OMG success!

You don’t have to be Jay-Z to need a ride or die! So who’s yours? Mine, and I can’t believe I’m so lucky, is my fiance!

Case in point, he knows EXACTLY what to say to make me feel better and he puts me in my place (kindly) in a no nonsense kind of way when I need it! Now shout out your ride or die and tell me how they keep YOU pushing when the road gets bumpy! Simply reply in the comments below. 🙂

My honey and I recently shot our engagement photos, so I thought I’d share a few with you! We coordinated 4 different looks at 4 different locations in 2 hours! I can’t believe he was such a great sport because doing all of that in a short amount of time can be crazy intense. I’m pretty used to it because Hannah, my branding photographer, and I have been shooting together frequently for 2 years.

If you have a photoshoot coming up for family photos, your blog, engagement pics or your headshot I thought it would be fun to share the process.

These are the things that you’ll need to communicate with your photographer and steps you’ll need to prepare for a shoot.

-Define what your goal is or what you’d like to get out of the photo shoot. Is it 3 or 4 different looks for your blog? Is it a few different headshots for your website? Is it you holding or wearing the product that you sell?

-What’s the pricing per hour or per session?

-How long will it take to get the photos back? Will it include touch-ups?

-Communicate the above with your photographer in advance. Look at it as giving her a heads up. I always appreciate information in advance when my clients send over hair inspirations pictures before their appointment.

-Choose a location. Are you going on-site? Will you need to change in a car? I’m most comfortable doing the pictures in or around my house. That way it’s easy to change up my look. Otherwise you have to bring everything with you on location. I’ve done it that way as well. It’s just A LOT of items to pack!

-The week before the photo shoot, plan, try on and lay out your outfits. It always helps me to get a visual when I lay the entire look on my bed. That includes jewelry, clothes, shoes and bags. I usually lay out options as well. Option 1 or 2 for earrings or heels for a look. Communicate and coordinate your outfits with others that will be in the pictures with you as well. I had to remind my honey to get both of his suits (one had oil from a baptism all over it) dry cleaned a week before our photoshoot. Just in case we needed a plan B, then we had time to plan.

-Drink lots of water several days before the photo shoot. Trust me, your skin will look more hydrated and dewey.

-Make sure your nails are taken care of-either a fresh mani or no polish at all but please no chipped nails!

-Spray tan (if you like a darker skin tone or feel that the pictures will turn out better with a deeper glow).

The day of the photo shoot:

-Give yourself extra time to get ready or hire a hair and makeup team. Then there’s no stress about how you’ll look.

Play some of your favorite music to loosen you up a bit! This is a game changer. My fav is Cardi B! She gets me goingggggg. 🙂

-Nervous? Have a few sips of wine! That always helps me loosen up a bit.

Check out our pics below and share your thoughts!