I have scheduled a photo shoot... Now what do I need to know?

Preparing for your photo shoot

What to know for when getting ready for your individual session

Photography is this wonderful thing that allows people to express themselves.   There are people out there who love to get their picture taken and others who shy away from the camera but everyone can look good on film.  What's important is to relax, have fun, and come prepared.

A few days before your session 

1. Get a good night's sleep and stay healthy. If you're tired, it will reflect on your face, your overall appearance and your attitude. Try not to stress your body and mind a few days before the shoot. No alcohol, sweets, physical stress, or heavy eating either! Continue with your daily exercising on a regular basis. Drink fluids sparingly.
2. Shave or wax your legs and armpits a few days before a session. If you're modeling lingerie or open swimwear, take care of the bikini line. If you shave right before the shoot, the skin irritation will negatively impact the outcome, especially with digital photography.
3. Your hair. If you need some trimming, a couple of days before the shoot is the right time. Any coloring should be done at least 5 days before your shoot.
4. If you don't hire a make up artist, put a base makeup before coming to a shoot and don't forget your own make up kit. Don't use any gels or special hair treatments to keep it healthy during the shoot.
5. Get your outfits and props ready. Avoid bright whites, stripes or any other patterns unless specifically requested. Solid colors are the best choice. Careful with choosing V-necks. Be prepared a day before to avoid last minute runs. Bring the props that match your outfits in color, texture or by theme.       

    
Here are several things that are important to consider when preparing for a photo shoot.

1. GUYS - For the more traditional portraits, a suit or sport coat with a tie is good. Medium to dark sweaters photograph well. For the casual and outdoor photos, comfort is the rule - jeans, khakis and shorts look great.
2. GIRLS - Bring the colors and outfits you feel best in. Dresses and sweaters are good for a more traditional look. Bright colors, skirts, jeans, or shorts look good for your casual portraits. If there will be outfit changes, bring at least one dark and one bright color outfit. Avoid busy prints and patterns as they distract from the most important part of the portrait - you!
3. SHOES - Shoes may show, so they should compliment your clothing.
4. HAIR - Your portrait session is not the time to experiment with new hair styles or colors. If you do cut your hair, please do so at least a couple of weeks before the session so you are used to styling it.
5. MAKEUP - Makeup for photographs should be slightly heavier than normal. However, too much makeup tends to give you a painted look and too little might not show off your features. A translucent powder is helpful to eliminate shine, especially for oily skin. Since most portraits concentrate on the eyes, great care should be taken to make them look their best.
6. NAILS - Please do not forget the importance of your hands in your portraits. Whether you choose to do your nails yourself or have them manicured, keep them clean and use coordinating colors. Photographs often show your feet as well.
7. FACIAL HAIR - Make sure that you are clean-shaven before your session. Retouching can hide blemishes, but not razor stubble.
8. GLASSES - If you wear glasses most of the time, you will want to wear them in your portraits. To eliminate glare or reflections, bring empty frames or remove the lenses from your glasses.
9. PROPS - You can use items (including pets, vehicles, sports equipment, favorite books, and musical instruments) that show what you enjoy doing at this time in your life. If you have something special in mind, just let us know.
10. SUNTANS - Do not overdo the sun for a portrait. It looks great, but in moderation. Sunburn can be an expensive problem. It causes facial shine, red noses and cheeks, strap marks, hat lines and peeling, which are fixable but at an additional cost.

How to prepare for a Glamour Shoot     

MODEL / FASHION / GLAMOUR PHOTO SHOOT

Before you even schedule your photo session there are some things that will make you look amazing on film.

1. Practice! Get in front of the mirror and search for expressions and poses. This is not a one minute run just for fun. You have to study your body. Learn how your facial expressions actually feel when you laugh, smile, frown or relax. Try to feel each muscle. You should develop your own methods of controlling yourself to produce a desired expression "on demand". Practice when you are alone, have time to concentrate and calm enough to listen to yourself. Can you feel a perfect smile without seeing yourself in the mirror?
2. Search for body poses in front of a mirror without any clothing on. Why? Because without wearing anything to cover your body with, you will suddenly find that it is a challenge to find an attractive and natural position using only what was given to you by mother nature. With clothing on, you have pockets, textures and colors that distract you from the main object - your body. Once you master that, you will feel much more confident about virtually any modeling assignment!
3. Look at modeling shots from the fashion and glamour magazines and pay a close attention to poses, arms and legs placements and facial expressions. Analyze those separately and as a complete composition. Bring the shots you like with you.

Professional Photographer Series

Hiring a Photographer



Whenever we make a purchase, we consider the “value” we receive. It’s no different when hiring a professional photographer. Unfortunately, not many people readily understand the value of hiring a professional photographer. As the number of digital photographers continues to increase, it seems there are a lot of misunderstandings as to what a photographer does for you.

Ultimately for many, the choice of whether or not to hire a photographer comes to down price. If they do choose to hire one, they must evaluate the great photos in the photographers online portfolios and decide who they can afford.  Since this is the type of thing that is rarely stated, I feel it is time to set the record straight.

A popular reason for many calls and emails received by photographers is to inquire about basic head shots, event photographers, model portfolio photo shoots, weddings, and their respective prices. The truth is that the range of photography prices is highly variable and depends on many factors such as location (in studio versus traveling to a location) and length of time needed for a particular session.


Pricing can be as low as $50 up to $600 or more for a portrait session alone. In my opinion, any photographer selling their sessions for $50 probably isn’t much of a professional, although that’s not to say that they are not a good photographer. Still, many people are absolutely amazed at the fees associated with photography so let me explain what is involved in the process.

A professional photographer is not your friend grabbing a point-and-click camera on the fly. They are an experienced professional who knows how to capture impressive images by choosing the correct settings on their camera - not just pushing a button. In addition, the difference between a professional image and an image from a friend is in the details. For example, the whites of the eyes should be white.


A professional photographer will spend time getting to know their subject(s). Their preferences, needs and special requests. The professional photographer brings the knowledge, experience and capability to capture and craft images in the manner and style you prefer. Whether traditional or photojournalistic, a professional photographer works with your desires in mind. A professional photographer helps you establish his or her “assignment” so you can focus on making the memories.

Professional photographers are artists. A professional photographer brings an artistic eye to the equation. One focused not only on the subject but also the background, the lighting, the composition, the depth of field and a host of other elements that not every one can “see” when crafting an image. Artistic vision and the ability to “see” the image helps a photographer craft memorable images versus snapshots.

A professional photographer will utilize high end post processing software that allows him or her to effectively correct color, adjust exposure, manipulate hue, saturation, lens distortion and edit images for a professional look.

In addition, I assure you that professional photography equipment costs a lot more than your best friend’s camera. A high quality camera, specialized lenses, memory cards, digital software, tripods, umbrellas and lighting are professional-grade and are quite expensive. A professional photographer uses the latest digital SLR equipment and most importantly, knows how to use it. Today’s professional equipment has multiple and complex functions that allow a photographer to manipulate focal length, shutter speed, aperture, and depth of field to compliment almost any subject. It also allows the capture of crisp and sharp photographs in low light, with little to no image degradation.

 

A professional photographer understands and knows how to capture natural looking images in any kind of light. Whether in the studio, outdoors or low light situations, a professional photographer knows how to add the right amount of direct, bounce or supplemental lighting to fill the scene, compliment the subject and maintain a natural looking image. A professional photographer won’t fall prey to “red eye”, blurred or severely under or over exposed images.

Also consider that a photographer’s time and experience are valuable.  You’re not simply going to someone’s place of business and asking him/her to “just take a few pictures.” It does not work that way. Even if you only need one shot, it will take time to find the best angle, prepare the lighting, and possibly choose the correct outfit for that one memorable photo. A photographer will give you advice on what to wear, make-up, and so on. They have done this before and guide you as needed. That’s why professional photos look professional.

Few realize the time it takes to produce your one headshot is more than the actual sitting session. It involves setting up the equipment in advance, blocking off time for the photo shoot itself, uploading the photos and going through them after the shoot, digital touch-ups and editing the photos chosen for printing, burning the photos onto CDs, getting them to the photo lab, retrieving them from the photo lab and then waiting for you to pick up your prints or mailing / delivering them to you. You may have lots of time on your hands but you should always be aware that photographers are busy running a business.

I think most would agree that that is a lot of work for a small fee, hence the great value you get from working with professional photographers. Moreover, I assure you that one of the biggest pet peeves of all photographers is people who do not show up for the photos and are too inconsiderate to call and let the photographer know that they cannot make it. Photographers don’t get paid in those circumstances (unless a small booking deposit was requested) but still took time to set up the shoot and possibly turned someone else down during that period of time because it was pre-booked.

A professional photographer focuses on capturing high quality images and the objective thereafter is to preserve these images high quality printing. Professional photographers will bypass the low cost volume “snapshot” printing providers and work with a custom lab that will help assure the delivery of only the finest images.

Finally, a professional photographer does this for a living. If it were that simple, many photographers would not count on photo shoots to be their livelihood. Again, this is not your friend lending you his camera to take a few photos. Photographers take pictures for a living.

You wouldn't expect a plumber, carpenter, hairdresser, doctor, dentist, optician, electrician, chef, mechanic, dressmaker, or shop owner to work for free would you?

Professional photographers bring value in other ways too. These are just a few examples. While it does cost more to hire a professional photographer versus a friend or relative with a digital camera, professional photographers bring far greater value and quality to the end product. As the old saying goes, “you get what you pay for” and paying for a professional photographer will bring you custom crafted images you’ll be proud to display and share for years to come.

Do I need a Professional Photographer

Why use a professional photographer?



As cameras grow in digital sophistication it is becoming easier for everyone to get pleasing results for apparently little cost.  However, using an amateur to take an important picture can be a false economy. The impact a professionally taken image has on a client's market is far stronger than that of a quickly grabbed snap from a digital camera. Professional photography will sell your product or your company, amateur photography will not.

Photographers are not just technicians. A professional understands how to capture images that are right for a client's business and convey the message required. Their experience enables them to obtain successful results in any situation. It is as important for the photographer as it is you that the images are right for your business and convey the message you require. As a proportion of your media/print budget, the cost of getting the original imagery as good as it can be is tiny.

When commissioning a photographer the images they produce will be exclusive to you. Images bought from a photographic library will only be exclusive for the specific area you have bought a license for. Unless you negotiate an exclusive deal with the library other companies will be able to license the same image and use it for their own products or company. Negotiating exclusivity with a library is often more expensive than commissioning a photographer.

FOR WORK-RELATED EVENTS
You strive to be professional and knowledgeable in the workplace. Shouldn't your workplace use a photographer who is just as knowledgeable and professional about his own line of work?

Professional results for your professional workplace ~
Whether you're capturing employee portraits, documenting a special work event, shooting your company's product for an ad, or taking photos of a new building, a professional photographer will deliver the best results possible. Professional photographers specialize in areas such as portrait photography or architectural photography, so you'll know that your employees,  your products, or your workplace will reflect the image that your business wants to present.

The right person for the job ~
You wouldn't hire an engineer to head up your marketing efforts. So why expect your employees to capture the kinds of photos that a professional is trained to capture? If your business's image is important, it's important enough to require a professional photographer.