I got the idea for this blog after I had a killer boudoir session with Brett. Starting off, I asked her what I ask almost all of my clients.

Have you ever seen America’s Next Top Model?

She enthusiastically replied “YES! The new season comes out on my birthday!” Later on, she even shared with me that she had applied to be on the show.
Tyra: If you are reading this, you missed out!

Before you start guessing if I am an uber Tyra Banks fan, or a closet reality TV junkie, of which I am neither – let me explain. Seeing how aware Brett was of what I was looking for in my shots, made me realize that ANTM had some serious photography wisdom in it. She and I were on the same page for everything and it made for an AMAZING session.

My clients that have watched the show seem to understand the concepts that photographers are looking for in images, because they have watched professionals critique images over and over. They know the “no-no’s” and the “yes please” of what makes a good image.

Now, if you have never seen America’s Next Top Model, don’t worry. A lot of my clients never have seen it – and it definitely doesn’t mean your session is doomed. I don’t expect my clients to be high fashion models, nor would I want them to be. So in case you are intrigued, here are the top two things that ANTM illustrates to make any session successful.

1. Movement
Movement is a huge part of any shoot. Generally, the more you move, the more natural the picture will look. It doesn’t have to be some epic gesture, but just the difference of feeling free to look down at your shoulder, and then up at the camera. Facial expressions count too! Brett did an amazing job at this, and gave me so many different looks in one pose.

2. Smize
Lord knows, it wouldn’t be an ANTM post if we didn’t address the “smize”. Smize, or smiling with your eyes, is a Tyra verb that she uses to describe a depth in the eyes. She, quite literally, brings it up in every episode, and as annoying as it is, she is totally right. It completely changes the image – for the better. You don’t want every image to be a big toothy grin, although those are some of my favorite shots. We want to add some diversity to the gallery. I’ll give you an example of the opposite of smize. Have you ever meet a person who is self-conscious about wrinkles or squinty eyes, so they smile with their lips but it doesn’t make it up to their eyes? It feels like the picture is missing something, right? That is what we are trying to avoid.

If you are dying to watch ANTM now, you can stream for free on Amazon Prime. Just sayin’. As Tyra would say, Stay Fierce!