Preparing for your first editorial shoot

An editorial day rarely begins on set. It begins the night before — with a clean call sheet, a pressed neutral outfit, and a long shower.

I read the brief twice. Once for the practical bits — call time, address, contacts. Then again for the mood: references, palette, and any words the creative director used more than once. Those words usually tell you the truth about the shoot.

The morning of, I keep things plain. Skin prepped, hair untouched, no jewellery. The team should meet me as a clean canvas, not a competing idea. I bring nudes-only underwear, a small bag of go-to accessories, and snacks I actually want to eat.

On set, the work is mostly listening. Listening to the photographer's count, to the stylist's pin, to the room's energy when a frame lands. The best images I've ever shot were ones where I stopped trying to perform and started trying to respond.

The last small thing: thank everyone by name on the way out. The crew remembers.