Photo Shoot Tips

[flimflamgirl]

I'm sure this has been gone over before, and I may have even asked last year and am just forgetting now, but humor me! I have a photo shoot on Friday, and I would love to hear some advice about getting the most out of it. See, I'm REALLY unphotogenic. I look completely normal in real life, but in photos I sometimes look weird or just bad. I'm just not really accustomed to being photographed, mainly. So my questions:

- What's the best way to do makeup for this?

- Still or motion? What's better?

anything else?

Thanks!

- Leela

[Egyptianangel]

Hey Leela,
If you are going to have your pictures done by a pro photographer then he/she will be used to people who are unphotogenic like yourself. I say just go with the flow, I think you will be really suprised when you see the photo's of yourself. If it's your choice, wear something you feel comfortable in.
Make up - that would be a personal choice. Have an experiment before you go to see which look you like best.
You could do both -still and motion, see which one you prefer on the day.
Hope this helped. Have fun Friday.

[Michelle75]

Hi, I would practice in the mirror ALOT before the photo shoot. Put on a CD that makes you want to dance and watch in the mirror for what looks best on you. I would go to several make up counters that do FREE makeovers and tell them the look you want. (I’d do this several days before the shoot so you can practice applying the make-up at home, unless they will do it again before the shoot.

P.S. If you have a Borgese make-up counter, you should go there. They have very nice EXPENSIVE make-up that is natural and looks good on. They do free make-overs. I got one and looked like a princess.

[Adishakti]

I suck at taking pictures too so don't have a lot of advice to offer you. However, my last shoot turned out very good and it was because we simply put on the music, I danced, and he took TONS of shots. If something I did looked nice, he'd ask my to do it again... that was a LOT easier for me than posing (which makes me look like an uber dork)! ;-)

Have fun! Show us the results afterwards?

[hannan]

Hi Leela,

I am not at all photogenic and have had to train myself a lot to get a decent picture. I have friends who could be gutting a fish in their overalls and still photograph like Giselle Bundchen (hello, Dharlene!), so I can sympathize with you.

I strongly recommend hiring a make-up artist. It is well worth the money. If you don't use a make-up artist, be sure play with highlighting the contours of your face and always wear false eyelashes. Keep your face relaxed and eyes open.

Regarding poses, I prefer dance pictures that feature movement. I usually pick a handful of preplanned poses and move between two of them at a time. That way, even if I am going into a pose, there is still a sense of movement.

Don't try to get ten thousand different poses. I am happy if I get 5 or 6 great shots out of a three hour shoot, but I am also ridiculously picky.

A good photographer will help pose you and tell you what is working.

Practice poses in front of the mirror and be sure to really exaggerate all twists and curves. Photography really flattens the body, so you have to create dramatic S-curves. You should be sore after a shoot from manipulating your body so much.

Are you doing your shoot with Sarah Skinner? I think you're in her neck of the woods. I love her work.

good luck!
Hannan

p.s. I love Rowland S. Howard, too!

[mekyria]

if you want to do your make-up yourself, practice several times before and take a picture. Often flaws in your make-up are noticable when you look at a picture instead of in the mirror. It's better to see that your eyeliner is crooked in your own digital shot then in the first results of your studio shoot!

[antimony]

Whether to pose or get pictures in motion depends a lot on the photographer

- If the photographer has extensive experience photographing dancers, then chances are he or she will have a preference for one or the other.
- If the photographer primarily does a lot of wedding work, he or she will hopefully be good at setting you in flattering poses and capturing flattering angles. Just make sure not to let them pose you in positions that are nonsensical from a dance perspective (i.e. sticking your foot out like you were doing a big Turkish style hip drop when you dance Egyptian style, etc)
- If the photographer does a lot of sports or other action photography, then he or she probably has a feeling for how to time the shutter right to capture a movement, not the second right after, so dancing during the shoot might be better. Of course, be honest with yourself about how well you maintain your posture and carriage while you're dancing. If you tend to slip a little when you get into the music, you may not be happy with how you look in the pics.

[flimflamgirl]

Thanks, everyone! This is all very helpful.

Hannan - GOD, Rowland S. Howard is just the greatest. I can't stop listening to his last solo record. It's so beautiful...sigh. And so is he...sigh. Have you seen the RSH fan site, http://www.burning-heart.net/rsh.html ? I'm not usually a fan site kinda girl, but I dig this one.

- Leela

[*Shira*]

There's an article on my web site with advice on getting professional photos made. See www.shira.net/advice.htm under the "Going Pro" category.

[flimflamgirl]

Shira, thanks! And thanks, in general, for your fantastic and impossible-to-stop-reading website!

- Leela

[dancingrrrlz]

Holding the arms a little away from the body will create "light traps" to frame your hips, waist, etc.

Don't forget the black and white. Even in these internet times, a good, artistic, sharp contrast black and white photo can come in handy.

Practice poses and do only what you like. When I did a session with a fashion photographer he took charge. He had me put my hands in a very undancer-like pose. Being a fashion photographer how would he know? The shot would have been great except for that and I wish I'd resisted that particular placement.

Using a make-up artist and stylist is really the best way to go. If you can't get a stylist maybe a friend could go with you. Make-up for photography is really a specialized thing. When I went with a friend, up close she looked like she'd been embalmed, but in the photos she looked incredible.

[eshe]

I've done three shoots this week (and I have 2 more scheduled)

I highly recommend hiring a dance photographer (someone who has experience capturing movement and stills).

I find that you can't full out "dance" in shoots. I move but I wouldn't call it full on dancing.

I bring my ipod or burn CDs with lots of very slow, very moody music. I bring upbeat music if it's an allnight shoot and I need energy.

If the shoot is going all night or more than 4-5 hours I bring snacks and drinks that will give me energy but not bloat me too much. (I usually eat just whole wheat or watery foods without any sugar during the day so that when I do eat sugar at the shoot, it gives me a boost.)

Bringing a dance friend is great if you can. They can help with makeup, music, hair, costume changes, answer your phone ;) or whatever you need and can also make you feel relaxed with the photog.

Photo makeup is different than stage makeup. I always use false lashes at a shoot.

Take lots of deep breaths and really relax when you are shooting.

I like to look at other dancer's website before a shoot. I sometimes pick 4-5 poses I like of theirs for inspiration if I get "stuck"

[eshe]

Please forgive the grammar!xo

[najla86]

Don't forget the black and white. Even in these internet times, a good, artistic, sharp contrast black and white photo can come in handy.

also, if you have the opportunity, take a nice beauty-shot style head shot, just like actors and actresses have. It's a great thing to add to your card of motion shots or poses.

My best tip from the few times I've done some runway modeling...think about every movement as being a picture, and make sure that you hold your pose long enough for the photographer to capture it and to account for shutter delay (usually 3 - 5 seconds)

[Nepenthe]

I think I'm pretty photogenic (when I'm aware a photo is being taken - otherwise, hell no) and I am married to a former wedding photographer. In fact, we had a great shoot this weekend at the house. When I was younger, I took terrible pictures and I thought I was just ugly - turns out that it's all about tricks and techniques. Here's some ideas...

Makeup - try using a makeup book like Making Faces. I used the pseudo-Cleopatra face from that book - golden eyeshadow, slightly smudged black eye liner, red lips. Golden highlighter on cheekbones and nose really works too. It looked fake in person but looked awesome in the pics. Emphasize the eyes and lips - don't go too dark on the lip color. Wear foundation even if you normally don't as every detail can show in a photo. Yes, they can do digital editing but it's a pain. Wear undereye concealer.

Expression - think of the idea you want to express. i.e. if you want to look intense, think intense thoughts. Happy, peaceful, etc - just try to feel inside what you want to look like on the outside. I think this is a lot more effective than trying to do a fake smile. Think about how cute pupplies are and a smile will naturally come to your face, or think about your husband/boyfriend, or whatever.

Music - take music with you - it helps. also, you can dance through the poses but usually it's better if you dance to a pose and hold it. Let the photographer take a few shots at each pose (he/she may have to adjust the lighting, etc.) I didnt really dance through my poses so much as go directly to the ones where I wanted my picture taken, but when I did the veil pictures - I wanted some action pics with the veil floating. These were hard - thank god for fast shutter speeds. But I found that my face isn't always pretty when I'm doing veil. :-( We did get a few good shots though.

Posing - Suck it in, keep your best posture possible - to the point where it's uncomfortable. It doesn't have to be natural but it can look natural. Take a care of how all your body parts are looking at all angles. Arrange your hair and costume so that it's draping prettily instead of haphazardly (the photographer will probably do this for you.) Try facing your hips diagonally with your chest to the front - this creates an image of thin-ness. Or think about creating an S curve with your body, by offsetting your hips from your top - this is very classical and pretty too. I also studied other dancer's websites to get ideas.