HEADSHOT GUIDE
CLOTHING
Your headshot is an important first impression. Your clothing is a supporting element—the first thing someone should notice in the image is your face, so think about clothing as secondary.
Choose something you feel confident and comfortable in.
Avoid white and neon colors. These draw too much attention away from your face.
Avoid busy patterns. Small polka dots or flowers are okay, but huge prints are a distraction from your face and may also compete with the background.
Jewelry, if chosen, works best if it’s subtle and not the first thing you might notice when you look at the image.
Choose colors that give some contrast with your skin tone and complement your undertone. More info on this below!
For most headshots, you will not see your feet, so feel free to dress comfortably.
If you’re feeling unsure and need any help, send a few photos of what you’re thinking along to me, and I’d be happy to help you choose something.
COLORS
Cooler undertones tend to look great in deeper, cool colored jewel tones and neutrals. Cooler colors don’t compete with your skin tone or wash you out. You might consider colors like navy, dark purple, maroon, burgundy, forest green.
Neutral undertones can wear pretty much anything. The rule of thumb is to avoid washing yourself out by choosing something too close to your skin color. If you are fair, darker colors look better. If you have a deeper skin tone, you have a lot of flexibility, but I would avoid colors in the exact same color range as your skin— i.e., if you have very tan skin, avoid wearing brownish shades that feel close to your skin color.
Warm undertones look great in muted colors and neutrals. You can think about picking something that contrasts your skin tone both in light/dark and also warmth/cool. We want your skin to pop and look warmer than your clothing. For example, if you have a deep and warm skintone, you might pick something that is medium toned of a color or neutral like royal blue or a charcoal gray.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Sessions typically last about 15-20 minutes, sometimes even faster. I like to be as quick as possible to hone in on what you’re liking but not overshoot so you’re sick of me.
Try to not worry yourself if you’re camera shy or feeling awkward. I am someone that can be self conscious when a camera is present, and my hope is that you feel very taken care of because I truly know how it feels. I have shot hundreds of folks and have seen it all. I’ve got your back.
It’s always so helpful for me to see if you have any photos of yourself you like. This gives me a lot of information on how I can direct you in our session.
I gently retouch images to remove obvious blemishes and ensure you will look your best but still like yourself. If there is something specific you would like me to note, please let me know. For example, if there’s a birthmark you love that could be mistaken for a blemish or a chipped tooth you dislike and want to ask if I can touch up, let me know.
After our session, you will receive a link to a gallery of my selected edited images. This can take anywhere from 3-10 days on average.
