How to get ready for a photo shoot

Lately, it’s not been a good time for a photo shoot for my website. You name it—pandemic, the full-scale invasion of russian forces of Ukraine, etc. Even the idea of getting ready for a photo shoot was irrelevant.

I decided to do a photo shoot in between the air raid alerts. Being outdoors was scary because of the constant bombings.

Let’s have a look at my tips!

Tetyana is sitting at a table in a restaurant. She is pretending to type some information on her laptop. But she is sitting still and looks at the camera. There is a glass of water near the laptop.
photo by Yana Fedirko

Location 

We scheduled a meeting. After that, I picked a location outdoors where the natural light is always good—not too bright, not too dark. I’ve been to that place; that’s why I know it. I highly recommend checking out a location before having a photo shoot there. 

In addition, it is a good idea to check the weather forecast.

Setting goals 

Write down the purpose of a photo shoot. Set an outcome goal, which tells you the endpoint. State the sense of your literal story.

You may want to create a sense of story and/or capture a moment or moments of something. 

I wanted to show that I work 100% online; I’m self-employed, so I can work from anywhere, from any device. That’s why we took pictures with a laptop and a mobile phone.

I aimed to look as natural as I could. Usually, I don’t conduct classes or consultations wearing big earrings or necklaces. Basically, I wear casual clothes in my everyday professional and private life. That is why I wear casual clothes and jewelry, which I wear every day. My hair was not done in a fancy way. To sum up, I wanted to show the real me.

I wanted to show that I still enjoy writing by hand in this digital world. In addition, details are important to me. That is why I took my MyndMap planner, a Tiffany, and a Swarovski pen. 

Tetyana is sitting at a table outdoors. Her hands are on an orange planner, which is called MyndMap. There is a Tiffany pen on her planner. There is a laptop near her planner.
photo by Yana Fedirko

Tell your photographer about your goals. 

To begin with, I created a public folder on Pinterest to get more clarity for my photographer and me. We used them as inspiration. With the help of pictures on Pinterest, I could easily tell what I wanted to see. If you are curious about looking at my folder, you are welcome to take a look at it here

Makeup 

If you are a woman or a man, I highly recommend you apply some makeup. Remember that a camera “eats it up.” So, if you are a lady, apply more makeup than usual. Moreover, take some powder and oil-control blotting paper for your face with you. 

Hair

A day before, I did my hair just the way I wanted to be pictured. I did not want to mess up my hair on the morning of my photo shoot. 

Clothes 

This is one of my favorite talking points; I could talk for hours. I used to work on TV and a bit as a photo model, so I have a lot to tell. Should I write a blog post about it? 

Do not wear any of these patterns ⤵️

Size

Before the photo shoot, I told the photographer exactly where I would use the pictures. That’s why I sent her the sizes in px. For example, I needed some pictures for 

my website – 2048×1402 px and 1080×1080 px;

Instagram posts – 1080×1080 px;

Instagram Stories – 1080×1920 px.

Tetyana is drinking water from a wine glass with her eyes closed. She is sitting at a table with a laptop. There are green trees on the background.
photo by Yana Fedirko

Overall, the better you are prepared, the more you will like the outcome. 

I’d love to read about your experience with photo shoots. Leave a comment below or contact me on social media or email.

One response to “How to get ready for a photo shoot”

  1. Heya! Nice points! I would add that if it’s an indoor shoot, the makeup does need to be heavier than if the photo shoot is outdoors with natural lighting 😌 I’ve had both kinds and my favourite is outdoor shoots.

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