How to choose the best date & time for your personal brand photo- shoot
Yay for booking a photo-shoot!
Amidst the excitement of this expansive step in your business, it’s important to consider when the most optimal time for your session will be, so that we can honour…
you and your energy levels,
your business, your clients, your creativity,
your loved ones, and
the magic we are making together!! (Let’s give ourselves the BEST chance to make incredible photos!)
Here are my top tips to help you choose the most aligned photo-shoot date and have the most successful session.
1/ Plan your shoot to take place at a more spacious time IN YOUR CALENDAR if possible (e.g. not mid-launch)
The lead up to a shoot is a time of inspiration, preparation & planning. Give yourself the time you need to feel ready for our creative time together.
We’ll be feeling into locations, outfits and props, and getting practical pieces in place to support our vision. You might be getting your hair cut for example, booking a manicure, cleaning your office, coordinating with your dog-sitter(!), and getting everything ready on your side.
To keep the experience easeful as can be, book your shoot during a time in your calendar where you know you’ll have time to prepare without having to rush, compromise, or be distracted.
Life is full, and I get that it’s not always possible to choose a ‘spacious’ time. But, we can try for example, to: avoid choosing your photo-shoot to take place mid-launch, the day before an important presentation you’re apprehensive about, around your kids joint birthday party, or immediately after you get back from a long holiday. :)
2/ work with your cycle…
…in whatever way that resonates for you. This may look like considering your cyclical routines and rhythms as you choose the date, factoring your menstrual cycle if you have one and planning for your session to take place at a time when you generally feel at your best, or working with the lunar phases.
3/ For outdoor photos: Consider the season, daylight hours, bin days, tide times, etc.
If we’re planning an outdoor session, consider which season will be your preference for your shoot, and the length of the days for the most flattering light (I’ll help you with this, and deciding on timings, of course!).
If you’d like street photos, check what day the bins go out in the location so we can avoid it! If you’d like photos on a beach, check out the time times for the best date for your photos (look out for neap and spring tides which coordinate with the moon cycles and have a dramatic effect on how high and low the tide gets)!
For photos in public venues and streets, be aware that anytime from October till mid January, Christmas decs are another consideration to factor in! If you want to do shots in a cafe or hotel, you might like to wait till the tinsel and fairy lights are gone.
For indoor shoots the weather and other outdoor factors will not matter, as I’ll light the space beautifully.
4/ make space for yourself after the shoot.
A photo-shoot can be more tiring than we might expect, what with all of our getting visible, being awesome in front of the camera, as well as all the work you’ve done to get ready for the day.
Many of my clients tell me that while the shoot was SOOOO much more fun than and easier than they imagined it could be, it was also more tiring than they expected!
Scheduling a quieter day or two after your shoot is recommended. Future you will be grateful!
5/ life happens. It will be okay.
Of course, life happens and it’s not always possible to book a shoot at the perfect most calm time, perhaps you have very regular launches, non negotiable caring duties, trips, and last minute changes. But if we can approach choosing the date with intention, we can give ourselves the best chances of feeling energised, prepared, and available.
We’ll take time on the day to centre ourselves, get grounded and set our intentions, so no matter what’s going on for you around the shoot, you’ll have the opportunity to let it go and come into the present moment.
Photo from a session with the lovely Claire Macpherson.