Outfit and Other Tips for your Headshot Session
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DO'S:
1. Do choose a color and style that you KNOW looks good on you + that you feel like a million bucks in (a good barometer for that is if you get compliments on certain shirts / outfits or if you just always have an extra pep in your step wearing the color/style). If you’re not comfortable or confident in your clothes, it will show in your photos.
2. Err on cuts and styles that are universally flattering, like long sleeves or ¾ sleeves.
3. Go for bold, rich, colors like navy and purple (i.e. “jewel” tones), they photograph well on most people; and of course, black is generally a flattering color.
4. Gentlemen, flattering colors to wear under a jacket/sport coat include white, baby blue or medium blue.
5. If you’re not sure about what shirt/jacket/tie to wear, feel free to bring some options to the studio, and we can decide together.
6. Do consider classic jewelry pieces that can add a nice subtle statement to your look, think necklaces and bracelets.
7. Wear your makeup as usual, but keep in mind that make-up shows up best in photos if applied a little heavier than usual… that being said, keep it as natural to your normal look as possible.
8. Wear your hair in a style/manner that you normally wear and like… sometimes people with curly hair come in with it straightened because they think that’s what looks good, but they don’t like how they look because that’s not how they normally look.
9. If you wear glasses that might pick up a glare from our lights, no worries! We will remove any glare from your glasses in post. Just make sure they are clean and fit your face properly.
10. Also, always keep your profession / brand in mind and what might best portray it.
11. Last, but not least… try on what you’re planning on wearing BEFORE you come in to make sure it actually fits properly and looks good. Seems obvious, but sometimes people neglect to do this and are unpleasantly surprised at the studio.
DON'TS:
1. Don’t wear anything that doesn’t fit right… if you are tugging or pulling on your clothes, it will annoy you, take a hit on your confidence and potentially ruin the session for you. Also, ladies if your top is one of those trendy, “oversized”, tops this might not translate well for headshot purposes as the shirt will swallow up your frame and look bulky.
2. Don’t wear colors that tend to wash out most people (there are exceptions depending on your skin tone, of course) including white, beige and pale colors.
3. Avoid neon colored tops as they can cast their color onto your skin tone.
4. Avoid busy, large prints, or stripes on your tops (gentlemen, this also applies to ties… ties with stripes are okay, but avoid anything too busy).
5. Ladies keep the neckline of your top in mind. If it’s too low-cut, you might end up with a different kind of photo. 🙂
6. Avoid make-up or any product that contains a form of sunscreen.
7. Don’t neglect your fingernails, they could make an appearance in your photos. Note: We do not photoshop nail color so please keep that in mind.
8. Don’t freak out about any blemishes or dark circles that might creep up on your on the day of the shoot. We will soften all that out with retouching. But, do lay off too much salt the days before the shoot, because too much salt can create excess puffiness in your face. Also, try not to get sunburned before your shoot.
9. Gentlemen, this should go without saying (but experience tells me otherwise), if you don’t want a 5 o’clock shadow in your pics, please make sure you are clean-shaven for your session.
10. Also, for the gentlemen, if you are wearing a dress shirt, please try NOT to wear an undershirt for your shoot, unless you don’t care if the undershirt peeks through. We can’t photoshop that out.
11. If you don’t want your Apple watch / Fitbit or any rubber bracelets (or hair tie) to show in the photos, please remember to take them off before your shoot.
12. Excessively wrinkled clothing – don’t wear it. Please don’t rely on us to just “photoshop all the wrinkles out” – it’s not that easy and won’t necessarily work.
13. Don’t fret, you’ll get to see the photos on my laptop as we shoot and we can make adjustments as we go. There’s also a mirror in my studio so you can do spot-checks as we go along. If you are not loving how you look, let’s chat about it and make the adjustments. Usually a few little adjustments do the trick. Communication is everything!
If you have any other questions or concerns before to your session, please reach out and contact me!
