First Time Jitters

"Oh my god, what have I done? I want to do this. I'm petrified. What's going to happen? He doesn't want to work with someone like me. I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't know how to pose. I don't know how to be sexy!

Sound familiar? That dialog inside your mind can be a real buzz kill. Let's talk you through it. Okay?

First. Deep breath. And another.

Several times during the shoot, when I sense it's needed I'll say those words, "deep breath." It's a way to implant a thought. You're safe. Nothing scary is going to happen. You're doing great. "Deep breath." Try it now... See? It works.

You're going to come away with some startlingly beautiful images of yourself. Startling because most women never see themselves in this light. One of my favorite, consistent, comments after a shoot is when I hear someone say, "I didn't know I could look that way..." Many women who say they're doing this for someone else come back later and do it again for themselves. I love that...

Angela, in the image above, had never been in front of a camera in this light. She is a bartender and a lovely, strong women, really in every way. I loved working with her. She wanted images that were sexy and fun, just for her and a girlfriend. I think she did great, don't you?

Here's what happens....

You arrive and we have a welcome hug and chat a bit. The tools of my trade will be conspicuously present. Soft boxes, strobes, light stands and camera gear. Those are all just tools I use to make the light work best for us. Forget about them...

I compliment you on wearing your loose, comfortable clothing as you've been instructed... ;-)

We chat a bit again about what we're going to capture and then look over the space to see what will work best.

Typically if you are going to want to do nudes we will actually start with those. That's for two reasons One, your skin is perfect. We haven't messed it up with lingerie and bra straps, and other sexy clothes. Two, once you've been nude everything else is easy. I've been doing this a long time and this system works...

I'll show you an image or two in the back of my camera, and you'll see your first glimpse of beautiful you. If I don't show you stuff it isn't because it isn't working. More likely, I am seeing something I want to follow and don't want to lose the flow.

We laugh... A lot.

I make you drink water, a lot of water. And will also make you snack from time to time. When you need to pee, just say so. Humans pee. It's a thing we do. Don't worry about it.

We chat through clothing changes. I move lights around and experiment with different lenses and angles.

And before you know it, you're done.

See? Didn't hurt a bit!