In theory, a photoshoot should be simple enough, you turn up, get prettified by the make-up artist, & stand in front of me for a couple of hours. In practice, things are a little more complicated, but there are a number of ways you can help me out in order to have a relaxed, fun shoot….

BE ON TIME 

I have up to 3 shoots a day so I just can’t overrun as I’ll have another shoot booked after yours so if you’re late I’ll have no option but to cut yours short. The website http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ gives you London transport times including delays & maintenance works so there’s no reason not to turn up on time. I would suggest leaving half an hour earlier than you think you need to, that way if you get delayed you still get here on time without having to stress about it, which doesn’t help the photos. If you turn up early it’s no problem, I’ll make you a nice cup of tea & you can relax for a bit.

ALLOW ENOUGH TIME

My make-up artist takes the time to make you look amazing & I don’t believe in rushing a shoot, plus it’s nice to have a look through the photos after we finish, so please allow 4-5 hours in total. If you have to be somewhere else afterwards please let me know when you arrive.

NERVES

It’s entirely natural to be nervous before a shoot. We’ll have a cuppa tea & there’s an hour in make-up before we start shooting for you to relax. Everyone takes time to warm up, even full-time models who do it every day, so the first few minutes are just about getting you used to the camera, you’re not expected to start producing perfect poses from the off. We’ll take as long as you need. DON’T be tempted to drink any alcohol as it seems to affect you much more when you’re nervous & shows up in the photos.

FRIENDS

I feel I need to mention this as several people have turned up with friends or relatives (or pets!). This is a professional photoshoot & it’s not normal to bring friends to work. An essential part of what makes my photos successful is that we get to know each other a little which helps you relax in front of the camera, & this just doesn’t work with someone else there. You need to be 100% focussed on getting great photos & with another person there you always have a small part of your attention on them. On top of that, even if you’re ok with it, I’m actually not comfortable shooting with a partner/friend/relative in the room, I find it distracting when I’m trying to work (I’m too polite to just ignore someone!) My make-up artist is around throughout the shoot.

The bottom line is the photos wouldn’t be as good, & for that reason alone I prefer not to have anyone else around. If you want to come early & bring someone to meet me & check you’re comfortable with me & the studio that’s fine, as long as they leave when we start make-up (my make-up artist also can’t work if you’re chatting to someone else).

NIGHTS OUT

I can retouch many things but puffy eyes from going out the previous night ALWAYS show up & are impossible to retouch so please don’t book a shoot if you’re not prepared to stay in for one night.

OUTFITS & IDEAS

I welcome your input for shoots, if I´ve not worked with you before it´s hard to know exactly what you´ll look best in, plus I don’t know what kind of look you’re after, so if you have any fresh & funky ideas & outfits bring them along. Otherwise simple is normally better, it´s easier to make you look good in underwear/swimwear than clothes unless you have REALLY expensive clothes, denim always works & it´s good to accessorise. We can get through 4 or 5 outfits. We shoot mostly head to thighs, so there’s no need to bring 10 pairs of shoes.

If you want to shoot anything significantly different from what you see in my portfolio, tell me in advance so I can let you know if it’s possible.

If you’re going to be posing in lingerie or less it’s better not to turn up in tight fitting clothing as it’ll leave marks which will show up on the photos.

PRACTISE
If you’ve not done much modelling, or none for a while, have a look through some magazines for poses you like & try them in front of a mirror. You’ll feel much better on the shoot if you already know what you’re doing & what works for you & you’ll get the shots more quickly so we can get more done.

FAKE TAN

DO NOT TURN UP COVERED IN FAKE TAN!! It might look ok to you but close up in photos & under studio lights it ALWAYS looks streaky & takes hours to retouch out. It doesn’t suit the natural light I work with & most importantly we’re shooting in somebody’s home & fake tan comes off on the furniture so I cannot shoot you if you’re wearing it. Same goes for anything oily or shimmer.

Hope all that helps!

Matt

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