🇬🇧 What to wear to a photo shoot

What to wear to a photo shoot?

This is a very common question and in this text I will talk a little about it.

Professional photography is a different universe from that of those who are used to taking photos with their cell phones. And when behind the camera is a professional who has worked in the fashion world her entire life, the experience can be heaven or hell, with no in between.

Personal image is a non-verbal communication tool and what you wear says a lot about how you see yourself (when you choose without qualified professional guidance). As a photo essay is a permanent record, it is worth trying to express your best version; Show, in photos, a person you are proud to be or the person you want to become, to have the images as motivation for change.

Certain materials and textures look ugly in photos and give the person using them a vulgar appearance.

Before I talk about them and make you panic if you have a lot of clothes with these materials, I warn you that I offer the stylist service for photo shoots that I am going to photograph. The service is optional, and, for those who choose to hire it, I can help you choose the best clothes and lingerie from those you already have. I can also research and buy new clothing aiming for excellent results for the shoot (purchase costs are charged separately). And I can create and produce custom-made clothes and accessories for shoots whose theme makes this option more interesting. In the case of creation, there is a minimum number of styling days to be hired depending on the complexity of the work. This minimum already covers production costs in most cases. In the rare cases that it does not cover (let's say the customer wants a dress full of gold fringes, for example), the difference will be charged separately.

The stylist service depends on schedule availability, so the work of creating and making clothes is more difficult to fit into the schedule because it takes a lot of time. I only use it when I know that I won't find anything in the market that creates the context that the customer is looking for. I recommend hiring the stylist service only after the initial meeting, as I will inform you how many days are needed in your case.

That said, for boudoir shoots, for women, I recommend avoiding lingerie with nylon lace and some fabrics. The fit and size of the pieces is also important to observe. Bras, in the back, should be more or less at the same height as the front. And they must accommodate the breasts well.

For men, I recommend avoiding underwear with a brand name on the waistband (or anywhere). Size is also important.

As for other garments, fabrics made from natural threads are better than those with a high percentage of synthetic threads. Perhaps the biggest exception to this is linen. It wrinkles very easily and this makes it contraindicated for photo shoots. You'll look like a beggar by the third click if you insist on using it.

For brides and clients interested in portraits, it is risky to use pure white on a dress, shirt or anything close to the face. Your smile may appear yellow.

Good quality clothes, in the correct size, with long sleeves and pants in the exact length, good finishing and a design that flatters the wearer make a big difference in a person's appearance in photo shoots. Knowing how to use these resources will give you the best results. Which means, with me, you just don't get the best results if you don't want to. You don't find many photographers with relevant experience in the fashion industry out there who know how to capture your best version even without you knowing which version it is. I always know.

Request your photo shoot with me on the services page.

Nycka Nunes

🇬🇧 About cruel things I've heard

I grew up living with my maternal grandmother. I was never praised by my mother's family, and even achievements that should be seen as positive were ignored. “You didn’t do more than you had to,” they said. And I heard almost every day that I was ugly, stupid and useless. To make it even cooler, the only celebrity who had features similar to me in that remote past was the Brazilian actress Cristina Pereira, and I didn't see anything beautiful about her. Possibly because I didn't see anything beautiful about myself after hearing so much that I was ugly. Looking today, I might think the actress Mayara Magri looked like me at the time. She was beautiful. But I didn't think I was beautiful, so I didn't see this similarity.

It's hard to single out a single cruel thing from my past. I think that bombarding a creative and initiative child with criticism is very cruel, but it is an attitude of weak people, who see girls as dolls. In fact, they dressed me as if I were a doll. To this day, I hate clothes full of ruffles and ribbons for that reason. I prefer a tomboy image than a doll image. My style flirts more with androgyny than with the image of a romantic girl. Even when I wear fluid and delicate dresses, I break the romanticism with heavy boots or other style resources. I don't identify 100% with female stereotypes. And I feel perfectly comfortable in a female body.

The treatment of boys was different. I played with them and realised their privileges. None of my brothers or my cousin worked when they were kids. I did. And that's the smallest of differences. They respected me while those who used to disrespect me were female figures. This way, I have an easier time cultivating male friendships. Women who embrace the role of fragile, crying dolls irritate me. After the long and painful healing process I went through, I became very intolerant of adult snowflakes, who are offended by anything, regardless of gender. Because they are the ones who cause immense damage to children's minds. And we should really take care of the well-being of children, who do not know how to defend themselves from the cruelty that can exist in their own families. Not taking care of adults who should already have the discernment to take care of their own mental health.

Once, when Fátima Bernardes was an anchor on JN, she had a very nice cut with short hair (possibly straight like mine). And I said that I would like to have hair like that. I hated my long hair, which was impossible to style because nothing could keep them styled for more than two hours. I spent an hour in the shower washing and untangling them. And they weren't even long like many wear today. They generally didn't go more than 15 or 20cm below the shoulders. And when I made that comment, my youngest aunt who was sitting nearby said the following kindly: “the only beautiful thing you have is your hair. If you cut it, what will be left?” 😁 Cute. Loving. Only not.

But stupid I knew I wasn't. I don't see how someone who gets good grades without cheating (and often without studying) could be stupid. And I ended up changing my self-image, which was negative for a long time due to this strong negative family influence, by noticing this gap, this little finger of lies that made the whole lie fall apart. And yet they continued with the lie.

I've been wearing short hair for over twenty years. I wore beautiful cuts and sometimes the hairdressers weren't able to do a good job. I tried countless colours. While common sense says that hair is a frame for your face, I made my hair my canvas to create art, just like I've done with my wardrobe since I was 18.

Nothing said to an adult by third parties is more cruel than a shower of criticism and zero praise for a child from their own family. But even this can be overcome. So, nowadays, when I see people saying that we can't say this and that to adults because it's offensive, when the term itself isn't offensive, I just see a person with whom I have no interest in getting acquainted with, because I don't see anyone standing up against parents and family members who bully their own children or who educate them based on threats and punishments. In Brazil, even lullabies have a content that incites fear. It's ridiculous.

I learned a lot throughout my life. I can contribute professionally to people who want to leave victimhood in the past. It's not often that I have the time or interest in helping others overcome barriers that I overcame on my own, but it eventually happens. Follow the services available on the services page and follow my profiles on social media if my journey inspires you. I recommend that you start by booking a photo session, which is always available.

Nycka Nunes

🇬🇧 How to know if you are a beautiful person

How do you know if you are a beautiful or ugly person?

I never believed in beauty standards. There are beauties for all tastes in the media. Perhaps because I have worked in the fashion industry since I was a child, I know that the role of models is not to be a beauty standard. It's about being a hanger with legs for clothes and, before this trend of plus size models, it was also about facilitating the visualisation of clothes in a way that we could easily identify if they look good on our physical type, something that with plus size models It's much more difficult when they have a different physical type than us.

In practice, when it comes to beauty, there will always be people who think we are beautiful and others who think we are ugly. So it's up to each person to question whether they are comfortable being the way they are or not. It is also up to each person to understand the reasons for feeling uncomfortable with criticism or the internal causes of trying to do things expecting praise.

Are you the person you want to be? Are you trying to be this person? Or do you not even know who you want to be and are always trying to please others?

When you are truly satisfied with being who you are, and know what you want, you feel that your way of dressing and your appearance can be improved in order to express who you are, to generate an impact that filters the type of person who approaches you. My work as a stylist is focused on this, and no one in the world has the repertoire that I have to meet this type of need with excellence. Your personal image is a non-verbal communication tool, and if you are satisfied with being you, you know what you can improve to have an image that clearly expresses who you are, that expresses what makes you unique in a positive way.

If you have this perception, schedule your service on the services page of this blog. The stylist service is not always available. If it is unavailable when you try to schedule, please contact me.

If you think you are a beautiful person after considering the reflections in this text, schedule a photo shoot with me. Discover my services. They are available worldwide.

Respect copyright.

Nycka Nunes