Professional Headshot Preparation
The Do's and Don'ts
Don’t
Do not get your hair cut or colored the day before your photo session. Changes to your hairstyle should be done at least 2-3 days before your session in order to allow for natural outgrowth and the opportunity to fix any imperfections.
Do not spend too much time in the sun or try to get a suntan. If you get sunburned your skin will look shiny and oily. Your skin will be swollen in order to repair itself.
Do not get a facial or chemical peel within 10 to 15 days of your photo session. Your skin needs time to heal and repair.
Do not utilize spray tanning services before your headshot session. Artificial spray tans can have a warm, orange appearance and often do not blend well with makeup. If you like a bronze glow allow the tan to fade slightly over a week. Or use professional hair and makeup artist to create a bronze look.
Don’t forget your pants. While the focus will be for head and shoulder poses there may be an occasional three-quarter length shot. It’s nice to have variety and it’s important to have a complete look from head to toe. Believe it or not, it affects your mindset if you’re only half dressed for the job.
Don’t worry about posing yourself or creating the perfect expression, that is your photographer’s job. I am here to help guide you into natural poses with relaxed expressions. Your session will be fun and painless.
Do
Get a good night's sleep. If anyone’s ever told you that you look tired, you do. Plan to be well rested
Schedule your session at least 3-4 hours after you wake up. If you ever feel puffy in the morning, you’ll look it.
Do dess for your brand. Choose a style of clothing and tones and colors that are repeated in your logo or on your website.
Do dress for your job. If you are in construction no need to wear a three-piece suit. If you are yoga instructor go ahead or yoga pants!
Do take advantage of professional hair and makeup service. These artists have products and techniques to make you look very best version of yourself. Their trained eye can help complete the way you present yourself.
Phone a friend. Having a chit-chat with a friend or loved one hour or so before your session will help calm your nerves. Interacting with people we know and care about raises endorphin levels and lowers stress.
To invest in your professional headshot. Very often our first interactions with potential clients and associates is virtual. Your image is important. We invest in clothing, eye-wear, jewelry, watches, bags, our teeth, our car and all the printed materials that go along with our businesses, don't skimp on photography. Your headshot needs to be an engaging recognizable representation of all of you.
What to wear?
Your wardrobe should communicate facets of your personality, the type of business that you are in, and what organization you represent. The following are simple guidelines to help set you in the right direction. How you choose to represent yourself is entirely up to you and there are no wrong answers. The suggestions were created as a guideline for what looks good in front of the camera.
Choose a style of clothing that accurately represents how you envision other professionals and customers seeing you. For instance, if it is appropriate for you to wear a suit and tie then you should be photographed that way. If you have logoed company attire, that might be a good choice for your session. Most sessions allow for at least 1 to 2 wardrobe changes.
The color of your wardrobe should reflect the tones and colors of you company's branding when appropriate. For instance if your brand colors are gray and yellow, wear a neural gray wardrobe base with blue or black and a pop of yellow in a tie or pattern.
Avoid solid white and in a dress shirt, unless your are wearing a jacket over it. Unless it makes sense for your brand message do not wear all white.
For a slightly less formal look, swap out the white dress shirt for a light pattern, like a stripe or check instead. Also avoid bold bright colors like red, orange, hot pink and lime green, unless they are ESSENTIAL to your brand or look.
Keep in mind that most images will be headed shoulder and three-quarter length. Whatever you’re wearing on your bottom half will most likely show for some of the images so it’s important to have a complete outfit.
For women, keep your neckline in mind. Plunging V-necks or scoop necks draw a lot of attention to the throat and collarbones rather than your face.
Avoid bulky scarves and cowl neck sweaters.
Be sure clothing fits well especially around the shoulders, neck, chest and under the arms. Clothing that is too tight or too lose will make you look larger than you are.
In most cases you would want to avoid tank tops and cap-sleeved shirts. Stay away from extremely trendy looks unless you plan on updating your headshot annually.
Your hands, and arms may be in the image. Be sure that your hands and fingernails are clean and that anything on your wrist is acceptable to be photographed.