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Let’s
meet in person or talk on the phone so we can get a sense of each
other-- whatever works for you. I’ll answer any questions you may have
and we can discuss different looks, clothing, and general thoughts on
the session, etc.
Please
discuss your upcoming session with your representation, as well. They
may have certain looks they need in order to better market you.
Clothing
and Preparation
Don’t
worry about pimples! Everyone gets ‘em. That’s what retouching is
for.
CLOTHING:
It’s
best to bring too much than too little. I’m talking at least a duffle
bag, if not a suitcase, really. And think about what your clothes say
about you. Really loud
prints are not recommended unless you are making a statement and tend to
go out for those types of roles. Otherwise, let’s remember the goal is
for your pix to draw attention to your eyes.
Don’t
be afraid to wear black. It photographs very well. So do earth tones and
vibrant colors. If in doubt, bring it. But bring it clean, pressed,
stain-free, and logo free (unless you already know you will be
retouching your photos) And focus on your clothes above the waist.
You’ll rarely see below the waist.
SHIRTS:
Necklines are key. For ladies, scoop neck, off the shoulder, V-neck –
these are terrific. Please steer away from bulky sweaters. Other than
that, button downs, tank tops, short sleeves, T-shirts, pullover vests,
thermals (even layered thermals) and denim all work well.
PANTS:
Just be comfortable. We’ll barely see your pants (unless you want
wider shots). But please do not wear white/light jeans because we’ll
be sitting outside a bit.
SHOES:
Comfortable shoes! We’ll be walking a little from location to location
and I want you to be comfortable! Leave the Manolos home…
JACKETS:
Leather / denim / suede jackets can work. If you don’t have these,
don’t sweat it.
UNDERGARMENTS:
Women, please bring appropriate undergarments for your clothing (i.e.
strapless bra, nude bra; it’s always good to bring a bra, period)
CLICK
HERE for a list of TYPES TO THINK ABOUT!
OTHER
PREPARATION
SLEEP!
Indulge and get a good night sleep before we shoot. You deserve it. Try
not to eat mountains of salt or drink a bottle of Jack Daniels the night
before.
WATER:
drink lots of it. And when you’re done, drink some more.
MOISTERIZE:
that goes for men and women. Please make sure your skin is well
moisturized the week of your shoot. Lips, too.
NAILS:
nude nails are best.
EYEBROWS:
please have them neatly shaped. It really makes a difference. But
don’t experiment the day before with a new shaping technique.
HAIR:
HAVE YOUR ROOTS DONE. I can’t stress this enough. I am a big
believer in retouching pictures and color correcting, however it’s
time consuming and expensive to fix hair in pictures.
If you
are on a budget, look no further. I recommend a fantastic stylist /
colorist in my area. She is so reasonable ($) – and trust me, I’ve
looked around. She is extremely accommodating and works Sunday and
Mondays. Wowsers.
Tell
her you are shooting with me. I recommend getting your roots touched up
one week before we shoot.
Elizabeth
at EA Salon: 323-851-7576 /
www.EAsalon.com
/ 1607 N. La Brea Ave., LA 90028
If you
want to shoot straight and curly hair, Liz can do a blow out very cheap
and she’s five minutes from my house. There is an additional $50
charge to shoot both straight and curly. Come with your hair straight
and you can wet it down here, mid shoot, and go curly. Please bring
all necessary hair products and diffusers, blowers, etc in order to do
your hair. I have curly
hair and only certain products work well on my hair. It’s like taming
of the shrew.
CONTACT
LENSES: If you wear lenses, bring a spare pair. I have saline.
GLASSES:
If you wish to wear glasses in some of the pictures, the lenses must be
removed or they should be glare-free.
FACIAL
HAIR: Men, please come clean-shaven unless you want to do some photos
with facial hair. In that case, bring whatever you need to shave (crème,
razor, etc) and you’ll shave mid-shoot.
DO
NOT TAN. Tans do not photograph well. I am not just saying this because
I am trying to prevent skin cancer. I really suggest staying OUT of the
sun before we shoot.
AFTER YOUR SESSION
After we finish, I will have multiple
discs chock full of high res images available for pickup within
approximately two days.
I have relationships with a few
reproduction houses in the Los Angeles area and I am happy to give
you a list. Let’s keep the ball rolling while you have momentum
after your shoot.
But first, I’d like to stress the
importance of RETOUCHING! All photos look better after retouching–
even minor sharpening and color correction. This is very important
with digital photography! A great photo becomes AWESOME with some
attention to bringing out detail that is already in the photo. I use
a really affordable retoucher, Sam, whom I think is AMAZING. So if
you like your expression in an image, do not discount it because you
have a blemish or don't love the color of your shirt. Sam will color
correct, crop, adjust skin tone and contrast, sharpen eyes (!!),
modify background (when necessary) and work his magic. Remember
shots are pretty close up these days, so Sam can help you crop at a
nice spot. I HIGHLY recommend him. He's top notch and turns work
around quickly. He makes files various sizes necessary to email and
also to print as high quality 8"10's. His price includes CDs with
all retouched images on them. I don’t get a kickback (he's too
inexpensive). I just believe in his work.
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