5 little things

Hey all, no live talk this week as I've been in bed for a few days and am not feeling my best. Just a blog post this week. As per usual, send questions via DM ( @ash_lie.noelle ) or email (Ashlie.noelle.model@gmail.com). Be back with a live talk next week.

I’m sure that by now you’ve all picked up on the fact that I’m quite the perfectionist. Something I’ve learned over the years is that not everyone has the same attention to detail. I’ve worked with tons of different photographers and talked to different models, and not everyone sees the same things. I have a knack for little details (and I'll admit that I'm slightly neurotic about them at times, depending on my clientele). Here are 5 things to pay attention to so you don’t have to panic about that *thing* that wasn’t edited out in the final image. 

1) Wrinkles: And I’m not talking about the kind that people are getting injections to get rid of. I’m talking about wrinkles in your wardrobe. Pick up a travel steamer from Target (I linked the one I have in my blog post on wardrobe) and bring it to your shoot. I’ve also started bringing a hair dryer with me for those super random every once and a while’s when my steamer decides to “spit” a whole bunch of water onto my clothes. Hang your clothes when you get to the shoot and steam them, and you should be good to go. 

2) “The Hair Band:” Ah. The freelance model’s worst nemesis. We freelancers rarely have a BTS team to shout at us “Take off the hair band!” and even at that point, if you’re at the shoot and you still have it on, it’s much too late now. You’ll have that horrible, dreaded pink line on your wrist and you’ll have to hope that 1) the lighting doesn’t showcase it, and 2) the photog edits it out. Do a hair band check BEFORE you leave for the shoot (I remove mine if I have one while I’m at home, at least an hour beforehand) and you should be good to go. Do not let yourself become a victim of the hair band. I’ve seen lots of great photos that would have been so much better had the model not been wearing a hair band on her wrist.

3) Lipstick on teeth: A tricky one. I have gotten edits back from really talented photogs in which I still had lipstick on my teeth (aaaaah why- the photo is ruined). I will typically check every 20 minutes or so when I break while a photog messes with his/her lights. Sometimes some gets by me and then I’m very sad. If you don’t know the trick already, right after applying your lipstick, you can put your finger in your mouth, make an O with your lips and close around your finger, and then slowly pull your finger out. This should get that annoying excess that ends up on your teeth.

4) Animal fur: This one is particularly relevant for me, as I have two Pomeranians and a long haired cat of some sort. I love my animals, and MAN do they shed. My girls shed absolutely everywhere. I try to pack up wardrobe and extras the night before shoots, but sometimes life happens. For the times when I do forget to put a lint roller in my bags, I have one stashed in my car. 

5) Makeup in weird places: This last one is a little strange but trust me. It’s game changing. If you’re feeling a little self conscious about that razor burn under your arms or on your bikini area (and some photogs won’t edit this out- I’m not sure why not), have no fear. Apply some lighter foundation to the area, blend it, and put some powder on it. Spray with setting spray and you’re good to go. 

There you have it for now. Get in the routine of nailing these 5 down for now and I'll throw another 5 at you in a few weeks.

xo

Ashlie