10 TIPS WHEN PREPARING FOR YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTRAIT SHOOT
If you book a professional portrait shoot with me, here are some useful tips to consider to help you feel more relaxed and to get the most out of the photography session.
Make sure you know what you would like to achieve with your professional portraits, a good way to do this is by creating a mood board which you can use for inspiration when it comes to colour tone, posing, lighting and general feel of the photograph. A good way to do this is by using Pinterest and sharing your inspiration with me, so we have a clear creative direction on the day of the shoot.
Bring a variety of outfits so that I can offer you a range of different shots that you will be able to use for different occasions.
When picking your outfits, avoid bringing clothes with small repetitive details such as dots, lines, checks and stripes. These patterns can exceed the camera sensors resolution and a strange-looking wavy pattern occurs in the image called Moire that can ruin the picture.
When on a studio shoot, think about what colour back drops you want and try to avoid your outfits clashing with them, avoid white on white and black on black.
Try to relax when you are being photographed, often people naturally look tense as we are not used to being put on the spot, here are a few pointers below to help you.
Try to adjust your pose every two to three photos, this helps you to reset and often will result in more natural images
Look away from the lens occasionally and then bring your eyes back to camera, this prevents you from looking too intense and rigid and will often lead to more relaxed results.
Remember to blink and breathe, often people will be holding an expression for too long, normally due to nerves, remember your basic facial functions and you’re half way there to a great portrait.
Have fun and communicate with me. Some of the best shots I get is when I am conversing with the subject, this will often lead to me capturing genuine mannerisms.
Finally don’t be afraid of a bit of make-up, woman or man. Studio lighting will often cause a natural shimmer to most skin. A touch of powder on the forehead and around the nose and cheeks will help alleviate that shine.