When thinking about your photoshoot concept, it’s super important to take all aspects into consideration. For the visual aspects, I like to create mood boards on Pinterest or my computer to hammer down exactly what I’m looking for. However, mood isn’t just the visual aspects; that’s why I like to incorporate music as well.

Having the right music for a photoshoot can really add a lot to your experience and results. There’s a lot of things to take into consideration when using music to help you get the perfect shot. For example, is your goal to make your model more comfortable, and create a more fun environment for them? I’ll often play throwback songs or sing-a-long songs that almost everyone knows if this is my goal. Or, do you want to invoke a specific feeling? When I was working on my fire element photoshoot, I had Mother Mother’s “Burning Pile” on repeat to get me in the right mood and mirror the TikTok trend I drew inspiration from.

In general, there are two different circumstances when using music to set the mood of your photoshoot. The first is when you already have a playlist created that will work for your photoshoot. Depending on what music streaming service you use and how you use it, you might have a bunch of options already. The second circumstance is when you have a concept for your photoshoot and need to create a playlist based off that concept.

Like I said, depending on how many playlists you have curated and what kind of playlists they are, you might already have a bunch of pre-made playlists that you can match to your photoshoot concepts. Thinking generally, there are a few types of playlists that I feel most people have that can be great in certain circumstances. If you don’t have these, I suggest creating them, not only because they’re fun to listen to, but also because they can be used for a bunch of different photoshoots. They generally fall under the first goal I mentioned above, but some work for the second goal as well.

1. Throwback/Sing-a-long Playlists

I find these types of playlists are great for creating a more fun, high-energy photoshoot, especially when working with newer models. They can put the model more at ease, and I’ve found that they can even create the opportunity for more candid shots– think laughing, dancing, etc. I have a couple of these, but think along the lines of 2000s throwbacks, 2010s throwbacks, childhood bops, or classic oldies that everyone knows (“American Pie”, “Sweet Caroline”, etc.).

2. Indie Pop

I have several Indie playlists, mainly because that’s one of my favorite genres of music to listen to. I think these playlists can be really great for more laidback, relaxed vibes for your photoshoot, or more indie-inspired shoots in general. Think Free People campaigns, shooting fashion in nature, etc. A similar type of playlist you could create is a “summer-windows-down-soft-vibes-driving playlist”. I use Spotify, and if you don’t want to create this type of playlist because it’s not really your vibe, they have a bunch of pre-made Spotify playlists for different genres. I suggest their “my life is a movie” playlist or their “Indie Chillout” playlist.

3. Mood Playlists

If you’re a hardcore playlist maker on your music streaming service, you definitely have a few different playlists that you’ll turn on based on your mood. I’m talking about sad songs, love songs, amp-you-up party songs, the list goes on. These playlists can be great when you don’t have a specific concept music wise, but know the overall feeling you want you photos to have. Again, check out Spotify’s pre-made playlists for inspiration or to use.

4. Personalized Playlists

One of my favorite things to do is to create playlists based off of people. I’ve made ones for friends, my parents, siblings, and significant others. If you have a model you consistently shoot with over and over, I’d suggest making a playlist based around them. Or, have them suggest a few songs you can curate a playlist from! For example, I constantly shoot with my sister, Kate. A few months ago, I decided to make a playlist with the intention of using it for a car photoshoot with her, but I can use it pretty much whenever I shoot with her, because it’s music she and I both enjoy. (For reference, it is a playlist made up entirely of what I consider to be Taylor Swift’s best songs from each album.)

If you don’t have any of those playlists above, you’ll go through the same process of making the playlist for our second circumstance. I’ll go through the steps I take when choosing music for a photoshoot theme I’ve already conceptualized, and feel free to apply them to the types of playlists above.

1. Know your theme.

Your theme can be a mood, a style, a setting, or overall vibe. Creating a mood board helps with the visualization of this theme, and can help you to find inspiration and determine if a song will really fit the mood of your photoshoot. If you don’t have a full understanding of your concept, you’ll find it extremely hard to create a playlist surrounding your photoshoot.

2. Find one song that embodies your photoshoot.

Once you know your theme, you need to find your baseline song. In some cases, as with short shoots that you only need a few pictures taken, one song may do the job for you. However, more often than not, this first song will be the launching pad for the rest of your playlist. You might find that perfect song on the radio, a friend’s playlist, apps like TikTok or Bopdrop, or through simple browsing on your preferred music streaming platform. Keep your ears open, because when you hear the perfect song, you’ll want to save it!

3. Find more music.

Once you have the first song, the rest will be much easier to find. Look at suggested songs for your playlist, look at the music artist’s other songs, or look at artists who create similar music to your main song. Again, I use Spotify, so I know these features are pretty readily accessible on that platform. I’m not positive about other streaming services, but look around!

After creating your playlist, you’re ready to go. Give it a fun title for your photoshoot, and you can even add cover art of your mood board. I highly suggest using music to enhance your photoshoot experience, and let me know how it goes if you give it a try! Until next time 🙂