Preparing For Your Headshot or Portrait Sessions
You are reading this because you have a Headshot, Portrait or LinkedIn photo session booked in with us at Corporate Imagery but you’re probably not sure what to expect or how to prepare.
OK. I know that the thought of having a professional photo taken feels a lot of people with absolute dread. You may be one of these people, you’re only doing this because your boss told you to do it. Besides, you’re not photogenic anyway so whats the point!
A great headshot is actually incredibly important. It helps you to make a great first impression and to get noticed. It shows people that you are a confident and approachable person who can be liked and trusted (even if you’re not!). It helps showcase you and your company as experts in your field. You can read more about the science behind the headshot here.
So how do you prepare?
1. What should I wear?
General
Wear clothes that you look and feel great in, you know the ones.
Clothes should fit well, nothing too baggy or too tight, and they should look new or nearly new
No logos, emblems or bright patterns - not only do they detract from your face but you’ll most likely be using this picture for a few years and that band on your T-shirt may look a bit dated by then.
Avoid large stripes, they are not flattering… on anyone.
Glasses - non-reflective preferred if you have them, make sure they are clean. If you wear them at your desk but not otherwise and don’t want to be photographed in them then please remove them at least half an hour before the shoot to avoid red marks.
Your business, industry and company guidelines may lead you to decide how formal you want to look. Bear in mind those first impressions however, people make up their minds about you in mere milliseconds, what do you want them to think? And of course there’s the old adage about dressing for the job that you want rather than the one that you have.
Men
The Classic suit and tie look always works - simple stylish suit with a tie that compliments the suit and the eyes. This depends on the look you are going for of course.
For more casual no jacket/tie look the shirt should be a darker colour than the complexion - white works best on dark skin.
Consider background colour too . If we are shooting against a grey/white background plain white shirts on their own may make you look like a floating head. Darker mid-tone colours tend to work best.
Women
Again, avoid colourful patterns and anything that is too fashionable (the picture may be used for a few years). Mid-tone plain colour normally look best.
Classic suit works well here too as with the men.
If no jacket then blouse should ideally be a darker tone than the skin particularly for paler complexions.
Sleeves or not? Generally bare arms are not the way to go as they contrast too much with clothing and detract from the face.
Avoid white shirts if no jacket is to be worn especially if we’re shooting against a pure white background.
2. Jewellery
- Keep it simple and timeless - its about you not your bling.
- Consider the appropriateness of any facial piercings
3. Make-up
Please read this piece specifically about hair and make-up.
The bottom line is that less is more, keep it simple. Subtle lip gloss, light foundation, light eye make-up. Most importantly moisturise well in the days leading up to your shoot and hydrate well. That counts for you too gentlemen!
Hair should be clean and well groomed. Don’t try anything new!
I’ll have a lint brush and mirrors available but suggest that everyone does a last minute check of hair/make-up/ties/teeth etc before they come to me. Also, shine is the enemy so if you can avoid running up the stairs before your shoot that would be great!
4. What if I’m not photogenic?
I haven’t met anybody yet that I’ve not being able to get a great shot of. And this includes the roughly 60% of people that tell me I’ll never get a good picture of them. If we can get you to relax and be yourself then you will leave with a shot that you’ll happily let your mother display on her wall. I’ll work with everybody to ensure they are relaxed and portraying the very best versions of themselves. We do this a lot and are very good at it, throughout the process we will coach you and encourage you…. and it might even be fun!
3. Cant you just use Photoshop to make me look beautiful?
Yes, we can but we won’t need to. With lighting, angles, poses and lens choice we will get 95% of the image right straight out of the camera. We will do some basic editing thereafter to balance colour and exposure and we will do some natural edits to make everybody look that little extra awesome (subtle brightening of eyes and teeth, a little bit of skin softening here and there), We will remove any temporary skin blemishes too. But there won’t be any structural changes. I just ask that you help me by having hair in place. make-up applied, ties straightened, shirts pressed, lipstick off teeth, etc. before you see me.
4. Do I have to smile?
Again this is something that I will work out with each individual. Some people look their most natural with a big smile, others less so. The two things that I am looking to see in all the final images are Confidence and Approachability. I find that confidence comes from the eyes and approachability from the mouth/smile. Everybody is different and its my job to help you find what suits you best, there will certainly be no scowls but that doesn’t mean that I’ll be asking you to say ‘cheese’. The key is to get natural real looking poses. This is you at your best, this is what makes you look trustworthy and likeable. This is what we will get.
Of course, if you have any more questions prior to your session do not hesitate to get in touch.