Rock Your Session!

Everyone thinks the need to be a professional model to have amazing photos! I promise you don’t. It’s my mission to get you comfortable and looking great. Most of my couples say they were SO nervous when they first start! By the end, they love their photos!

1. Before Your Session

Wardrobe

These sessions are meant to tell a story! You still want to feel like yourself, but turned up a notch! Put your personal style into what you wear. Feel comfortable in what you wear! Don’t be too matchy! Unless you really want to. 

Steam your clothes ahead of time! Even leaving them in the bathroom with a hot shower works wonders.

2. Look & Feel

Hair & Makeup

Looking good and feeling good come from your hair and makeup too! Ladies, this is the perfect time to test that Hair & Makeup Artist you booked for your wedding! They do it all the time. This should also reflect your outfit and personality. Make sure you are comfortable in your own skin!, and make sure you look like you!

3. Location Selection

You want to explore rooftops in Charlotte? LET DO IT! You want to go hike in Asheville? YES!! Are you more of a beach person? HELL YEAH!! I am up for any adventure you have in mind. Think about what scene makes sense for YOUR relationship! I am even down for an in home session! My sessions come with up to 2 hours of travel, 2 locations, and 2 outfit changes. I block off 90 minutes during my day, but some couples only need an hour!

4. Time Management

TIPS TO AVOID SHOWING UP LATE:

• Pack your bag the night before if you are bringing outfit/shoe changes, props, etc.

• Booking a hair/makeup artist? Their estimated time frame is NEVER, EVER correct. Schedule your appointment minimum 3 hours prior to your shoot. Trust me.

• Consult with WAZE (or your map app of choice) at least an hour prior to your session to see what time you need to realistically hit the road

5. During Your Session!

“What do we do with our hands?!”

Number one question I get when we start shooting. Relax! There’s nothing to be nervous about. It takes about 20 minutes for you guys to get comfortable. You gotta cute outfit? Favorite lipstick? Great! Put your game face on and let’s do this. Your energy can be read through photos. You don’t really want to be there? It will show. Don’t want to come out of your shell? Yep that shows too. You don’t have to be a super big extrovert! I will make sure you are comfortable with any direction you need. Remember to show up ready to have fun and your photos will turn out amazing.

REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN! Make a date out of it!! Get dinner or have another drink afterwards! Come to your session ready with an adventurous spirit and a refreshed heart. I recommend taking some time on the day of to do something that is stress free and trying your best not to rush!

6. Logistics

BAD WEATHER & RESCHEDULING

Clouds make for amazing light but physical rain is not so awesome. In a case of bad weather on the day of your session, your session may have to be rescheduled if there’s no good indoor alternative available. By bad weather, I mean it is heavily raining, snowing, sleeting, an earthquake has just taken place, there’s a hurricane, mudslide or tornado warnings nearby, etc. less than 30 minutes before your session making it unsafe to both drive or shoot.

In North Carolina, our weather is all over the place! I don’t look at the weather till 3 days before honestly. Saves me from having a heart attack!

7. HAVE A DRINK & RELAX

I am going to sound like an Alcoholic, BUT HAVE 2 DRINKS BEFORE YOUR SESSION!! Seriously, it helps. Most of the energy created during your session will actually be your interaction with one another and sometimes me! Which is why most of our session will be us laughing and joking, talking about dreams and aspirations, and just having a regular conversation like two new friends throughout the session. Laugh, smile, dance, twirl, loosen the f* up and have fun with it. For real though. If you feel like you can’t achieve this on your own, by all means bring a friend if you think that will make you feel more relaxed. If it makes you feel better, I will not have the camera in front of my face for the entire 90 minutes!

8. “WHAT DO WE DO WITH OUR HANDS?!”

Number one question I get when we start shooting. Relax! There’s nothing to be nervous about. It takes about 20 minutes for you guys to get comfortable. Our session will be very laid back and I provide lots of direction so that moments are candid but you always have something to do! You’ve seen my photos right? None of these people have a Directions Modeling Agency contract. You gotta cute outfit? Favorite lipstick? Great! Put your game face on and let’s do this. Your energy can be read through photos. You don’t really want to be there? It will show. Don’t want to come out of your shell? Yep that shows too. You don’t have to be a super big extrovert! I will make sure you are comfortable with any direction you need. Remember to show up ready to have fun and your photos will turn out amazing.

9. Communicate what you want

Sounds lame, but a lot of our clients don’t want to hurt our feelings. I get it! But if I am doing something you don’t like, tell me. I might say “Yeah! Let’s move on!’“ or I’m going to say “TRUST THE MADNESS!” If you don’t like it, that okay. We got another 100 photos you can look at and love. Send us a pinterest board of things you love! Poses, feels, vibes, outfits, locations. We want to see all of it!

10. Your Stuff!

If we are shooting on location, please leave your “stuff” somewhere else; in the trunk, at home, just…away from the shoot. Stuff like your sunglasses (unless you plan to wear them for photos), your purse (you DO NOT need this, where are you going??), baby bags with the world jammed inside them, pets with no third party pet sitter (seriously they can’t be in every photo)!

If you have booked a session where you plan to change outfits throughout and may need to carry them along the way, please carry them in a bag you don’t mind sitting on the ground because I can’t carry my stuff and yours, too heavy, doll! I will carry your phone that you don’t need and your car keys in my bag, but that’s it. Because I might walk away with it in my bag!