PREPARING FOR YOUR HEADSHOT SESSION
Your big day is approaching and I’ve put this guide together to help you prepare. A little prep goes a long way towards showing up relaxed and ready to rock-n-roll. If you come up with any questions that you don’t find answers for here, check out my FAQ, or email me back and I’ll be happy to help!
What are we going for?
First things first, take a minute to think about what kind of look you’re going for. It doesn’t have to be just one either, we can do executive all the way down to casual in order to give you a variety of options. Think about your look as your “logo” for how you show up to the world, imagine your headshot on LinkedIn, what kind of impression would you like it to give? Consider how formal you want to be, and how it relates to your normal day-to-day appearance. In some cases, it can help to consider how you might dress to show up for a client or business partner.
What to Wear
The biggest thing to consider here is “Keep It Simple”. We want your clothing to be complementary, but not draw attention from you and your expression. Bring lots of options, we’ll review them all when you arrive and set up a plan of what we’re going to shoot. Most people end up shooting around 3-4 different outfits, so maybe bring 5-7 options if it helps you to have a number.
How your clothes fit is as important as the color and style. You want to make sure that your clothes fit well. Not too tight, not too loose. If it’s too tight you’ll end up feeling uncomfortable, and that will show in your face. Too loose, and it may come off as looking sloppy.
WOMEN
Go for classic looks: you shouldn’t be able to tell what decade it is in the photo. Think Simple.
All clothing should fit well and be tailored to your figure.
Don’t choose anything with bold, distracting patterns or colors.
Try to avoid sleeves that flare out from the shoulder.
No scoop or off-the-shoulder necklines.
For jewelry, go for something small, classic, and not very reflective or flashy. Simpler is always better.
MEN
When selecting your outfits, think classic.
When wearing a suit, make sure it fits well and doesn’t bunch up when you button it. Dark classic colors such as navy blue or gray are great options.
Try to avoid anything with bold, distracting patterns or colors. Really tight grids or herringbone patterns can create a moiré pattern effect on camera.
Stay away from ties that are too shiny or reflective.
Make sure we can’t see your undershirt - wear a v-neck or no undershirt at all.
Pro-Tip: If you have some clothing in mind that you don’t own, go buy it and keep the tags on. You can always try it for the shoot and return afterwards.
For women, there are a lot of options when it comes to necklines. I’ve included a chart below which may help you make some choices.
Colors
People often ask what colors are best and I don't really have a solid answer for that as it varies by person. Red I would generally avoid unless you have a darker skin-tone. Honestly, I'm less concerned about the color than I am the pattern and how distracting it may be. If you focus more towards solid colors, it’s hard to go wrong.
Eyewear
If you wear glasses, bring every pair you own. I'll do my best to minimize any glare from the lights in your glasses but some can be unavoidable. Sometimes trying different pairs helps depending on their coating and how each respond to light.
Jewelry
Unless its very specific to your look/brand, I prefer to keep the use of jewelry to a minimum. It can very easily overpower a shot and be distracting. We'll be creating killer shots that draw the viewer into your eyes and expression, jewelry will generally only serve to detract from this objective, rather than enhancing. You can certainly bring necklace and earring options to try, just try to keep them small.
Makeup
This section is for the ladies. Guys... please don't wear makeup; it'll be very noticeable. Just as with clothing, "keep it simple" is the name of the game here, less-is-more. If you think about how stage makeup is purposefully overdone to stand out at a distance, headshot makeup should be the opposite. You need much less in such a close shot, and too much will be very noticeable. Keep it light and natural.
My lighting will help to minimize wrinkles and retouching will take care of those little blemishes we all have. Try to avoid heavy eyeliner or sharp lines, eyeshadow, too much blush, fake eyelashes or clumpy mascara. For lips, a clear/neutral gloss works great and become best friends with chapstick in the weeks/days leading up to your session if your lips are suffering from some Minnesota winter dryness.
Questions?
Ok that was a lot to read. At the end of the day, don't sweat it, I want you to be as relaxed as possible for your shoot. Just think simple and natural and we'll work from there. If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to call me at 952-392-9586 or shoot me an email back.