Quick tips to
Get ready for your headshot
Try not to get hung up on wardrobe (Haha). The most important thing is to bring clothes you love wearing. If you wear something that you don’t feel good in, your discomfort will show in your expression. A good rule of thumb is to dress the way you would for an important meeting in your industry. For some that means a jacket and tie, and others that means jeans and a t-shirt.
Avoid clothing with super distracting patterns (shirts with repeating lines in particular don’t work well), and overly bright colors. If you typically wear and undershirt, please wear a v-neck as it will avoid crew neck creep. Crew neck undershirts tend to pop out of button-up shirts at the neckline and isn’t flattering. Be careful with thin fabrics. Studio lights are bright, and might make the top slightly see through. Be sure to bring appropriate colored undergarments as well. Loose fitting blazers will be difficult to make look good during the shoot. V-necks, and deep plunging necklines tend to draw attention away from the face.
Well fitted dress shirts, and jackets are essential. Bulky and uneven shoulder pads make you look larger than you are. Bad tie knots kill shots instantly. Don’t be afraid to pre-tie them before the shoot or I can tie it for you. Earrings are fine, but most jewelry, hats (unless you’re going for a specific look!), and scarves can be left at home. You don’t want anything to distract from YOU. If you wear glasses -definitely bring them! We can take care of glare in glasses with a few tricks.
All of that being said…what works for one person might not work for you. So if you’re on the fence about a piece of clothing, just bring it with. If you don’t bring it, I can’t shoot it!
As more of our communication becomes digital, sometimes the only ‘face to face’ relationship you have with someone is through a picture on a screen.
Your headshots help people create a mental picture of who you are, and what your personality is like. If you were to ever meet someone in person and look nothing like the picture they have been looking at – it might make them trust you less. For that reason, you want your headshots to be an accurate representation of you, and not some super glammed-up version. The goal is to make you look the way you would on your very best day.
HAIR
You should come in with your hair they way you would wear it for a normal day. No one knows your hair better than you do. If you have long hair – we will probably be moving it a lot until we find the way it looks best on camera. If you have short hair, things are certainly easier for you! Be sure to bring any specific hair products and accessories (such as a brush/comb) that you might need. Don’t worry about fly-aways, or a few rogue gray hairs – those can be fixed in retouching.
MAKEUP
Don’t moisturize your face on the day of the shoot! It may make you look shiny. Avoid shiny lip products. Studio lighting and cameras show an incredible amount of detail. Because of that, makeup can easily go over the top very quickly if you aren’t careful. Having too heavy, or poorly applied makeup will negatively affect the way you look. It is significantly easier to remove blemishes, correct skin color and texture issues in retouching when the face has less makeup. Keep makeup very light and natural. You can always add more, but it is much harder to remove if it’s too much. Removing makeup during a session could leave your skin irritated and red, or weird looking.
GROOMING
Be sure to check some basic things before the shoot. Cut longer nose hairs to the best of your ability. Give your eyebrows a quick combing. Brush/trim beards and mustaches. Make sure your eyelashes aren’t curling down and blocking your eyes. Moisturize your lips as much as you can. Check your teeth, and give them another brush.
SLEEP
It’s not always possible, but getting a good nights rest before a photoshoot is just one more way to make sure you’re looking your best for your headshots. Of course, in the retouching phase of the process, we can remove or reduce under-eye bags, bloodshot eyes.
These might seem weird or basic, but these will really help improve the shots, and make retouching significantly easier. I am good at catching and fixing the little things during a shoot, but the more prepared you are when you come, the better the final images will be.
My approach to headshots is set in 3 main steps:
SHOOT
I shoot directly into a laptop computer so that we can look at the shots together as we go. I may use this as a coaching tool to help you get better in front of the camera, and I can also get your feedback on the things you like or don’t like. We can keep adjusting the details until we get shots that you’re loving. There will be no question if you look good or not.
I will direct you into positions that are most flattering for your unique physical traits. Once you are in the right spot – I say a lot of crazy stuff to get you to react. Then I shoot really quickly throughout your entire reactive expression arc. That’s how we get natural expressions that actually show your personality.
SELECT
After your shots we will run through all of the images we took. I will send you some of your favorite images instantly.
RETOUCH
Your images are run through an AI retouching program as the shoot happens, so you get to see the finished product instantly.
You may receive your headshots instantly via text/email using a facial recognition program. Otherwise, expect an email with a link to a gallery!
Most of our communication as human beings is non verbal, and we make judgments about a person and their mood based off their expression in a couple of milliseconds without even realizing it. When that expression is frozen in a picture, it’s a MUST to make sure that it is sending exactly the message you want.
There are 3 qualities that I think every headshot should convey. It makes the person look confident, approachable, and interesting. Being confident in your picture shows that you are credible. If you look scared, sad, or blank – I’m not going believe that you have what it takes to get the job done. Being approachable in your headshot conveys that you have likability. People work with people, and if you look mean – no one will want to work with you. The last is that you have to look interesting. This is what shows your personality, and makes you stand out from everyone else with a generic cheap headshot.
It just so happens that all of these things are controlled by your expression. It is also interesting that there are only 3 things on your face that you can move to change your expression! Those are your mouth, eyes, and eyebrows. By moving these 3 facial features in different ways together – it completely changes the personality you convey in your headshot.
EYES
Confidence comes from your eyes. Opening your eyes really wide, while yes it does show off the color, actually is not a good look for pictures. This is commonly referred to as the ‘deer in headlights’ look. Instinctually you open your eyes really wide when you are scared in order to take in as much of your surroundings as possible so you can see any predators! By slightly squinching your lower eyelids you tighten the muscles around your cheek bones, and that gives the impression of increased confidence.
MOUTH
Approachability comes from the mouth. The bigger the smile you have, the more approachable you are. If you have no mouth movement, you have what is commonly called ‘resting b**** face’. At the very least you must always have a slight smirk to convey that you aren’t a b****. So depending on the personality you want to convey will help you decide how much smile you should have. There is the right balance between laughing, and smirking that a great photographer will aim to get.
EYEBROWS
Last but not least you have your eyebrows which convey intention, emotion, and personality. Eyebrows are the biggest factor for changing expression, and it is commonly the most overlooked thing in headshots. By engaging your brows you will automatically stand out more than everyone else. Downward brow pressure towards the eyes can convey concern or intensity. Raising one eyebrow and lowering the other can look slightly sassy. Raising both can be surprised. You get the point. There are a lot of different ways to move them.
I think anyone can look incredible in pictures. It just takes an expert photographer who can get people to relax, and laugh enough to capture real expressions, or be able to coach them into something interesting.
