PREPARING FOR YOUR HEADSHOT PHOTO SESSION

Headshots are used in a multitude of professional capacities, and even more so nowadays with social media and the explosion of professional websites. With people’s ever-shrinking attention span with the online world, it’s important to get a quality headshot that speaks volumes about yourself in a positive way. 

A headshot is your way of saying, “Hii” to the world before having the chance to come face to face with oncoming clients. This makes a headshot one of the most important business tools of the 21st century. 

Clothing Choices

The clothing you pick for your shoot should reflect your personality as well as the personality of the brand you represent. Here are a few tips for selecting what to wear: 

• Solid colours are usually a better choice than patterns in photos. However, if you are choosing a pattern, stay away from anything bold or distracting. 
• If you’re going to be shooting on a white background, wear something that will contrast. If shooting on a dark background, wear something bright. 
• Bring a few clothing changes clothes to the shoot. Ideally, bring clothing that is fitted, but loose enough to allow you to move freely!  
• It’s immensely time-consuming to Photoshop wrinkles out of clothing, your photographer may not even do it because of this. Save yourself the headache by ironing and pressing all your clothes before your shoot.  
• A lint roller would also be a good idea to bring along to deal with any fluff or hair you unintentionally pick up.

Styling Your Hair

Your hair is attached to your personality and a big part of your first impression. The tips below will help you nail your signature look: 

• Take a hairbrush with you plus some hairspray to deal with any cowlicks or fly-aways. Bringing product/hair gel is also a good option for styling on the fly as well. 
• Going in to get your hair styled at a hair salon before your shoot is a great choice if you really want to get a specific style done right.  
• If you choose to do your own hair, stick with a style you know how to do. The more tamed your hair is, the cleaner your headshot will look. 

Tips for Touching Up With Makeup

• Understand that it’s easy for the photographer to take out anything that isn’t permanent. Natural skin is significantly easier to edit than too much makeup, so start there first, then work on covering up any blemishes. 
• Feel free to add more makeup as you progress through the shoot. Wait to try eyeshadow and darker shades of lipstick until later in the shoot. 
• Avoid using matte styles of makeup. Their properties tend to dry out the skin. 
• In the event your skin feels dry, bring your own moisturizer and lip balm. It’s also a good idea to bring your own makeup in case you need slight adjustments. 
• Brush your lips with your toothbrush the evening before your shoot to remove any lingering dead skin. Lightly exfoliating the face and body can also be beneficial. 
• Avoid intense beauty regimens leading up to your photoshoot, things like tanning or peels could make your skin look irritated. 
• Shave off any hair you don’t want showing up in your photos a couple of days ahead of your shoot date. 
• For men, not only should you shave right before you head off to your shoot, but you should also clean up any upper or lower lip hair. Don’t forget to use aftershave after shaving to help with razor burn.  
• Photoshoots are not known to be cold, in fact, the opposite is usually true. Grab some towels or sweat/oil absorbing sheets to deal with studio lights. These can be bought at nearly any store that sells makeup or face products. 
• Pick up some eye drops to keep your eyes moisturized, and leave the coloured contact lenses at home. They’ll only end up looking unnatural. 
• If you have the budget for it, a makeup artist can help you with all the aforementioned prep work.