April: Spring Pedicure and Fresh Colour

Soak, file the heel edge, push cuticles back gently, buff lightly, then two thin coats plus a top coat. Thin coats dry evenly and photograph without the ripples a thick coat leaves.

Shape matters more than colour in daylight: a slightly squared oval reads clean at every angle, while a sharp point looks aggressive up close.

Soft coral, warm nude and pale rose all sit well against spring skin. Save the deep shades for indoor sessions — under open sky they turn heavy and read almost black.

Photograph the colour within two days of application. Even a perfect polish loses its highlight to micro-scratches by the end of the week.

A thin-strapped sandal divides the foot into shapes; place the strap shadow deliberately rather than letting it fall across the toes at random.

Shoot from just above ground level with the foot slightly turned out. That angle lengthens the foot and keeps the strap lines parallel to the frame edge.