The Value of a Questionnaire: Collecting Inspiration for a Photo Shoot

I'd been stuck for weeks and several times before that. It's a brick wall, a barbed wire fence that reaches to the sky, the type of problem that haunts your dreams with the black void that it is: writer's block. And it doesn't just affect writers, of course, it can strike anyone who wants to be creative in any capacity. Creativarian's Block.

That's what I had. But even at its worst, a little research has found a way to cure me for life. Yes, for life. And that, my friends, is the capacity to work both alone and together. Sounds simple, right? Well...it is. Don't believe me? Set aside some time one day and watch this workshop with fine art photographer Brooke Shaden. She's simple, artistic, and (I think) a creative genius. Her workshop about how to find inspiration as a photographer has changed my creative life; maybe it will change yours too!

Since listening to her lecture I've taken her advice about seeing old things in new ways to heart, and now I can't stop. This level of constant inspiration, even if I don't share it with the world, has brought me a new appreciation for the world we live in and further complimented what I have always believed to be true:  

there is beauty in everyone, anywhere. 

The Questionnaire

As a portrait photographer aspiring to add the skill of editorial images to my tool box, I aim to capture something important to the subject, to tell a story about her (or "him", as the case could be). Does she like dancing? Has she worn the same mood ring since she was seven? Is there a secret meaning in her wink that she's never shared with anyone before? These stories inspire me!. But how would I ever know anything about those things unless I ask?

That's what questionnaires are for. I use them to spark inspiration specific to my subject and grow the Redwoods from there. What starts as a seed can turn into a beautiful, ancient, misty forest as long as the conditions are right. And in a photo shoot, I control those conditions. I'm not talking about the weather or the makeup or the location--I'm saying that with the right creative preparation, anywhere, anyone, anything can be made to be beautiful because he/she/it already is.

Sample Client Questionnaire

Here's a sample questionnaire I most recently sent to a client to get going. The questions vary based on the story I want to tell in my images. You can copy and paste these questions, but make sure you customize them so they are specific to you and your subject!

• What three words describe you? 
• What color(s) best represent who you are today? 
• What one object or idea do you associate with being an adult? 
• What one object or idea do you associate with your childhood? 
• If you could be styled like any celebrity, who would it be? 
• What advice can you offer to other models like you?

Do you have any go-to questions of your own that help you get thinking? What sparks inspiration for you?