Tips to prepare for your Professional Headshots
Corporate headshots communicate your brand- and are often the first impression you make on other professionals and potential clients. When you have these photos taken, the ultimate goal is to look polished and professional. After all, these may be used on advertising materials, a company website, and perhaps even within the social media of your company.
Tips for Choosing the Perfect Wardrobe
Wendy strives to create not only an excellent portrait of you, but one that is authentic and true to who you are. Of course, it’s not all up to your photographer! Your wardrobe choices definitely affect the quality of your headshots. If you are not sure what to wear to your headshot session, here are a few helpful wardrobe tips to remember:
Avoid wearing clothing with complex patterns, such as checks or stripes.
Choose solid colors if possible. They have a timeless and classic look.
Avoid horizontal lines in your clothing.
Avoid multiple patterns on different articles of clothing.
Try to avoid bright colors, such as neon, yellow, and red.
Press or steam your clothing so that it is clean and crisp in your photos.
Be sure to choose something you feel confident in. If you don’t have anything that fits well or that you feel your best in, make a quick trip to the store before your headshot session. Remember that you want to give a great first impression in these photos and if your clothing isn’t fitting correctly or isn’t comfortable, it will show.
Tips to Prepare You for Your Session:
Whether you’re having acting headshots or corporate headshots taken, it’s important to be well prepared. Keep the following tips and ideas in mind as you prepare:
Hair: If your hair looks bad, you won’t like your headshots. Since headshots are often used for a year or more, you don’t want to be stuck with headshots that show messy hair. It’s a good idea to wear your hair in the way the way you normally do- just make sure it’s neat. You may even want to consider having a hairdresser do your hair for you to ensure it looks perfect.
Nails: Unfortunately, many people forget to groom their nails, and in some headshots, the hands are visible. It’s important to have clean, well manicured nails. If you will be wearing nail polish, make sure to use colors that coordinate with your clothing or are neutral.
Glasses: If you regularly wear glasses, it’s a good idea to wear them for your photoshoot because you want to be recognizable. However, glare is almost always a problem in photographs. To eliminate the glare and reflections, you can either bring an empty frame, or Wendy will have you remove them for a few photos so that we can seamlessly create a photo with no glare in post-production.
Suntans: In general, don’t overdo the sun for your headshots and avoid sunless tanner on your face, as it can give an orange look to your photos.
Men: What should you wear?
Business Casual or Executive Professional
A great choice for men is always a business suit. It is the typical look for professional executives and can communicate professionalism to those who view it. When choosing a suit, try to choose colors such as navy and grey.
For a more casual look, you can skip the blazer and wear a crisp shirt and tie instead. When choosing a tie, avoid one with over-the-top patterns. Simple is usually best.
If you don’t ever wear a tie to work- skip it! Go with a solid colored dress shirt and slacks.
Overall, consider choosing clothing that you would actually wear to work, and make sure it’s clean, polished, and pressed.
Women: What should you wear?
If you’re having a difficult time choosing what to wear for your corporate headshots, it’s a good idea to consider the clothing you wear to work. Classic business suits are always a great choice for executives, as well as a blouse with pants or skirt.
Try to avoid trendy clothing. Your headshots are a big investment, so you want them to have a classic look that continues to look professional from year to year.
It’s also a good idea to choose fall or winter styles instead of summer clothing, simply because those looks tend to flatter your arms more in photographs.
Overall, consider choosing clothing that conveys your sense of style while remaining professional and representative of your important role in the company.
Company Wardrobe
If you are taking company- specific photos, ask your supervisor if they would like you to wear company attire with a logo or brand- specific image.
For example: If you work for a heating and air conditioning company that does house calls, your photo on a company website or in a brochure needs to be in the same uniform you would wear to a customers home to work on their air conditioning unit so you’re easily recognizable.
As always, make sure that whatever shirt and pants you wear has been cleaned and pressed so that you look professional.
A few other things to remember:
DON’T:
Don’t get a new haircut just before the shoot. Go in at least a week prior to your session.
Don’t wear jewelry that would distract from your face or that looks dated.
Don’t wear a turtleneck (unless its a tried-and-true fabulous look for you) In general, other necklines are more attractive.
Don’t over-do your makeup, and I don’t mean the style of your makeup- I mean the thickness and amount of application on your skin. If you’re nervous about it, call Wendy for a list of recommendations forprofessional Makeup artists who you can book with if you’d like professional makeup before your session.
DO:
Wear darker shades and colors. Dark clothing attracts less attention and puts the focus on your face and eyes.
Gentlemen: if you have a beard, make sure it’s trimmed and oiled before your photo.
Brush your teeth before your shoot!
Be yourself! It’s okay to have fun and let your personality shine through in the photos.
