I’ve been utilizing Pinterest for years to gather ideas for photography sessions. It’s a great way to refine ideas & collaborate with my subjects. You get a good idea of the kind of vibe clients are looking for.
For example I have a client coming up soon for an adult cake smash! I've had a great time collecting ideas for poses and props! And now I can send this board to the client and get her input on what if any of these ideas work for her.

Its also a great way to get hyped for a session and come up with ideas of your own.
Take this photo from the A family photo session as a concrete example.
 Having a board to share with the main client was a great way to see what she was thinking outfits wise. This helped me decide where to hold the photoshoot.
​I was able to come up with a rustic setting that played well with their color pallet. it was a good way to get communication going and see what everyone was thinking.

I was so excited about this idea that I conceived on the fly a month ago. 
Little background: After my Daisy Girl Scouts bridged I had a ton of balloons and I made a snap decision to try out a new idea. 
My plan: I would make a fun little series of photos of me in my 1950's glam look with the balloons.
I was aiming for  a poignant and classy look.
I changed into my favorite dress and hat and my classic sunglasses. I got on some classic looking makeup and ran outside with my tripod. It was a blistering hot day but I was determined to get these shots
My backyard was a great background for an impromptu shoot. I got the shoots I wanted and was all excited to start editing. I went to edit them a few weeks ago and found that I'd forgotten my sunglasses in all of the shots! *head desk*
So sometimes you hustle and do your best and ideas don't work out. The important part is that I plan on trying again. I work really hard to not stress about what could have been and focus on what comes next.
I'm looking forward to trying again.
Have you ever had an idea that didn't quite work out?