16 Photoshoot Hacks | Photoshoot Cheat Sheet

We've made a quick photography cheat sheet to help you slay your photos - check it out below!

I can be pretty intense in my preparation sometimes. I want to be ready for any situation that could possibly arise. My wife (and photography partner) probably thinks I'm crazy. But I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that some of you are just like me!!! And to that end, here is a list of advice for those of you who love to be prepared, and even over-prepared. I feel your passion!

Note: Pick and Choose the ones that apply to you or that you really care about. Some are more essential than others.

General Advice

1. 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.

2. Hair accessories – For outdoor photoshoots, bring bobby pins, hair clips, headbands or any other favorite accessories to put your hair up in case it's windy.

3. Glasses – If people recognize you with glasses all the time, you may not want to throw them a curveball. However, glasses can often cause glare, so consider buying a cheap indentical frame online with no lenses. That is, if you'll still be able to see. You can also consider contacts with frames.

4. Red eyes – Sleep is your friend. Visine can be a life-saver. Not getting drunk the night before your shoot helps, too. [I've heard of photographers who have had this happen. We've been lucky so far. Knock on wood.

5. Lips – Bring fresh lipstick or gloss to touchup during the shoot. Use lip balm for a few days in advance of your shoot to make your smoochers look their best.

6. Teeth – If you want to brighten your smile, start your treatments about two weeks before your shoot.

7. Breakouts – Start using African Black Bar Soap for a week in advance of your shoot to help reduce and limit pimples and blemishes. Equally important, don’t cake on a lot of make-up to try to hide blemishes. For fever blisters, you can use Abreva if one pops up.

8. Make-up – A subtle application of make-up can help soften your face, and remove shinyness. But make sure it matches your skin tone or your face may look orange or ghostly compared to the rest of your body. [If you need reccommendations of makeup artists; we have partnerships with some great ones.]

9. Facial hair – Men, freshly shave with a new razor or clipper. Use having cream and a moisturizing after-shave lotion to avoid bumps and redness. Trim up your board, sideburns, moustache or goatee, especially looking for wiry stray hairs. Ladies, even if you have some light facial hair (particularly around your lip or chin), get a quick wax. Barely-there light facial hair will be noticeable in your photos. Men & Women, clean up those eyebrows if it will matter to you later.

10. 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.

• ProTip: 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. Also, be sure on your face to use a facial moisturizer, not a thick body moisturizer, or you could break out.

11. Nails – 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. [no half-gone nail polish]. If you can't get a mani/pedi, just make sure your nails look clean and kept, including the cuticles.

12. Bloating – Ladies, avoid high salt and high fat foods for two to three days in advance of your shoot.

13. Undergarments – Bra straps can be a pain, and are often noticed after a shoot. Be sure you bring a set of bras and strap-adjusting accessories to work with any outfit you want to shoot in to keep those straps well-hidden.

14. Sun burns and tan lines – If you plan to tan before your shoot, do so at least a week beforehand and don’t get burned. Be mindful of clothing tan lines, sunglass tan lines, hat tan lines, etc.

15. 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 – just change at the location if possible.

16. Shoes – Ladies, can’t go wrong in heels or wedges. Men, clean’em up! Dress shoes are best, but stick to what's comfortable and matches your personality and the theme of the shoot.

See Our Maternity, Family, Newborn Cheat Sheets for more advice specific to those areas.

Wishing you Health & Happiness,

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