What You Can Expect From a Photoshoot
Are you a little uneasy about booking a photoshoot?
It's okay if the answer is yes. Most people are. And for good reason - they've never done it before.
I mean sure, you've seen Zoolander. We've all seen Zoolander. But aside from watching Derek Zoolander perform the iconic "blue steel" pose, you don't have any real 'modeling' experience.
But guess what? You don't need any.
Regardless, the thought of paying someone money to take pictures of yourself still may seem...a little weird.
Let's pull back the curtain and break down one of my portrait sessions.
Why? Because knowing what to expect will make you feel a whole lot more comfortable.
And once you're comfortable, you can turn your anxiety into excitement and book a session.
You won't regret it.
The results will make your ex hella jealous - it's science.
LOCATION
This session was at the Percy Warner Park Stairs in Nashville, TN.
I absolutely LOVE shooting here. The stone steps and natural backdrop make for BEAUTIFUL portraits.
Here's a little taste of the visuals...
WARDROBE
Sunset shoots are my favorite - you get the MONEY light. But timing is critical.
We can typically make two or three outfits work, no problem. Just know the more wardrobe changes, the less time we have for shooting. Daylight burns with every wardrobe change. Time is critical on sunset shoots!
We technically had one fit for the Percy Warner shoot, but we turned it into two by taking off the client's blazer.
LET'S GET INTO THE THICK OF IT
My model, Brad, met me at 6:45PM.
The sun was setting and we only had an hour of solid daylight.
We chatted for a bit, got pumped for the session, and then started shooting.
WIDE SHOTS
I like to start my sessions with wide shots.
They establish the location with gorgeous scenic shots and also allow you to warm up your chops and get comfortable in front of the camera.
What do I mean by warm up?
Well, you see less detail in wide shots and therefore can afford some slips in performance.
AKA if your poses and facial expressions aren't on point yet, the shots will still look good.
We can work out all the nervous jitters from the jump.
SIDE NOTE - Film Directors do this as well. They shoot their wide coverage first and then move in for close ups once the actors are performing at a high level.
For this shoot, I started off with wide shots of Brad walking up the stone steps...
After nailing the wide shots, it was time to move in close. I switched to my 85mm prime lens and scoped out the location. I noticed a small grouping of steps off to the side of the primary stairs...it was perfect.
Once there, I noticed the windy stone steps in the background. AND I WAS FEELIN IT. So I posed Brad up against a stone wall and grabbed a few more full body shots...
Bullseye.
Okay, so now it was time to move in closer. For real this time.
These three are technically mid shots but I felt confident with what we captured, so we moved up the stairs a bit towards the center.
I asked Brad to pop on his blazer so we could get a different look. I made sure to get a couple full body shots with the blazer...
Those last two were just for fun but they turned out GREAT! Brad was clearly getting comfortable in front of the camera so we moved in closer.
MEDIUM AND CLOSE SHOTS
Posing is often extremely awkward.
What do you do with your face? With your hands? Your Feet? Your Shoulders?
Fear not. I will work with you until we get those MONEY poses and expressions.
Brad was a natural so I gave him a few GO-TO poses and let him run with it...
TIME TO GET ARTSY
A photoshoot isn't a photoshoot without some artsy, editorial type photos.
I noticed a stone ledge that was perfect for Brad's enormous frame (he's 6 foot eight BTW). My hope was that he could lean over it for some sexy, artsy type vibes.
I asked him to take off his jacket to better fit the mood I was going for...
I posed Brad up and let 'er rip!
TIME TO PLAY
We were feeling a little silly after the sultry type shots so we decided to end the session with a little fun...
THAT'S A WRAP!
It's as easy as that.
We show up.
We talk through the shoot.
We start wide.
We move around.
We ease into medium and close shots.
We change up the wardrobe (if you want).
Then we call it a day!!
Until next time...
STAY CREATIVE MY FRIENDS!
Interested in Booking a Shoot? Click the "BOOK A SESSION" button in the bottom right hand corner of your browser!
PS. You can purchase prints of any and all pictures you see on my site!! Just click on the pictures you want and follow the prompts!