With summer officially here to stay and restrictions slowly lifting, I decided to plan an Instagram-worthy picnic photoshoot (naturally!). It was my first actual planned shoot since lockdown, so it felt great to be getting back into content creation mode after a few long months without so much as touching my camera.
I had a lot of fun organizing for it too–imagining what I wanted it to look like, what I wanted to wear and where I wanted to get the shot. All too often, people forget the lengthy and time-consuming process behind what it takes to get a photo–even if it’s “just” for Instagram.
With many parks either closed or too popular for our liking, we had to find an appropriate location that 1) allowed us to be there, 2) was quiet and allowed for social distancing and 3) was pretty! In non-COVID-19 times, of course, location scouting is still often required or at the very least extremely helpful to the content planning process. Luckily, in this case, we found a really cute area lined with tall trees in a quiet corner of the garden area at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. It was perfect!
In a nutshell, after locking down a location for my picnic photoshoot, I started thinking of the other details. I planned out what I wanted to wear, the props I wanted to bring and the angles/poses I wanted to try. We also had to plan when to shoot–what day and time would be best for my work schedule but also ensure good lighting, fewer people and comfortable weather. I wrote everything down and then got to collecting the items I needed for the shoot itself. Once I had everything organized, I packed up my big bag in preparation. On the day of the picnic photoshoot, we got to the location in time for golden hour and started to set up. It took a lot of planning, but it all paid off! Check out some of the final photos below.
I really love how these turned out and I hope you do too! If you’re interested in organizing a similar picnic (whether it be for Instagram photos or for fun), I’ve listed all of the things I brought on this shoot below:
1) a picnic blanket
2) big decorative pillows
3) a cute outfit (dress, sandals, and a purse)
4) other props: flowers, a bottle of wine, a wine glass, a magazine, and some sunnies w/ a sunglass chain
5) not featured: what feels like 100 lbs of camera equipment (my bag is huge!) and a change of clothes/shoes for comfort =P
Doing this picnic photoshoot definitely got me into the groove again. I’ve already been on a second planned shoot and I’m even planning my next few! Which, of course, I’m super excited to share with everyone once they’re done. <3
To shop the items featured in this post, check out the Shop The Post section below! (I’ve also included similar items for variety; I couldn’t find the exact purse, so I included something similar.) If you’re interested in seeing more of my looks, check out my LIKEtoKNOWit feed! And to keep up to date with me on social, join me on Instagram. <3
P.S.: This post contains affiliate links. That means, if you use one to make a purchase I may earn a small commission from the sale (at no extra cost to you!).
