Well done! You've taken the leap and booked your session, now let's eliminate some of the anxiety you may have.
Hello! William here, and confess that I, too, get nervous before having my photo taken.
It’s only natural to feel performance anxiety before engaging in something we do so rarely. You aren’t alone!
Also, feeling a little anxiety can be beneficial. I prefer when people have a touch of nerves; it can add energy to the room, and it’s my job to harness that. I’ve worked with industry models who aren’t nervous, and man do I have to work hard to get something other than the “apathetic youth” look out of them!
If you’ve ever said “I’ve never done this before,” or “what do I do with my hands?” This article is for you.
Before the Session
Skin: everyone has it, we all ignore each other’s imperfections in person, but a photograph freezes those minor blemishes for all time. Of course, I’ll eliminate temporary visitors, but you might be surprised by how you can help the situation out. Here are my top tips for preparing your skin:
- Don’t pop your zits! We all get them, so don’t worry about turning up with some. It takes a second to eliminate 10 zits, versus spending 2 minutes trying to hide one angry-red volcano left after you squeeze a single pimple. Please don’t do it!
- That being said, do exfoliate the day or night before your session (not on the day!). Yes, guys too - get a good stiff brush and scrub away. If you’ve sensitive skin like me, maybe even doing it 24 hours beforehand to give your face and neck time to recover.
- Don’t do any skin peels or whitening masks. These generally make your skin look blotchy in photographs. I’ll blend and adjust your skin tone according to our discussion.
- Do clear your blackheads. One or two are acceptable, leave them. If you smoke or have larger pores as I do, use one of those blackhead strips or something similar 24-16 hours before your session.
- Trim stray hair. Nose, ear, and eyebrow hair stands out in portraits, and contributes to my RSI - please think of my wrists! Your significant other will thank you, too.
Styling:
Makeup:
Please discuss this with me before you hire a makeup artist or decide what you will do on the day. There are powder-finish makeup products that might look great in person but may ruin your photos due to the way they eliminate contrast and highlights. Mascara, eyeliner, and natural eyebrows will all help for women. Men typically don't need to bother with makeup, but once again, please discuss with me.
Hair:
Please keep it simple. I suggest washing it the day before, but don't go all out on the day of your session; if we need to change the look and you've used an entire packet of pins in it, it just wastes everyone's time. Bring a hair tie or two if its long, clips and pins if you need to, but generally wearing your hair the way you do every day is going to give you the best look. You'll be less self-conscious and less inclined to fiddle with it.
Beards:
I prefer a bit of scruff on a man. If you have a beard, give it a trim with some hair clippers. If you want a clean-shaven look too, come in wearing what you have, and once we get rolling, I'll send you off to shave. I'll provide you with a brand new razor, shaving oil, and hot water.
Jewellery:
The rule of thumb is not to bring it. Unless it's your grandmother's wedding band, please don't bring it. If you're wearing earrings or a glittering necklace, I'll most likely ask you to remove it. I won't be responsible if things go missing (and my cats love shiny things), so please don't bring anything to the studio.
Alessandra Ambrosio, keeping it real.
There is a reason professional models will show up to a gig looking like they just rolled out of bed, wearing loose-fitting track pants and a t-shirt or sweater. Their hair is often just tied up loosely. They usually aren't in makeup yet either! (Why do you think they have those big glasses on?)
Why is this? It is because they know that the other professionals around them will have to deal with the clothes and makeup they are wearing already before they can get to work. So to save time and money, they don't bother.
Image Credit: Rex (Click for Marie Claire article)
Underwear:
Let's be frank, I'm going to spend a few hours zoomed-in on your face looking at your pores and nose hair, so I think we can talk about undies for a second. Plus this kind of thing is more awkward in person, so forewarned is forearmed. Why are we talking about this? If you're getting headshots, your shoulders are in the frame so bra straps - or the marks left by them - are going to be visible.
If we're doing full-length shots, you want to ensure the lines of your clothes and body aren't suddenly dipping in or sticking out in an distinct, unflattering way. Here are some quick tips about what kind of undies to wear:
- Nothing bulky or too fancy. Lace or jewel accents can show a raised pattern through sheer tops and dresses which ends up looking unflattering. T-shirt bras are great, so long as they have a thin, broad strap.
- Black, grey, or white colours are best. Choose whichever compliments your skin tone or the colour of the clothes you're wearing.
- If you bring a dress or sheer top that makes your bra look apparent and distracting, either bring a bandeau or be prepared to drop the straps off of your shoulders.
- Some strapless bras have translucent silicone straps - these are bad news under lights. They reflect the light from the flash and look terrible, so please don't bring it.
One last thing; I have some homework for you.
When it comes to portraits, it pays to be conservative with clothing choice.
I will need you to pick out nine different shirts, jackets, tops and/or dresses: no patterns, no logos, no jewels, no designs, no visible brand names. Lay them on your bed and take a snapshot. Please send it to me on WeChat or by email.
Once that's done, we will choose 6 of the looks. You will put them on and take at least 6 selfies with them. No, not a duckface selfie. I need two profile shots - left and right - and a third looking straight at your camera. I should see your head and shoulders. If we're doing a full-length shoot, I will need 3 full-length pictures of you in the outfit. Once again, send these through WeChat or via email.
I should make a shirt with this on it...
