Five Photoshoot Hints and Tips by Keith Fusco
We’re going to discuss a few things that people may need to know when booking a pole or aerial photo shoot. There are some do’s and don’ts for when you’re preparing for your shoot, to get the most out of it.
1: Know why you’re doing it: People get photo shoots done for a variety of things, such as showing off their new tricks they’ve learned, or to use the photos to build up their confidence. Whatever your reason, knowing why you want the photos ensures the appropriate end result.
2: Know your moves and ensure you have backup ones: Depending on how many moves you’ve chosen, make sure you’ve selected moves that you can do and hold for a period of time, as toes need to be pointed and arms and legs may need to be amended to ensure the move looks its best. Sometimes the best looking moves on camera are some of the easiest things to perform and the hard moves sometimes don’t look as impressive, despite being harder to do.
2.5: When you have selected your moves/poses, you want to do the harder moves first in the shoot. When holding poses for a long time, your strength will start to disappear, so trying to knock out an Ayesha or something similar at the end of your shoot may not happen and you’ll miss out. Sometimes you may not have enough grip to do certain moves too, so having a good selection of backup images which you can easily do will help. If you’re stuck for moves to add to your list, take a look at a pole photographers portfolio to get some ideas.
3: Choose the right photographer: Doing pole and aerial myself, I know the moves and how they would best look when photographed which helps show the move off to its fullest potential. You can get a fantastic photographer who can compose, light and expose a shot to perfection, but may take an image of a move which comes up very un-flattering as they don’t know the best angle to take it from.
4: Plan your wardrobe/outfit: Find some pole attire that expresses who you are and will work with your pole poses; if you need lots of skin contact for moves, then ensure that you have it and if other moves need more coverage, ensure that you have appropriate clothing for that too. Another thing to bear in mind is the background or style of shoot. Wearing white clothes with a white background or black clothes with a black background isn’t ideal as you blend into the background.
Number 5: Be prepared: Before you show up to the studio or when you arrive (preferably before the time you’re meant to be shooting), ensure that you stretch and warm up, as you don’t want to be in the middle of doing your first move and getting cramp or pulling a muscle and being unable to continue with other moves. Treat it like you would a class and get sufficiently warmed up before shooting.
Keith Fusco – Fusco Photography
