Most portrait anxiety comes from a specific fear: that you will not know what to do with your face or your body, and it will show. The good news is that the best portraits are not about knowing what to do — they are about arriving at a state where you have stopped thinking about it.
Here is a practical guide to what actually matters when preparing for a portrait session. Some of it is logistical. Some of it is about your state of mind.
What to Wear
The most reliable guideline is this: wear something you already feel good in. A portrait session is not the time to try an outfit you have been unsure about. Uncertainty in clothes reads in the body — in how you stand, whether you fidget, how naturally you breathe.
For colour, neutrals and muted tones tend to photograph most cleanly — cream, ivory, warm grey, navy, camel. Bright patterns and logos pull the eye away from the face, which is almost never what you want. If you are doing multiple looks, plan them so the colours relate to each other rather than clash.
Layering works well. A jacket or coat gives you something to do with your body without requiring direction — you can put it on, take it off, hold it. These transition moments often produce some of the best frames.
For fabric, avoid anything heavily synthetic that creases badly or makes noise when you move. Natural fabrics photograph with more texture and move more naturally.
Where to Shoot
Location matters more than most people expect, and less than some photographers make it seem. The right location is one that feels meaningful or comfortable to you — not one that looks impressive in a location scout's portfolio.
In New York City, good portrait locations are everywhere: brownstone-lined streets in Brooklyn, the quieter paths in Central Park, industrial areas in Dumbo, a neighbourhood you know well. What makes a location work photographically is usually light, not the backdrop — so a well-lit corner of an ordinary street often outperforms a dramatically scenic location in bad light.
If you are unsure where to shoot, I can suggest locations based on your style, the session type, and the time of day we book. Late afternoon light is the easiest to work with for most skin tones.
Timing and Logistics
Arrive on time but do not rush. A fifteen-minute buffer between leaving your home and arriving at the shoot location means you are not arriving sweaty or hurried. That first fifteen minutes of a session are usually a warm-up — we walk, we talk, the camera comes out occasionally but without pressure.
For hair and makeup: get it done with enough time that you are not still thinking about it when the session starts. The 48 hours before a shoot are not the time for a dramatically new haircut or a skin treatment you have not tried before.
On the Day
Do not practice poses in a mirror beforehand. The self-consciousness that comes from trying to remember a pose is visible in photographs. Trust that direction will come when it is needed, and that most of the session will not feel like posing.
Bring something to drink. Sessions are typically 60 to 90 minutes and they are more active than they feel. Staying hydrated keeps your energy and your face looking natural.
If you are bringing a partner, a child, or a pet — talk through logistics in advance. Children who know the session is happening (and have had a snack and a nap) are completely different subjects from children who are surprised, tired, or hungry. Same principle applies to dogs.
What to Expect During the Session
My approach is calm and conversational. I direct when clarity is genuinely useful and step back when a real moment is happening. You will not be asked to hold an expression until it becomes forced, and you will not be repositioned every thirty seconds.
The portraits that hold up are the ones where the subject has stopped performing for the camera. Everything in the preparation process is about getting there as quickly as possible so that the session can produce something real.