A week before: wardrobe
Lay out two or three complete outfits and photograph them on your bed — you'll spot clashes instantly. Neutral tones and texture (linen, knit, denim) photograph beautifully; tiny high-contrast patterns and glowing logos fight the camera. Steam or iron everything; wrinkles the eye forgives in person become permanent residents in print.
The night before: sleep and skin
Water, an early night, and no brand-new skincare experiments — retouching handles blemishes, but rested eyes can't be faked convincingly. If you wear makeup, bring it for touch-ups; if you don't, a little powder for shine is the whole kit.
The day: timing and fuel
Eat something real an hour before — low blood sugar photographs as tension. Arrive ten minutes early so you're breathing normally when we start. Bring: outfit options on hangers, touch-up kit, water, and anything with meaning you might want in a frame (a letter, an instrument, the dog).
Leave at home: expectations of perfection
The frames clients end up framing are rarely the symmetrical smile — they're the mid-laugh, wind-in-hair, half-glance moments. My job is the technique; your only job is to show up rested, fed and willing to play along for an hour.
“Come as you are on a good day. I'll handle the light, the angles and the rest.”
— What I tell every client on the planning call
Ready when you are: portrait sessions run at golden hour or in the studio loft, and the planning call is included either way.