#teachingisfun

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!

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. 

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.

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.