How to Plan Your Photoshoot Around Your Menstrual Cycle

Planning Your Photoshoot Around Your Cycle🌛

When it comes to booking a photo shoot, you've probably thought about the location, your wardrobe, and your props. But have you ever thought about choosing a date based on where you're at in your menstrual cycle?

If you wanna feel lush AF and more confidence on photoshoot day.... read on! 👇🏼

Our bodies are a beautiful and intricate system with shifting energies and moods. When we pay attention to our cycle and know what our hormones are doing, we can feel ourselves move through the different seasons (inner winter, spring, summer and autumn) and can harness the power and wisdom they each bring.

Our bodies will request something different from us from week to week, and that's important to remember for your day behind the lens. Here’s a quick breakdown of the phases of our cycle, the seasons they correlate to, and what you can potentially expect from each (remembering that everyone’s cycle is different).

Menstrual Phase / Inner Winter

Day 1 of your cycle is when you begin to bleed. Hormones are at their lowest, and many tend to feel introspective, reserved, and emotional in this phase. In the hyper-masculine society that wants us to stay in productivity mode all the time, it can be hard to lean into the pause and honour this quiet time.

BUT, it’s also the perfect opportunity to rest and recuperate. Now is the time to do less, sleep in, journal, and spend some quality time with yourself.

It’s NOT the best time to schedule a personal branding or lifestyle shoot.

Pre-Ovulation / Inner Spring

The second phase is pre-ovulation, when you stop bleeding and oestrogen levels began rising. You’re now in your inner spring , which is associated with rebirth and renewal. It’s a time of possibility, hope, and playfulness. You might be feeling more open-minded, creative, and social.

It’s a good time to start daydreaming and taking steps towards planning your photoshoot (brainstorming ideas, booking your shoot, arranging props and outfits, etc) or even a good time to have your photoshoot if you’ve planned a month or so in advance.

Ovulation / Inner Summer

The third phase is ovulation and typically happens around day 12. A lot of women find this to be the most enjoyable phase of their cycle and feel outgoing, magnetic, super creative, and abundant. You might feel a sense of blossoming. That summer vibe is inviting you into the fullness of who you are and asking you to step into your full power and potential.

Confidence might be at its highest and it’s a great time to let yourself be seen. So this is a PERFECT time to schedule your personal branding, portrait or lifestyle session as you’ll be feeling lit by life and creativity

Premenstrual + Luteal Phase / Inner Autumn

The final phase is the premenstrual/luteal phase and is often the longest part of a woman’s cycle usually lasting 12-14 days. Early on you may still feel the remnants of summer, but as the days pass, you might begin to feel your energy shift and start to turn inward.

The days leading up to your bleed (inner winter) may be full of big emotions and processing. This phase is about reflection and gives us the opportunity to see what’s no longer serving us and what shifts we need to make in our lives.

While this isn’t the best season to have a shoot in, if you schedule it in the early days of Autumn when you’re still harnessing summer energy, it can still work great!

Are you in tune with your cycle and inner seasons? 🩸

I’d suggest tracking your cycle if you don’t already, taking note of the emotions you feel as you transition from one to the next. Journal a few sentences every day and look back after a few months to confirm any patterns (for ex: do you always feel anxious or overly self-critical during your inner autumn?)

*** Please note: I recognise that no one cycle is the same + there are many instances where a cycle might not be present, but I believe that in those instances our bodies still hold the potency of wisdom and creative energy.