how to prepare for your portrait

try to have a good night's sleep + not drink the night before.

You will not look or feel your best if you’re hungover.

iron your clothes.

Little details like a crease in your shirt may not be noticeable in 'real-life’ but become noticeable in a photograph.

wear some makeup to bring out your features.

The camera tends to wash people out slightly. If you plan to use the images professionally (on your website for example), you could even have your hair and makeup professionally done before your session. You can check my resources page for information on makeup and hair artists that I personally recommend. Alternatively, you may already know a hair and makeup artist, or you could ask friends for recommendations.

bring a hairbrush.

I generally advise women to wear their hair down or partly down. If you wear it in a ponytail it can look like you have no hair from some angles. Also, I generally advise not to try out a completely new hairstyle before your shoot.

make sure you are looking generally 'well-groomed'.

For example, ladies; pluck your eyebrows and have your roots done, gents; make sure you are freshly shaven (unless you're going for the beardy look). If we are shooting in your home, workspace, or studio, make sure it's looking 'well-groomed' too.

make sure you’ve had enough to eat + drink before your session.

Being hangry generally doesn’t help us to get relaxed photos.

if you commonly wear both contacts + glasses, consider wearing contacts.

This will mean that we don't have to deal with glare on your glasses. If you prefer to wear glasses, we will of course work around this.

if you typically wear transition lenses, you will need to wear a different pair of glasses for the shoot.

Even indoors, transition lenses can have a colour cast that makes them difficult to photograph.

beware of false eyelashes.

If you really want to use them, get a professional to apply them and tell them to be light-handed. The DIY lashes often come off and look wonky, and they are usually “too much”, they make your eyes look dark and heavy and don’t allow light to get in, which is very important.

when choosing your outfit, think about the image you are wanting to portray.

Professional? Creative? Approachable? Where the portrait will be used (website? Linkedin? Facebook?) It can be a good idea to bring a few different tops so we have a choice. Simple clothes tend to look more timeless. Fitted clothing tends to look better as baggy or flowing clothing can make you look bigger than you are. Mid-tones tend to photograph better, and it's best to avoid all black or all white (black and white together or with other colours is generally fine though). See above for some more detailed information on what to wear.

think about whether you have a side that you prefer to be photographed.

If you're unsure, research has shown the left side of the face is generally perceived to be more attractive than the right side. People actually research this kind of thing, check it out here.

think about whether there’s a part of your face or body that you generally dislike in photographs.

I will do my best to minimise this. Please don't be embarrassed to tell me, we all have these insecurities and I hear about them from my clients every day, there’s nothing you could tell me that I haven’t heard before. For me, it's my double chin and teeth that are too big for my face. If you're interested in learning how to minimise a double chin in photographs, have a look at this video by renowned headshot photographer Peter Hurley. It changed my life.

Figuring out what to wear to a session is often the thing that causes the most angst among my clients, but it's easy to get it right. To help you along, I've listed my top dos and don'ts. Also remember; if you buy clothing to wear on a professional photoshoot for your business, it’s a marketing expense, so keep your receipt.

don't wear clothes with brand names, logos, wording, pictures, cartoons or graphics

Except, of course, businesses that have a uniform and/or clothing with your business’s branding. When we see writing or graphics in an image, our eye goes straight to that. Not only will these kinds of things date your images really fast, but they are also really distracting, taking attention away from the most important thing in the image (you!).

it can be a good idea to bring a few different tops so we have a choice.

Even just bringing a jacket that you can take on and off can help us to get a few different looks.

do wear simple, timeless, mid-toned clothes.

Clean and simple should be your watchwords.

do wear simple patterns (if wearing patterns).

Simple patterns like thick stripes, polka dots, and floral patterns can look great if they fit in with the colour scheme of your brand.

do wear clothes that make you feel good about your body.

Use clothing to accentuate your favourite features and 'hide' the parts of your body you dislike. For example, wear sleeves if you don't like your arms.

do try out your outfit before the shoot, particularly if it's a new outfit.

You don't want to get to the shoot and realise that your new top is itchy, or your new pants don't fit right and you have to keep tugging at them. It's really important to feel comfortable in what you're wearing, or your discomfort will show through in the photographs.

don't wear clothing that is too baggy or ill-fitting.

Clothing that is obviously baggy will generally make people look much larger than they are. At the same time, clothing that is so tight that it creates lumps and bumps should be avoided as well.

do check your outfit in the mirror head to toe before you leave, or have your partner/a friend do this for you.

Things to think about: Does this need an iron? Are there any distracting stains? Can I see my underwear through my top and/or am I showing too much cleavage? This is important! I can't tell you how many times people have turned up wearing a top that is slightly see-through and shows underwear, or shows up sweat stains obviously, and they are always disappointed that they didn't check this when they get their images back.

do feel free to email me with photos of outfit options.

I’m happy to give an opinion on what might look good on camera.

don't stress too much about what to wear.

It's a good idea to plan out what you are going to wear, but please don't stress about it, or go out and spend a lot of money on new clothes (unless you want to of course). These tips are just suggestions, not unbreakable rules.

will you retouch my images?

Yes! I will retouch your selected images. Retouching generally includes; removing pimples and other skin marks that are not 'normally' on your face, smoothing out bumps in clothing, removing lint and hair from clothing, softening (but not completely removing) under eye bags and wrinkles, and whitening teeth. If you have a look at my portfolio, you will see what my 'standard' retouching looks like, this will give you an idea of how far I go. I can’t/won’t make your skin look ‘perfect’ or plastic (nobody’s skin is ‘perfect’), take away every wrinkle, or change your weight or body. I want my clients to look fresh and natural, not plastic.

what if i don't like any of the images?

I want all of my clients to feel comfortable using their images, so if you receive your proofing gallery and you can't find even one image that you'd like me to retouch, I will refund your money, delete your images, and give you the details of other, fantastic portrait photographers who you can try, no questions asked. However, this is extremely unlikely to happen. This info page should enable you to be as prepared as possible before arriving at the shoot, and while we are on set, the images will come up on my iPad for us to review and make adjustments if needed.

what if i'm sick or i have another emergency?

If you need to reschedule or cancel your shoot, please try to give me at least 7 days notice. In the case of an emergency or last-minute illness, we can reschedule your shoot.

what’s the deal with copyright + image usage?

In Australia, copyright law states that the creator of the images (the photographer) owns the copyright of the images, and the photographer then grants the client a licence to use the images. In general, I grant clients an Australia-wide, royalty-free, exclusive, perpetual licence to use, reproduce and publish the images for print and web media use. This includes using the images on website, social media accounts, small promotional materials such as postcards, brochures, and similar. 99% of the time, this is all clients need. Upon request, I can grant you a licence to use the images for commercial purposes, subject to payment of an additional royalty fee. Commercial purposes may include creating commercial, for-profit products using the images, such as books, framed prints, posters, billboards, use in television commercials, or overseas use. The terms of any such commercial licence will be agreed to separately. It’s also important to note that I will usually use some images from each session on my social media/website to show new work to potential clients.

Getting hair and make-up done before your shoot can be a great idea. If you’re in the CBD, you could try booking at Mecca, Mac, or Sephora. Otherwise, here are some ladies that I recommend:

Justine O

Tiarna Robertson

Killer Queen

Making Pretty