I believe in involving everybody in the process - and I'm fond of finding & sharing pictures to pinpoint the feel and mood of a shot (as well as rough sketches) and to get ideas - I think as a beginner spending more time in planning and visualizing has helped me make up for lack of experience and technical knowledge.
I've been very lucky to work with some great models found through Toronto Model Bookings (Lindsay Jolly) as well as websites like Musecube and Model Mania.