The week before
We will have spoken by then. You know where we are shooting and roughly what for. The main thing to do this week is nothing dramatic. Do not get a new haircut; get a trim of the one you have, five or more days out, so it settles. Do not start a new skincare product; if it reacts, it reacts on the day. Do not go tanning. If you have a wedding, a funeral or a job interview in the same week, tell me, because it will be on your face and we may want to move the date.
What to wear for black and white
This is where people spend the most worry and it is the simplest part. In black and white, colour disappears and only tone and texture remain. So:
- Solid colours over patterns. A stripe becomes a distracting graphic; a floral becomes visual noise. Plain is always right.
- Think in tones. A red shirt and a green shirt might both become the same mid-grey. What matters is dark, medium or light, and how it sits against the background. I will tell you which we want.
- Texture is your friend. Knits, denim, linen, leather, a heavy wool coat: they read beautifully in monochrome. Shiny synthetics do not.
- Necklines matter more than anything. They frame the face. Bring a few options: crew, V, open collar, a turtleneck if you own one.
- No logos, no slogans, no big jewellery unless the jewellery is the point.
- Bring three outfits, wear one. We will use two at most. Having options means we can react to the light.
If you own something you feel powerful in, bring it, even if it breaks every rule above. Confidence photographs.
Hair and makeup
For women: less than you think. Black and white sees texture, not colour, so heavy foundation reads as a flat mask while natural skin reads as skin. Defined brows and lashes help because they are structure. Matte over shimmer; shimmer becomes hot spots. If you want a professional, I work with two makeup artists in Salt Lake who understand monochrome and can add one to the session.
For men: shave or do not shave, but decide the day before, not the morning of, so the skin calms down. A bit of translucent powder to kill shine is not vanity, it is physics.
Everyone: moisturise the night before, drink water, and bring lip balm.
The night before
Sleep. Skip the alcohol; it shows around the eyes the next day. Iron or steam the clothes. Charge your phone. Read the address. That is the list.
On the day
Eat something. People faint in studios more than you would think, and it is always because they skipped breakfast. Arrive on time, not early; I am usually still setting lights. Bring the clothes on hangers, not in a bag. Bring the one person you want there, if anyone. Do not bring four people.
Then stop preparing. From the moment you walk in, my job is to direct and yours is to be present. I will tell you where to look, what to do with your hands, when to move. You will feel awkward for the first half hour. Everyone does, including people who do this for a living. Then something shifts and the real frames begin. The session is long precisely so we can wait for that.
What not to worry about
Your "bad side". Your weight this month. The spot that appeared this morning (retouching exists). Not knowing how to pose (that is my job). Whether you will look natural (nobody does at first; the light and time take care of it). Whether you are photogenic. Photogenic is not a quality people have; it is a quality of the light and the patience of the person behind the camera.
If it is a fine art session
Most of this still applies, plus a few specifics that get their own article. Short version: no tight clothing for a few hours before (elastic marks take an hour to fade), moisturise, and bring a robe.
Afterward
Proofs arrive within about a week. Look at them once, put them away for a day, and look again before you choose. First reactions to photographs of ourselves are almost always wrong; we see the flaw we are looking for rather than the picture everyone else sees. The second look is the honest one.
Questions? Email me. And if you are ready, the portrait page explains how a session works and the pricing page what it costs.
