What kind of effort goes into creating a set?

In watching some of the videos SGs put up of making their sets, it is evident that creating a set is a bit of effort. Also, in reading some blogs, I see there can be a lot of disappointment and frustration when a set is ultimately not selected for front page. Or, a huge amount of excitement when a set does go live.

I was curious as to how much effort typically goes into taking a set from initial concept through to the final posting (i.e. time, cost, number of people, finding a photographer, etc...) I'm sure the answer varies pretty wildly from set to set.

Thanks in advance for any information you share, and definitely appreciate all the work you all put into the sets.

For me it was relatively easy to find a photographer as Holley does great work and comes highly recommended. It took a few months from initial contact to shooting with a lot of back and forth between myself, Holley, and Galda on the type on various related topics like style and what representations of my personality would translate best in photographs. It also took a lot of time to find a nice and suitable location as my city is quite teeny tiny. And about a month to get my body to the condition I wanted etc. Cost was about £250, maybe a bit more as I had to rent the location, have my hair freshly coloured etc. Then the set was ready about three weeks afterwards and in MR about three months after shooting.

I think some of the girls on here are so beautiful, and so diverse, that sometimes it's not obvious how much work went into the set because everything flows so well. It's so complete and easy on the eyes BECAUSE of the work, but not screaming out "staged".
And when girls have some of the best tattoos on their sexy bodies, well, I know I dont think about the fact that the location is a key 'tone enhancer'.
I was so nervous with my first set, and I think it made it hard for the photographer. It was actually more weird getting my clothes off for her, because she has been a longtime friend, than i was for the camera. That made it all rather limited. After spending time on here looking through the awesome sets available, and talking with other members of the community, it makes the whole thing more intimate and personal, which is exactly what the good sets are.
For my next set, we are already a few weeks into planning, and there are still so many elements to play with. I know i cant wait to have another go! And the education has been yummy!

I agree with Clio
All sets take some preparation, as in make-up, hair, and clothing. I've taken sets where all I needed was a casual outfit of mine and a good mindset. Sometimes less is a lot more, and simple sets can be totally hot. In my case, it's the sets that are personal that take all of the preparation. If I have a certain theme or idea I want to portray I try and work out every detail as a team with the photographer.

The set I'm shooting this weekend has been being planned for for the past three months, and the idea came to me a little over a year ago. As of right now there are four people on the set team including myself, the photographer, a makeup artist and the photographers assistant. After the set is taken it will be edited and finalized, and that will make the set team rise to six people. Still, sets can be self shot, and be great, and some sets it's just you in the photographer, it really depends on what your set will entail.

Like Scotty does, I make sure my outfit, hair, and makeup fit the general theme and feel of the set. Things can look out of place and ruin the feel of a set. And she's right, even if you're frugal it can cost a pretty penny to be prepared for a set.

The week before a set I get plenty of sleep, pamper my skin and hair, and practice poses and faces in the mirror. It sounds silly, but it's really important to know how your face or body feels when you are making an attractive face/smile/pose. I also don't wear make up or my contacts for two days before a shoot. To give my face and eyes time to rest. And I drink a lot of water, it makes a difference. I usually do my own makeup and hair, this will be the first set I've done where I've worked where a makeup artist.

The editing process and how long it takes depends on your photographer/photoshopper,

There arent any SG photographers in New Zealand
(that i know of, at least..) so that made it difficult for me, plus i dont
think i put in as much effort or imagination into the sets i
posted last year. i plan on submitting a set in the new year,
just getting some tips i think all the best sets have a lot of
thought, effort, and energy put into them. (and by 'best' i
dont mean only the ones that get bought, cause there are
still so many amazing creative sets in MR, by Hopefuls and
the SG's).

Christ.

I remember back in the day(2001) they'd take almost any girls pics that cared to get naked.

I kinda miss those daysIt was kinda like looking at dirty polaroid pictures of your actual punk/goth/raver girl next door.

I wish I could have foreseen how popular this beast was destine to be.

I still think this SG thing is pretty cool,but it's a totally different game now.

No no, I don't think he meant any insult by his comments. They are valid indeed. I wasn't on the site back when it first started (I was only 16 although by 2002 I was already a keen follower of everything SG) but it only makes sense that back then a lot of the sets were either self-shot or shot by Missy who I'm sure was not a professional photographer when she first started and carried out the role out of necessity (I'm sure set weren't made purposefully to look like "dirty polaroid pictures" as you put it MarkPainter). When you understand the growth behind SG everything makes more sense. I like the fact that the site has seemingly matured along with the creator(s) of SG, it's a kind of SG evolution

That was off-topic I know... Back to the thread question...

I'm sure there's going to be a lot more girls here answering with "yes it's tons of preparation for me" simply because anyone admitting the opposite would probably be given the evil eye LOL. Fact of the matter is variety is the spice of life here on SG and the same applies to girls' sets. I don't think there's any girl here who ONLY do super outrageous themed sets and neither do I think there is any girl here who ONLY do simple sets. It's more half-half.

I go absolutely crazy sorting and picking shots for sets...it is so difficult sometimes to balance unique shots, interesting shots, etc, and also maintaining some sort of coherent flow from start to finish. It can take me as much as 2-3 days to sort and edit everything.

Lightroom has made it a lot easier.

Thanks everyone for your input. Definitely appreciate all the energy and time you pour into this site

I'm curious how many hours it takes to shoot a set. I assume you break it up over several days so you don't go flat. Do you usually have an assistant on the set, or does it work better with just photographer and model present? And one other question: do you meet before the shoot or just swap phone calls?