The 100 Set Project: How a Creative Project Can Change Your Life
Blog by Jada Parrish | Article | 07/12/24
Sometimes you decide to do something and don’t realize it’s the thing that will change your entire life. That’s what the 100 Set Project was for us. We wanted to push our creativity and see what we could create. We had no idea this silly project we came up with would not only permanently change us and our work, but it would also inspire other people to start their own creative journeys.
Here is a breakdown of exactly what the 100 Set Project was, why we did it, and how we pulled it off.
WHAT:
The 100 Set Project was a self-funded, creative passion project that David and I did over the course of an entire year. We set a goal to build 100 sets and do 100 shoots in one year. We started the project on January 1, 2021, and finished it on December 31, 2021.
WHY:
THE LONG ANSWER:
We were wedding and portrait photographers for nine years and were starting to feel a little burnt out. Most of our wedding work for 2020/2021 to was either canceled or rescheduled, so we had a lot more free time. We had just signed a lease on a gorgeous new photo studio that we really weren't using, and we decided it was time to start taking advantage of it. David has a background in theater and decided to build sets for us to photograph on instead of just using seamless paper backdrops. The photos turned out AMAZING. We started to wonder - what would happen if we really went full force with building sets and let our creativity run free? We wanted to push our creativity to the limit and see what came out.
THE SHORT ANSWER:
We were tired of shooting weddings and wanted to build a portfolio of our conceptual portrait work as fast as we possibly could. The 100 Set Project made it fun and gave us a concrete goal to work towards.
THE QUOTE THAT INSPIRED IT:
"If you give yourself 30 days to clean your home, it will take you 30 days. But if you give yourself 3 hours, it will take 3 hours. The same applies to your goals, ambitions, and potential." - Elon Musk
THE RULES:
Put no limits on yourself. All ideas are welcome and worthy of being explored. No looking at Instagram or Pinterest for inspiration. We will not accept any money for this work; it is a creative exercise without any pressure or limitations.
THE SHOOT SCHEDULE:
There are only 52 weeks in a year, so to complete 100 sets in one year, we needed to average about two sets + shoots per week. However, we didn't realize that until mid-February, and we hadn't been working fast enough, so we had to do some major catch-up. There were some weeks where we built five sets in one week. It was insane. This was on top of our normal workload of wedding and portrait work, so we had to be incredibly strategic with how we divided our time. We scheduled all of our shoots to begin at 6 pm. That gave us a full day to build the set for each shoot. Yes, we built all of these sets in one day for the most part. David is a powerhouse.
THE PROCESS:
- Come up with an interesting set design + concept for the shoot. We usually came up with this in the morning of the shoot.
- Build any set elements necessary (we reused our set pieces creatively so we didn't have to start from scratch every time).
- Find and style an outfit for our model to wear.
- Choose paint colors.
- Gather any props needed for the shoot.
- Paint all of the set pieces.
- Assemble the set.
- Light the set.
- Set up the camera.
- Execute the photoshoot.
- Break down the set.
- Edit the photos.
It was a lot. We moved at hyper speed for all of 2021. We learned you can accomplish a lot more than you think you can in a day.
FINDING MODELS:
All of our models were volunteers. The first few shoots we did were of friends and family members. Then we started using Instagram to find all of our models for our 100 Set Project. We searched local model hashtags and followed models we really liked. We also posted model calls on our Instagram stories. We asked people who wanted to model to send us a photo of themselves and a few fun facts. Then we chose our favorite models and scheduled shoots for the month. Scheduling out a month's worth of shoots at once helped us stick to the plan and ultimately meet our 100 set goal. We got our models' clothing sizes and provided all of the clothing for our shoots. Our models ranged in age from 5 to 60.
THE PHOTO GEAR:
THE MATERIALS:
All of our sets were built out of birch plywood and latex paint. David built a handful of pieces that we could reuse and repurpose. The sets during our 100 Set Project did not have the same level of fit and finish that our current sets do because we just didn't have the time. We re-painted set pieces over and over again and relied on Photoshop for the fit and finish. Reusing materials helped us keep the cost down dramatically.
THE COST:
We invested a lot of time and money into this project. Paint, wardrobe, wood, and props were our biggest expenses. We averaged about $200 per shoot.
THE RESULTS:
This project was definitely a passion project and a big leap of faith. The results of this project are still coming to fruition in our lives. We've won a handful of photography awards, received some really cool press, shown the work from our 100 Set Project in galleries around the world, and most recently have begun shooting album covers for musicians, editorials for fashion designers, worked with creative brands, and have photographed a celebrity or two.
It's been a journey. We went from photographing weddings every weekend to drastically shifting our life and pursuing a career that is riskier but more fulfilling as we reach for our dream of becoming full-time artists and creators. We are currently in the process of making a photo book of all 100 sets and 100 shoots that will be available in the next couple of months! Sign up for our email list to know when it is available.
WANT TO TAKE MORE CREATIVE PHOTOS?
Check out our Conceptual Photoshoot guide. It is packed with creative exercises to get new ideas flowing, tips about color, lighting, posing, and resources for getting your work out into the world. This guide helps spark creativity when you’re stuck or frustrated, guiding you step-by-step from idea to execution.
HOW TO SUPPORT OUR WORK?
You're already doing it! We are so grateful to you! We also have a gift shop with some cool swag in it and a Patreon where you can see the full photo sets from all of our shoots.
