PREPARING FOR YOUR PHOTO SHOOT

The more people I photograph, the more I've come to realize something: a great portrait is a collaboration between photographer and subject. When both are working together the result is far more than what comes from direction alone. Our subjects often aren't experienced in having their photo taken, and don't know a lot about the process. 
The number one thing I always start out with when I meet a new client is to explain my style and what to expect from me and what I expect from them; as well as any others they may have with them, as many have spouses, management team, wardrobe stylists, hair and makeup team etc. I encourage them to be themselves… Talk, move, and most importantly, relax and have fun! 

The shoot is often quite nerve wracking for folks, so the more information I can give them the more comfortable and confident they'll feel. Below are the top five things to keep in mind as you make your plans: 
 
What are photos to be used for? Head-shots for business and promotion? Family photography for framing and enlargement? Live performance photography? Websites for social media and / or business? There are countless uses but know what your end results "could be" this makes a world of difference on the "look" we will encourage out of you to achieve the goals.
 
Do you have a location in mind or examples of others you like? Do not ever hesitate to share ideas of looks you like – just like a haircut you see in a magazine, yours will never be "exactly" like the one you saw, but we strive to give you the feel and style with personalization to make it uniquely you! We will gladly help "scout" a location for you and chances are we have some in mind but knowing item one will give us a lot of ideas on what might works best to achieve what you want the photographs for. 

Are you planning on using props? (guitars, hats, special items to compliment the location or the reason for the photograph) We strongly encourage you to have items in your photographs to make them more "you" and more "personal"… and if you are using the photographs for a promotional reason, regardless if it is just you or for your business, is there a tie in or theme you need to keep in mind or something you can bring along that might really bring a special meaning to the photo? Discuss and show us the props you have and what they mean to you. Are you wanting the prop to be something you are singing about on the title cut of your CD? Did the item belong to someone special to you? The more we know, the more creative we will be able to be. 

Clothing for photos. Think ahead on what you want to wear. It is usually one of the biggest challenges. But laying out your clothes and including all accessories, shoes, socks, hats, whatever you need and packing it accordingly will ensure you are photo ready. How many different looks are you hoping to photograph – we love it when we have more to work with than one outfit… Different colours and textures create a new you, and a new feel. Keeping all the above in mind, give yourself time to achieve all you hope to capture. 

Rushing and squeezing too much into a short session will only frustrate you. You know how much you enjoy getting photos taken – so keep in mind your tolerance level as well – if you are not wanting to be there, it will show. We want happy customers. Some individuals will stay all day, all week! They love posing, changing looks… and that is not easy either… so set a goal on a time frame as this helps everyone achieve the best session possible.

Author

Hangi Tavakoli is our in-house established and professional music producer with more than 14 years of experience in music production, mix and mastering, recording engineering, live sound designing/engineering, lyrics writing and music arrangement. He has produced more than 800 and written more than 2000 published songs to-date, including some major hits in international scale.Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.  ​