As you know, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Consider what you want your image to say about you. For the most part I hope that you want others to see a confident, positive, friendly, honest and approachable person that they’ll want to meet and do business with.
Tip number one: Check out the photographers work. Do the elements of the images, the way they capture expressions, the lighting, the colors and the angles, look the way you want your images to look?
Tip number two: Get a haircut 3 days to a week before the shoot. This way, the cut will grow in a little and give a more natural look.
Tip number three: Plan your outfit in advance. If anything needs dry cleaning or ironing, take care of it. It is the little things that can throw off a great photo. Wrinkles can be distracting, expensive to retouch and can be taken care of in five minutes with a hot iron.
Tip number four: Wear what you feel comfortable in. Clothing should simply enhance you and your features and keep the focus of attention on your face. A brand new outfit, if it doesn’t fit right or makes you feel awkward, can make you tense. Don’t be too seasonal. Bring a few different outfits. But don’t bring something that you don’t like. Remember that being more conservative for your headshot wardrobe is often better. Stay away from crazy patterns.
Tip number four: Man or woman, I seriously consider booking the services of a professional make up artist who can be on hand throughout your shoot and ensure you’re looking your absolute best. Since you are already investing in the process, don’t you want to protect and optimize your investment?
Tip number five: Get a good night rest and plan your shoot for the morning. Nothing worse than being bleary eyed, puffy and tired during a shoot. For that matter, shooting in the morning helps avoid some of the distractions that can kill a late afternoon shoot.
Tip number six: Don’t be so critical of yourself! We shoot a lot of frames during a session and, often, use the frames we just shot as a reference point for the next series of pictures. Let the photographer give you directions and, if you see something that you hate, relax. Remember to breath. That is only one frame out of …well… a bunch! We’ll shoot more and, if you are open to experimenting, you may find a new look that you hadn’t considered before.
Tip number seven: You have heard it before: Relax! No one has died at one of my photoshoots. My lens has never broken from someone’s image. And no one has ever turned to stone. Breath and enjoy an experience that doesn’t need to happen every day. It’s an adventure!