Tips & Guidelines

We want to provide you with the best Headshot experience, and that starts before you show up for your scheduled session. Below are some guidelines & tips to help make you look and feel your best. These guidelines were originally compiled here.

 

General Tips

  • Discuss beforehand: tell us your expectations and intentions. Let us know what kind of look you want
  • Tell us how and where the photo will be used (so we can be sure it’s appropriate)
  • Drink lots of water and be well rested (so your eyes will not have dark circles)
  • Your skin might not look it’s best after alcohol use. Try to abstain from alcohol before your shoot
  • Arrive on time, but not more than 10 minutes early (we may have other clients scheduled before you)
  • Please call if you are running late or arrive early

What to wear – Everyone:

  • Wear clothes that are comfortable and that make you look great
  • Make sure your jacket and shirt fit you well. A poor fitting jacket or shirt will be obvious in the photos (especially around the neck)
  • Turtlenecks are almost always a bad idea (since they crowd the face)
  • Clothes look best if neatly pressed
  • Avoid busy patterns and large lines/stripes
  • Blue/green/turquoise shirts/blouses or accents can help emphasize blue/green/hazel eyes

What to wear – Men:

  • The standard business look is a suit jacket, dress shirt and tie
  • A casual business look is often a jacket and open dress shirt, shirt and tie (no jacket), or dress shirt on it’s own
  • For a no-jacket casual look, bring colored shirts – ideally darker than your skin tone.  Avoid white shirts.
  • Feel free to bring a few different jackets, shirt colors and ties so we have choices for the photo

What to wear – Women:

  • Avoid big prints and busy patterns
  • Different necklines can change the apparent shape of your face. Bring a variety different shirts/blouses to see what works best
  • For a no-jacket casual look, bring various colored blouses – ideally darker than your skin tone
  • Be stylish and fashionable, but remember the picture is about your face and not your clothes
  • Select and wear clothes that make you feel comfortable. Select something that makes you look and feel good.

Jewelry:

  • Keep jewelry extremely simple – small is better
  • Avoid jewelry that would distract from your face or that looks dated
  • Be prepared to remove facial piercings or multiple ear piercings if necessary

What to bring:

  • Your previous headshots (so we can improve)
  • Sample headshots to help communicate the look you want
  • Favorite Music (iPod/MP3 player, phone, thumb-drive)
  • Various changes of clothing (see above)
  • A good attitude
  • Lip balm
  • Hair brush/comb
  • Makeup and hair products you prefer (especially if you have allergies)

Hair and Makeup Tips:

  • Make-up should be clean and natural: wear a layer of translucent powder – your face will appear flawless in photos. Shine disappears, pores seem smaller, skin looks even, and blush is smoother
  • If using lip liner: line lips before applying matte lipstick, then reline. Don’t overdo it. Dip a cotton ball in powder and run along lip line to prevent color from bleeding
  • Avoid shimmers or products with lots of sparkle or shine; avoid frosts or overly-bright colors
  • Don’t get a new hair cut just before the shoot (you may want to let it grow-in a bit or get used to styling a new cut)
  • Do not try/use any new product on your hair, face or body the day before or few days before your shoot to avoid the possibility of a bad reaction to the product

Please arrive with:

  • Hair styled and makeup already applied (if not using makeup artist)