How To Prepare For Your Shoot & Get The Most Out Of It
You finally did it, you booked your session. Now what? Before you start freaking out and feel like you’re underprepared, don’t worry I got your back!
A photoshoot like this can be nerve-racking even for seasoned pros who have done it a few times before, which is why I made a list. These tips will help you organize some of the things running in your mind, after going through them, you should feel more ready to prepared for your big day.
Getting Ready Ritual
We work with a local high end hair and makeup artists to make you feel truly pampered on your big day, so here are somethings they suggested that will make things go more smoothly.
Face & Lips
Please arrive with an exfoliated, moisturized and clean bare face as well as clean and dry hair. Moisture is KEY for the face. Hopefully you’re doing this every day anyways and we don’t need to remind you. But in case you don’t, please moisturize the nights leading up to your shoot and the morning of. The day before your shoot, try to drink plenty of water and get a good night’s sleep. Hydrated skin is smoother and fills out the lines and keeps the skin looking glow-y.
Exfoliate your face the night before or the morning of your shoot. You can do both if you’re skin is used to it already. If you don’t have a routine, you can use a washcloth and a cleanser or a gentle scrub. Be careful not to rub too hard, keep your focus on the crevices of the nose. To get rid of the dead flakey, chapped skin on your lips, use a sugar and oil scrub or ever your toothbrush on your lips. This will even out your lips getting them ready for a perfect application of lip colour.
Brows & Hair
Try to have your brows groomed 1-5 days before the shoot, either tweezed, threaded or waxed. Cleaning up your eyebrows will make such a difference in how your eyes and face will look. Get rid of unwanted hair the day before too. The makeup will lay on the face so much better and it will be easier to blend into the skin.
Wash your hair the morning of or the night before the shoot. Wear it down so no dents show up. Do not come to the makeup chair with straight ironed hair unless that is your end goal. It will be near impossible to give you those luscious curls.
Be prepared to get a work out in!
We are going to try some poses that will put your body in positions you haven’t experience in a while. You might work your butt off!
It’s one thing getting there, it’s another holding the pose. Think Yoga not weights. It might feel uncomfortable but once you see the end result, you’ll realize it’s worth the pain.
Bring a bra and panty set
You can’t go wrong with the classic bra and panty set for that clean, fresh look to go along with more elaborate outfits. Robes, chains, curtains, sheets, whatever. BUT do not wear a bra when you arrive, those lines take a while to smooth out. So show up in a button up shirt, or a loose sweater.
Pick clothes that fit your body type that you’d actually wear
It’s sometimes time consuming to find the perfect outfit to bring, but it’s worth the effort to feel amazing and confident. Bring something that you already have that you LOVE yourself in. Something that accentuates your favourite features and makes you look and feel great. Bring new items too that you can’t wait to try on, but it’s nice to have the fall back of the classic faithful.
Get sentimental
If you are doing this shoot for your partner, please don’t bring a boxy team jersey of his favourite sports team. Instead bring a cute tight top or a hat with his team’s logo. Keep it simple. You don’t want him thinking of you every time he sees a burly athlete from behind. Get more personal, wear those nice earrings they bought you or that anniversary lingerie if you are one of the lucky ones. A little charm maybe? The key here is to be subtle, you don’t want it taking attention away from the main attraction.
Accessorize, girl!
I’ve had quite a few clients show up with these amazing lingerie outfits and forget the heels….DON’T FORGET THE HEELS. Don’t worry, they’re not for walking. You’ll be standing mostly, but they do wonders for the legs, butt and general posture. If you don’t bring them, I will be asking you to go on your tippy toes a lot! I know it’s easy to get caught up with the packing hustle, but don’t forget to bring the shoes, hosiery and also your jewellery.
But I don’t have or wear lingerie
That is totally ok. Some people just don’t wear or invest in lingerie. We can go more of a laid back approach with knee high socks and comfy sweaters. Or you can go completely the opposite direction and do art nudes and embrace the au naturale.
If you are uncomfortable with a ‘problem area’ let us know in advance!
In the questionnaire that gets sent to you, one of the questions will ask what are your favourite parts about yourself. You can also choose to let us know which areas you’d rather avoid. We try to make you love ALL of you, but everyone has their insecurities and walls and we can’t knock all of them down all the time. These questions will help us know how to pose you and how to showcase you in a way you’ll absolutely love! If you feel insecure about your ears then we’ll make sure your ears aren’t showing when moving you around. If you tell us your partner loves your back dimples, then we’ll make sure we get a few good shots of those. It will probably end up as wall art in your bedroom, and we can’t disagree with that decision.
Thanks for reading, those are the big tips to know before coming to your shoot. It's a new experience for most people and it's hard to tell what's the right way of doing this. I hope it answered some of the questions you might have had or haven't thought of at all.
Oh and just in case I missed it....please do not fake spray tan before the shoot. It never gets ALL of the spots and it makes editing a pain. (and an extra charge!) The only spots it does get, however, is my nice furniture, pillows and sheets haha.
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