Vanity, Getting Ready

Set up: A vanity, dresser, or any table against a mirror, with a single warm lamp set low and close to one side — a plain bedside lamp is exactly right (a warm-white bulb reads glossier than cool white).

Wardrobe: A soft robe worn open over a camisole. Covered and easy — the getting- ready mood does the work, not the reveal.

Camera: Phone on a tripod at eye height off to one side, portrait. Self-timer or a remote; expose for the lamp-lit side of the face and let the far side fall gently to shadow.

Pose: Sit tall, roll the shoulders back, and lean in toward the mirror as if fastening an earring — hand light at the ear, chin lifted and tipped to lengthen the neck and sharpen the jaw. Give yourself a real task for the hands so it feels like a moment, not a pose; the small ritual is the whole shot.