Photo Shoot Prep like a PRO

WRITTEN BY BODYSCAPE MAGAZINE ASSOCIATE EDITOR MONICA BRANT

It was 1984 when my Mom allowed me to sign up for a Modeling course in San Antonio, Texas. It was held in a small room near the hair stylist she saw regularly. I was a freshman in high school from a small country town, and did not know anything about modeling, I was an athlete and country girl! In some of the classes we were taught to walk and hold ourselves a certain way, the model feel at peace in those moments, and most importantly,

and pose... and turn... and smile... and look fierce... or at least give it your best effort!

We met once a week, and after the six-week course the class had a fashion show and our first photoshoot with makeup included! complete with makeup and hair, lights, a loving and supportive

Honestly, I don’t recall all what I learned there but I do recall enjoying it and feeling pretty.

This was my official start to modeling, and indeed, it served me well. I wish I had access to the beautiful lady who taught the class and so I could thank her for offering it to a small-town athlete who loved riding horses and running sprints more than anything else in the world!

Fast-forward to 1991, I was signed to an agent who helped me book a very good photographer, Chris Borgman, to shoot some for a car commercial, and ended up being killed because the

new images. I was now 20 years old and this photographer was way ahead of his time in talent. He showed up at my apartment prior to our shoot, rummaged through my closet with me to help pick out my clothes for the shoot, and he actually did my hair and makeup!

We had a great little café set up for our shoot, and the experience was amazing. Since those young years, I’ve had the privilege to book over 200 photo shoots! Every National fitness magazine and many International publications, to clothing ads starting back when Hot Skins was the hottest fitness-wear worldwide, to the annual Flex Magazine Swimsuit issues for 10 years straight! I’m covers!

Other than my personal modeling jobs, I hosted a fun women’s fitness event for 12 years called F.E.M. Camp. For the camp, I hired expert, professional photographers (such as the lovely and talented, Sarah Lyons for one camp!) to shoot each attendee complete with a professional makeup artist and some with hair stylists too.

During the shoot I would coach the ‘model’ and help the photographer find the best angles during the shoot, while helping beautiful!

F.E.M. Camp was a very fun event for me to coach. I loved that I could help other ladies experience a real, professional photoshoot environment, and end up with amazing images. Truly a joy!

I’ve discovered a few necessary things to consider while preparing to shoot. 1: Choosing YOUR photographer:

In today’s world it is imperative that you book either from highly recommended, trusted sources, or you have researched the photographer of your choosing carefully. Sadly, I recall a beautiful young model that I worked with back in 1997 on a clothing brand shoot who went to the dessert to shoot supposedly blessed to say that in my career, I have landed well over 100

“photographer” was a crazed fan not a real photographer!

It was a brutal and very sad tragedy that was all over the news in LA at the time it happened. It could have been stopped had the model screened them correctly and taken some simple precautions beforehand.

The photographers that you are looking to work with should have images for you to review on a website and social media that showcases their work.

Also, watch for HOW the photographer posts images. Are their posts professional, or in some cases, are they tacky? Always listen to “the language” in the photographer’s posts that you are seeking.

Recently, I met with a photographer that shoots very sexy boudoirstyle images and is very talented at this kind of photography. As I contemplated doing a shoot with him I decided that shooting boudoir- style images would not help my business/brand grow. We met at a local coffee shop to discuss a possible shoot, and I got the feeling he would not shoot me any other way, even though I saw some of his lifestyle work that was lovely and I shared that I was more interested in that style of his work.

As we talked more, I realized he was only interested in shooting me in the very sexy boudoir-style, and I decided I needed to turn down the shoot opportunity.

I worked with photographers long ago that continue to try and get models to compromise their poses as they get ‘warmed up’ shooting. I decided it wasn’t worth my headache while shooting to try and keep the shoot cleaner and more appropriate for my brand.

Always be conscious and aware of what YOU are willing to do! Don’t ever let a photographer dictate to you, HOW the shoot is going to go. This is YOUR time, YOUR energy, and YOUR investment.

These are important things to consider since the images will be with you (and the photographer) forever. Within the digital world almost anything goes and you, as a model, need to always protect your image, reputation and brand.

I’m not against sexy images, trust me- Sarah Lyons can bring that out in anyone, even if you aren’t trying! She also isn’t going to jeopardize your marriage or relationship and brand with poses that you aren’t comfortable with.

Choosing your photographer is a critical piece of the puzzle and with so many people claiming to do photography now, you really need to do your homework and choose wisely. A great photographer will provide you with lasting images that you can feel comfortable sharing and using for years to come f you are working in the industry or hoping to.

2) Timing to shoot:

If you are a competitor or plan to be on stage, capturing your ‘contest physique’ is very important! In fact, you would be crazy not to document the hard work and awesome physique you invested over 12+ weeks to create!

However, this is NOT the only body you want to capture images of, because this body is typically not realistic to hold year-round. If you are looking to book any type of modeling jobs, you must have “normal physique” images taken, and those are the ones you will want to shop for work.

Companies or agencies will book from the images they see. If they are booking a super lean body based on that photo that was captured 4 months prior, and that model is hired for the gig and shows up in their “normal” skin, chances are the company will be very disappointed and most likely will cancel the job for the model. I’ve seen this happen in the fitness industry before. Competitors will look a certain way for a show, and then round out in between shows. The magazines book them based on their “show look” and take their word that they look similar at the time of the shoot. If they show up any different, the magazines are quite disappointed.

You will want to develop your looks based on your individual needs and creativeness. It’s fun to have a variety of images to showcase yourself, but just make sure you have planned far enough out to be ready for the day with the right look!

3) Preparing your Body, Face & Skin:

Depending on the type of shoot you are going for, whether it’s a swimsuit shoot, or snow ski clothing, you need to plan your prep accordingly. Eating plenty of light, healthy foods, drinking plenty of fresh, clean water and making sure to get enough quality sleep weeks in advance will be very effective in preparing your body, face and skin.

Avoid drinking alcohol at least a couple of weeks prior to your shoot to keep a fresh, bright complexion. Alcohol robs body of nutrients and dehydrates everything making for duller eyes and skin tones. Plus, the body cannot lose unwanted body fat while alcohol is in the system.

36 Also avoid sun burns that leave tan lines and hard looking skin! Test a tanning product at least one week in advance, whether it’s an airbrush tan or spray tan to make sure the color looks good on you and suits your needs, meaning not too dark, not too grey/ orange/ red...etc. I suggest starting wth one of the self- tanning moisturizers that gradually tans your skin, and also firms, and helps with cellulite-prone skin too, over time. If you are planning to shoot in a pool, you will need to make sure your tan is semipermanent and won’t run the day of the shoot. Some tans will stain your outfits as well, so be sure to test them prior, especially if you are wearing white!

Tanning is VERY important, but so is the skin prep prior such as shaving, dermaplaning (those tiny peach fuzz hairs on the face are ALWAYS picked up on-camera, and very difficult to retouch, causing a muddy look on the face!) and waxing.

Feel free to do them all, but not the day before! Too close to the shoot can cause your skin to look uneven and the tan to not go on as smooth/even. Plan ahead how you will remove the hairs on your body. Images always look better with smooth, hairless skin.

Sometimes hairs cause the skin to appear dirty or muddy- not pretty for your pictures.

If you are doing any botox, fillers or such, please make sure to do these minimum 10-14 days before. You should never trust that you won’t be bruised or swollen from injections -even if you may have been getting them and never bruised before.

Feet and hands should be manicured nicely and it’s my opinion to have a neutral color on your nails. I’ve seen some pretty images ruined with gaudy, long distracting nails or brightly painted colors. Hands and feet should only be extensions of your arms and legs, not the primary thing noticed in the image.

I went to a shoot once where I completely forgot about my toenail color! It was a bright blue and the photographer was slightly amused, and thankfully didn’t ream me out for it! We worked around it, but I will never do that again!

These are just a few of the things to keep in mind while preparing for your shoot. Enjoy your shoot and I hope to see you in front of Sarah’s lens soon!

Stay Fit, Love Life and live Radiantly, Monica Brant

MonicaBrant.com TheMonicaBrantShow.com EpicDestinationShoot.com