Your Shoot – Preparation & Tips

Solid colours work best in portraits. Black is always a safe choice – timeless, elegant, and it keeps the focus on you. Muted tones like charcoal, navy, burgundy or olive green also work beautifully. Bold patterns, statement prints or large logos draw attention away from your face.

Please avoid shiny or reflective fabrics – satin, patent leather, certain synthetics. They bounce light back in unexpected ways. Natural, matte materials – cotton, linen, fine knit – are almost always the better choice.

Jewellery is fine if it's a genuine part of who you are. However: large, flat, mirror-like earrings tend to become the brightest point in the portrait. Small, matte or textured pieces usually cause no issues at all.

Please bring your glasses – and if possible, a frame without lenses, or check with your optician beforehand. Lenses reflect studio light and can be tricky to control depending on the angle. We always find a solution, but options help.

Come as you feel most comfortable. Make-up can be slightly more than you would wear daily – cameras soften contrast. Important: keep make-up matte. Shiny products on the face, décolletage or arms reflect studio light and are immediately visible in the image. Bring your basics for touch-ups: matte powder, lipstick, comb. No new hairstyles right before the shoot, please.

Please avoid self-tanner in the 48 hours before the shoot – the distribution often looks more uneven in photos than in real life.

For longer shoots including half-body or full-body frames, I recommend packing two or three outfit options. Multiple looks mean more flexibility and more variety in the final selection.

Arriving relaxed means looking relaxed. Please build in a little buffer. The first few minutes are always used to settle in, test the light and build rapport – that is a fixed part of the process.