10 Tips to Prepare for Your Personal Brand Photoshoot
Hey guys, welcome back. Today, I’m talking about how you can make the most of your personal branding photoshoot.
If you’ve been with me for a while, you know that photoshoots for me are the culmination of the Identity Alchemy process. This process is all about transformation, how we can shed layers of our personality that no longer serve us and transmute those into new beginnings filled with new creative expression, new ways of thinking and seeing things, and new ways of being in the world.
Transformation can be challenging, but that makes it even better when you make it to the other side. It’s a time of victory and celebration. I know the process well — I went through it myself.
And whether you work with me or not, if you’re on a personal branding journey, then you are in some way engaging in this process. because personal branding that is done well isn’t just surface level. To create a brand that feels aligned with your true essence and resonates with others energetically, you’re probably diving into some deeper truths like your values, beliefs, what you stand for, and who you serve.
So a personal branding shoot is a celebration — it’s the culmination of all that hard work. That means you should make the most of it. You deserve that.
You’d be surprised at how many times I’ve worked with people who didn’t come prepared for their shoot. Everyone’s busy. I get it. But when you put the time, thought, and intention into preparing, you will see much better results.
Want to learn more? Read on for 10 tips to prepare for your shoot.
#1: Come Well Rested
Let’s start with the basics. You need to get a good night’s sleep before a shoot. This is just good advice for life as well — a good night’s sleep will help you feel and look good, come in with the right mindset, and help you make the most of your time.
Beauty sleep is a real thing. When you’re asleep, your skin goes into repair mode, regenerating skin up to three times faster than during the day. When you don’t sleep, your skin doesn’t have that chance to repair, leaving it dull. A lack of sleep can also lead to dehydration — that’s no good for your skin either!
Coming to a shoot without rest will also affect your ability to think clearly and feel good. That’s not how you want to spend your much-anticipated shoot. So do what you need to do to get a good night’s sleep — take a bath before bed, do some yoga or meditation, or clear your evening schedule the night before. Rest up.
#2: Prep Everything You Need Ahead of Time
Next up, come prepared! Things never go as smoothly as you think they will, and if you’re scrambling the morning of to get props, lock down the location, or get an assistant, you can bet it’s going to throw the whole day off.
Get everything ready at least a day, if not weeks before. Get your wardrobe ready, have some alternatives, and make sure it’s all perfectly clean and ready to go. Double-check how you’re getting to the shoot, and make sure you’ve reserved the location way ahead of time.
Don’t let the unexpected throw you into a frenzy and show up sweaty and stressed out. That’s not a good look.
#3: Come Well Hydrated and Nourished
Again, this is just good life advice, but it’s so easy to forget to eat or drink water.
Most of us are used to drinking coffee, green juice, maybe flavored sparkling water…but then we forgett about drinking actual water. Keep water top of in mind in the days leading up to the shoot too. If you stay hydrated throughout the week, you’ll look your best on the day of.
You also need to eat well. Please feed yourself something nourishing that will sustain you for the entire shoot. You might even want to go for superfoods that make you feel great and give you a brain boost. Try a healthy, seratonin-boosting cacao smoothie, or an Acai Bowl. If you want to go all out, try eating for beauty!
#4: Prep Your Workload
This is your shoot — how do you want to feel at it?
Probably not stressed and distracted by work emails, texts, and calls. That’s not really the identity alchemy way. You should be fully present in the moment, fully embracing who you have become and relishing the moment in the most fierce way possible!
Plan ahead, schedule, and organize your workload and meetings so that you have the day — or at the very least, the shoot — to be completely present. This helps you maximize your energetic output, tap into the moment, and be your absolute best. You deserve that.
#5: Prepare Your Body
You want to feel as confident as possible going into a shoot because your confidence of lack of it will come across on camera.
This isn’t about body shaming, extreme dieting, or achieving impossible standards. It’s about feeling and looking your best and embodying your new, fierce, alchemized self.
Anyways, there is no better motivation to get in shape than a shoot! Think about it — you’ve shifted your identity, and now you’re here in the shoot, showcasing and presenting who you have become. What a victorious, beautiful moment!
Use that motivation to exercise the week of the shoot at the very least (you can also use it to get in shape in the weeks or months ahead). Depending on how much time you have, you might not be able to completely transform your body. But regular workouts the week off can help you shed water weight, tone up, and simply look healthy and vital.
#6: Ground and Center Yourself
Whatever you do to ground yourself, make sure you do it the morning of the shoot.
That could mean meditating, doing yoga, setting intentions, engaging in prayer, communing with your higher self, or journaling. Whatever you do to clear your mind of distractions, settle down your nervous system, and be present at the moment will be good for you.
Grounding and centering keep you in the here and now, which is perfect for a shoot. Here is a few other ways to do it:
- Imagine there’s a magnet beneath your feet, in the earth, pulling out anything stressful, distracting, or negative
- Go outside and walk bare feet on the grass
- Look around you and notice something from each sense — colors, sounds, textures, tastes, and smells
- Try doing yoga: child’s pose or tree pose
I really love starting my day with gratitude. It puts me in a positive frame of mind and keeps me from going into worry or stress mode. You might also try thinking of positive intentions or words before you even get out of bed. Believe me, it works.
#7: Tap Into Your Inner World
This is really where you get to dive into identity alchemy, that inner transformation and blossoming of the fullest expression of yourself. Working with a photographer who embraces this process will make a photoshoot extra potent. The shoot becomes an extension of that story you started through inner work, capturing who you’ve become right down to your very essence.
When you work with me, I will honor that process — I’m here to capture how you’ve transformed parts of your personality that did not serve you into a beautiful new identity.
You can access your inner world through personal growth practices like journaling, taking plant medicine, creative practices, dance, ceremony, shadow work, and much more. I invite you to check out my workshops and classes that can help you start your journey of inner alchemy.
#8: Secure an Intern, Friend, or Assistant
To be fully able to embrace your creative expression, get a friend, intern, or assistant to help you on shoot day. They’ll be an extra set of hands to help you with your clothes, grab a coffee, and rearrange the set. It always helps to have an extra set of hands on deck.
When you have help, you’re freer to focus on the shoot itself. It helps you stay present, it helps the photographer stay present, and it helps the shoot run more smoothly. It means less stress for everyone involved. You can’t beat that.
#9: Understand That Bad Pictures Happen
While you want to have intentions for the shoot, don’t have unrealistic expectations.
Know that everyone takes bad pictures. Photographers often capture off moments, weird moments that probably won’t mean you’re looking your best. Resist thinking critically about yourself when those pictures happen. They literally happen to everyone.
When you go in with this awareness, it saves you a lot of stress in the moment. Photographers are used to seeing those bad moments, and they’ll no doubt be tossed out. Trust me.
Don’t let a few bad pictures make you feel self-conscious and embarrassed for the rest of the shoot.
#10: Be ready to Collaborate
Last but not least, remember that this is your shoot and that it’s a creative, dynamic process. If you have any ideas, don’t hold back!
Tap into your intuition. Go with your feelings, and be open to experimentation. This is especially important if it’s an idea you really love. That’s the core of the shoot — who you are, what you feel inspired by, and how you express yourself.
When you work with me, I honor and encourage the collaborative process. If you have ideas, let’s try them, and the best idea wins. When you bring forth who you are, that gives me the opportunity to play off of our dynamic. Plus, that creative energy shines in the photos, along with your unique, alchemized identity.
Remember That Your Personal Brand Reflects Your Transformation
Remember, a personal branding photoshoot is an artistic expression of who you have become. If you’ve been doing transformational work, a branding shoot is certainly a cause for celebration.
This is because change, or what I call Identity Alchemy, is a very brave thing to do. It’s process of taking something ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary, sometimes in a way that cannot be explained.
It’s deconstructing who you don’t want to be in order to realize who you want to become. This usually involves shadow work, the process of facing and coming to terms with aspects of yourself that aren’t comfortable or even desirable. Through facing shadow traits, you can then transform them through the alchemy process.
While it’s not always comfortable, it’s absolutely worth it. I notice that the more inner work that I do, the better life gets.
So with that in mind, try booking your shoot for a time when you feel you’re coming out of the other side. Then take the shoot seriously. This ensures you bring the right energy to it, and that will come across on camera. So get some rest, dive into your inner world, and be ready to shine.
Are you ready to work with me? Book a shoot here!
