Preparing for your photo shoot is key to ensuring you look and feel your best! Here are some essential photo shoot preparation tips to help you feel calm and confident before your shoot:

Preparation Tips: Leading Up to the Shoot

Choose your photo shoot outfits. Choose clothing that complements each other without being too matchy-matchy. Choose 1-3 colors as your main palette, and use one outfit as the starting point – then you can build everyone else’s outfits around that one. One easy way to see if they will look good together in photos is to lay everything out together side-by-side – then you can see if the colors are complementary, if the patterns work together or compete too much, etc.

• Examples of beautiful photo shoot outfits:
  • Thomas Family | Fischer Family
  • Rachel + Anthony | Raquel + Jacob
• Color tips: I suggest avoiding bright reds and oranges and pinks unless they are truly your favorite color. Those colors reflect up onto faces, making you skin tones look redder/warmer than they really are.
• If you need some ideas, check out my Amazon outfit inspiration boards!
• For family photos: If your little girl is wearing a dress, I recommend bloomers or shorts underneath – we play and move a lot during the shoot, and it makes them more comfortable and lets them move freely without worrying about keeping their skirt in a certain position.

Get plenty of rest. A good night’s sleep before your shoot will ensure you look refreshed and vibrant.

Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water in the days leading up to your shoot will help your skin look its best.

Communicate your vision. Share any specific ideas or themes you have with me beforehand so we can collaborate to achieve the perfect shots! I may not be able to recreate exact photos you’ve seen on Pinterest, but I can use the inspiration to create something uniquely magical for your shoot.

Preparation Tips: On the Day of the Photo Shoot

Remove hair ties from your wrist. It’s easy to rush through getting ready and forget this step! Setting a reminder in your phone for right before the shoot begins can help you remember.

Take off your Apple Watch or swap the band for one that matches your outfit. I’ve heard people say that an Apple Watch in a photo shoot will date it the same way a beeper would date a photo from the 90s. I’m ok with it if you’re ok with it – but it’s something worth considering.

Empty your pockets of keys, wallets, and phones. Bulky items in your pockets can create unflattering lines and bulges in your clothing. Either put them in your back pocket or in a bag.

Bring touch-up essentials. Pack a small bag with touch-up makeup, a hairbrush, hairspray, and any other essentials you might need during the shoot.

It’s ok to have a drink before the shoot to relax – but don’t drink too much. A drink or two before a shoot can help calm your nerves and loosen you up, but too many drinks and you’ll be able to see it in your eyes.

The most important tip of all:

Remember you are WORTHY of having your photo taken. Joy and confidence shines through in photos – so just relax, have fun, and leave the rest to me!

Ready to book your photo shoot in the St. Pete/Clearwater area? Fill out the say hello!

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Amazon outfit boards contain affiliate links