Photoshoot Prep 101

Blog by Danielle Vocaturo

One of my most cherished events we host here at The Makeup Studio are our photoshoots! These typically happen once a month, or every other month. They cost 300 dollars, or are completely free for students that have taken our 20 hour or 40 hour Makeup Course. Our amazingly talented photographer comes in to take photos for you to take home on a flashdrive. This is an amazing way to spruce up your portfolio or social media accounts as a makeup artist!

Many people can be intimidated by the idea of directing a photoshoot, I know I was for my first. But with the right amount of preparation beforehand, it doesn’t have to be intimidating at all. 

The most important step in executing a successful photoshoot is creating your vision board. This is the key to keeping your ideas organized. It could be printed out photos on a physical piece of poster board, a powerpoint, or even a collage. Your vision board typically consists of inspiration photos for the theme of the shoot (if there is one), the makeup style, specific poses for your model, what kind of lighting you’d like to shoot it under, the color scheme, etc. For further organizational purposes, especially if there’s a specific theme to my shoot, I like to include clothing, accessories, hairstyles, and backdrops as well!

I find it works best for me (huge procrastinator) to organize my kit and make sure I have everything ready for the shoot at least by the day before. However, a few days before is ideal. It’s best to always set yourself up for success, so you’re organized and never rushing the day of.

The most intimidating part is probably directing the shoot. My best advice for this is to go in with confidence, and remember to always have fun! If you go into anything with the mindset of “This is going to go terribly” or “I have no idea what I’m doing”, you’re doing more harm than good to your overall confidence. We always look out for each other at shoots as well! There’s no harm in asking for a second opinion or helping hand if needed. We’re all very supportive and want to see everyone succeed here! 

I’d love to see some new faces at our monthly photoshoots! Check out our calendar on makeupclasses.com for our upcoming photoshoots! See you there!