an accessory, or change your camera angle. Giving yourself options is valuable—better to end a shoot with too many usable images than too few.
3. Embrace looking a little crazy. You might feel odd staging an outfit shoot outside a busy restaurant with people passing by, but if it gets you the photo you want, the odd looks don’t matter. Creative work often requires unusual setups.
4. Ask for what you want. Put on your art director hat. If you’re working with a photographer, model, or assistant, speak up about angles, crops, or small adjustments. It can feel uncomfortable, especially with new collaborators, but clearly communicating your vision leads to better results. You can be polite and firm—asking doesn’t make you a jerk; it helps everyone do their best work.
5. Treat every shoot like it’s for your favorite magazine. This mindset changes how you approach each detail. Whether it’s a casual DIY post or a paid assignment, I treat every project the same way: with the care and attention I’d give a magazine spread. That consistency improves the quality of the images and the overall presentation.
Bouquet photos by Mary Costa Photography // All other photos by Brittni Mehlhoff
A quick example that illustrates these tips:
For a recent flower shoot I asked my friend Kelly to model. She’s adorable and we’re comfortable with each other, which made it easy to suggest small changes in pose (Tip 2) and tolerate a prickly thorn or two when needed. I chose a neutral outfit from her suitcase that complemented the flowers (Tip 1), but she had no matching shoes. Since I wanted a few full-body shots, I asked her to wear my shoes—the ones I’d been wearing during the shoot (Tips 3 and 4). We laughed, crossed our fingers they weren’t too sweaty, and kept shooting barefoot when needed to finish the set.
I also asked Mary, the photographer, if I could review the images as we shot (Tip 4) to ensure we were capturing the vision I had in mind. Everything flowed smoothly. Although it was just a DIY post for the blog, I treated it with the same attention as if it were a magazine assignment (Tip 5), and that made a big difference in the final images.
Do you have your own tips or tricks? I’d love to hear how you approach DIY or product shoots—share your process in the comments below.
If you’re looking for more ways to create beautifully styled, share-worthy tutorials, check out my Skillshare class, The How-To on How Tos: Creating Compelling Tutorials for Your Blog.