Prepare for Your Photoshoot: The Complete Checklist

One Week Before Your Session

The week before a photoshoot is when most practical preparation happens:

• Confirm outfit choices and steam or iron them. Creased clothing photographs badly and doesn't improve on the day. Hang your outfits a few days out to allow travel creases to drop naturally.
• Confirm location, time, and parking with your photographer. Re-read your booking confirmation. Know how long it'll take to get there and factor in a 10-minute buffer.
• Check what to bring. Re-read your photographer's prep guide. Some sessions require little beyond the outfit you're wearing; others involve props, multiple outfit changes, or specific items.
• Avoid dramatic new haircuts or significant aesthetic changes. Keep this week ordinary. The time for a new hair colour or experimental makeup look is well before or well after the shoot.

The Day Before

• Hydrate and sleep well. The most significant difference between shooting someone who slept well and someone who didn't is visible in the eyes and skin. This is not about appearance anxiety — hydration and rest genuinely affect how people look in photographs.
• Prepare your outfit completely. Handbag, accessories, shoes — everything ready the night before. Morning-of outfit decisions and frantic searching create stress that shows in early session photographs.
• Avoid new foods. Not the time for anything that might cause unexpected skin reactions or bloating.

Morning of the Session

• Eat breakfast. Low blood sugar produces low energy, and low energy reads as low mood in portraits. Eat something normal.
• Leave earlier than necessary. Traffic and parking delays are a significant source of session-opening anxiety. Being five minutes early is a better experience than being five minutes late.
• Don't wear your session outfit for the commute if possible, especially in hot weather or if travelling on public transport. Arrive in comfortable clothing and change on arrival.

What to Bring

For most portrait sessions: your outfit(s), a small bag with any makeup for touch-ups, water, your phone (for receiving session previews during the shoot if your photographer sends them). Lipstick and concealer are the most practical makeup touch-up items for midday refreshing.