Congratulations—it’s nearly photo shoot time! 🥳 Professional photos can seem intimidating, but we’re here to reassure you and get you excited for what’s to come. If you’re feeling a bit nervous and looking to calm some pre-shoot nerves, let us help! 👍 We’ve polled our pros and can’t wait to pass along photo shoot tips from our Flytographer photographers themselves.

Here at Flytographer, we easily connect people with trusted photographers for fun photo shoots and have captured over 3 million memories worldwide. 🌍 The magic of Flytographer is both the experience and the photos. 📸 Explore the city with a fun, talented photographer and get wall-worthy photos to relive your trip, forever. Today, we asked our local photographers to share their very best photo shoot tips so you can feel confident and well on your way to your first Flytographer photo shoot! 👏

TLDR

1. What to expect — Wondering who and when to contact should questions arise? Our Flytographer team is here to help with resources, to answer questions, and to make the whole process easy, fun, and as stress-free as possible before, during, and after your shoot.
2. Outfit ideas — We really love capturing you and your location—remember that your whole body will be captured, so for a successful photoshoot, make sure your clothes, shoes, and accessories will help you feel comfortable and confident.
3. Posing ideas — Model poses and Insta-stances are optional; the goal here is to let loose and lean into your photographer’s expertise—this isn’t their first time, even if it is yours!
4. Shoot day tips — Our top tips going into your shoot day, including transit, timing, what to bring, and communicating expectations with your photographer.
5. Make it fun! — Photoshop has nothing on the look of genuine joy that comes from enjoying yourself, so relax, be true to yourself, and lean into the experience.

Photo: Allie in Los Angeles for Flytographer. Eileen and family capture memories in Los Angeles with a family photoshoot at Santa Monica Pier & Beach.

1. What to Expect

After you’ve booked your photo shoot, you’ll have time to prepare and review resources (like this! Great job—you’ve come to the right place! 👩‍💻). We’ll provide contact information so you can contact your professional photographer three days before your photo session. We recommend using WhatsApp since it’s reliable and accessible internationally. Once you and your photographer are in touch, you can confirm you have the best contact details for shoot day and verify all is well with the meeting location, timing, weather, and more. 📲 If you have any changes that need to be made, feel free to reach out to Flytographer—our shoot concierges are always available to answer any questions you may have, particularly if it’s outside that three-day window prior to confirming final details with your photographer.

Photo: Kati in Tofino for Flytographer. Lucy and partner capture memories in Tofino with a couples photoshoot at Cox Bay.

2. Outfit Ideas

#OOTD! (Note: for those of us who have to Google acronyms these days, #ootd stands for Outfit of the Day 😉) What you wear on your photo shoot can impact how you feel in front of the camera more than anything else. 👗 Especially if this is your first photo shoot, try not to feel pressure when it comes to attire—what’s important is that you feel good! Look at our Style Guide to really dive into what works well, from fabrics to shoes to packing tips to photo shoot tips and more! 💁‍♀️

Make sure you try on your photoshoot outfit well before your shoot date. Whether you’re solo, with a friend or partner, or with family members and kids, don’t save your outfit dress rehearsal for the day before! Make sure you can move, bend, and comfortably walk around. Pay attention to undergarments (don’t forget bra straps, underwear lines, etc.); this isn’t a static portrait photography session, so expect movement! Here at Flytographer we really love capturing you and your location—think outside the selfie 🤳 and remember your whole body will be captured, so for a successful photoshoot, make sure your clothes will help you feel comfortable and confident! 🤩

Photo: Deborah in Taormina for Flytographer. Laura and family capture memories in Taormina with a family photoshoot in the City Centre.

3. Posing Ideas

Let’s talk about posing. While model poses and Insta-stances are optional, the goal here is to let loose and lean into your photographer’s expertise—this isn’t their first time, even if it is yours! Your photographer is there to help you and will be the one to narrow down your final gallery to the most flattering, special images. Look at inspiration photos prior to your shoot and notice what catches your eye and screenshot and/or pin poses and looks. 👀 Try out different poses in the comfort of your own home, wearing your shoot outfit. 🕺 We have some more photo shoot tips and posing ideas to dive a little deeper into outfits and posing.

“My first question on a photo shoot is, ‘What is your best side?’ So, my tip is to look at yourself in the mirror, decide which side is your favourite, and tell your photographer so they will take care to capture you at the right angle.” – Fernanda in Cabo San Lucas

“Always lean in. A little chin up can make a big difference. Take a deep breath. Relax your shoulders.” – Stephanie in Victoria

Photo: Kari in New York City for Flytographer. Leigh Anne and family capture memories in New York City with a family photoshoot at the Gapstow Bridge & Skyline.

4. Shoot Day Tips

Here are some top photo shoot tips for shoot day (in no particular order):

• Flytographer utilizes natural light—we’re ready to shoot in (light) rain or shine, and we do love a dreamy snowfall! ❄ Golden hour shoots (the time just after sunrise and just before sunset) are beautiful, but there are plenty of other dreamy times of day. Depending on the look or vibe you may want, as well as your location and photographer recommendations, lean into local expertise. Truth be told, some of the most stunning images have come from the most ominous of forecasts, so try to keep an open mind and trust the pros when it comes to lighting. ⛅️
• If possible, scout your location 📍 in advance (knowing exactly where you’re going, how to get there, and how long it takes in real-time is wildly reassuring if you’re an anxious person, trust us!).
• Plan to arrive 10-minutes early ⌚️ (this buffer is super important, particularly in cities and other densely populated areas and during busier times of day). Have a solid game plan for transportation. 🚍
• Leave your bags behind and only bring necessities like wallets, phones, and keys (your photographer can hold these small items for you, but since they’re carrying their own equipment, they can’t accommodate additional baggage). 🎒
• Communicate your expectations with your photographer at the start of your shoot. 👍 If there are shots you’d love or things you don’t want, make sure you mention that so they can help provide the best possible experience!

“One of the things I always mention when it’s the customers’ first shoot is to be themselves and not think about what they’re going to look like. The expressions are what we capture as photographers, so if they are worried about the outcome, that is what we would capture. It helps a lot for first-timers to not look at the camera and just be funny with each other or their partner or family. I love showing them that light, angles, and confidence are all that matter to take a beautiful photo!“ –  Rojeena in Maui

“I would tell them to treat the shoot as a way of experiencing the location, to come without bags, to feel and look good, and to make sure to arrive early. Let them know that we will talk before beginning so they come prepared with questions, wishes, etc. The shoot will be a walk around some amazing locations, and that we as photographers are there to help them with poses and ideas if they need them. In all, to be themselves and have as much fun as possible!” – Emma in Florence

Photo: Sara in Maui for Flytographer. Aissa and family capture memories in Maui with a family photoshoot at 505 Beach.

5. Make it Fun!

Now for the most important photo shoot tip: Have fun! 🥰 We hope it goes without saying that genuinely enjoying yourself will make for the best expressions, experiences, and images. Photoshop has nothing on the look of genuine joy that comes from enjoying yourself. 🤭 Relax, be yourself, and lean into the experience—no matter if your shoot is in your hometown, or on a vacation you’ve been dreaming about, whether it’s a family photoshoot in front of a world-famous backdrop, or close-up headshots, celebrate! We love to plan something celebratory after your shoot is over—food, treats, or drinks to celebrate a successful photoshoot… You’re already dressed and ready, so why not!?

Photo: Ellie in Florence for Flytographer. Alexandra and partner capture memories in Florence with a pre-wedding trip in the Oltrarno Neighbourhood.

Let’s do it!

Feeling excited? Invigorated? Ready to go!? Yahoo! 🎉 Let’s do it!

For more photo shoot tips and convincing reasons as to why booking a professional photoshoot is always a fabulous idea (😜), we have you covered! We can’t wait to help make your experience memorable in the best ways. We hope these preparatory tips help to inspire you and leave you feeling ready for what’s to come! 📸

See you soon! 👋