Preparing
We're so excited you decided to invest in an amazing photo shoot experience! We're guessing you’re either ready to hop in front of that camera & come alive...or you’re very nervous & may be visibly uncomfortable for a bit (spoiler - the latter is true for most!). Either is okay! But when having your photos taken, there are some areas where advanced preparation can make a huge difference. You can help avoid distracting elements which take the focus away from where it should be. (*Ahem* Your beautiful eyes, of course.) We are going to walk you through how you can prepare for a photoshoot.
Remember, these tips are here as suggestions to help you think of ideas for preparing for your shoot, but are definitely not required, or even necessary for everybody. Just choose what fits in with your budget, lifestyle, and current beauty regimen, and go from there! It’s your face, your body, your photos, so always do what makes you feel most beautiful.
FOOD & WATER
THE DAY OF YOUR SHOOT:
Drink lots of water, carry it with you everywhere you go, and keep sipping. Try to eat a light snack a couple hours before you come.
3 DAYS BEFORE YOUR SHOOT:
Avoiding red meat, alcohol, nicotine, nuts, chicken skin, caffeine and spicy foods can help eliminate swelling.
SKIN
THE DAY OF YOUR SHOOT:
Please arrive with clean & product free skin. All traces of makeup should be gone from your skin. All eyeliner and mascara should be gone, but please bring your mascara with you. If you can, exfoliate your skin the morning of the shoot to get rid of dead skin cells and reveal smoother more youthful skin. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! (More “oily” than usual gives off a great shimmer in the pictures!).
THE WEEK BEFORE YOUR SHOOT:
Exfoliating your skin will help to get rid of dead skin cells and reveal smoother more youthful skin. It's best to avoid Retin A and Alpha Hydroxy creams which can cause skin peeling that will show with photo makeup.
HAIR
THE DAY OF YOUR SHOOT:
Please arrive with CLEAN, DRY hair. If we need to spend any time drying your hair, that time will be deducted from your time in front of the camera, so again - please make sure your hair is DRY when you arrive!
You know your hair best, so if it’s necessary to use products to tame your hair, please feel free to use your regular styling products to make your hair behave (as we will not be wetting your hair and not be able to use gels, etc). Do not over condition your hair before a shoot.
THE WEEK BEFORE YOUR SHOOT:
We suggest that you refresh your hair color a few days before your shoot - especially if you have roots that are a different color, as they will be even more contrasted in your images. If you do not color your hair, try "shades" or a toner just a shade lighter then your hair to make it shine. If you need a trim, do it a few days before the shoot.
BODY
THE DAY OF YOUR SHOOT:
Please DO NOT use bronzing oils or bronzing lotions on your body the day of your shoot.
TANNING & SPRAY TANS
If you regularly spray tan and are comfortable with the results, then by all means get your glow on!
We HIGHLY recommend a custom spray tan from Body Glow Tanning - they are the best in the Twin Cities area, and can customize your color, take extra care with blocking your hands & feet and more! We recommend doing this one to two days prior to your shoot. PLUS - you will get 30% OFF if you mention Sugar & Spice (so your cost is about $30!).
However, if you've never spray tanned and thought you might try it for your photo shoot, we recommend that you wait and try it later UNLESS you are going to a professional custom spray tan salon, like Body Glow.
If you have tan lines, they are nearly impossible to eliminate in post production (and you may be charged extra for retouching) - so getting a custom spray tan will definitely help.
If you ARE getting a spray tan, PLEASE be extra careful to “block” your hands, feet, elbows & knees.
For PINUP shoots, please DO NOT tan or get a spray tan before your shoot...vintage style photography is best with pale skin!
OTHER
LIPS: Avoid dry lips by putting Vaseline on your lips before bed and the morning of your shoot.
TEETH: You may want to consider teeth whitening - even some at home treatments do wonders!
EYEBROWS: We will not have time to pluck strays or shape your brows on the day or the shoot, so come with your brows shaped if you can!
NAILS: Fingernails and toenails that are manicured look best in the images. We recommend colorless polish or French since it goes with everything!
WAXING
If you will be waxing, we recommend doing this at least 48 hours before your shoot. Use Bikini Zone or similar product to avoid red bumps and irritation.
YOUR MOOD
Do your BEST to be in a good mood...you are in for a fun day! Be rested and try not to be nervous! Our all female team will nurture your comfort and pamper you to ensure that you feel empowered, sexy & beautiful. We will coach you through the entire amazing, fun experience!
WHAT IF IT'S THAT TIME OF THE MONTH?
OUR MOST ASKED QUESTION!
Trust us...we get it! You might feel bloated or gross or are scared of a string showing...or worse! We are ALL women & NONE of that phases us! The bloating is nothing that a few posing, lighting & retouching tricks won't fix, and anything else?
DON'T EVEN THINK TWICE! We've been in that exact place with our own shoots! And...you'd be surprised how often women plan their shoot around their period...only to get it right before anyway! (We swear "it KNOWS" and just wants to torture us a little bit more!)
PLANNING TO WEAR YOUR GLASSES?
We recommend that you have the lenses taken out of your glasses, as it is extremely hard to photograph glasses without getting a glare. With the lenses taken out, this is not an issue!
If you bring your glasses with the lenses in, we will take a couple shots, but WILL NOT use them for most shots (as the images do not usually turn out, and we cannot remove the glare without compromising the image).
