How to prepare for a portrait shoot so the photos truly reflect you

Once you've found the photographer whose style comes closest to what you imagined, one of the most important steps is to tell them exactly what you want. Not in general terms, not just that you'd like nice photos, but really in detail. What mood are you looking for? What do you want to feel when you look back at the photos later? What do you want these photos to say about you?

The more you show of this, the easier it is to actually create material that truly suits you. Show your outfit. Show the location, if you have a specific idea. Tell me your vision. Send inspiration photos, even from Pinterest, if there are poses, scenes, light or moods that feel close to what you imagined. Not so we copy anything, but so we see the same world in front of us.

A good portrait shoot doesn't start on location. It starts much earlier. It starts the moment the idea is born within you of what you want to show of yourself. The more clearly you see this, the more easily you'll be able to open up in front of the camera.

And when the day of the shoot arrives, try not to arrive as if you're coming to a photoshoot. Instead, arrive as if you're stepping into the world we've dreamed up together. Don't be nervous, be excited. Don't think about whether you'll look good, think about the fact that something special is happening right now. A portrait shoot isn't an exam. You don't have to live up to anything. You don't have to be perfect. You have to be present.

The best photos are often born when someone manages to become a little bit of a child again. When they dare to let go of that inner control that constantly watches whether their hair looks right, whether their hands look odd, or whether their face is flattering enough. At the shoot, you don't have to be perfect, you have to be real. True presence is always stronger than any rehearsed pose.

I don't work by asking for rigid poses that you then have to hold exactly. I much prefer to give starting points. A movement, a body position, a direction, a mood. From there you can move freely within it. You can keep the character of the pose while also playing, subtly changing it, turning, breathing, laughing, looking away, looking back. These small transitions are where the moments that truly come alive in the photos are born.

It isn't your job to pose perfectly. It's my job to notice when you're truly present, when something honest shifts in your face or posture, and to catch that moment. That's exactly why trust matters so much. Because if you keep wondering whether you're doing it right, you stay outside the experience. But if you let yourself sink into it, the photos will have far greater depth too.

For me, portrait photography isn't about positioning someone well. It's much more about creating a situation in which you can be yourself, just a little more intensely, a little more consciously. A situation where you're not playing a role, but being yourself.

That's why I like to say: don't arrive at a photoshoot, arrive in your own vision!

If you manage to live this, the end result won't just be a few beautiful photos, but something in which you truly recognise yourself.