• Model schedules an early morning shoot but goes out the night before, then decides to stay out all night rather than go to bed, and arrives at my door unshowered, with bags under his eyes and pale skin.
• Actor gets carried away trimming his eyebrows 15 minutes before the shoot and has to cancel because he suddenly looks like a drag queen.
• Model arrives with his clothes stuffed into a gym bag, then empties the contents onto a chair in a big, wrinkled mess.
• Fashion model doesn't think clothes are important for a headshot and so she shows up in a white hoodie.
• Model comes straight to the studio from the tanning bed, so his face is red and he has racoon eyes from the goggles.

Here's how to look your best before we get together:

• Be well-rested and avoid alcohol the night before.
• Be well hydrated (dehydration affects your skin). Some fitness and figure models avoid water for a few hours immediately prior to the shoot. If you're inclined to retain water, drink black coffee about 30 minutes before the shoot.
• Make no drastic changes to your appearance within three days of your photo shoot, like tanning or shaving your body hair. Tanning dries out your skin, and shaving leaves razor bumps even on the best skin. If you're changing your hair, get it cut at least a week before the shoot so it has time to adjust to its new style.

Finally, don't stress. Being photographed should be fun.

What to wear

Feel free to bring a few outfits to the shoot and I'll help you pick the right one(s). For headshots and most portraits, bring comfortable pants, even jeans or shorts, as I don't have to shoot you below the waist. Shoes usually don't matter, at all, unless you specifically ask for a full-body shot.

Make sure your clothes are comfortable and fit well — nothing baggy! For men especially, a shirt that seems a little too tight is better than a shirt that's too baggy. (A shirt generally fits right if the seam where the sleeve starts sits exactly on the bend of your shoulder; short sleeves should always end at least an inch or two above the elbow, long sleeves should end just below the bend of your wrist.)

For caucasians and light-skinned people, dark colors are better than lights, but African-Americans and Pacific Islanders and can get away with clothing lighter than their skin tone. For most everyone, solid colors look better than prints (plaid is never flattering). But please remember that these are all rules of thumb — some men look great in a clean, white t-shirt, and some women can pull off a subtle print. Use your best judgement. Men should not wear jewelry and women should wear it conservatively. Dressing in layers always looks good. Try to think of something that you'd wear to an art-gallery opening, to impress a first date, or something else where you'd want to look great.

Skin care and make-up

Digital photographs pick up everything, so skin care is important. If you don't moisturize, your skin can have a red, cracked surface. Exfoliation helps, allowing the moisturizer to penetrate the skin. I've met a lot of male models, especially, that don't get it, but good skin care is very important.

If you don't currently have one, please start following a skin care routine for a week before your appointment. Personally, I'm a big fan of The Body Shop, which has various skin care regimen for women and men. Trader Joe's also carries good products, and even Neutrogena or St. Ives products (available at any grocery or drug store) are better than nothing. Furthermore, watch your lips (chapped lips can't be retouched easily in a photo). Use lip balm.

Worth repeating

Do NOT get your haircut, or get a spray-on tan, or go to a tanning bed before your photo shoot. For men, do NOT shave or trim your body hair less than three days before a photo shoot.

Time requirements

A typical photo shoot takes between two and three hours. But I will spend as much time as necessary with each client. My shoots are casual, we'll talk a lot and I'll be taking photos of your natural expressions. We can take as many breaks as you like. My work is guaranteed. If a you cannot find a great picture I will shoot you a second time at no extra charge.

What you'll get for your sitting fee

In addition to the two to three hours of time for the shoot time, your sitting fee will include the following:

• A minimum of 150 images (usually closer to 200).
• A private, online proof page of best 15-20 images, retouched, as selected by the photographer.
• Your choice of three final images that will be retouched and resized, ready for you to take to a printer.

You can purchase additional images for only $7 each. I can do the printing for you, but it's actually more cost effective for you to do that yourself as I'd recommend you go to the same printers that I use.

Retouching

I've seen photographers completely ruin a perfectly good image by over-Photoshopping, and it's easy to recognize. That said, I'll generally only do the following light retouching:

• Brightening the whites of the eyes
• Cleaning up loose hairs
• Softening of lines
• Whitening of teeth
• Removing of blemishes
• Changing color to black and white, or other toning
• Softening of background

Scheduling

I generally need at least one week's notice to schedule a shoot.

Rescheduling, or failure to cancel a shoot

I understand that things come up and sometimes you're going to have to cancel a shoot, and I am very flexible when a client communicates with me. But please note that failure to tell me you're not going to show up for a shoot will require you to pay a non-refundable $35 no-show charge before you rebook a future appointment(s). This applies to all clients, and supplements any other charges related to your shoot.

Proofs

I will build a hidden, unlinked page on my website that contains your proofs and send you the url. This page does not contain printable images, but you can pull them off the site for online use. After you have selected the images you like, I'll provide you with a disk of retouched images ready for printing.

Copyright

I own the copyright to all images that I create. As a model or subject, you are allowed to use the photos for marketing and personal purposes and make as many copies as you like, however you are expressly forbidden from selling the images for any reason without my written consent. The rights may be purchased, per image.