Let me paint you a picture.
It's the morning of your brand shoot. You've been excited about this for weeks. And somehow — somehow — you're standing in your closet at 7am in a complete spiral, unsure if the outfit you planned actually works, wondering if you should have gotten a blowout, and genuinely questioning every single thing about your business.
It happens to almost everyone. And it's almost entirely preventable.
The difference between clients who show up to their session feeling grounded and excited and clients who show up feeling frazzled and unsure? Preparation. Specifically, the right kind of preparation — not overthinking, not over-planning, just a handful of intentional steps in the week before your shoot.
Here's exactly what I walk every client through.
Seven days out — lock in your vision
Pull out your brand colors, your website, your Instagram, anything that captures the feeling of your brand. What three words would you use to describe it? What's the mood you want someone to feel when they land on your homepage?
Write those words down somewhere you'll actually see them. They become your filter for every decision between now and shoot day — outfits, props, location, energy. If something doesn't match those three words, it doesn't belong in your session.
Five days out — finalize your outfits
Try everything on. Not in your head. Physically put it on, move around in it, sit down in it, and take a photo of yourself in it. How you feel in something while standing still in your bathroom and how you feel in it on camera are two different things — and the photo tells you the truth.
Aim for three complete looks, including shoes and any accessories. Hang them together so you can see them as a set. If they feel cohesive, you're ready. If something feels off, trust that instinct and swap it.
Three days out — prep your space and your props
If you're bringing anything to the session — a laptop, a notebook, your product, a coffee mug you love — gather it now. Don't leave prop gathering for the morning of. You will forget something.
If we're shooting at your studio or workspace, do a quick tidy and think about what you actually want in the frame. The goal isn't a staged, spotless room — it's a space that feels like you but edited.
"The best brand photos don't look like photo shoots. They look like your life on its best, most intentional day."
The day before — rest, hydrate, and step away from the planning
Seriously. Close the tabs. Stop refreshing your Pinterest board. Everything is ready. Your only job today is to take care of yourself — get a good night's sleep, drink water, and do whatever helps you feel like yourself.
If you wear makeup, do a trial run so you're not experimenting on shoot morning. If you color your hair, schedule that for earlier in the week, not the night before.
Morning of — give yourself more time than you think you need
Getting ready takes longer when you're excited and nervous. Build in buffer time. Eat something. Bring snacks for the shoot — seriously, a handful of almonds in your bag has saved more than one session from an energy crash.
And then — let go. You've done the preparation. The rest is just showing up and trusting the process.
Every Salt & Sol session starts with a planning call where we walk through all of this together — so you never feel like you're figuring it out alone. That's not an add-on. It's just how I work, because prepared clients make for better sessions, and better sessions make for images you'll actually use.
Ready to get started?
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