7 things you need to know before your next artist’s photo shoot

As a creative or professional artist, you will at some point want to get a photo shoot done for your portfolio, or website, or other publicity purposes. 

I remember when I did my first photoshoot as a photographer. I had a client come to my makeshift studio in Harare and I spent over two hours taking photos of them in the same outfit. 

When the shoot was over I sat down to edit the images. To my horror, I immediately realized a number of mistakes I had made. Over the next few years I learned a few other things that hadn’t been obvious at first, but that with experience became very apparent.

Learn from me. Don’t repeat the same mistakes I made.

Take as many outfits to your shoot as possible

If you have a three hour photo shoot where the photographer takes 500 photos, for instance, and you have one outfit the whole time, you basically have 500 versions of the same photograph. Once you have used one of these photos, every other image in the set adds very little value in your publicity arsenal.

But say you managed to fit in 10 different changes of outfits, or even just shirts/tops for head and shoulder images, you now have 10 different sets of images which you can use for different purposes. If you posted one image a day for 10 days, each one of these would be a whole new experience for your audience.

So remember to change it up.

Hire a makeup artist – and groom

Good makeup makes a big difference in photography – even for men. If you want to be extra, look for a makeup artist who specializes in photography.

Don’t forget the hair too. A sharp haircut or hairdo will be worth the time and effort when you see the photographic results.

Finally, grooming. Take care of things like your nails, moisturizing dry hands, etc. Please do not just rock up for your shoot straight out of bed – unless that’s the look you want to capture. It’s crazy the detail that is captured in high quality photos. Do a little prep. Make it worth it.

You’ll probably be uncomfortable

Once that camera comes out and the lights go on, you’ll probably find that you feel uncomfortable. Bring your favorite playlist and a bluetooth speaker – or ask ahead of time if the photographer can set some music up. I have found that music does wonders to help both the photographer and the model relax. Meeting with the photographer a few days before the shoot to discuss expectations can help ease the nerves.

It may be a good idea to bring a friend

This can help with the comfort factor mentioned above, but it’s also a safety thing. A shoot will often be just you and the photographer, unless you have a makeup person, hair person, assistant, etc.

Pause to look at the photos

About 20 minutes or so into the shoot, ask for a quick break and review the photos with your photographer. This will help you sort out any issues that you notice. For instance, you may notice you are overly serious in all the photos or are smiling too hard or are not varying your expressions enough, or have some undergarment is showing – things that a photographer may miss while they are clicking away and only notice later on.

Ask for raw files

A lot of photographers don’t like to give away their photos before they edit them, but at the same time sometimes photographers sit with your photos for months before they edit them and pass them on to you. 

In that period, sometimes photos get lost, hard drives get corrupted, or the opportunity you wanted the photos for passes you by. 

Before the shoot, ask the photographer if you can get a selection of some of the best raw photos from the shoot as soon as it’s done – as a backup. Agree that you won’t use any images until the photographer gives you the edited files or until a certain time lapses. Worst case scenario, you can always find someone else to edit the photos if the photographer does not deliver.

Split the payment

If the photographer wants the full amount up front ask if you can split it so that you pay a deposit before the shoot and the balance when you receive the edited files. This helps to incentivize the photographer to get to the edits and not sit on your photos forever.