Yes!! Your clothing likely needs retouching. No I’m not kidding.

I’ve had a few fashion stylists tell me that more inexpensive clothes are cut larger, to fit a larger variety of body types, and more expensive clothes have better cuts and more attention to detail when it comes to styling and fit.  Some people also wear loose fitting clothing in hopes of hiding a few extra pounds, but in the photography world, this strategy is actually a mistake and makes you look larger than you are.

If you have the time for and can afford a hand tailored suit, this would likely look best “on camera” and help you look your best. But this is not always practical.

Enter retouching for your clothing…

We use photoshop to help you give that custom fitted look. It helps you look more polished and put together. Although not obvious to the viewer, it helps them “feel” your attention to detail and professionalism.

This is something that takes time and is of course hard to do with clothing printed with certain patterns. Solid colors work best for this!

This is just one example of a pretty awesome benefit you get from visiting with a professional headshot studio like ours. Sure you can get a quick headshot done at the mall or from a friend with a “nice camera” but it’s highly likely that neither will have the ability to or will think to retouch your clothing. It’s a detail that won’t get overlooked with us and is something we view as important to your success.

Headshots for your most valuable employees?

CEO’s, Managers, and Leaders just about everywhere will attribute much of their success to the hard work of those that work for them. Without a great team of dedicated employees, companies would simply not be able to get the job done and would fall short of meeting their customers needs.

The questions becomes how can these managers and leaders recognize their employees in a meaningful way. I recently had the privilege of photographing some outstanding employees recently for a large corporation. Their manager had the idea to recognize their contribution but placing their photos on the wall in their production facility. This is a cell phone picture of the start of the display and we provided both the photography and the custom red frames to match the companies branding.

This was a fun project for us to work on and we were excited to be able to help recognize these very special employees in this way.

How do you recognize your employees and make them part of your business? Have you considered a photo display in your lobby or work area to honor them?

Tip #1 – Wardrobe

Although “it’s just a headshot” we still want to give careful consideration to what your are wearing. First, we highly recommend bringing a dark colored coat or sweater. We want to keep the focus of the image on your face and both light colored and saturated colored outfits tend to steer the viewers eye away from the face. Similarly, sleeveless blouses from women draw attention to the light colored flesh tones of the arms and can also pull the viewer’s attention away from your face. Therefore, a dark coat or sweater over a light or saturated colored top usually works well, since the colored element is being used sparingly.

Also think about bringing clothing items that are the same color family. For example, various shades of blue or perhaps a more monochromatic look with shades of black and gray.

Lastly, clothes should be in good condition, freshly laundered, and pressed.

Tip #2 – Hair

Bad hair days happen to us all, but don’t let them ruin your photo. Hair is one of the more challenging things to try and fix in post-production and keep looking natural.  Therefore, it is important to manage hair during the photo shoot.

At a minimum, have your hair styled by a professional just before your session. For men, it’s best to get a hair cut a few days before your headshot session to allow the cut to grow in a little. For the ladies, a visit to a stylist or blow out bar right before your shoot is a good tip. The best scenario, is to have a stylist with you at the shoot itself. Not only does a stylist help style your hair at the beginning of the shoot, but they are on hand to do touch ups as needed as the shoot progresses.

Although it is expensive to hire a stylist and MUA, considering most people only get a new headshot every several years, think of it as a sound investment that can be amortized over the life-span of the image.

Tip #3 – Make-up

Great looking makeup is also a key component to a great image. What kind of makeup you use is just as important as how it is applied. Makeup becomes very important if you are prone to oily skin and when looking at skin pores. Blemishes can easily be removed in Photoshop but poorly applied makeup or large oily patches can be hard to address in a natural looking way.

When choosing what makeup products to use, here are some tips to consider.

Not all make-up is “photo friendly.”

• Avoid makeup with SPF included as a component
• Avoid many mineral based powders
• Use Smashbox products or similar brands that are designed for photos and will not reflect the bright studio lights.

Although your regular make-up probably looks great for everyday use, under the bright studio lights some makeup can look washed out or become highly reflective. If you don’t want to buy a whole new line of products, hiring a make-up artist who has a photo friendly kit might be one solution.  

No matter what makeup product you choose, it’s also important to bring your kits with you for some touchup’s during the shoot. Most people find the bright lights tend to wash out their makeup and they end up putting on more than they usually wear to look “normal.”

We hope these three simple tips are helpful when preparing for your headshot session. If you have any additional questions on how to prepare for your session please let us know or leave a comment.
For our East Bay Headshots clients, we provide a “Style Guide” after booking which provides all the above information and more so that you are well prepared for your shoot with us!