Preparing for Your Photo Shoot Pt. 3 – Get Ready!

You are well on your way to having a successful shoot! You've researched the industry and found a great photographer that meets your needs as well as some fabulous aesthetics professionals to complete your shoot team. That's a lot of work in and of itself so congrats on getting it done AND on budget (that's important too, right?!).

Below is a standard checklist of things you want to do several days prior to your shoot date:

• Wardrobe: If you haven't done so already you should begin compiling all the clothing and accessories you will need for your shoot. If you are using a designer/wardrobe stylist this element of the preparation phase should be a breeze as he/she will handle most of the details based on the type of shoot being conducted. If you can't afford a wardrobe stylist simply speak with your photographer and makeup artist to decide what would work best for the shoot. The color background being used as well as the makeup selection will be heavily influenced by what you wear so choose wisely.
  
• Hair & Skin: Make sure you do any waxing required 2-3 days before your shoot to allow any redness to subside. Areas of major concern are your lips, chin, legs, forearms and, if shooting swimwear or lingerie, your bikini area. As for your skin you want to exfoliate to remove any dead skin and use a moisturizer to soften your skin.
  
• Nails: Be sure to only use clear polish or a French manicure on your nails. Absolutely NO colored polish! Also, if you anticipate shooting barefoot make sure you get a pedicure and exfoliate your feet so they look their best and remember that you want both sets of nails to look the same; don't wear a French manicure and use clear polish on your feet!
  
• Your Smile: VERY important! If you are a smoker or regularly drink coffee or other beverages/foods that stain your teeth you should take time and undergo a full cleaning so your smile is at its brightest. Also, when smiling, make sure you smile just wide enough to show your teeth but not so wide as to show your gum line. This may take some practice and now's as good a time as any to get in front of the mirror and perfect your winning smile!
  

By now you should have also mapped out how to get to the shoot location and relayed it your Aesthetics Team if they are unfamiliar with the photographer's studio site. Remember, you don't want to tarnish your reputation by being late so plan ahead to ensure you arrive in a timely manner. In Pt. 4 of this series on preparing for your shoot you will learn what to bring with you in your model's bag and why it's important to have one. Don't miss it!

Preparing for Your Photo Shoot Pt. 2 – The Aesthetics Team

OK! So you've locked in a photographer, discussed all the details for the shoot such as location (In Studio or Outdoors), deliverables (Quantity of images on CD, number of edits, delivery of the disc, etc.) as well as the model release form (click the link and scroll down for info on what a release is). So what's next?

In order for your images to have more a professional appeal and provided it's within your budget (be aware that some photographers will not shoot you without at least a makeup artist present) I highly recommend hiring an aesthetics team for your shoot. The team members would be comprised of a makeup artist/hairstylist (some makeup artists do both) and a wardrobe stylist.

Just as you did with while searching for your photographer perform your due diligence and check references to ensure you are hiring someone that is reliable and professional. TRIBE! has a diverse listing of such professionals available for you so that you can make an informed choice that's within your shoot budget. Simply submit an email to glam@whosinyours.net for a complete listing of these professionals.

Now that you have the entire shoot team assembled you van begin organizing what you'll need for your shoot which we'll cover in Pt. 3: Getting Ready!

Preparing for Your Photo Shoot Pt. 1 – The Research

A Model's images and book are the single most important tools in getting work. A strong book filled with images that show the model's ability and diversity is crucial to his or her success.

Eventually, you will need to seek out a professional photographer to begin or update your portfolio. Below are a few guidelines to effectively finding the right one to fit your needs.

• What Type of Modeling Do You Do/Aspire to Do? – This question is paramount to the selection process as it will "narrow the field" of choices and focus your search on only those photographers relevant to the type of images you will need based on your needs. For example, if you are interested in commercial print modeling you wouldn't want to include photographers that shoot in the fine art genre. Even if you're dream is to be a Victoria's Secret model you would want to confine your search to commercial print photographers with experience shooting catalog work for intimates/swimwear as opposed to say commercial print for couture/ready-to-wear fashion.
  
• Where to Look? – There are plenty of sites out there where you can connect with photographers in your area such as ModelMayhem.com or Musecube.com. You can also contact TRIBE!™ for a comprehensive listing of professionals in your area that have been verified as providing quality service. For more details send an email with Service Provider Listing in the subject line to myshoot@whosinyours.net to promptly receive a list of available providers. We can have a shoot set up for you in no time!
  
• Who to Choose? – If you make use of our Verified Service Provider Listing we can contact the photographer on your behalf and set up a shoot for you! If you use one of the online networking sites like those above I suggest you send a email or make a call stating your first name, the purpose of the email/call (to discuss the set up of a shoot), your budget for a shoot or request for TFP/TFCD (More on this in an upcoming post) and a request for at minimum three verifiable references to ensure the photographer is on the level.
  

Once you're set on the photographer you want and you've set a date it's time for Phase 2: the Support Staff which includes such people as the makeup artist, hair stylist and wardrobe stylist. We'll talk about how these people complete your photo shoot team and why you need them in Preparing for Your Shoot Pt. 2 – The Aesthetics Team!