This is Part 2 of a 3-part series on what it’s like to work with Redhead Creative Media. Read Part 1: Before Your Session
In part 1, we covered the curiosity call, design consultation, and mood board process – everything that happens before your session to ensure we’re aligned and prepared.
This week, we’re walking through what session day actually feels like, from the moment you arrive through the end of creating your imagery.
Arrival: Getting Settled
The day of your session has arrived! I greet you outside and help bring everything in: wardrobe, accessories, props, anything we discussed during the design consultation.
We hang all your wardrobe on racks and lay out accessories and props so that we can go through each piece together. This is when you tell me if there’s anything that needs priority, anything you’d regret not being photographed in or with.
- “Jen, I need an image in this outfit.”
- “This necklace has to be included.”
- “If we don’t use this prop, I’ll be disappointed.”
I note everything and structure the session accordingly so your must-haves are captured first.
Professional Hair + Makeup (When Included)
Professional hair and professional makeup are complementary for Brand Experience and Portrait Experience sessions. It’s not included in raw portrait sessions (like The Postpartum Project) or if you choose to opt out (some clients do).
The purpose isn’t transformation, or to make you look like someone you’re not (unless that’s the point of the session).
It’s about giving you time to settle, relax, and mentally transition from your day into the studio.
Being pampered creates space for you to be fully present.
While you’re in the chair, I’m in the studio finalizing the session plan: reviewing your design consultation notes, confirming the mood board details, and mapping out the order we’ll photograph everything so the session flows smoothly.
I’ll also create and photograph any flat-lays, product, or branding imagery at this time for my branding clients.
If you’ve opted out of hair and makeup or are here for a raw portrait session, you still have this settling time. You can enjoy some time to yourself, catch up on email, listen to a podcast, whatever you want, while I get things ready in the studio.
The timeline stays the same. It just looks different.
In Studio: The Approach Varies by Experience
How I work with you in the studio depends on which session type you’ve chosen. Each experience has a different focus and requires a different approach.
Brand Experience Sessions
This is a fully guided, editorial approach. I direct you from head to toe: posture, expression, hand placement, angle, everything.
You’re never left wondering if you’re standing correctly or if something looks off. I guide you through it all so you can relax into the process, knowing the imagery is going to position you exactly where you’re headed.
This is documentary-informed editorial imagery designed for authority and presence across platforms.
Portrait Experience Sessions
These are more documentary-style and less formal than brand sessions. The goal is to create beautiful, timeless black-and-white imagery that documents your authentic self.
I’ll guide you on positioning and movement, but I won’t micromanage your expression or hand placement.
It’s conversation-driven. Natural. Present.
This is about honest documentation, not performance.
The Postpartum Project
Highly conversational and documentary-driven. I’m interviewing you while creating your portraits, so your story is the primary focus of the experience.
Posing is minimal. I’ll guide you on whether you’re standing, seated, or on the floor, and I might adjust your angle slightly, but the focus is on presence over perfection.
This session is about your story and your experience with motherhood.
Motion Capture: Now Standard Across Brand and Portrait Experiences
One of the most exciting additions for 2026 is that every session now includes cinematic motion capture: naturally recorded documentary-style movement captured alongside your stills.
You’re not doing anything extra or different. I’m simply documenting moments in motion: subtle expressions, shifts in posture, meaningful objects.
For portrait sessions: This might capture the way light falls across your face, the movement of your hands, the quiet moments between poses.
For brand sessions: Same approach, plus any props, products, or brand elements you’ve brought in to help tell your story.
Here’s what matters: You choose what you purchase. All stills, a mix of stills and motion clips, or mostly motion with a few key images. The motion capture is there as an option, not a requirement.
Interview Experiences: The Signature Storytelling Layer
If you want to take the session further, you can upgrade to an Interview Experience. This is a completely different layer from the standard motion capture.
An Interview Experience includes everything above, plus a sit-down, recorded on-camera interview with intentional questions about your story or your brand.
This is my signature storytelling component: your voice and your words become part of the documentation. Professional audio and video recording, and you receive complimentary audio files.
Available for:
- Brand Portrait Interview Experience
- Portrait Interview Experience
This is for clients who want comprehensive documentation: the imagery, the movement, and the narrative told in their own words.
Because just like photography, motion and audio are tools, not the point.
The point is you, your story, and how you want to be remembered.
Timeline: What to Expect
Most sessions run 2-3 hours total, depending on the scope and session type.
- Arrival + wardrobe review: 15-30 minutes
- Hair + makeup (when included): 60-90 minutes
- Studio time: 90-120 minutes
If we get chatty (which happens often), sessions can run a bit longer. Everything depends on what we’ve designed together based on your consultation and mood board.
What Happens Next
After creating your imagery, we move immediately into the reveal process, which we’ll cover in Part 3:
- The immediate in-person image review (no forgotten online galleries)
- How retouching works for different experience types
- What delivery looks like from selection to final files
Ready to experience this for yourself?
Book your curiosity call, and let’s talk through which experience is the right fit for what you’re building or documenting.