How to prepare for a Portrait with Flair Shoot

How to prepare for a Portrait with Flair Shoot

Determine the style of your shoot

Decide whether you want it to be a more beauty/fashion shoot with extravagant gowns or a boudoir shoot with sexy lingerie. Do you want your images to be extravagant high fashion, modern elegant, soft romantic, or natural casual? Are you doing this for a special someone or to celebrate yourself? 

Design your photo-experience with our art expert Masha

Masha will help you to discover your personal photography style. Together you will find out what makes you feel YOU in the photos. How do you feel the images could translate your character, your vide and your personality. You will discuss the outfits options, make-up ideas and posing. 

Think of how you want to display your art

We need to determine our final artistic goal. Are we shooting for the statement art piece in your bedroom, or we create a collection of images for an album.  We will approach the photoshoot differently depending on our artistic mission. 

Choose your Wardrobe

Bring at least five of your favorite outfits including matching shoes and jewelry. Stay away from stripes and patterns when choosing your wardrobe pieces. Solid colors look best in photos. On all clothing take out the tags, iron, steam

We have a “magical closet” at the studio with some extravagant pieces, but we encourage you to bring your own clothes that is more “YOU”, so we could mix and match.

It will be fun to try something that might be unfamiliar from our collection. The greatest transformations happen when we step outside our comfort zones.

If you’re preparing for a Boudoir Shoot bring at least 2-3 different color lingerie pieces including nude and black. Make sure you tried them a few days before the shoot, and they fit well. 

Bring at least two pairs of high hill shoes. A black pair and a nude pair.

Give your feet and hands some love. 

Your hands and feet will be visible in most of your photographs, so it’s important to get them camera-ready. Consider pampering yourself with a mani-pedi a day or two before your photoshoot date.

Get your hair ready

Get your hair trimmed, toned and touched up. Don’t let those stray greys storm on your photo session. If you’re coloring your hair, stick to a color that you know you’ll love!         If you are having hair/makeup done on location, arrive with a clean, fresh face, and no product in your hair. Your hair must be clean and dry.

Clean your eyebrows

Eyebrows are one of the biggest defining factors of your face. Book a brow wax about a week before your session. That way, any irritation will be cleared up by the time of your shoot.

The day before your session: 

1.  Get your beauty sleep. Baggy and puffy eyes definitely show up on camera. Go to bed early. 

2. Keep hydrated and moisturized. This includes body lotion and lip balm.

3. Drink lots of water for a healthy glow on the day of your session.

4. Stretch. This may seem silly, but when was the last time you stretched? Being in front of the camera is a lot more physical than you think.

5. Pack your bag – double and triple check you have everything you want packed. 

6. And the single most important thing on how to prepare for a photo shoot? Confidence.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about the Photoshoot

How do I know that the photo-shoot experience is right for me? 

If you are a living, breathing woman who has an intense desire to love yourself, a professional photoshoot is a must-have for you.

It's an experience that doesn't end with the final click of the camera, it's an experience that gets even better when you hold your photos in your hands....it's an experience that boosts your confidence at the moment and stays with you afterward...it's an experience that becomes a life-long appreciation for the woman you have become. 

It's an experience for YOU first and foremost. Your age, weight, race, or any other circumstance does NOT matter. You are beautiful exactly as you are, and you deserve to celebrate your beauty!

 

I don't know how to pose. Will you still get good pictures of me?

When you come for a photography session with us, I'll be doing my best to get you to loosen up and be as natural as possible. During the photos-shoot, we don’t much traditional posing. Really. 

Why?

Because YOU look best when you give off that 'natural' vibe. 

I’m not saying that you shouldn't be aware of the camera at all, but we'll be effortlessly guiding you throughout the process with an easy and natural flow. 

The natural you is the best you and the sexiest you!

I am really nervous. How do you make your clients feel comfortable?

The anticipation of a photoshoot can be nerve-wracking. Having a camera in your face can be intimidating. It's completely natural to feel that way!

There is a way to remove the fear, change your anxiety to excitement!!!!

We are in this together!  We'll help - LOL - really, we will!  We love to laugh and giggle, and we can offer you silly jokes, delightful stories, play music,  maybe share some of our own 'bloopers' with you.

 Play - laugh - giggle - smile. 

You won't feel a bit of fear, and you will be amazed and pleased with how your pictures turned out.

 

How much should I expect to spend?

The photoshoot experience starts at $450. That includes the photoshoot, professional makeup application, access to the wardrobe, the in-person photo viewing for you to order photo products à la carte. 

Packages start at $950

Wall Art pieces at $325

Girls are almost always surprised by how many gorgeous photos we get from the session and how beautiful the albums look. Together we create magic!  

When and how will I select my favorite images from my shoot?

We are offering a photo reveal ordering appointment via Zoom a week after your photo session. Together, we will go through a big variety of great photos, it can be overwhelming to navigate on your own. We have a system for helping you decide between images, showing similar images side by side, and selecting a killer mix of photos for albums and the glamorous wall art pieces.

Where will my photo session take place? 

We have a beautiful cozy studio with lots of natural light in Midtown Manhattan, NY. It is set up specifically for portraits with both natural and studio lighting. It has a very intimate and relaxing ambiance perfect for making you feel comfortable and at ease.  

We can occasionally travel to your location to have a more personalized environment for the shoot. 

What should I wear?

We encourage you to select 3-5 favorite pieces from your wardrobe. It can be dresses, suits, lingerie...basically anything that you feel glamorous in. Please try to avoid busy designs, stripes, or busy bright patterns on the clothes. It can take attention away from you and your expressions. Solid colors look best.  

Bring a good selection of high hill shoes. A pair of black and a pair of nude shoes is a good start.

We have a collection of couture gowns at the studio, so we can mix and match the looks. We also have a treasure chest with statement jewelry pieces that can add an accent to our style.

 

Will you use my images on your website/blog/portfolio?

We would be happy to use images that we created together to show other women how amazing you look in the photos!  But of course, we will not share any images unless you grant permission. 

I'm nervous about the investment. Do you offer payment plans?

We're so glad you asked, love! I understand that spending money on yourself can awake some guilty feelings, so we've developed three payment plans with you in mind! We never want money to hold you back from this experience, and we're absolutely dedicated to helping you make this happen for yourself!

I would love this experience, but I am nervous about my body. Do you photoshop the images?

Yes! We do skin retouching, light/color adjustments, skin smoothing. We prefer retouching to look organic and natural so that you look authentic in your images. 

I am not sure how to prepare for the shoot. Do you give some guidance?

Don’t you worry! Once you are officially booked, we will book a zoom session with Masha (our style consultant) to walk you through outfit selection, what to expect, how to prepare, and answers to all your burning questions. During this session, you will also talk about your personality and creative ideas for your unique photo session.

Overcoming fears

Overcoming fears of the shoot

It may seem a bit scary to put yourself in the spotlight in front of the camera. There are a lot of excuses that we find not to do it. Here are some of them:

Photo-shoots are for models only. I am not a model

The photoshoot is a must-have for every single girl! 

Every girl deserves to have a gorgeous series of portraits of herself taken by a professional photographer. Let us show you how amazing you can look through the eyes of an artist.

I don’t have time

Life is just busy, we are too crazy at work, or always have to run SOMEWHERE to do SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT. 

Quite often I am the WORST at making sure I am giving myself mental health breaks and that’s why I think it’s so important to share this with you all. I make the same excuses as above, and sometimes I need someone to look me in the face and say, “SLOW DOWN, give yourself a break, breath for a minute!”.

The photoshoot will take you out of your daily routine. It will make you look at things from a different perspective with more harmony inside you.

What can be more important than feeling BALANCED? What can be more important than feeling CONFIDENT and BEAUTIFUL? Being in our female element and radiate that light to the world that makes everybody around us smile.

 

I am too old or I need to lose weight

Did you know that the body type portrayed in advertising and fashion magazines as the ideal is possessed naturally by only 5% of American females? ONLY FIVE PERCENT!!!!

On top of that, the idea of female beauty changes dramatically over time. Remember the Renaissance paintings? How about the times of Pin-up fashion? 

I could never understand:

WHY do you have to be a certain size to LOVE yourself? 

WHY can’t you be feeling young and beautiful at any age?

WHY do you have to fit a stranger’s idea of a perfect body to LOVE your own body? 

WHY are you comparing your size to everyone else, when no two women are the same. 

 Absolutely FOR NO REASON! 

I am shy, the images will come out weird

Yes! We totally understand! It feels a little strange at first to be in front of the camera, but we do everything together in a cozy atmosphere. We’ll show you how to pose and how to move, you just need to mirror.

And we will do it all together, and we laugh a lot!

Actually, the best photos are not static poses, it’s captured moments when you look natural and in your element.

And we will get wonderful moments and unique shots!

I don’t know have anything to wear

We will definitely help you with this! There are so many outfit ideas. We have a selection of gorgeous runway gowns in the studio. It’s so much fun to try them on. We will also have a consultation before the shoot to talk about your outfits. We will talk about your wardrobe

...and SHOES! Oh YES!  Can’t have a complete look without a cool pair of your favorite shoes!!!

Let’s discuss different ideas and find the looks that will fit your vibe and personality!

Why we shoot beauty and boudoir?

Why we shoot beauty and boudoir?

Being a woman is simply magical.  Female beauty was worshiped through centuries by poets, artists, and musicians. Beauty ideals are shifting from century to century but the magic of female touch and female flare remains constant.

Very often in the craziness of today’s world, we forget to celebrate ourselves and our incredible gift of being feminine. 

I absolutely love to show women how incredibly gorgeous they really are.  I love to see sparkles in the eyes when they look at their image. Every one of us girls deserves to feel unapologetically gorgeous!

Beauty photo-shoot is...

EMPOWERING!

building SELF-CONFIDENCE!

feeling super SEXY and DESIRABLE!

TRANSFORMATION

That transformation on the day of the shoot is always mesmerizing to me. It became my passion to show every single girl on the planet how elegant she could look with a magical touch of fashion photography. 

We gathered together with a  female team of talented stylists, make-up, hair artist, and photographers to make more women embrace their beauty.

SELF-IMAGE 

At times, we have trouble with self-image, not realizing that all the faces we see on the pages of magazines and online are real people, just like the rest of us. 

We believe that each one of us, no matter age, size, or height can look like a celebrity from the Vanity Fair Shoot. 

We’re able to make every single girl and YOU are NO exception) look like a real Hollywood star with the help of a camera!

We’d like to prove to you that with the right style, camera angle, lighting, and direction, we can create miracles. I promise you’ll be over the moon after getting your beautiful collection of photos in an elegant album or as framed Art on your Walls 🙂

CONFIDENCE

In today’s world, there’s so much stress that we forget our true feminine nature. We lose connection with our feminine power, and we forget how it feels to be beautiful. 

Photo-session is like a fun therapeutic experience that brings that power back to you. Nobody can take away your beauty, your natural magnetism, and your feminine presence. It’s just a matter of taking the time to dive into this magical state and bring that gorgeous goddess from within to shine on the photographs. 

We feel so inspired watching ladies walk out from the photo-session with an incredible boost of flare and confidence ready to conquer the world!

We need positive emotions in our lives

WE NEED POSITIVE EMOTIONS IN OUR LIVES

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