Keep makeup a step up from street & two steps down from stage. There's a reason they call it stage makeup, because it belongs on the stage, not in your photo shoot. You want to showcase your true beauty and athletic ability, not distract the viewer with theatrics.
You want to look your best for your shoot, we get it. You want to convey your love of the arts through image, but we can almost guarantee that it's not going to happen after a long day of rehearsals or classes. You want to choose your shoot for a day when you don't have a lot going on, enabling you to fully commit your energy to the process.
Going along with our #2 tip, we cannot stress enough the importance of a pre-shoot warm up. Whether it be a short class before or a private session with just yourself and the barre. Not only will this help prepare your body to perform at a level you want to capture on film, but it will also help ease pre shoot jitters by releasing an organic compound called dopamine into your brain that literally elevates your mood and increases confidence. Two things that are vital to a great shoot.
This should be a no brainer, but you'd be surprised just how many times this goes overlooked. You think, "I'll bring my favorite pair to wear and it'll be great!" or "Perfect! I'll wear my new shoes I got just for the shoot!" Well, what happens when your favorite pair fail to last through the first session? What about when those fancy new shoes end up blistering worse than your first week en pointe? Listen to us - BRING EXTRA SHOES!
You know those photos you find on Pinterest? The ones where the girl ( or guy ) captured in front of the lens seems to just radiate? What do you notice about the expression in all of their faces?
Do they hold a fake smile hiding the fact that their left thigh is killing them during their 28 leaps into the air? NO.
All you see is grace, because that's how they are thinking. They aren't worried about what others will think of their photos, they are enjoying themselves because they are doing what they love, dancing.
