Welcome to Day 1 of 7 Days to Camera-Ready! 📸 Today is all about light, the secret behind every great photo. Here are my top tips from 30+ years in Hollywood: 1. Sit or stand sideways to a window. Let soft daylight fall across one side of your face. It's the most beautiful, flattering light there is, and it's free! 2. Play with distance. About six feet from the window gives you soft, even light. Move a little closer for more drama and glow. 3. Don't face the window head-on. Straight-on window light is too bright and flattens your features. 4. Never put the window behind you. That's backlighting, and it turns you into a silhouette. 5. Try a window portrait. Gaze out the window with the light on your face. Done right, it's one of the most stunning portraits you can take. 🪟✨ This is exactly what I do in every remote session. I direct you live on FaceTime, find your best light, and capture every shot myself. 💛 🎟️ Every comment you leave during the challenge earns you one raffle ticket. The more you comment, the more tickets you get! On Day 8 we go live and draw the winner of a FREE remote headshot session. 👉 What time of day has the most beautiful light coming through your favorite window? See you tomorrow for Day 2! Cristal 💛

Leadership is not only about what you build for yourself. It is about what becomes possible for other people because you built it. Those words really made me think about why I created Photography by Cristal. After decades as a Hollywood actress, international model, and professional photographer, I've learned something important. A beautiful photograph can change the way someone sees themselves. ❤️ I've experienced it firsthand through my LIVE Remote Headshot Sessions, photographing people in Sweden, the UK, Australia, Canada, and even the West Bank, all while sitting right here in Los Angeles! But the most rewarding part isn't how far my photography reaches. It's hearing someone say they've finally found a photograph of themselves they LOVE! It's watching their confidence grow. It's knowing that something I've learned over the years can make a difference in someone else's life. And that's exactly why I created this community! I want you to learn how to see yourself through a photographer's eyes. To understand lighting, discover your best angles, feel comfortable being photographed, and recognize the beauty that's already there. With more than 240 of you here, I want to make sure we're creating something meaningful together. ❤️ So here's my question for YOU: What's the ONE thing you wish you could change about how you look or feel in photographs? I'd love to hear your answers because what matters to YOU helps me decide what we learn together next! 📸❤️

I’m so excited to share this with you: my first book, I Escaped Hollywood, Barely., is now live on Amazon in paperback and Kindle! It’s a collection of true short stories from my memoir about modeling and acting in Hollywood and Japan in the 1980s: 🎬 My best friend on Sunset Boulevard ✂️ The haircut that took me from tears to a billboard on Sunset ✈️ Leaving home for Tokyo at fifteen 📸 Nine auditions a day 💳 The only Visa card I ever needed 👉 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HNWDLF11 If you read it, an Amazon review would mean the world to me. Even one sentence helps. 💛 Cristal

Welcome to Day 2 of 7 Days to Camera-Ready! 📸 Today's secret to posing naturally comes straight from my modeling days. When I was modeling, whatever clothes they put me in became my character. A flowing dress made me soft and graceful. A sharp blazer made me bold and powerful. Jeans and a tee made me relaxed and playful. I didn't have to think about posing. The outfit told me who to be. The same works for you: 1. Wear something you love. Pick the outfit that makes you feel confident the second you put it on. Confidence shows on camera. 2. Let your outfit become your character. Ask yourself, "Who is the woman (or man) in this outfit?" Then become them. 3. Pose like your character would. A business suit sits tall and strong. A cozy sweater leans in and smiles. Your clothes guide your body. 4. Change the outfit, change the pose. Each look brings out a different side of you, and that's what makes a great photo session. This is exactly what I do in every remote session. I direct you live on FaceTime, help you find your character, and capture every shot myself. 💛 Your Day 2 task: Tell me about your favorite confidence outfit, and what character it brings out in you! 👇 🎟️ Every comment earns you one raffle ticket. drawing on Day 8. 🎟️ Every comment you leave during the challenge earns you one raffle ticket. The more you comment, the more tickets you get! On Day 8 we go live and draw the winner of a FREE remote headshot session.The winner gets a FREE remote headshot session! Years ago, I had a black suit we called "Old Faithful." It was mine, but my late sister borrowed it so often it became ours! Whenever either of us needed to look sharp and feel powerful, out came Old Faithful. 🖤 👉 Do you have an Old Faithful? See you tomorrow for Day 3! Cristal 💛

Special thanks to @Missi Mullis for freely sharing her knowledge and experience with us in Skool Magazine Sometimes I come across incredible little lessons that are just too good not to share! Before our 7-Day Profile Photo Challenge kicks off, I wanted to share this amazing 90-second Canva tutorial by Missy! You know when you create a beautiful poster and add the words “BOOK SESSION”? Well, Missy shows us how to make those words clickable so people can go directly to your booking page, Skool community, or wherever you want to send them! 🤯 I'm sharing this for TWO reasons: 1. I don't want to lose it! 😂 2. I want YOU to learn it, too! Thank you, Missi, for making something so useful so simple! A little learning before the big challenge! Let's goooo! 🚀📸 https://www.skool.com/skoolmagazine-1689/how-to-add-a-link-in-canva?p=db1f00c9