How to prepare yourself to be photographed
You have a photo session coming up and you are wondering how to make yourself photo-ready. Many anxious moms message me before their session a bit stressed about what comes next. Truthfully not many people actually like being photographed, myself included. It can be stressful and awkward and you don’t know how to stand or pose. First of all, it’s not your job to make yourself look good through the lens, that’s my job! I will be here to help you pose and position your body in a flattering way so don’t worry about that. So what can you do to prep yourself? Here are my 10 tips in no particular order.
Exfoliate
Dry weather and everyday life can cause your skin to dry out and become flaky. Exfoliating your skin will help smooth out your skin texture, reduce flakes and dry patches and give you that glow. You don’t need anything fancy to do the job. A simple wet washcloth will do the trick. Focus on dry skin on your face, dry flaky lips, dry elbows and dry knees.
2. Moisturize
After you exfoliate apply a moisturizer to your body and face to help lock in moisture and give your skin a smooth appearance. It’s a good idea to bring along chapstick to apply before your photos.
3. Wash and blow dry
It’s a good idea to wash away any grease in your hair to avoid unflattering shine. Using a blowdryer after your wash will help remove any dust in your hair and will add volume. It’s a good idea to bring a hairbrush if you want to touch up your hair.
4. Clean your nails
Although your nails are not the focus of your portraits your hands will definitely be in your photos. Make sure you clean under your nails, trim any dried skin and remove chipped nail polish. If you wish to put on new nail polish opt for neutrals that won’t pull focus away for your baby or your face.
5. Shave
You most certainly don’t need to shave for me, however, if you usually do shave you should do so the day of or day before your shoot. This rule applies to men and women. If you are doing a newborn session you may want to do skin to skin photos so if you or your parter like a smooth shaven face or torso remember to do so before you come. If you are doing a maternity session you may wish to do some nude or semi nude poses so keep this in mind. Hair is much easer to shave than to photoshop off!
6. Makeup
Makeup is also not a necessity for your photoshoot but if you usually wear makeup please apply your makeup at home. It’s also a great idea to bring along makeup for touching up in particular lip makeup and powder. If you don’t want to worry about doing your makeup talk to me about hiring a professional makeup and hair artist who can come to the studio and style you before your session.
7. Underwear
Depending on the type of session you will be doing your bra may or may not show. You may also be changing from a dark outfit to a light outfit so please bring along if you have: black underwear and bra set, nude underwear and bra set, a strapless and a colourful bra.
8. Clothing
Choosing your clothes for your session is probably the most stressful part of the experience. In fact I know people who put off booking just because they have “nothing to wear.” In my opinion it doesn’t really matter what you wear because the focus of the photo in you and your family. I suggest wearing something that makes you feel good. Then I also like one light coloured outfit and one dark outfit. Before you pack your clothes pass an iron over them to get out the wrinkles and use a lint roller to take off any lint and fluff. When selecting an outfit I look for muted or earth tones, jewel tones neutrals. I also gravitate towards fabrics with texture such as tulle, pleating, velvet, corduroy, taffeta, wool knits etc.
9. Hydrate
It’s no secret that dehydration leads to dry and dull skin, low energy and overall poor health. Getting hydrated is an easy way to help look and feel your best.
10. Rest
My final tip is to pack and prepare ahead of time and make sure you can get a good full night sleep the night before your session. If you are rested you will feel more energetic and more enthusiastic during your session. It also helps you keep your patience with young children at your shoot. And as a bonus being well rested will help get rid of the bags under your eyes.
Helping your kids have a good session
Now that you are ready for your photos here is a post to help you make sure your kids are ready too.
[…] The main focus of your children’s portrait is the bond between your children but the other focus is photos of children with their parents. During each session I aim to capture each parent with each of the children individually and each parent with all the children together. Finally we will capture an image of everyone together. Read this post on how to prepare yourself for photos. […]
[…] are a few things you can do to prepare for your session. Here is a full post on getting yourself photo […]
[…] So now that we have established that you will be in the photo there is the question of what to wear. For my style of portrait photography I prefer outfits that are a similar shade so that the outfits blend away and the focus is on your faces. Outfits don’t have to be the same colour or the same dress in different sizes. Similar shades work nicely such as all jewel tones, or all light colours. For the parent and newborn poses you can keep it very simple with a black shirt or go skin to skin. You don’t need shoes for your session. There are many options and you don’t need anything fancy. Read this post for more ideas on what to wear and how to get yourself photo ready. […]