How to Prepare for Headshot Photography Session

WHAT TO WEAR FOR A HEADSHOT SESSION

Headshot photography is close and personal. Things that get lost in a full body shot or even a 3/4 shot will be very noticeable in headshots. If you are thinking about updating your professional headshots and trying to figure out what to wear and how to prepare for your session, I have a few useful pointers that will help you to "dress for success".

Clothes

When picking up your outfit keep in mind your brand identity . The way you look should reflect the look and feel of your business. A lawyer usually dresses a bit different from an owner of a beauty salon. Think about the message that you are sending to your potential clients. Do you want to come across as serious, professional, and trustworthy or creative, upbeat and personable?

Dress in clothes that fits you well and avoid baggy clothing. Photographers strive to pose people so there is space between arms and torso to accentuate shape. However, baggy clothing prevents this from happening and, as a result, the client risks ending up looking like a stump in the picture. If you are worried about "too much curvature", is easy to tuck in a fold or unwanted curve in post processing but it is much harder to create shape when there is none.

Pick solid colors for your headshot photo session. Patterns and even stripes tend to look too busy in the pictures and steal the viewers eye from the real star of the show - you! In addition, retouchers would have a hard time trying to tuck in a pesky fold if you are wearing patterns - it is much easier to manipulate solid colors in post processing as they don't show as much where pixels were stretched or pushed together.

The same thing applies to the colors themselves: stick with neutrals, black color and white colors usually work well, grey and blue are also nice. Loud, vivid colors, on the other hand, will draw too much attention to themselves, which is undesirable. Plus, bright and extremely saturated colors in clothing might reflect color on to your face and, as a result, you might appear reddish or greenish in your photos. When my clients do chose to wear bright clothing I always retouch the color cast away.

Stay away from shiny materials - they reflect light, and with its bright and shadowed parts they create an unruly pattern of light and dark. Also, shiny clothing visually adds weight to a person in the photo and emphasizes rolls of fat, love handles and the like.

And finally, I recommend bringing your outfits with you. Inevitably, things will get wrinkled on your drive over to the photo studio, so its better to bring your freshly pressed outfits with you. If you have a hard time choosing what to wear for your photo session, don't hesitate and bring various outfits. I will be happy to help you choose.

Accessories

Keep jewelry to a minimum. I don't want to sound redundant, but, once again, excessive or bright jewelry will scream: look at me, I am more important than the face in the photo! Shiny metals and gemstones also create distracting reflections in the image. In addition, rarely (if ever) does an abundance of accessories communicate professionalism.

If glasses are a part of your image, I suggest investing in antiglare glass - it will help to avoid reflections in your glasses. Make sure that the glass and the frames are free of dirt and smudges.

Most of sunglasses tend to leave marks on the bridge of the nose. Be mindful of that and try to avoid wearing sunglasses right before your photoshoot.

Hair

It might sound surprising but, in most cases, it is better to avoid getting a fresh haircut right before your photoshoot. It is especially relevant if you have short bangs. It is better to schedule your photo session a week or so after a haircut to allow hair to settle down and grow out just a bit.

If you are planning to die your hair before your photoshoot, try to schedule it a few days prior to the session. Hair die usually stains skin (unless you are a blonde) and shows in the pictures - especially in headshots.

Take extra care while shaving prior to your photoshoot if you are a male. Uneven shaving will show in the photos. Nose hair and unwanted facial hair will also be visible in the photos, so try to take care of these but don't worry if you miss some - retouchers will take care of that. Also, if you plan on waxing your facial hair, try to schedule it a couple of days prior to your shoot as waxing can leave noticeable redness in your skin.

Style your hair with care. Hair that looks a bit messy might look lovely in real life but it will look careless and unprofessional in headshots. With that said, don't obsess over every stray hair - stray hairs will be fixed in post-production.

Skin

Drink plenty of fluids 2-3 days prior to your photoshoot. This will help to refresh your skin and fight off dryness and flakiness. Avoid salty foods the day prior to your photoshoot - our bodies tend to retain water when we eat a lot of salty food which, in its turn, can create puffiness in the face and around the eyes.

Try to get plenty of sleep prior to your photo session. This will help to freshen up and rejuvenate your skin.

Avoid prolonged sun exposure a few days before your photoshoot. Too much time in the sun can not only make you look like a freshly cooked crab but it might also lead to strong tan lines on your skin where visible in the photo. For example, sunglasses will often leave white lines running to the ears.

Makeup

By now you probably can predict everything I am going to say here. Just as your clothes, your makeup reflects your brand identity. Excessive makeup will work against you if you are trying to communicate professionalism with your image.

Stick with natural "day makeup" and avoid flashy evening or party makeup.

Speaking of flashy, some lip gloss looks good in professional headshots but shiny eye makeup will serve as a distraction.

If you need a little help with your makeup, think about using a professional makeup artist. My clients often chose to use a makeup artist that I have on set. She also does a wonderful job with styling hair.  More about makeup for headshots here.

To summarize, your headshot reflects so many different aspects of who you are. With your professional headshot you communicate your brand identity, allow the viewer to get a glimpse of your personality, and, most importantly, you invite the viewers to make a first impression of you.  Are you ready to schedule your photo session?  If so, I would love to create an amazing headshot or portrait for you.  Anya Sifton Photography studio is in Frisco, TX.