The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Mood Board for Your Photo Session

I always tell couples the best way to ensure we are on the same page is to make a mood board for your photo session.

This mood board can contain anything– from pictures of clothes, nature, & color palettes to more random things like sock patterns or nail art that caught your eye.

The bottom line: Getting your vision on paper makes it real.

It takes all of the ideas that are swirling around in your brain about how your photos will look, and it puts that plan in visual motion. 

Why does your photo session need a mood board?

Besides the 19 reasons I already mentioned, you want your session to be yours, not a carbon copy of everything else you’ve seen on Instagram. 

You’re investing in a pro to make these photos fucking awesome. You don’t want to risk ending up with a photoshoot that didn’t match the vision in your head because you didn’t intentionally choose your details. 

Plus… A moodboard forces you to get specific on what you really want (Where my indecisive girlies at??) 

You can’t include every color or have every style of clothing– annoying I know, but you gotta make choices. Mood boards actually force you to make those choices so your session is cohesive from start to finish.

How does a Mood board help my photographer execute my vision?

It makes sure I totally get your vibe so I can create the images you really want. It’s amazing how immediately mood boards guide me in my process. 

Did you include images of wild poses and crazy facial expressions? That says a lot of awesome things about you as a couple that I need to take into account when creating your images. 

Or maybe you had tons of black & white checkered patterns. I’m immediately going to think about how we can incorporate that into your session.

How do I make a mood board?

I recommend a combination of Pinterest and Canva to create them. I usually start on Pinterest, by creating a fresh board that I save, or “pin”, images too. After I have at least 30 images pinned, I take screenshots of my favorites and upload them to Canva. 

Things to keep in mind why your pinning:

→ What are the colors I seem to be most drawn to?

You want your session to have a cohesive color scheme, not look like a box of Crayola crayons threw up. Using cohesive colors is one of the easiest ways to make the photos look high-end. Commit to a color scheme of 3-5 colors and try to stick with it throughout all the details.

→ Are there textures I seem to gravitate towards?

Lace is elegant and sherpa is cozy. What textures do you want included in your session? Think about the emotions that different textures evoke and how they can set the tone of your session.

→ What are the emotions I’m trying to evoke? 

Calmness? Serenity? Energy? Enthusiasm? Always keep this in mind when planning.

→ Are there any clear themes emerging?

Are you clearly destined for a beach session? Is it obvious you want to head to the city for your pics? Notice the things that keep resurfacing. They’re a sign of what’s most important.

Remember– the point of the mood board isn’t to plaster it all over social media. It’s a tool for you to use with your photographer to make sure we ace what you’re after. If you do choose to share it online, ALWAYS credit the original creators of the pins you share. 

What do I include on the mood board for my photo session?

Everything. Anything. Most couples try to make their mood board resemble what their photo shoot would look like– including outfit inspo, location shots, & color palette ideas.

But you really don’t have to feel limited to just pinning session-related content. You can pin anything from sock patterns to pretty ice cream cones. Anything that you think helps tell the story of the vibe you’re after.

Here’s my suggestion for getting started:

• LOOK UP LOCATIONS. If you’re thinking a couples session in the mountains is your vibe, make sure to include some outdoorsy pics to establish the vibe. 

• RESEARCH WARDROBE (AND ASK ME FOR HELP!) Are you going for expensive and minimalist? Outdoorsy and edgy? Your clothing sets the vibe for the whole damn shoot. So in addition to adding pics to your moodboard, feel free to message me to help you choose the perfect fit.

• THINK ABOUT YOUR COLOR PALETTE. What colors are you drawn to? How can we use the location and wardrobe to get you the hues you’re after?

• CONSIDER POSES. Do you want romantic and classic images or do you want things to be a get a little more fun & unhinged? There’s a big difference between couples who want to hold hands in all their images and those who want to shotgun beers. Just sayin’.

See the Process in Action

The mood board above was for my clients’ Grace & John. We wanted to create the vision for an engagement session that was natural, romantic, & vibey. You’ll notice several of the colors, outfits, and backdrops are all consistent from mood board to final session.

TLDR;

Mood boards are a great tool for planning your session because they force you to get crystal clear on your vibe so your photographer can create the images you’re after. 

You really want a photographer you and your boo vibe with.
Ready to work with one who wants to make sure they nail YOUR vision, not the other way around? Click the link in bio to inquire about your photo session.