Tips for a Successful Photography Session – PART TWO

I’ve worked with a variety of photographers and posed for a range of portraits through fine-art images. For a writer, it is important to have a headshot ready to send out with your published work. The higher-quality, the better. This usually means booking a photographer to take your picture. You’ll have to model for the camera. In this post, I am continuing to share tips that come from a culmination of my modeling experiences. If you missed the beginning, you can catch up here: Tips for a Successful Photography Session PART ONE.

Personal Care

The obvious, but not always possible, points of being well-rested and hydrated apply to photoshoots. Make-up can only cover so much. Air-brushing is time consuming and expensive. Arrange your schedule to have as much down-time as possible for the 24 hours leading up to your session. Avoid caffeine and alcohol.

Here’s my big tip for this category: get some hydrating eye drops and keep this with you. Put a couple drops in each eye before make-up application. Bring the dropper with you to the photoshoot. The whites of your eyes should appear fresh and brilliant in your pictures. Yes, digital touch-ups and lens filters can correct for this, but tired eyes will still look weary. Safeguard against it by keeping your eyeballs well hydrated during the shoot.

Posing

When it comes to poses, do a bit of preparation to ensure the session runs smoothly. I’m not talking about “should I sit or stand” kind of stuff. There are minor adjustments in body position that make a huge difference on camera. Even if you are simply getting a headshot done, practicing in the mirror and with a basic camera (i.e. cell phone) will give you an idea of how small adjustments change your appearance.

During the photography session, you need to be fully relaxed. Getting some posing practice in goes a long way. Flip through a magazine or use a Google image search to help you with this task. See which model poses resonate with you and try them out. And don’t stick to intense stuff—loosen up and have fun.

Environmental Controls and Safety

Having a lens hovering around your face while seated in a cold sterile room feels more like a medical examination or alien abduction than a fun modeling session. This goes hand-in-hand with the above tip in regards to posing. You’ll want to be relaxed. Sometimes you will have control over your surroundings (i.e. if the photographer is at your home), and other times you will need to prepare by bringing items with you (i.e. if you are having photos done outdoors). I’ll summarize what worked best in past sessions and you can take it from there.

Warmth: In order to stay relaxed, you need to be warm. Have a thick robe or winter coat within reach to wrap yourself in while the photographer is setting-up or making adjustments. It may feel silly, but do it anyways. I was glad to have a robe to wrap myself in while the make-up artist worked on me between shoots. Even if the room has climate control, your body temperature may drop due to nervousness. In turn, this affects how your skin tone shows up on camera—warmer is better.

Foot Comfort: If your photography session will be on the longer side, consider your feet. Wearing stilettos for an extended period isn’t great. Have a pair of sandals, slippers, or loose-fitting socks ready to slip-on when the camera isn’t snapping. Choose something that is both warm and loose to prevent skin creases—those show up on camera. Use a towel to insulate your feet against a cold floor.

Fun: Physical warmth is one thing, but you need to create a sense of warmth in your overall environment. Make it fun! Again, the more you loosen-up, the better your photos will turn out. Have music ready and play it during the photography session. The photographer may have a stereo already playing in the studio, which is good. If the playlist isn’t your vibe, say something. It’s the photographer’s job to ensure you are comfortable and look vibrant on camera, so of course your music preference is important. I brought my own CD’s (yeah this was a while ago…) to a high-fashion photoshoot and the photographer not only played them but embraced the effect by snapping photos while I grooved to the tunes. Candid usually turns out better, so don’t shy away from carrying a conversation while posing. Laughter is good. Some photographers tell jokes or hold props by the camera to encourage a genuine smile. Embrace it.

Companionship: If possible, bring someone with you to the photoshoot who is good at getting you to let your guard down. This person should be patient, a good sport, and supportive of the photographer’s needs as well as yours. If your photographer is a long-time friend or family member, then you pretty-much have this covered. If you are showing-up to an unknown, then make sure it is okay to bring a companion to the shoot. Sometimes a busy studio just doesn’t have room for extra people to hang around. In those cases, I had a companion who doubled as my make-up artist. Avoid being alone with the photographer. If a photographer is not cool with you bringing your own chaperone, then cancel and find another photographer.

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Cover Image: Photo by Kampus Production on Pexels.com