How to capture someone, faithfully
A smarika is only as true as the afternoon that made it. These eleven gentle sessions are how you capture a whole person — not just a face, but the way they stand, the fall of their clothes, the light they live in. Read it on your phone, beside them. Take breaks. This is time together, first.
- —Pick a quiet afternoon with good natural light
- —Let them rest and talk between sessions — this is time together
- —Keep the camera at their eye level; sit when they sit
- —Capture them speaking — stories are the best voice samples
- —Harsh midday sun or a single overhead bulb
- —Heavy filters, beauty smoothing, or flash
- —Rushing — tiredness shows in the eyes
- —Busy patterned backgrounds that distract from them
The eleven sessions
Tap any session to see its plan. Each is built so the model learns something the others can’t teach it.
Make the long hours feel like an afternoon together
The best frames in a smarika shoot aren’t the posed ones — they’re the candid ones. These games gently break the stillness, make the time fun, and quietly produce some of the most truthful captures in the whole afternoon. Pick the relationship you’re shooting with.
All games are optional. Skip any that don’t fit. The best frame is usually thirty seconds after you think the game is over — keep the camera rolling.
Want a plan made for your loved one?
We’ll tailor these sessions to who they are — their age, what they’re comfortable with, the outfits that are truly theirs.