Today’s post is one to save! We are so excited to share with you some great tips to help you look and feel your best for your wedding day, family shoot, engagement session and more.

Simi is not only a dear friend, but has been my personal health coach! Her expertise and support have truly helped me and I am so happy to be sharing her voice and thoughts today on our blog. So as you prepare for your upcoming photoshoot be sure to review these ideas (#7 is a must!) and check out Simi’s blog for more healthy tips and ideas!

7 Tips To Look & Feel Your Best For Your Photo Shoot – Simi Botic

So, you found the perfect photographer and booked your photo session… now what?! If you’re not a professional model (few of us are!), the pressure to look your best in the images can be a bit overwhelming! To help you prepare for your Derk’s Works photo shoot, here are 7 tips that will help you look and feel your best on your special day (make sure you read until the end, because we saved the best for last):

#1 – Hydrate

During the days leading up to the photo shoot, one of the best things you can do is hydrate (boo, coffee and wine don’t count). Try warm water with lemon in the morning and refilling an icy cold water bottle throughout the day. This will help your body release toxins, eliminate bloating, keep skin clear, and brighten your eyes!

#2 – Sleep

Not only will sleep reduce under eye bags, but a restful night will also help you to feel calm on your big day. If you’re not regularly in front of the camera, a photo shoot can feel unknown and a bit stressful. Showing up rested will help you to relax more easily, so you aren’t on edge.

#3 – Eat foods that make you feel good

Does broccoli make you feel bloated? Then it probably isn’t the best choice the night before your photo shoot. Just because someone says a food is “healthy” doesn’t mean it works for YOUR body. Think about the foods that make you feel energized and comfortable in your skin, and enjoy those foods for a few days before the photo shoot. No need to go to dieting extremes (drastically cutting calories or avoiding carbs). Instead, be gentle with yourself and ask, “what would feel like the most nourishing choice to make?” Let that question be your guide!

#4 – Take an Epsom Salt Bath

The night before your photo shoot, consider unwinding with an Epsom salt bath. Not only is this super relaxing, but an Epsom salt bath also sooths muscles, eliminates toxins, releases stress, and helps to relieve any bloat. It’s seriously magical.

#5 – Try out your outfit, hair, & make up!

Opt for clothing, hair styles, and makeup that make you feel like the best version of yourself… not like someone else!  Do a “test run” with your hair, makeup and outfit to make sure that you feel comfortable and confident when the big day arrives. That way you have time to change an aspect of your look if it makes you feel weird or self-conscious before it’s photo time.

#6 – Bring music!

Your photo shoot should be FUN!!! A great playlist can help you relax and enjoy the experience, so add your favorite songs that put you into an instant good mood.

#7 – Be your beautiful, authentic self

If you do nothing else on this list, you absolutely must try #7. The camera captures what you show it. If you are stressed out, super tense, critiquing yourself in your mind, worrying about being judged, or wishing you looked like someone else, than that is what you will see in your photos. No joke: what you are thinking about will show up on your face. If you’re thinking “oh my gosh, I am so uncomfortable & hate the way I look” or “I should have lost 10 pounds” or “why can’t my kids behave for 5 freaking minutes,” you are going to see a stressed-out-deer-in-the-headlights look in your pictures. If you are thinking, “this is so fun, I love that I get to capture these special moments to keep forever,” you will look like a relaxed hottie.  You have full permission to just be yourself on photo shoot day! Nobody is perfect, so don’t put pressure on yourself to meet impossible standards. Benj, Jennifer, & the entire Derk’s Works team are experts at capturing magical moments. This means that you don’t need to worry about a thing. Let them handle the photo details and you focus on being your beautiful, real self. If you forget to drink water, have a crappy night sleep, and scarf down a plate of French fries before your photo shoot, let it all go. If your kid is screaming, or the dress you wanted to wear was too tight, or you got a zit on your forehead, let it all go. All you need to do is take deep breaths, smile like you just picked up a puppy, and remind yourself “I am beautiful just the way I am.”

More about Simi: Simi is obsessed with coffee, beach vacations, & the 90s. A corporate attorney turned intuitive eating health coach, she now works with women privately & through Finally Free. Simi helps women learn to nourish & nurture their bodies + lives, so they can live FULLY! Get instant access to her free three-part Breaking Up With Binges video series here & hang with her at www.SimiBotic.com or @simibotic for more.