Getting ready for your headshot session can feel like a lot of pressure. But with a little preparation, you can make sure you’re looking like the best, most hireable version of you--and leave the rest of the work to the photographer! Here are some easily implemented tips for before your next headshot session.
1. Sleep
This is probably the most important--and most overlooked--factor in preparing for photos. A headshot is an opportunity to make a great first impression with a casting director. How would you prepare the night before a big audition? Maybe you’d want to cram in some last minute rehearsal, but most likely, you’d also want to rest and make sure you get plenty of sleep in order to present the best version of yourself the next day.
The same thinking should go into preparing for your headshot. Think of it as a small, controlled way of presenting the best version of yourself before the audition. If you’re exhausted during your headshot session, it’s going to come through in the photos--no matter how much retouching magic your photographer throws at it. They may have tools to get rid of circles under the eyes, bedhead, and other blemishes, but if you’re not mentally present during the shoot, it’s going to be harder to get a captivating shot.
2. Drink lots of water
Okay, actually maybe this is the most important. Or maybe it’s tied with sleep. Regardless, this is one of the easiest things you can do to maximize your return on investment for headshots. Hydrated skin is happy, glowing skin. Again, photographers may have an unimaginable number of retouching tools in their arsenal, but you don’t want to give them reason to get too heavy-handed with this. The point of a headshot is to represent you. Too much skin retouching can dull the features that make your face distinct and special--and you could end up with the photographer’s idealized version of you, and not the real you that casting directors want to see.
Also, don’t forget that water, like sleep, will give you more presence of mind when you’re in the session. Never underestimate the power of water to improve your mood and overall feeling of well-being--things that can’t be adjusted in Photoshop.
3. Don’t wear patterns/graphics (or at least be intentional about doing so)
Rules like this are made to be broken. But if you’re going to break this one, you should be asking yourself two questions: (1) does this specifically reflect who I want to be professionally? and (2) is this going to be diverting attention away from my face?
We are creative people--we love wearing clothing that reflects our personality, and often our favorite outfits are the ones that make us feel the most unique. And when preparing for a headshot session, it seems like our outfit is the only vehicle of expression over which we have definitive control.
It was easy--albeit less fun--in the olden days, when headshots had specific requirements: solid colors, formal, generally conservative, head tilted in such and such way, etc. But headshots have become less rigidly formal over the past few years, and that means you have a lot of agency to decide how you want to come off to the world. You just want to be sure that you’re putting your best foot forward in representing your professional self.
So when you’re deciding what to wear, keep in mind what your goal is--why are you getting headshots? Are you going to primarily use it to apply to prospective gigs? Or will it be your new social media or website image? Who is your target audience? The answers to these questions will give you a clearer mental image of how you want to present yourself in your photos. Perhaps you want to show directors that you are a reliable professional--or maybe you want to engage your followers by showing off your fun and creative side. Or maybe you want to do both--in which case a multiple outfit shoot might work in your favor.
One thing to take into consideration is the technical downside of patterns--many repetitive patterns simply do not come across well in photos. Intricate designs, thin stripes, and checkerboard patterns (to name a few) do not always translate well into the pixelated world, and can sometimes result in unintended trippy visual effects. When in doubt, ask your photographer! Don’t be afraid to send a picture the night before the shoot to make sure your outfit will work. A good photographer will be receptive and give you helpful feedback--after all, being on the same page about outfits will make the experience easier for both of you.
4. Keep it simple
This is an extension on the last bit about outfits, but it also extends to makeup, jewelry, poses, and backdrops. Basically continuing on the theme of you, you, you--you want to ensure that there is as little as possible to distract whoever is looking at your headshot from you.
Makeup: this shouldn’t be much more intensive than what you would wear on a daily basis, and definitely not more than what you would wear to an audition. Remember that the goal is to look like yourself.
Jewelry: the less, the better. Eyes are the window to the soul, so they should be the most brilliant part of the picture--with large sparkly jewelry you stand the risk of outshining yourself.
Poses and backdrops: here is where having a good photographer comes into play. They should go into the shoot with an idea of how you will be standing or sitting, and the angles they want to get. For indoor shoots, you will want a backdrop of one solid, neutral color, which is not the color of your clothes (lest you look like a floating head). Unless you are taking a specific “setting” portrait (e.g. at the piano, or on stage), it is generally not okay to have other objects in the background. For outdoor shoots, avoid the temptation to have a grandiose, “beautiful by itself” backdrop: save those for lifestyle portraits. Keep in mind that you are the only thing we want to focus on in a headshot--the backdrop will be blurred into oblivion anyway, and the last thing you want is to have a blurry skyscraper or tree blob sticking out of your head. My favorite outdoor backgrounds are in parks: mostly non-descript areas with nice greenery and colorful flowers, with a good amount of open space behind the subject. Colorful, lit city streets can be a great option as well.
5. Communicate your needs
Photographers are not mind-readers, and their opinion is not the law. While your photographer may have experience with headshots, and will certainly have useful tips and insights, they don’t necessarily know your specific needs. Remember that your headshot is part of your brand, and you need to advocate for the creative choices you want to make. You know better than the photographer who your target audience is, and the kind of image you want to convey in your photos. Before the shoot, let them know in as much detail as possible what you want to do with the headshots. During the shoot, don’t be afraid to make suggestions or try new things to add your personal flavor. And after receiving your photos, if something doesn’t seem right, let them know!
A successful relationship of any kind is built around accurate, well-communicated expectations. No matter how impressive their portfolio may be, a photographer who is unreceptive to feedback or hard to get a hold of should be a red flag. Your comfort should be the photographer’s number one priority. Not only is making you happy a nice thing to do--it also makes their job easier! When you’re at ease about the process, beautiful pictures might as well take themselves.
If you’re looking to book a photographer for your headshots, and you are in the New York City area, shoot me an email!