The Consultation
Planning & Design
During your pre-session meet & greet you will have the opportunity to browse through our glamorous studio wardrobe with over a hundred garments.
We will also go through a number of images to gather ideas on how you envision yourself being photographed.
Digging deeper, we will discover what resonates with you-soft and ethereal, bold and confident, or something sexy!
Pre-session consultations are required to book any session in our studio. We ask that you do not bring guests or children to your consultation so that we can stay focused on YOU.
Consultations last about 1 hour, depending on how chatty we get, and are scheduled in our studio.
THEN
Post Consultation: gathering necessities
After we have gathered initial ideas for your shoot, it's now time to begin mapping and designing the perfect poses and character of your session. That's my department!
Now is the time to consider purchasing your own garments to make your photographs extra special.
Consider borrowing gowns from family and friends, shopping in vintage boutiques, or using renttherunway.com to add a personalized touch to your portrait session.
You'll also want to schedule plan for hair and nails, so color is fresh and crisp!
SHOWTIME!
- Nude Strapless bra + matching nude panty
- White bra + matching panty
- Black bra + matching panty
**these under garments are essential to your shoot, please make sure to bring all three tones**
- A pair of your favorite jeans, white tank top, black tank top, and any jackets/coats you love
- Spanx are great if you wear them!
- A pair of slippers or flip flops and a robe to walk around the studio
- Any gowns, lingerie, or vintage items you may have to make your session unique.
- Real hair extensions if you have them
There is no need to bring shoes or cosmetics to your shoot.
Please let us know if you have any skin allergies prior to your session.
HAIR, SKIN, NAILS
HAIR
You should arrive to the studio with your hair clean and completely dry.
Do not straighten your hair or put any product in your hair unless otherwise discussed during your consultation.
If you are considering making any changes to your hair, it's best to email us and make sure that whatever changes you are making will still match how your session is designed.
Please make sure that your roots have been touched up prior to your shoot.
SKIN
Please come to the studio the morning of your session with your skin completely clean and moisturized.
Exfoliate your skin the morning of your shoot with granulated sugar and freshly squeezed lemon or your favorite exfoliator.
You do not need any kind of tan! In fact, stay out of the sun as much as possible for the weeks prior to your shoot.
Please make sure you have your eyebrows and any facial hair buttoned up a few days before your shoot.
NAILS
Hands play a very important role in your portraits. Nails should be neatly trimmed with no polish or a nude/blush tone.
A simple manicure and pedicure will be perfect. Make sure that your fingers and toes match. In fact, we encourage you to have NOTHING on your nails. Keep it elegant and natural!
No acrylic tips and/or designs on your nails including french tips. No bright or bold colors either! It ends up being a big distraction in your portraits!
TIPS & TRICKS
Practice makes perfect, a few suggestions to practice for fun before your shoot!
Smizing:
Practice looking at yourself in the mirror and smiling with your eyes. This is simply relaxing the mouth and using the bottom ocular muscle and lifting the bottom eye lid into a soft smile. The mouth can remain closed or slightly open with the bottom lip dropped. This will give you a bit of confidence when I show you how to do it in person during your session.
Ballet Hands:
Hands play a very prominent role in your photographs. Practice relaxed "ballet" hands touching the outside parts of your body: face, shoulders, and hips. And moving through space. We want the hands to be relaxed and soft. No claw or karate chop hands!
Balance:
Practice putting your weight on one foot and kicking your hip out in the mirror on the weight bearing leg and crossing the opposite knee across the other. This creates the perfect "S" curve in the body and creates a slimming effect. Watch out for "tea potting" which is when your hip and opposite shoulder go different directions.