We arrived into each photoshoot day as a team of 3 – Negin behind the camera, her sister Zahra as the makeup artist, and Jimmy as assistant and DJ. We set up our temporary studio with lights and backdrop in a meeting room at the Digitalist office, Zahra prepared a makeup table in the corner, and right by the entrance we had a fruit bowl and biscuits for mood and energy boost. Each day had its own playlist, and in addition to the models' own requests, audience favourites included the Macarena, Rihanna, and many wonderfully corny 80's classics. One model's colleague had secretly added Bavarian yodeling to his requests, which did exactly what it was supposed to when it boomed out of the speakers – awakened a hearty laugh and released the tension in the shoulders for a more relaxed stance. 😃  

We marked the spot for posing with tape on the floor, and the models had a choice to stand, sit on a chair, or perch on a higher stool. Most of them tried all three. In addition to the music, the mood was kept light and positive with casual banter and a thought experiment on what kind of pose would look great on the cover of their first book. The framing was flexible between models to allow for their personal style to come through, but we also ensured consistency by taking at least one more traditional half-body shot. Out of these, it would always be easy to pick the right crop for the occasion.

Negin's warm and direct approach helped people feel at ease, and she showed them the photos in camera as the session went on. This both helped them feel confident about the kind of photos they'd be getting, but also gave the chance to try new things if the first photos were missing that special something.