This coming Saturday, will be my first real shoot in years, even pre-dating all the lock-downs etc. Needless to say, my nerves are a mess and my anxiety is through the roof. The good news is I will be working with an experienced model, and I need to remind myself that nothing is going to go seriously wrong - such as, a mistake is not going to make the world blow up or what ever.

Only once have I tried a studio shoot from the absolute beginning (from set up, all the way through, in the past all that had been done for me, since the only studio shoots I had been too where bigger events), and the help I had requested to set things up, didn't turn up, so I panicked and everything kind of fell apart.

Since then, I recently booked a local studio a couple of times so I could just take the time to learn how to set up a flash with a softbox and the other basic kit, and, to get to know the more basic settings of my newer camera.

Does any one have any pointers to help me get through these first few shoots?

I have already sent the model a bunch of images to show what I am kind of after. I've started making notes for myself of what I want to actively achieve during the shoot, so I can keep myself on track, and to remind myself, in case I become overwhelmed. I also know I got to trust in the fact that the model is experienced enough to know what they are doing, and allow them to do their thing - which can often lead to quite creative shoots (which I want to have, since while I have a general goal in mind, I don't have any hard set precisely exact images that need to be obtained).

Thanks very much.

You should test your exposures prior to the shoot. Put a few objects where the subject will be and dial in your lights.
Get the exposure and shadows that you want. A styrofoam mannequin head is good but a volleyball (white) will work fine as well. Be sure to have some dark items in the exposure so you can see if there is detail.

Highly recommend you bring a laptop and take a look at your images on that instead of the screen on the back of your camera. Do that with your exposure tests and also with a few shots of the model at the beginning of the shoot so you can make any final adjustments if needed.

If possible, go pick up some magazines at the thrift store (should be cheap!) and tear out some images that have poses you like, to share with the model.

Other than that, relax and have fun. Take a little time to find out how the model works, some of them can just naturally provide a great set of poses, others may want you to instruct them how you would like them to pose.

Don't worry. What is there to panic about? No one is going to shoot you.

When working in a studio, manual mode is recommended. As you zoom in and out your exposure will not change. A flash meter comes in handy to set the exposure.

For my first shoot, I placed two pillows (one brown and one white) on a chair and practiced lighting. Get the exposure right and measure the distance from the lights to the subject*. When your lights are off camera, your exposure will not change - thus use manual mode.

*Remember the distance for future use.

Don't be afraid to make bad art.

I just got back to modeling a few weeks ago; the first artist I posed for was someone I've worked with for years. I was a nervous wreck because I hadn't really looked at myself properly in a mirror in two years, was worried I still looked like I was dead in the eyes from working so many 12+ hour shifts.....

What ended up happening is we compared hand tremors, his wife was excited I had a cane too and asked where I got my camping stool I had strapped to my bag in case I needed to sit in the 20 minute walk to and from, and ........

I did okay. The world didn't end. We created a lot of great drawings that he had framed up on the wall in the living room by the next week I came by to do it again.

Practice on yourself to test lighting setups, and to gain empathy for models and how it feels to be on the other side of the equation.

Have ideas but also be open for the unexpected.

Have fun!! Worst case you learn some things and can pat yourself on the back that you didn't buckle under anxiety and went through with it anyway.

Test your setup on Friday.


Get a pencil and paper and plot out your lighting plan.  You can abandon the plan later, but it's good to have one going in.

Lights that have been in cold storage for a long time may have condensation.  Bring them indoors and let them warm up slowly and evaporate moisture out before you start firing.

Re-read your instruction manual for things you haven't used in a long time.  Especially for any new gear or rental gear.

Build some lights.  Verify that your camera can trigger the lights and that the syncs are all working correctly.  Expect to need fresh batteries for the syncs.

Computers are the source of enormous anxiety for me.
Test that your laptop and software, plugins, etc. are all up to date and that the camera tethers correctly and/or your card reader works.
Test your import scheme.  Files copy to the correct place.  Backup scheme in place. 
File naming and presets are in place.
Metadata typed in
FTP delivery path works

Check as many details as you can.  Lenses clean, batteries charged, cards formatted, review camera settings, set clock time.  It would suck to have the camera set on small Jpegs when you meant to shoot full size RAW and not notice until after the shoot.

Rain gear.  Gas for generator.  Air in your cart tires.

If you have a backup camera, make sure the settings on the backup camera are the same as the main camera.  That way if you need to make a quick swap out, you will already have the basic settings in place.

You'll be alright.  You got this.

First off, embrace the excitement of meeting new talent and shooting new images. Second, go through your gear and make sure that everything works, there's nothing more embarrassing than to find that batteries are dead, parts are missing or you forgot about some particular issue a piece of gear has developed. Go through your mental checklist of what you'd like to achieve and whether they notice or not, act like you've been there before.

If I am paying for the models time that takes a lot of worry off of my plate , it allows me to go as slow and relaxed as I can even though I still get the jitters.Last week I was going thru my first model shoot I did remembering how I was sweating and the model was freezing even though I was paying her for her time at that point it seemed I had to be sure I was absolutely correct in every move I made. Yuck!  I just did an edit on a couple of those photo's and was really pleased with how they looked  six years later.Working with lighting is always tricky so I try to have a standard one light set up that is easy and add more as things go along. I might suggest to see what natural light is also available as a good stand bye. There are a lot of natural light POTD winners here. You might also give your fellow Aussie ,Peter Coulson a look on utube. He is inspirational to say the least. Hope you have fun , just plan the event and not the results bout all you can do.

Thank you all for that.

The shoot turned out really well, Mary - a model who contact me through MM here - was fantastic to work with.

While most of the photos I won't post anywhere, they still turned out well enough that I will be using them as stock, as references at a later date. Lots of images I could never really articulate on how I wanted the model to pose "Just so..." but now, I have the catalogue to point to and say "Here, like this...". Many others I will try to re-shoot with Mary, but perhaps at a location, since Mary was great in her pose, but the white back drop was, well, rather letting her down.

When I don’t shoot in some time I get rusty. Thankfully there are plenty of videos on youtube which I revisited. There is really no need to go out and buy magazines or books. Also I take my equipment out and  practice with a subject. Typically my niece plush toy.