WHAT ARE DIGITALS?

Digitals are photos of yourself, taken in even lighting, with clean skin and natural hair (no makeup please!) and non-retouched, wearing fitted, all black clothing.

HOW SHOULD I PREP FOR DIGITALS?

CLEAN SKIN

When prepping for your digitals, exfoliate at least 1-2 days before and keep your skin moisturized. On the day of digitals, wash your face and moisturize as normal. Please do not apply any makeup.

If you have a blemish that popped up unexpectedly, don’t sweat it. I can edit out any atypical acne. However, if acne is a chronic condition of your skin, I will not edit them out, so that your typical skin condition is best represented by the photos we take.

CLEAN HAIR

If you’re in need of a trim to remove any dead-ends, clean up edges, or need a color retouch, please schedule that before your digitals so that your photos best reflect the typical condition of your hair.

Hair should be worn how you wear it most frequently.

If you have long hair, I recommend taking one set of digitals with your hair down (in front of ears, behind shoulders) and another set with your hair up (behind ears, tied back in either a low bun, ponytail, or braid.)

PROTECTIVE STYLES

If your hair is in a protective style, I recommend taking a new set of digitals each time you change styles. If possible to take a set of digitals with your natural hair, it’s a good thing to have on hand so that any interested agencies/clients can see the versatility of your hairstyles.

FACIAL HAIR

If you have facial hair, it’s best to ask your agency if they’d like you to have clean-faced digitals or to keep your facial hair for digitals. In my experience, most agencies like to have a set of both clean-shaven and unshaved digitals. If you choose to shave, please do so at least 1 day before taking digitals to avoid any redness/razor bumps/cuts that may arise from shaving day-of.

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR FOR DIGITALS?

Recommended clothing includes:

TOPS

Solid black, navy, or white tank tops, tees, crop tops, and bodysuits.

BOTTOMS

Solid black leggings or bike shorts. Black, dark, mid, or light wash denim skinny jeans.

SHOES

Shoes must be clean, meaning no visible mud/dirt/rips/stains/scuffs. Black, nude, or white shoes are preferred. Styles include heels, sneakers, flats, or boots.

EXTRA NOTE:

All clothing must be clean, fit appropriately, and be free of stains, rips, or tears. If you’re taking swim digitals, please bring a solid black basic swimsuit that you feel comfortable in.

HOW DO I POSE FOR DIGITALS — PART 1 — ANGLES & VIEWS

These photos need to show:

• Your full body (top of head and full feet in the photo)

• A 3/4 view (from top of head to mid-thigh)

• A headshot (top of head to middle of chest)

These different views should be shown from three angles:

• Front facing (looking straight into the camera)

• Left-facing profile (full body facing the left, looking away from camera)

• Right-facing profile (full body facing the right, looking away from camera)

HOW DO I POSE FOR DIGITALS — PART 2 — POSING & FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

I like to take digitals in two sets; STANDARD and LIGHTLY POSED.

STANDARD digitals posing is very simple; you will stand straight up (keep good posture!) with your feet hip width apart and your arms resting at your sides. Your weight should be balanced between both legs (don’t shift into one hip).

LIGHTLY POSED digitals are more fun and relaxed. Now is the time to focus on use your angles to show any prospective agencies/clients your natural modeling talent. You can shift your weight into one hip, cross your arms at your chest, or play around with other natural poses that don’t look too obvious while still showing your best angles.

HOW DO I TAKE MY OWN DIGITALS?

Taking your own digitals can be challenging, but it’s not impossible.

SIDE NOTE: taking photos of yourself can be stressful, even on a good day. Be gentle on yourself and make yourself as comfortable as you can. Put on some music or a podcast, and get shooting when you feel ready.

There are two main points to focus on: LIGHT and ANGLES.

LIGHT is the #1 most important factor when it comes to digitals. You’ll want to find somewhere with soft, even, natural lighting. Avoid any harsh light that can cast dark shadows across your face and obscure some of your features.

Make sure that there is enough light to get nice, crisp photos that are not grainy or blurry. Avoid using cell-phone flash as it can inaccurately capture your skin tone as well as cast unflattering shadows.

Your cell phone can take high-quality digitals, as long as the lighting is taken into consideration.

ANGLES are the next most important factor to getting good digitals. We all know the importance of getting good angles when being photographed, so that you don’t look squished/stretched/or otherwise altered from how you truly look.

My recommendation is to either:

1. Ask a friend.

   1. Show them how to hold the phone to get the angles you want, and show them the examples in this article so they have some reference for what you’re looking for. Choose an area in your home that has a clean section of wall without any photos/distractions in view OR a location outside that has a clean wall to shoot on.

      Examples: parking garages, alleyways, outside of large buildings like Target, Walmart, etc.

   2. Check the photos they’re taking while shooting to make sure that they are what you’re looking for. Ask them to adjust their angles if needed, and make sure to be appreciative of their time helping you.

2. Get a tripod.

   1. Set your phone up at eye-level so it’s as tall as you are. Choose an area in your home that has a clean section of wall without any photos/distractions in view OR a location outside that has a clean wall to shoot on.

      Examples: parking garages, alleyways, outside of large buildings like Target, Walmart, etc.

   2. Set your self timer and run through the poses and angles mentioned above. Check to make sure you’re getting what you need while you’re shooting, so you don’t end up with a phone full of unusable photos.

OR…

If everything we went over above made you realized that you don’t want to deal with the hassle of finding a location, setting up a tripod, learning your angles, and making sure you’ve got good lighting, then you can take the stress out of the experience and book your DIGITALS SESSION today.

Your digitals experience will take place in my private shoot space, filled with beautiful natural light in the heart of downtown Detroit. I’ll guide you through your standard and lightly posed digitals, while giving posing direction as needed and ensuring your digitals will fit the standards of agencies worldwide.

Click the button below to view my availability and book your digitals package today.

Use code “DIGIS-1113” to save $5 on your first booking.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

I hope that this article gives you come clarity and confidence for taking your digitals. If you have any other questions, or want to see an example gallery of digitals, please contact me here.