portrait photography session in palm beach or what to expect before, during and after a photoshoot
The idea of a professional photoshoot can be exciting and intimidating at once. Even the most confident women have insecurities and they all come out when you are about to face the camera.
To give you an idea of what a photoshoot with me looks like, here is how the process worked for me and the gorgeous babe Sasha in these photos. She looks like a total supermodel, right? But, believe me, even she had her fears before and during the shoot.
Creating beautiful portraits is a three-part magic process:
preparation for the photoshoot
the photoshoot itself
editing of the photos
part I: preparation for the photoshoot
Before the photoshoot
We clear our calendars for the evening of the photoshoot. Husbands are notified of their children-caring responsibilities so we leave knowing we have several hours of uninterrupted time just for ourselves. Keeping our fingers crossed for the weather to conspire with us (spoiler alert: she does).
Important questions to answer now:
What to wear?
Where will we photograph?
What do I do with my hair and makeup? (gosh, I am already freaking out!)
I provide guidance with all three questions and here is how we handle them:
What to wear to a photoshoot?
Go through your closet and choose several outfits that you like and that resonate with you. It is important that outfit colors harmonize with the location and make your photos look cohesive. For that reason I ask my clients to send me selfies or pictures of clothing beforehand. This way we can dial in on the two or three outfits for the shoot. Another way to handle this is to bring four to five outfits to the photoshoot. Right before we start photographing, I will tell you which clothing combinations will photograph better. This second option adds a little more stress to the day of the photoshoot and I only recommend if you absolutely cannot zero in on two outfits.
Remember your accessories! Jewelry, a purse, a scarf, a hat, bracelets - things that will complete your outfit and will bring out the Goddess inside.
Sasha’s case: Sasha used to have a fashion blog so this goddess knows how to dress. “I wanted to show two different moods, both of which represent me” she says about how she chose what to wear for her photoshoot. One was very feminine and sophisticated (a white vintage Ralph Lauren dress) and the second one was bold and daring chic (green jeans and screaming colorful jacket). Sasha accessorized both outfits with a green belt, green purse, and a straw hat for the first look.
Where will we photograph?
Some women I photograph know exactly where they want to be photographed. Others don’t have a clue. I will provide you with a list of places that I think will be great for your photoshoot and you choose the location that speaks to you and that you are excited about.
Any place we choose usually offers several backdrops so that we can create a variety of photos for you. If you love the beach, it can be photos on the sand, on the rocks, against the backdrop of water, in the water, in the green area near the beach. Variety IS the spice of portrait photography, especially because you are paying for it!
Sasha loves vintage stuff, details, unique things with history and character. Based on her preferences and taking into consideration the outfits she chose, we decided to photograph on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach.
What do I do with my hair and makeup?
First of all, breathe! The basics: your hair must be freshly washed the day before or on the day of the photoshoot. Your eyebrows need to be plucked. Your fingernails either painted or completely without nail polish. The camera sees everything and it is not as easy to “just remove it in Photoshop”. You can style your hair they way you normally do. If you want something extra special, for $100-$200 a hair stylist/makeup artist can do your hair and makeup. If you normally don’t wear makeup, you might want to add some mascara, foundation and lip gloss for your photos. You can also go completely au naturel, or go all in with makeup, it all depends on the look you are going for.
Sasha’s case: Sasha did her own makeup.
The hardest part is done! Now the only thing you need to do is SHOW up for yourself. Show up to acknowledge your beauty, your strength, your uniqueness. Show up to LOVE yourself and to be seen.
Try to get adequate sleep and eat well before your photoshoot. You want to feel rested and replenished.
part II: the photoshoot
How will I know how to pose during the photoshoot?
We meet at the location of our photoshoot and start photographing in the first outfit. From this moment on, you don’t need to worry about anything. Most likely, you will be VERY camera shy the first ten-fifteen minutes. Most people are. But after that, you will get more relaxed. I will guide you in terms of how to pose and if you have some ideas you want to try out, we will try them out. We flow from pose to pose, then switch to the second outfit and do the same. At a certain point you will feel confident enough and your inner super model will come out. I want you to remember this feeling of confidence. You will see it again in your final photos and remember feeling powerful.
The important thing: I might ask you to dance, I might ask you to make a fake loud laughter, I might ask you to scream (not in a crowded street, I promise). These things might sound and feel awkward. They are. But once you do them, you will let your guard down, you will relax some more and allow my camera to see a little bit more of the REAL YOU. So I can show you how the world sees you, so you can witness what an amazing Goddess you are.
Sasha’s case: Sasha is basically a supermodel, and she did work for the camera. I also gave her suggestions on what to do when she ran out of ideas. In the photo below she is looking at her reflection in a window. A few minutes after that I made her dance. We were both laughing and pedestrians were wondering what celebrity Sasha was ;)
“A photoshoot with Francesca is a chance to release tightness and stress, it is a liberating experience. At a certain point you allow yourself to let go of control and let the flow of the creative process carry you. And you enjoy being the REAL you: light, joyful, relaxed, unique, special. ”
When will I receive my photos?
You did it! The photoshoot is over and you feel amazing! You did great! You know now that it is not as scary to face the camera, and you know how that those photos we created today will be ah-mazing! And now you can’t wait to see the final images. “When will the photos be ready?” you ask me impatiently.
part III: editing of the final photos
This is the part you don’t need to worry about at all, it is all on me! The third part of the magic process is editing of the photos. Editing means I load the photos into my computer (I usually can’t wait to get to see them on a big screen, the magic we created). Then I cull the photos. “Culling” means I delete the photos that don’t pass the quality test (eyes closed, lack of expression, awkward pose, bad lighting, picture out of focus, etc.). Then I go through those best images of you and color correct them in my editing style, remove any blemishes, fly away hairs, etc. I don’t do extensive face and body retouching because I want you to admire the real YOU, not the dolled up version of you that doesn’t exist. I may remove a pimple and soften the skin under the eyes, but I don’t do heavy retouching.
Oh, and I know that you CANNOT WAIT to see the photos, and I, equally impatiently, CANNOT WAIT TO SHOW you how beautiful you are. I usually send out a couple of edited sneak peek photos a few days after the photoshoot. At that point, sneak peeks don’t quench your thirst for wanting to see the photos. Once you see one or two photos of how amazing you are, you usually cannot wait to see them ALL.
Within two-three weeks from the day of your photoshoot you will receive an email from me with a link to your gallery of images. I recommend you download the images onto your computer right away. It is also a good idea to backup the images somewhere else just in case.
Sasha’s case: seeing the woman’s face when she sees the photos we create together is absolutely priceless. So if it physically possible, I present the digital images in person. In addition to that, I also present you with box of printed 8 by 10 images for you to frame and display in your home. These images do you no good if they are living somewhere on the hard drive of your computer and you get to see them only when you remember where you saved them. I am also offering a large canvas/metal/wooden wall art print that you can purchase at additional cost.
classy Palm Beach portrait photography session on Worth Avenue
The day of the photoshoot will forever live in our memories as a day when you got to show up for yourself and channel your supermodel. It was fun, we got to see a gorgeous golden sunset, and now you have a collection of amazing images that show you how beautiful, playful, sexy, confident, strong you are. Look at these images often to remind yourself what a CONFIDENT, beautiful, powerful woman you are. A woman who respects her boundaries (and makes other respect them, too), a woman who loves herself and takes good care of herself, a woman who knows what she wants, a woman who is not afraid to take action and goes boldly in the direction of her dreams.
As Sasha blows you a farewell kiss, here are her words describing how she felt when she received her final photos.
“When you see the final images, you see yourself the way you never see yourself. We all have some horrible notions about ourselves, about our flaws, what is good and what is bad, and usually it is a lot of bad and not a lot of good. And when you see photos like this, your love for yourself awakens, as if you remember how much you love yourself, and you feel very touched by what you see. And it really changes the way you perceive yourself, it is very therapeutic. You remember the moment that photo was taken and you try to remember that feeling of being liberated, relaxed, joyful, beautiful, light, magical, wonderful. And you think to yourself, just chillax, take it easy, BE YOU. Because when you are the real you, there is nothing more beautiful. ”
If this is the time for you to have a confidence boost and see how the world sees you, please reach out to me and let’s talk about your photoshoot experience. I would love to create transformational portraits of you, for you and with you! ♥