5:30am and all I want to do is go back to bed. 6:30am shoot with the fabulous Ellen across town here in DC, and my Uber is scheduled for 6:05am. Please… just a few minutes more of sleep. But no, we’re committed for that golden hour. With cloud cover fast approaching who knows how long we’ll have that golden moment. (Writing this 6 hours later we had about 20 mins of golden, followed by gorgeous diffuse light.)

What got me thinking in my haze in the Uber, the preparation for both model and photographer the night/morning of. I’ve done early morning shoots for years on end. The routine stays the same… the night before charge the batteries, prep the gear, cards, cables, lenses, bodies, computer, triple check the list, walk through the storyboards. SLEEP. Grab and go in the morning.

But for the model/client it’s a bit different. There’s usually no roll out of bed but just the opposite… An earlier, if not extended period, of morning routine if not having hair and makeup on-site. For a 6:30am shoot, your model might be up at 4:30am depending on beauty routine, family logistics, outfit cartage and location travel. Make sure you as a model, a day or two out, plan those outfits, morning routine and travel routes. Get that 8 hours of sleep in, or whatever amount you need to feel refreshed. And don’t do anything out of the ordinary.

I.e. If you don’t normally eat a huge breakfast to start your day, don’t do it now. Or vice versa. There’s nothing worse than coming to your session, regardless of where, frazzled because of lack of prep.

For further reading I’ve written a post on how to prep a week or so before the day of, of which you can read here.

See you on the Brite!