Preparing for Your Photo Session
You may find it helpful to print this page if we have scheduled a photo session.
Please phone the day before your photo session to confirm your appointment!
How should I prepare for my photo session?
- Bring ID (a driver's license or passport). You must be 18 or older.
- Don't wear makeup, unless we discussed it beforehand. It’s impossible for me to predict how your makeup will look under infrared light. If your skin is very shiny, however, bring along some pancake makeup to use if necessary.
- Bring any clothes and jewelry you would like to wear. If you are not planning to be photographed nude, it's especially important that you bring a variety of colors and styles of clothing (at least 5 different outfits).
- Keep your body's calendar in mind when we schedule your photos. Very few women are comfortable being photographed nude during their periods.
- If we will be doing nude or topless photos, don’t wear a bra, tight clothes, or tight underpants for about 2 hours before you arrive. Tight elastic leaves marks for several hours on some people's skin.
- I generally pose women with their genitals concealed by pubic hair, body parts, clothes, or shadows. Shaved pubic hair obviously limits our posing options. If you shave, please consider letting your hair grow out before our photo session. (This is just a request, not a requirement.)
- Please do not wear perfume or scented hair and skin care products! My wife is extremely chemically sensitive and she is usually at home while I take pictures. If you show up smelling strongly of perfumes, we can work in the studio but I can't let you into the rest of the house (where the bathroom is!). Make sure your chaperone doesn't wear perfume or cologne, either.
Can I bring a chaperone?
Of course! But make sure it's not someone who'll interrupt us with "advice" on every photo. Your chaperone must be over 18 too.What does “nude” mean, anyway?
“Nude” means that your breasts and pubic hair are exposed to the camera, not concealed. If you’re not willing to be photographed nude, let me know beforehand so that we can try to plan a session that stays within your boundaries.How long will it take?
Allow 3 hours. We'll usually spend 2 hours in actual picture-taking, plus time spent getting ready: signing a release, adjusting the lights for you, and so forth.What should I know about infrared photography?
Infrared film makes silk, nylon, rayon, and bleached-and-dyed hair look white no matter what color it's dyed. Keep this in mind while you are selecting your wardrobe. Pimples, freckles, tan lines, red colored tattoos, and most scars will usually disappear. Some clear lip gloss looks black in infrared pictures; don't wear it! For more information, see my Infrared page.What do I get?
You get two 8x10 prints or four contact sheets (small prints of each negative on a roll of film). When I photograph couples, each person gets two prints. After I finish processing the film, you can come back to look at the contact sheets and pick the two prints you want. I keep the negatives.What if I want more prints?
I’ll also give you two more free prints for every model you refer to me (if I photograph her). If you model for me a second time, I'll give you two more prints.Where is your studio?
In my home in Santa Cruz, two blocks from the Capitola Mall. Metro bus route #69 runs within a block of my home. Coming from downtown on the bus, get off at the first stop past 30th Ave., cross Capitola Rd., and then walk back to Lotman Dr. |
Do you work outdoors too?
As much as I can! In warmer weather I sometimes shoot in my garden, and I use a couple of locations in the Santa Cruz Mountains too. I generally don’t ask models to go off in the woods with me for our first session because it can seem kind of dangerous. Please let me know if you’d rather work outdoors than in the studio.What if I have more questions
Please be sure to read my Frequently Asked Questions too. If you still have questions, call or email me.Steve Homer Photography (831) 465-8516
1865 Lotman Dr., Santa Cruz, CA 95062