Preparing for Your Headshots | Skagit Photographer

Congratulations!

You’ve scheduled your headshot/branding session and you are excited. I know I am!

(If you haven’t scheduled your session yet, what are you waiting for? Go to the Bella Vita Creative website now to learn more!)

You’re probably already thinking about how to prepare and what to wear.

No worries! I have you covered. Below are guidelines to consider. Be assured that these are tried and true…but they are only guidelines and do not necessarily have to be adhered to if they do not suit your personality! First and foremost, I want my clients to be comfortable and authentic to who they are.

Also, keep in mind that these guidelines are for classic, business portraits. I don’t want to scare you with too many “rules.” There are always exceptions. As the saying goes: know the rules before you break them.

Remember, anything that shows off your personal style is best.

When it comes to selecting what to wear for your headshot, anything that represents your personal style will be better than a piece of clothing that follows all the rules. If you love patterns or bright colors, go ahead and wear them, especially if you are in a creative field.

Your headshot doesn’t have to be boring or typical if you don’t fit that description yourself.

Showing off your personality will make your headshot memorable and personal, too.

In addition, branding portraiture that shows subjects in their work environment or at home are not the same as classic headshots.
If you’re not sure which type of portrait you are looking for, let’s chat about it during your pre-consultation. I want to ensure that I’m providing you with the aesthetic you need and desire!

Having said that, if you’re looking for a classic business portrait, read on. I’ve separated this helpful info for women and men. First up, ladies!

Tips for Women’s Headshots

When planning your headshot session, you’ll want to think about the following:

Wardrobe – What to Wear

Consider the style of your wardrobe according to the audience you want to appeal to. Business professionals usually wear suits and/or blazers. If you want to tone down the formality of your portrait, you can certainly wear something more casual. For a standard headshot session, many people prefer to bring at least two different outfits for variety.

Plain, dark clothes are a good choice, as they often make the subject look slimmer and allow the focus to be on the face. You want the viewer to see your face and expression first before other details in the portrait.

Collars & Necklines

Collars are a great detail and provide a way to frame the face in a flattering way. Necklines such as crew neck, cowl, halter, and keyholes work well.

Keep in mind that a classic headshot is cropped at or above the sternum, so the bottom of the neckline needs to be at that level if you want it in the headshot

Scoop or v-neck blouses work well to elongate the neck.

Draped collars look great in person but tend to look too low for headshots.

Turtlenecks and low-cut necklines are not recommended.

If you’re not sure about something, feel free to bring it as an option and ask for a test shot.

Sleeves

Long sleeves are preferred over sleeveless clothing or cap sleeves. The less exposure of skin, legs, and arms, the less distraction for the viewer from your face. In addition, sometimes bra straps can creep into the shot when wearing sleeveless tops.

Colors & Fabrics

Chunky fabrics can make you look heavier, but too thin fabric can show lines through it, so watch the weight of what you are wearing. Textured fabrics tend to photograph well.

In general, shiny clothing can look distracting. That said, certain kinds can work, such as black leather jackets. Silver or white shiny clothing look very bright in photos. If you have something on the shiny side, I recommend asking for a test shot before committing to wearing something shiny for your session.

In general, it’s recommended to stay away from solid white and other pale colors as your main color (pink, pale yellow, light green, sky blue, etc.). They can overexpose and distract from your face and sometimes make your skin tone look paler than it is.

If you really want to wear a pale color, consider wearing a jacket or other darker layer over the pale color. You can leave the jacket open so some of the pale color is visible, but not too much.

Flesh-tones like light yellow, nude, or light tan are generally not recommended. Clothes that contrast against your skin tend to look better.

Look for jewel tones such as: navy, sapphire blue, maroon/burgundy/ruby, purple, mustard, or emerald. These colors look good on just about everyone!

If you want something more neutral, a medium to dark gray also works.

Layers can add more interest and make you look more dynamic and visually appealing.

I suggest wearing complementary colors when layering a jacket over a shirt. Intense combinations might be distracting, so keep your combinations simple.

Some suggestions might be a blue blazer with a red blouse or a light blue shirt under a gray jacket.

Depending on the style of jacket, you might also wear the jacket buttoned or zipped up without a shirt underneath.

One last thing to consider when it comes to colors is whether you have a specific signature color that you always wear. If that’s the case, you should definitely consider wearing your signature color in your headshot as well.

Clothing with logos and busy patterns such as plaids and checks are not recommended for classic headshots. The only patterns that work are subtle ones with a slight variance in color.

In addition, some patterns can cause a phenomenon called “moire” where it looks like there’s a weird pattern showing up on camera that’s invisible in real life but shows in the photograph because of the way the pixels on the camera work.

We want to focus on you!

 

Clothing Fit

Wear clothing that fits well. Baggy clothing actually makes people look heavier than they are in real life and outfits that are too tight will bulge in places. Your clothes don’t need to fit perfectly, but they should fit fairly well.

For a slimmer look, choose form-fitting and figure-hugging clothing. It might seem counter-intuitive, but in real life, we can see how fabric moves around a body, while in a still photograph, we only see the outer shape. This is why arm placement and empty space around the torso will create a flattering pose—without that space, the person appears bigger than they really are. Try to make sure there is not a lot of loose fabric, especially when you sit down.

Don’t worry about pants and shoes unless your photographer plans to do a full body shot.

Dresses

Dresses look great as headshot attire. Often, a dress has a great color or fabric texture that translates well. Heavier fabrics than a standard blouse or shirt look very nice. Use the same guidelines regarding necklines and colors as given above. You could also try a few photos with a blazer over your dress.

Accessories

Necklaces and earrings can be great as an accent or splash of color. If you have a signature necklace that you always wear, by all means, get it in your headshot. Remember that, in most headshots, anything below the sternum gets cropped, so you may want to consider clipping your necklace behind your neck to shorten it if you want it to show in the headshot.

Keep in mind that often, less is more, when it comes to jewelry. Simplicity looks classic and stunning. However, you want to stay with your personality. If you are in a creative field and wear big jewelry, then have at it!

For earrings, a lot depends on your hairstyle. Simple studs or pearls look great with short hair. Longer earrings can work well, too. Also, consider putting longer hair on one side for a few photos and see how it looks.

Scarves

Scarves can add a pop of color. If you wear them frequently, get a few photos with a scarf. I usually like to show some of the garment underneath so it doesn’t seem as if you aren’t wearing anything but a scarf! When tying your scarf, keep in mind that only the upper part at the front will be showing in your headshot.

Glasses

If you wear glasses, you can keep them on during the shoot or do some photos with and without them. Be sure to tilt the lenses down a bit and lift the sides up slightly off your ears to reduce glare.

If you have multiple eyeglass frames, particularly colorful ones, bring them. Try to coordinate with the rest of your wardrobe. Just make sure that your eyeglasses are clean and in good repair.

Make-up

I recommend all of my clients wear make-up for their session! Yes, even women who never or rarely wear make-up. Make-up and hairstyling make a huge difference in the success of your portrait shoot.

Why? The studio lighting tends to wash out everyone, no matter their skin tone. We don’t want you looking like one of the Walking Dead (no offense), under the studio lighting. Even if you opt for very light make-up, you will appreciate looking more vibrant (as opposed to pale), in your photos.

I work with experienced make-up artists and hairstylists who I can recommend prior to your session. And when you are done with your session, you can go out later for a date night!

I am going to go out on a limb and say that having professional hair and make-up will make more of a difference to your headshot than clothing. The bottom line is that I want you to be comfortable and enjoy yourself!

Hair

It’s not a good idea to have your hair cut or colored right before your headshot session. If you plan to do it, try to do it a week or two ahead.

Think about how you normally wear your hair. If you have naturally curly hair 90% of the time, don’t straighten it for your headshots. People won’t recognize you.

Ultimately, your personality and your brand need to shine through. When potential clients see your photo, they are going to form an opinion about whether they will like or trust you enough to work with you. That’s why it’s so important to pay a little extra attention to your hair and make-up before your professional headshot session.

Last Tips

Lastly, be sure your clothing is clean and well pressed for your photo session.

Stand in front of your mirror dressed in your photo shoot attire and make sure that you can move comfortably in your clothing. (If the only pose you’re comfortable with involves crossing your arms and that blazer is too snug to make it work, you won’t be a happy camper!)

Get a good night’s sleep before your session and make sure you are well hydrated (gee, I sound like your mom, don’t I?).

Tips for Men’s Headshots

As with women, you will need to determine your audience when deciding how formal to dress for your headshot.

Business casual dominates the modern landscape and yet, we still see many folks opting for a suit and tie.

Ask yourself: who is my audience? If you are looking for a job in management, you should consider wearing a jacket in your photo. Whether or not you wear a tie will depend on your audience. Many lawyers wear a tie when they appear in court, so a litigating attorney may want to opt for a tie.

Folks in the financial industry who work internationally often opt for ties. Some organizations and conferences like neckties in the headshots for their speakers. You know your audience. Choose what speaks best to them.

When choosing your wardrobe combinations, I recommend staying away from huge patterns in your tie and shirt. Solid shirts with a small patterned tie look very sharp.

Make your statement with your colors rather than patterns. A shirt in light blue, lavender, or gray works very well with a darker tie. A red or dark blue tie works well with a blue or light gray shirt. Consider purple with the lavender shirt. A white shirt can work as well and almost any color tie looks good with it. Another color combination that looks surprisingly good is an orange necktie with blue, gray, or white.

If you are wearing a striped shirt with a tie, look at the spacing on the shirt stripes and try to match it with a pattern with similar width for your necktie or consider a solid color tie. A striped tie looks better with a solid color shirt.

For your jacket, medium gray and blue work very well. Black or navy can work, but the detail of the jacket will be very dark in the final photo. A small pinstripe or chalk stripe is fine.

Try to coordinate the width of your tie with the width of your lapels. For example, if you are wearing a modern, narrow lapel jacket, go with a narrower tie. If your lapels are more traditional, then do not wear a skinny tie. The best knot for most ties is a Windsor knot.

I recommend getting a few shots without the tie at the end of your session. Some of my clients are required to have a tie in their company headshot, but prefer having a less formal photo for their LinkedIn or Facebook profiles.

Jacket without a Necktie

Those choosing not to wear a necktie can still look very executive without a tie. You can be a little more daring with the pattern and colors. A dark blue solid shirt can look very sharp under a lighter gray jacket. Some bolder stripes or checks can work as well. This is your opportunity to show a little creativity, especially if you are in a more creative field like art direction or marketing.

Fun options exist on jackets these days as well. Unstructured jackets can look very nice in a headshot. Make sure you pair those with a less traditional shirt, perhaps opting for something with a looser fabric weave.

Polo shirts under jackets are not really recommended, as the collars don’t lay well. However, you can wear a t-shirt under your blazer (just stay away from white and v-neck shirts). Wear something with a medium tone of gray, blue, or any jewel or primary colors.

Speaking of t-shirts, do not plan to wear a t-shirt under an open-collared shirt. This results in a very distracting white triangle that draws the eye first when viewers look at your photo.

A Shirt with No Jacket

If you aren’t wearing a jacket, wear a collared, button-up shirt. It draws less attention to the neck and helps frame your face. Dress shirts work better than polo shirts. Solid color shirts work best when you aren’t wearing a jacket. Black is not ideal and white is definitely not recommended.

Stripes or patterned shirts are not recommended when you aren’t wearing a jacket. They tend to be distracting and work better under a jacket.

Other Tips

Clean, freshly-pressed shirts look sharp. (Please don’t wear a rumpled shirt and expect it to be fixed in post processing, however.)

Newer shirts that aren’t faded and don’t have frayed edges on the collars are a must. You might even consider bringing collar stays for your shirt to keep the collars from curling up.

Try your clothes on before coming to the photo shoot. Make sure they fit. Button that top button if you plan to wear a tie. If it chokes you, it is too small. If you can fit two or three fingers between your collar and neck when it is buttoned, it is too big. If the shirt does not fit, it will show in your headshot.

If you are having a more full body portrait, match the pants to the jacket or wear a suit. Wear a nice belt. If your feet are showing, shine your shoes or clean your sneakers.

Make sure your eyeglasses are clean and in good repair. Wear your glasses in your photo if you usually wear them in your business dealings. (Better yet: have a few photos taken with your glasses both on and off for some variety.)

If you need a haircut, plan to visit the barber or hairstylist several days before your headshot so your hair has a chance to settle in and look natural.

Lastly, make sure if you have a late afternoon photo session that you shave, particularly if you have dark whiskers. Men with beards might consider trimming up the beard as well.

For both men and women

Many people tell me that they aren’t photogenic, hate photo sessions, and/or don’t know how to pose.

I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to worry about any of that! Please be assured that these are perfectly natural feelings. Great images happen as a result of pre-planning. Let me take care of the lighting and posing. I will guide and direct you into poses that are the most flattering for you.

You might be surprised that being photographed is actually fun!

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about any of the information I’ve shared and remember, these are only guidelines. More important than anything else is that you are comfortable and that your photos are authentic to who you are.

If you haven’t already scheduled your session, go here to contact Bella Vita Creative.

See you soon!