I’m so glad that you’ve booked your business headshots or personal branding portrait session with me. We are going to create some beautiful portraits that will help you to project your very best image. I want to make sure that that you are properly prepared for your photo shoot so I can capture you looking and feeling your best, so here are a few tips I hope will help you get ready for your session.
What to Wear to Your Session
Clothing Style
Everyone’s number one question is WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?? My number one recommendation is to wear clothing that you LOVE and feel BEAUTIFUL wearing.
For a headshot or business branding session I recommend coming prepared for three different looks – at least one of them should be an outfit that best represents you in your typical work/business setting, and the rest are your own personal choice. With this in mind, here are some guidelines to help you choose your outfits:
· Professional- Select a suit, or outfit that has a professional look. Something appropriate for an interview or important client meeting is ideal. A layered look with a jacket is perfect!
· Classic – Select an outfit that is less formal, but would be considered dressy, such as a tailored dress, or cocktail dress, or a dressy blouse and pants.
· Casual – Select a relaxed outfit that represents your brand. Anything goes here. Jeans and a t-shirt, athletic wear, boho, feminine, etc.
· Choose fitted clothing. I recommend bringing fitted or tailored clothing to your session as it helps to show off your shape and because loose flowing clothing can tend to add extra bulk. However, this is just a guideline. Choose clothing that your are comfortable in and that makes you look and feel your best.
· Bring additional layering pieces. For example, if you choose to wear a formal business suit, bring an extra cardigan or jacket so that we can change up your look quickly and easily.
· Necklines: V-necks look good on most women and accentuate the neck, creating a slimming effect. Simple scoop necks are also great. I don’t recommend turtle necks, bows, scarves, or ties because the goal is to elongate your neck.
· Sleeve length: For a business look I recommend avoiding short sleeves and sleeveless tops because bare arms will draw attention away from your face. You can however wear a short top underneath a jacket or cardigan. If you want to vary your sleeves feel free to do so in your personal shots or optional outfits.
· Undergarments: Bring undergarments that are the appropriate fit and color for each outfit that you bring.
· Jewelry: Wear what you love and what reflects your style. Typically though business portraits look best with no jewelry at all, or something small, classic, and not very reflective or flashy. I also recommend avoiding large, dangly earrings. The goal is to not draw attention away from your face.
· The day before your session make sure you try on your outfits to make sure everything fits and looks great. Make sure that your clothing is cleaned, ironed, de-linted, etc. Feel free to bring extra clothing so you have options on the day of your session.
Clothing Color
For Business Portraits and Personal Branding Portraits I generally use neutral colored backdrops, so most clothing colors will work well. Here are a few colors that I know photograph well and match my style and backdrops.
· Dark, such as black, navy, or charcoal. Dark outfits are typically flattering and work well with every body type. A dark suit jacket works great for the corporate portrait and a black cocktail dress is an excellent choice for a classic look.
· Color. Most colors photograph well, except for hot neon colors so please avoid those colors. Some examples of colored clothing would be, a colored blouse under a suit jacket for a formal business portrait, a colored dress for a classic portrait, or jeans and a colored top for a more casual look.
· Light and ethereal, such as light shade of nude, blush, light pink, white, cream, etc. These colors look beautiful in fabrics that are sheer, gauzy, or soft and are especially great colors if you want to project a soft, feminine image. Some examples of using light ethereal colors would be a light colored suit jacket along with a neutral colored blouse to create a softer business portrait. A light colored lace or chiffon dress would be lovely for a classic look. A sheer blouse layered over a tank top along with dress pants or leggings, or a gauzy blouse with jeans makes a great casual look. One thing to keep in mind is to choose light toned bottoms as well. Wearing a light colored top with black or dark bottoms will create a lot of contrast that will distract from your face in the portrait.
· Sparkly. Gold, silver, black, grey, champagne colors are lovely. This is a perfect choice if you would like to project a more elegant or glamorous image. Sparkly outfits work best for your classic or optional outfits. Some ideas include a beaded cocktail or evening gown, a glittery top or cardigan with dress pants, a sequin tank with leggings, or even a sparkly scarf or shawl that can be draped over a more neutral colored dress.
· Choose solid color clothing. Patterns and prints are distracting and will take attention away from your face and your eyes in the portrait. Instead, choose clothing with texture, such as beading, lace, or embroidery. This adds visual interest to your portrait without taking attention away from your face. Wearing layers is also another way to add visual interest. A patterned blouse under a suit jacket is fine. If you are bringing a suit or suit jacket please bear in mind that clothing with tight grids or a small herringbone pattern can have a moiré pattern effect on camera, so stay away from grid-like patterns. Thin stripes are okay.
· For other clothing ideas and tips, please see my Pinterest Page.
Personal Grooming
· Professional makeup can be added to your session, but some people prefer to do their own. I cannot stress enough the importance of wearing makeup to your portrait session. It really does make a huge difference in how your portraits will look. If you don’t normally wear makeup that’s okay, however I highly recommend that as a minimum you wear a good foundation (not a tinted moisturizer) to even out your skin tone and cover any blemishes, as well as lip balm to make your lips look soft and moisturized.
· If you have chosen to use my professional makeup artist, please arrive to your session with a clean, lightly moisturized, but make-up free face, ready for the make-up artist to work her magic.
· Professional hair styling (a wash and style) can also be added to your session, but if you prefer to do your own I recommend wearing your hair in a style that is normal for you. Keep in mind that if we are doing an outdoor session that locations can be a windy, so take that into consideration and come prepared for fix ups.
· Haircuts should be done at least 2 weeks before your session. This gives your hair to grow back slightly. I don’t recommend making any drastic changes at this time. Just stick with a trim and a color touch up if necessary. Don’t color your hair right before the shoot. Freshly colored hair can look too vibrant and unnatural on camera- drawing more attention to your hair than your face. Colored hair looks more natural after 1-2 weeks’ worth of shampooing.
· Prepare for your portraits by taking care of yourself in the weeks leading up to your photo session. Get started on a good skin care routine if you don’t already have one.
· Exfoliate! It will smooth your skin if you exfoliate a few times the week before your session, but DO NOT exfoliate on the day of your session! Use moisturizer on your skin daily, even your hands. Also use lip balm regularly the week before your session. This will also make you look healthy and glowing for your photographs.
· Don’t worry about any pimples or skin flare ups. These things happen! Having a great makeup application will hide any imperfections, plus your images will be fully retouched, so your skin will look beautiful in your finished portraits!
· Avoid drinking alcohol or smoking, and drink plenty of water for a few days and on the day of your session. This will make your skin very hydrated to fill in lines and wrinkles, undereye circles, and give you a healthy glow. Get plenty of sleep the night before your photo so you’re rested and ready to go.
· Tweeze your brows the day before your session.
· If you want to whiten your teeth before your session, start as early as possible and use a natural whitening method, or have your teeth whitened with your dentist. If you don’t have time, then rest assured that your finished portraits will be retouched which includes subtle teeth whitening.
· Do not apply self-tanner. It will make your skin look orange in your portraits. If you normally get a spray tan book it a couple of days before your session.
· Don’t shave on the day of your session. If you want smooth legs and arm pits, shave 2-3 days before your session to give your skin time to recover before your session.
· Don’t forget about your nails. Get, or give yourself a mani-pedi. Choose natural or neutral colors that will go with all of your clothing and not be distracting.
· If you have chosen to add professional hairstyling and makeup come to your session wearing something casual and comfortable, and bring the clothing you want to wear during your session separately. I also recommend coming to your session in a top, or blouse that zips or buttons up so that you can easily remove it once your hair and makeup are finished.
What to Bring To Your Session
· Any additional clothing and accessories that we discussed in your pre-session consultation.
· Your lipstick, and your lip balm or lip gloss for touch ups.
· I sometimes use fresh flowers as props, so if you have any allergies I need to be aware of please let me know.
· Any personal props you would like included in your photograph, such as cell phone, laptop, books, etc.
· For outdoor photo shoots please bring a comb, or hair brush and hairspray for touch ups. For in-studio photo shoots I’ll have these supplies on hand.
· For outdoor photo shoots please bring comfortable shoes for walking. We will be walking around to various locations during your session so if you are not wearing shoes that are suitable for this please bring along an extra pair of comfortable shoes that you can slip into. For in-studio sessions shoes aren’t needed.
· For outdoor photo shoots please bring a jacket. Outdoor sessions are scheduled 2 hours before sunset, so by the end of the session it can be cool, even in the summer, so bring a jacket. During the spring and especially in the fall the weather can be changeable here in Calgary, so please dress for the weather. You probably don’t want to be photographed in bulky sweaters and coats, but bring one along so that you can slip into it when there is some down time during your session. I want you to be comfortable!
· For outdoor photo shoots please be aware that your session can take place in fields with grass and various trees and flowers, so if you have any allergies you may want to take allergy medication before the session.
· For in-studio sessions please be aware, we are a pet friendly home. Although they won’t be around during your photo shoot you may be sensitive so please take medication or bring it with you. You don’t want to be sneezing, itching and have red, watery eyes during your session.
I hope this session guide has helped you! If you want a second opinion on your clothing choices just give me a call, or feel free to take a quick photo of the clothing you are planning to wear and email it to me. If you have questions about what to bring, or anything else, just let me know. I can’t wait to photograph you!