I have given you lots of good information on how to prepare for a portrait session with me.  Now I will tell you how I prepare myself for a session.  When a client calls to book a session, I have to ask them a few questions to begin with: 1) Is this for a child, family, couple, high school senior, newborn, or pet?  2) How many people will be in the portrait?  3) What are you looking for in your portrait?  Do you want want something classic or more whimsical?  4) What colors are you thinking of wearing?  5) If it is an outdoor portrait, do you have a specific place in mind that you would like to go?  6) What do you want to do with your portraits?  A consultation is the best way to prepare for a session.

After discussing these questions, I have an idea of what the client is looking for so I can better prepare.  A lot of times, I suggest that they create a board on Pinterest so that I can see poses and scenes that they like.  I have my own inspiration boards that my clients or anyone that is interested in my photography, can follow to see what I am thinking about doing in the future.  This just gives everyone a visual of the type of session we can do.

Now that the scene is decided, I can find or build just the right props for the shoot.  I recently had two clients that wanted outdoor portraits to use in greeting cards.  After we discussed their needs, I gave them some ideas for backgrounds and scenes and then we shared pictures on Pinterest to be sure we were thinking about the same things.  I used the wooden "pumpkin" stand that my husband and daughter built for my Halloween special.  We used it "as is" for the fall shoot and changed it around for the Christmas one.  I went through my props to find what we needed and also picked up a few more.  My husband cut down a tree for the Christmas scene so we could create a "Tree Stand".

Since both scenes were outside, I had to keep an eye on the weather.  We needed to photograph during a time of day that we had sun, but not too much of it.  The first shoot had perfect weather.  The second one, however, had temperatures in the low 40's.  That worked fine with our Christmas scene since we needed to bundle up anyway.  I just had to move it down in the day so it would be as warm as possible.  My clients and I had to really wear coats and gloves to be able to stay outdoors for an extended period of time.  We even used real hot cocoa in one scene so that my subject could warm up!  If it had been hot outside, I would have made sure my client had plenty of water.  I also keep bug spray in my car at all times!

Besides setting up the scenes and watching the weather, I have other ways I prepare for a session.  I have to be in good physical shape.  I have to move a lot of heavy props and backgrounds during a shoot.  I am also always down on the floor with children.  To be able to keep up with toddlers as well as teenagers, I have to exercise on a regular basis.  I try to walk on the elliptical for 45 minutes 4 times a week.  I do other exercises such as jumping jacks, sit ups, squats and pushups to try and keep in shape.  When I photograph a senior, we are usually shooting for 4 to 5 hours.  I change the sets constantly and we go places outdoors that sometimes require a lot of walking or climbing with my camera equipment.  Even just a fun wildlife shoot takes a lot of physical effort!

I am always reading and taking professional classes that help me prepare for my sessions.  There is always new technology that is coming out that I need to learn for shooting, retouching or printing portraits. In my spare time, I read articles on how to improve my craft and look for ideas for new scenes for sessions.  Everywhere I go, something inspires me for a portrait session.