Preparing for your portrait session

The single biggest thing you can do to make your portrait session go well is sleep. Two nights of decent sleep before the shoot does more for how you'll look on camera than any wardrobe choice. A late night the day before is the most common reason a sitting comes out flatter than it should — eyes get smaller, skin gets duller, expressions get stiffer. Plan for early to bed.

Hydration matters almost as much. Drink water through the week before, not just chugging it the morning of (which makes your face puff up). Caffeine the morning of is fine; alcohol the night before is not. If you're someone who drinks coffee daily, drink your usual amount — going cold turkey before a shoot is a great way to look uncomfortable on camera.

Wardrobe-wise, bring more than I asked for. The standard ask is two looks; bringing four gives us options to swap in something we couldn't predict from the planning call. Solid colors and natural fabrics (linen, cotton, wool, soft denim, raw silk) photograph better than synthetic blends or busy patterns. Avoid anything you bought specifically for the shoot — new clothes always look new in photographs, in a way that reads slightly off.

If you wear glasses normally, wear them. If you don't, don't try them. The same goes for contact lenses — if today is the day you decided to switch from glasses to contacts, postpone. Camera-readable confidence comes from familiar choices.

Skin care: don't try anything new in the week before the shoot. No new serums, no new exfoliants, no first-time facials. Stick to your established routine. The day of, less makeup is usually more — high-coverage foundation reads heavy on camera, and matte finishes flatten skin texture in a way that ages portraits unnecessarily.

Bring water and a snack to the shoot. A two-hour sitting is more tiring than people expect, and a tired person on camera looks like a tired person. Mid-session breaks for a sip of water and a stretch are normal and welcome.

Last thing: trust the conversation we had during planning. Most people walk into a sitting with a half-formed worry that they're about to make some mistake that will ruin the photos. The plan we made handles the structural decisions; you don't have to think about them on the day. Your job is to be there. Mine is to handle the rest.