Photo shoot prep like a pro! WRITTEN BY BODYSCAPE MAGAZINE ASSOCIATE EDITOR MONICA BRANT It was 1984 when my Mom allowed me to sign up for a Modeling course in San Antonio, Texas. It was held in a small room near the hair stylist she saw regularly. I was a freshman in high school from a small country town, and did not know anything about modeling, I was an athlete and country girl! In some of the classes we were taught to walk and hold ourselves a certain way, and pose... and turn... and smile... and look fierce... or at least give it your best effort! We met once a week, and after the six-week course the class had a fashion show and our first photoshoot with makeup included! Honestly, I don’t recall all what I learned there but I do recall enjoying it and feeling pretty. This was my official start to modeling, and indeed, it served me well. I wish I had access to the beautiful lady who taught the class and so I could thank her for offering it to a small-town athlete who loved riding horses and running sprints more than anything else in the world! Fast-forward to 1991, I was signed to an agent who helped me book a very good photographer, Chris Borgman, to shoot some new images. I was now 20 years old and this photographer was way ahead of his time in talent. He showed up at my apartment prior to our shoot, rummaged through my closet with me to help pick out my clothes for the shoot, and he actually did my hair and makeup! We had a great little café set up for our shoot, and the experience was amazing. Since those young years, I’ve had the privilege to book over 200 photo shoots! Every National fitness magazine and many International publications, to clothing ads starting back when Hot Skins was the hottest fitness-wear worldwide, to the annual Flex Magazine Swimsuit issues for 10 years straight! I’m blessed to say that in my career, I have landed well over 100 covers! Other than my personal modeling jobs, I hosted a fun women’s
fitness event for 12 years called F.E.M. Camp. For the camp, I hired expert, professional photographers (such as the lovely and talented, Sarah Lyons for one camp!) to shoot each attendee complete with a professional makeup artist and some with hair stylists too. During the shoot I would coach the ‘model’ and help the photographer find the best angles during the shoot, while helping the model feel at peace in those moments, and most importantly, beautiful! F.E.M. Camp was a very fun event for me to coach. I loved that I could help other ladies experience a real, professional photoshoot complete with makeup and hair, lights, a loving and supportive environment, and end up with amazing images. Truly a joy!
I’ve discovered a few necessary things to consider while preparing to shoot. 1: Choosing YOUR photographer: In today’s world it is imperative that you book either from highly recommended, trusted sources, or you have researched the photographer of your choosing carefully. Sadly, I recall a beautiful young model that I worked with back in 1997 on a clothing brand shoot who went to the dessert to shoot supposedly for a car commercial, and ended up being killed because the “photographer” was a crazed fan not a real photographer! It was a brutal and very sad tragedy that was all over the news in LA at the time it happened. It could have been stopped had the model screened them correctly and taken some simple precautions beforehand. The photographers that you are looking to work with should have images for you to review on a website and social media that showcases their work.
