Outfit and Other Tips for your Headshot Session
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, super flattering colors to wear under a jacket/sport coat include white, baby blue or medium blue.
5. Do bring some other options for shirts / ties to choose from, just in case.
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, no worries! We will adjust our lighting set-up to avoid reflections.
10. Also, always keep your profession / brand in mind and what might best portray it.
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.
2. Don’t wear colors that tend to wash out most people (there are exceptions) 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 your neckline in mind… avoid shirts that are too low cut, unless of course that’s the look you’re going for!
6. Don’t use make-up or any product that contains a form of sunscreen.
7. Don’t neglect your fingernails, they might make an appearance for cross-armed photos.
8. Don’t freak out about any blemishes or dark circles that might creep up on your on the day of the shoot… PhotoShop is magical! But, do lay off too much salt the days before the shoot, because too much salt can create excess puffiness in your face.
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. 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!
