Personal branding photoshoot guide

PERSONAL BRANDING

PHOTOSHOOT How to prepare?

Quick guide to hair, make up and other personal grooming necessities

What to wear? What NOT to wear? Clothing guide, suggested colors and styles

Checklist to ensure you are prepared on THE DAY of your photoshoot

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WHAT’S INSIDE 05

Personal Brand Essentials

06

Hair & Make Up

08

Nails & Other Details

11

What to Wear?

12

Shoes, colors, etc.

15

More on Clothes & Accessories

16

Tips for Men

18

Checklist

A FEW WORDS ABOUT YOUR PHOTOSHOOT I am looking forward to doing your personal branding photoshoot. I also can’t wait to get to know you, your personality, to learn about your passions, your business, your goals and dreams. All of this will help me represent you in your images as your best authentic self.

In this guide you’ll find basic advice about some choices you will have to make prior to your session: clothing, accessories, shoes, and other details. This advice is based on experience with actual clients; some of the tips mentioned might seem very basic and even not worth mentioning. How can someone forget to bring shoes? It happens, believe me!

Olga Plastino

your photographer and personal branding strategist

If we have not already, we will talk about your personal brand and how you are currently representing yourself, online and in person. We will also discuss what you’d like your personal branding elements (photos, website, social media pages, wardrobe) to reflect and “speak to” your target audience. I will be making a photoshoot plan to include type and number of images you would need to use on your website, blog, across social media, opt-ins, in print and marketing materials. Good luck with your preparation, let me know if you have any questions. I will see you soon!

impressions matter. Experts say we size ”First up new people in somewhere between 30 seconds and two minutes. ” ELIOTT ABRAMS

PERSONAL BRAND ESSENTIALS Four components of your personal brand:

A

C

P

D

Appearance Your body language, clothing, accessories and overall posture. In photographs you want to appear energetic, vibrant and well-groomed.

Personality Your behavior, communication skills and attitudes toward people, presented in photographs through posture, eye contact, sincere and open smile.

Competencies: Your special skills pertaining to your profession. In photos you can convey this through colors, posing and your industryappropriate degree of concervatism.

Differentiation What separates you from others and leaves a lasting memory in the minds of others, for example people who are looking at your website or FB profile.

HAIR AND MAKE UP Professional make up application and hair artistry is always highly recommended.

The most important reason I suggest a pro makeup application is because a pro knows how to apply makeup for the camera. A pro gets a perfect foundation color to match the skin tone and can select the right colors to make the clients features pop! A pro knows how to contour to bring out the right amount of shadow or highlight. Another major reason: professional artist will make you feel very confident about your look, and we all know there is nothing easier to photograph than a client that feels great about themselves!

• Hair – If you’re getting a hair cut for your shoot, do so about two weeks beforehand, just in case it goes wrong – you just never know. For men, a fresh cut a couple of days before the shoot is fine. If you are booking Beauty shoot, we will most likely be doing your hair and make up on location. Let’s talk about this ahead of time and make sure we all know what is happening.

• Hair accessories – If you’re shooting outdoors, be ready to put your hair up and make it look nice in case of a windy day.

Bring bobby pins, hair clips, headbands or any other favorite accessories.

• Make-up – expert make up application is essential to even out your skin and accent your facial features. But make sure you know what you’re doing, and make sure it matches your skin tone, or your face may look orange compared to the rest of your body (neck).

Professional make up application is always best and highly recommended. Even men can benefit from some subtle enhancement.

NAILS & OTHER DETAILS Can’t stress it enough: Nails show, get them done.

A fresh coat of nail polish will make a world of difference in your photo shoot. Pick a neutral color that won’t distract in your shoot or clash with your outfits. Freshen the morning of the shoot, then be careful not to scuff it while prepping. Your photoshoot is a great excuse for a fresh manicure, but if you can’t go to the salon, make sure your nails look tidy and clean, including the cuticles.

• Red eyes – Visine is your friend. Not drinking to excess the night before your shoot helps, too.

• Lips – Please bring fresh lip gloss or lipstick to do touch-up as lipstick tends to disappear as the day goes on. Use lip balm for a few days in advance of your shoot to make your lips look their best.

• Teeth – If you want to brighten your smile, start your treatments about two weeks before your shoot. I can also brighten your teeth in post-processing, so don’t obsess about this too much.

• Breakouts – At least a week in advance start using whatever preventative cleansers and creams you normally would use to help reduce and limit blemishes. Equally important, don’t cake on a lot of makeup to try to hide blemishes – it’s easier to Photoshop away pimples than to clean up overdone make-up. For cold sores, avoid getting them in the first place, then use Abreva if one pops up anyway.

PUT TOGETHER SEVERAL OUTFITS, COMPLETE WITH ACCESSORIES AND UNDERGARMENTS

WHAT TO WEAR and, most importantly, what not to wear The number one thing you should NOT wear is something that you are not comfortable in. If you are uncomfortable in your clothes, this will be visible in your photos.

STICK TO SOLID COLORS

This isn’t the time to experiment. What you want to convey in your photos is the best version of your authentic self, so wear what will represent the image you want the viewer to perceive.

There is a tendency for people who are bigger than their ideal weight to wear baggy clothing, thinking it camouflages the excess weight, but the opposite is true: it will make a heavy person look heavier.

Too-tight clothes will do the same. Wear something your size.

Unless you are someone who needs to be photographed in a costume, uniform, or outlandish outfit, wear clothes that will not distract from your face, which should be the focus of your photos.

What’s the deal with solids? The camera has a difficult time dealing with prints and patterns, and with some prints the camera creates what is called a moire pattern, which is a wavelike pattern that is nearly impossible to retouch out. Prints and patterns can be distracting and can dominate in a photo, and detract from your face, which is the main attraction, not your clothes. Stick to solids, particularly on top.

The number one tip is to wear clothes that fit you well. Not too tight, not too loose. All clothes should be well-fitted to you.

Some patterns can make you appear wider or shorter than you really are and this is something we want to avoid.

DO SHOES MATTER? whole outfit matters, even if it’s L Your a head shot. If you’re wearing a tux

and sneakers, or a ball gown and flip flops (unless this is a look you are going for), there is going to be a disconnect in your mind, whether you are aware of it or not.

When you are having your photo taken, you are playing a part, even if that part is yourself, and a vital aspect of playing a part is wardrobe. This

is why actors have dress rehearsals in full costume: to become that character, head-to-toe, inside and out.

Ladies, you can’t go wrong with heels or wedges. Bring several choices: nude and black heels go with everything.

Consider a pop of color for your shoes - this can look really vibrant and fun with an otherwise conservative outfit.

A pop of color is fun!

Pinks, blues and purples look fantastic on blonds and brunettes. Redheads look great in greens.

SUN BURNS AND TAN LINES – IF YOUR SHOOT IS BOOKED FOR SATURDAY, DON’T GO TO THE BEACH ON FRIDAY

No matter what your coloring is always bring at least one white top or bottom – images of people wearing white come out fresh and youthful plus they bring the focus to you, right where we want it.

If you are not sure which colors flatter you best, then wear the colors in your eyes or your hair. These will always look great on you. As an option, wear the complements (or opposites) of those colors.

For example, someone with brown eyes will look amazing in deep violet or purple.

Complementary color matching can be somewhat tricky, so if you aren’t sure, have your colors analyzed or stick to your hair and eye colors.

Avoid skin tones on the upper half of your body because they can make you look washed-out if you are fair-skinned.

If you have darker skin, they will prevent your face from being the main focus.

“You need to look your best. Great brand and strong images equal profits ”

MORE ON CLOTHES & ACCESSORIES Well fitting clothing in colors and styles that work for your skin tone and body style is what you should go for. Of course, make sure that your clothes is clean, pressed, and in good repair.

Try all cothes with proper undergarmetns prior to your shoot to make sure they still fit, don’t miss buttons, don’t have broken zippers or holes.

Jewelry, watches & accessories?

Definitely accessorize. Bring options to choose from.

Classic forms look best. Let’s discuss this prior to your shoot.

Is black ok?

I personally love black.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, not everyone looks their best in black.

In fact, it can be dreadful on many. Those with lighter skin, hair and eyes will have those features overpowered by black. If This depends on what you are trying to you are not too fair, bring communicate in your photo. Are you a black – it can look very ballroom dance instructor? Better dress sophisticated especially up! Yoga teacher - bring yoga pants with some tasteful accessories.

Are you an attorney or accountant?

Conservative clothing is best. Are you a teacher? A suit and tie might seem intimidating and inappropriate; so wear the best version of what you normally wear in your profession.

Casual or dress up? it depends...

If you aren’t sure, dress a little better than you think you should. And bring several outfits to your photo shoot so the photographer has a few options.

TIPS FOR MEN • Facial hair – be freshly shaved with a new razor, shaving cream and a moisturizing after-shave lotion to avoid bumps and redness. Trim up your beard, sideburns, moustache or goatee, especially looking for wiry stray hairs. Men and women both, pluck and clean up eyebrows.

• Moisturizer – Dry skin can really detract from a great photo shoot. Start moisturizing nightly a week in advance of your shoot. When you get out of the shower, dry off until lightly damp, and slather on moisturizer. Focus on your arms, shoulders, neck, face, hands, anywhere you’ll be exposed to the camera. This includes your legs if you’re shooting in shorts or a skirt.

pro tip

For dry skin on your face, especially around your nose, use a sugar scrub. Mix a cup of sugar with about a quarter cup of olive oil, or just until it looks like wet sand. Scrub your face with it anywhere you have flaky skin, wash it off, then wash with soap to remove the oil. The sugar paste shouldn’t be oily, just wet enough to moisten the sugar. Women already know this; men, be sure to use a facial moisturizer, not a thick body moisturizer, or you could break out.

• Red eyes – Visine is your friend. Not drinking to excess the night before your shoot helps, too. Get enough sleep, stay hydrated and it will be over before you know it.

• Glasses - If you always wear glasses, you will probably want to wear glasses in your shoot – however, the glare on glasses can detract from your eyes in photos. You can have your lenses removed from your frames for your shoot (don’t worry, it’s what Hollywood does to avoid glare in movies), or ask your eye doctor to loan you a pair of similar frames. If none of this is an option, we have ways to deal with glare.

• Ironing - If you iron, iron the night before and then hang the clothes for your shoot.

If you’re wearing something that wrinkles easily, don’t wear it in the car on the way to the shoot – you can change at the location. Best to dry clean your shirts, jackets and slacks. If you are buying a news dress shirt, take it out of the package, iron it or dry clean it, otherwise it will have very noticeable creases where the folds were.

CHOOSE CLOTHES IN ACCORDANCE WITH WHAT YOUR INDUSTRY OR PROFESSION IS: CONCERVATIVE FOR LAWYERS, ACCOUNTANTS AND THE LIKES, EDGY AND CASUAL FOR MODELS AND ACTORS, BUSIENSS CASUAL FOR EVERYONE ELSE. STYLE AND ACCESSORISE MORE THAN YOU NORMALLY WOULD.

Make sure your shoes are clean, avoid old sneakers and hiking boots.

Dress shoes are best, but comfort is important too, so pick the best looking reasonably comfortable shoes.

If in doubt, ask your significant other - they’ve been dying to give you advice!

CHECKLIST TO DO

TO BRING

1. Lay out outfits you want to bring

1. Accessories -scarves, jewelry, watches

2. Try them on to make sure they still fit

2. Make up for touch ups

3. Wash/iron/dryclean/hang in the garment bag 4. Get plenty of sleep the night before 5. Stay hydrated 6. Limit alcohol intake the night before to prevent red eyes and bloating 7. Arrive ready to have fun and get your fantastic images.

3. Powder (to combat shine) 4. Undergarments and/or shapewear for every outfit 5. Cami in neutral and/or black - in case neckine is too low or if we want to put it inder jacket instead of button-down shirt 6. Don’t forget shoes (women bring several pairs) 7. Good attitude and positive energy

CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU IN THE STUDIO

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