Your Responsibility As My Client

This past weekend I had a branding session with the amazingly talented Sirena of Aneris Photography (see awesome image above!) and it got me thinking about everything I had to do in order to prep for this shoot.  There’s a lot that  goes into making sure things turn out the way you want them to.  Of course you can never plan for hiccups along the way, but you can make sure that the majority of your session is a home run.  Here are a few tips to help you better prepare for your upcoming session:

Advanced Preparation:

After booking my appointment with Sirena (settling on a date, time and location) I had to begin making other appointments, namely a hair appointment a couple of weeks prior to my session because I wanted to dye it red (risky, I know + not something I would recommend unless you’re somewhat daring) and my makeup appointment.  After locking down those two items I began to think about the feel of my session.  I knew I wanted the first half to take place in my home so I wanted a cozy, comfortable feeling and the second half would be outdoors and I wanted to be a bit more dressed up for that.  Pinterest became my best friend at that point.  I created a board specifically for my session which included outfit ideas, color schemes and pose options (not necessarily doing exact poses, but to give me a feel for what I wanted my session to be like). I shared this board with my photographer so that she was aware of the vibe I was going for in advance.  Doing your own research, and not just relying on your photographer, will make your day run so much more smoothly.

Week of Preparation:

I knew I didn’t want to wait until the last minute to get things together (the stress is real during this time of the year for me so whatever I can do to alleviate it, I will) so I decided to start on getting my home set up early in the week.  This included vacuuming, straightening up, cleaning off tables and counters and de-cluttering.  Anything that I didn’t want in the background during the in-home portion of my session was stored away.  I also decided to iron my clothing a couple of days in advance and hang them up so that wasn’t something that needed to be done at the last minute.  Doing all of this before the day of my session even arrived allowed me to be as calm  as possibly could.

Session Day:

I made sure to get a good night’s sleep the night before and drink plenty of water so that my skin could be as glowy and blemish free as possible.  I made my appointment with MUA (make-up artist) Brenisha of Estilo by CX for early that morning so that I wouldn’t have to be in a rush coming or going that day.  She worked her magic as usual and it gave me enough time to get home, change into my first outfit, touch up my hair and start the session!  Having myself completely together made Sirena’s job easier.  She was able to come in and shoot without having to nitpick about certain things and gave her more shooting time which worked out better for the both of us.  And last but certainly not least…relax!  Being in front of the camera can be nerve-racking.  It was for me anyway.  So make sure to try to get as comfortable and relaxed as possible.  Throw on your favorite tunes prior to (or even during the session), sip some calming tea (or even have a glass of wine if that helps you to loosen up slightly) and have fun.

I hope reading through this list will give you, the client, a better feel for what your responsibilities are prior to your session.  I love that my clients have faith in me and my abilities but I’m not a magician.  I can’t make something great without your help.  My best sessions have come from clients that put their all into it as well.  Your session is a team effort and without your help we can’t make it as great as it deserves to be!  If you’re looking to book a session with me head on over to the Contact page and shoot me an email or give me a call.  I’d love to work with you and make a little magic!