Preparing for your session

Boudoir

The aim is for you to feel like yourself on a good day, photographed well, not transformed into someone else.

The week before

• Drink more water than usual. It shows in skin more than any product does.
• Don't try new skincare, facials, injectables or treatments. A reaction three days before is the most common preventable problem.
• Book waxing or laser for at least 48 hours before, never the same day. Skin needs time to settle.
• If you colour your hair or get a cut, do it a week or two ahead so it has softened.
• Fake tan is best avoided. It photographs orange under warm light and shows every uneven patch. If you must, do it three days before and exfoliate well.

What to bring

• More than you think you need. We'll only use a fraction, but choice matters.
• Pieces that fit beat pieces that are expensive. Anything digging in will show.
• Black, deep red, ivory and bare skin all read beautifully in low light. Busy prints and neon fight the shadows.
• An oversized shirt, a silk robe, a plain sheet, a knit: the simplest things often make the strongest frames.
• Heels lengthen the leg even when they never appear in shot.
• Jewellery you love, and nothing you don't.

On the day

• Wear loose clothing on the day, with no tight waistbands, bra straps or socks for a few hours beforehand. Elastic marks take 30–60 minutes to fade and can cost real shooting time.
• Eat properly. Sessions are longer and more physical than people expect.
• Professional hair and makeup is worth it if the budget allows. Ask for matte, and no SPF in foundation or primer, which flares white under flash.
• Nails done, or clean and bare. Hands appear in almost every frame.
• Arrive without a plan. You'll be directed through everything.

Fine Art Nude

The body is treated as sculpture: shape, line and light. Preparation is mostly about giving skin a clean, unmarked surface.

The days before

• Any waxing, shaving or laser at least 24–48 hours ahead. Same-day hair removal leaves redness that no retouching handles gracefully.
• Moisturise daily in the lead-up. Dry skin catches hard light badly, especially across knees, elbows and shins.
• Avoid sunburn and strap marks entirely in the week before. Tan lines are the single hardest thing to work around in nude work.
• Sleep and water do more for how skin renders than anything applied to it.

The hours before, which matter most

• Wear the loosest clothing you own for at least two hours beforehand. No bra, no tight waistband, no socks with elastic, no leggings.
• A slip dress or loose robe with sandals is ideal. Bring a robe for between setups.
• Don't apply oil or shimmer before arriving. If we want sheen, it's added under controlled light.
• Eat beforehand. Held poses are genuinely physical work.

What to bring

• A robe or kimono, plain fabric or a length of silk if you have one.
• Simple jewellery only, or none.
• Hair ties leave marks on wrists, so keep them in your bag, not on your arm.

Before we begin

• We agree what is and isn't photographed before the camera comes out, and it's written into the release rather than left to trust.
• You can stop, cover up, or change your mind at any point, including afterwards, and it costs you nothing.
• Anonymity is always available: implied nude, cropped, or unnamed and untagged.

Portrait

Painterly, character-driven portraiture. Here wardrobe and grooming do most of the preparatory work.

Wardrobe

• Solid colours and texture photograph far better than pattern or logos.
• Deep, muted tones (charcoal, forest, oxblood, ivory, black) sit naturally in chiaroscuro light. Bright white and neon pull the eye off the face.
• Sleeves generally flatter more than bare arms in classical portrait light.
• Bring two or three complete options, steamed or pressed. Creases are visible and tedious to remove afterwards.
• Necklines you can wear comfortably for an hour without adjusting.

Grooming

• Haircuts one to two weeks before, not the day before, so hair has time to settle.
• Beards trimmed the day before rather than the morning of.
• Makeup matte and slightly stronger than everyday; again, no SPF.
• Clear glasses can be shot, but anti-glare lenses or empty frames avoid reflections.

On the day

• Sleep matters more than anything else you can do the night before.
• Come with an idea of the mood you want, whether reserved, warm or defiant, even if you can't name it precisely.
• Bring anything meaningful you'd like held or worn. The best portraits usually contain something true.

Editorial & Concept

Concept-led work: a story built shot by shot. These days are longer and more collaborative than a standard session.

Before the shoot

• We build the concept together first: references, palette, location, wardrobe. Send anything that inspires you, however rough.
• Wardrobe and props are confirmed in advance so nothing is improvised on the day.
• If the shoot is on location, we agree a weather contingency and a backup site.
• For aerial or drone work, permissions and flight conditions are checked beforehand.

On the day

• Expect four to six hours, sometimes across two locations.
• Bring water, food, and shoes you can walk and stand in between setups.
• Multiple looks mean changes, so bring a robe and a bag for what comes off.
• Hair and makeup may be adjusted between concepts; allow time for it.
• Light dictates the schedule outdoors. Golden hour is short, so we shoot around it.

Bring

• Anything from the moodboard you own already.
• A phone charger and a book. There is more waiting than people expect.
• Patience for repetition. Concept frames are built, not caught.