Headshot Guide
Purpose
One of the most important things to consider before taking a headshot is its purpose. What will the headshot be used for? This will dictate the choices you will make with everything else below. Will it be used for an audition for a cosmetic commercial? In which case, you would want white hi-key, flat lighting, and lighter color wardrobe. Or are you the CEO of a luxury suit company? In which case, you would be better suited with dark low-key, dramatic lighting, and darker wardrobe choices. You can imagine how drastic those differences are which is why it is important to know your purpose beforehand.
Wardrobe
When it comes to wardrobe, the simpler the better. Try to stick to solid colors and avoid loud colors and patterns. If you look at an image and your eyes are strongly drawn to the clothes, then you know it is working against you. A headshot is about your face and expression. Your wardrobe should compliment that. If you have a light complexion, try darker shades of clothing. Do the opposite if you have a darker complexion. This will create contrast and help bring your face to the center of attention. This again goes back to the purpose. For women, solid color tops and blouses are recommended for business headshots while anything goes for an acting headshot where you want to dress for the type of roles you want to play. We recommend to bring multiple outfit options to try out.
Makeup
When we are working with Make Up Artists, they know to start minimal at the beginning of the shoot because we can always add more makeup for different looks as the shoot progresses. This is what we recommend to people who do their own make-up for shoots. Come in with a natural look and add more makeup if you desire a different look. Men can use makeup sparingly too to help conceal some blemishes and imperfections.
Hair
Styling your hair makes a great deal of difference for a headshot. Hairstyle is such and individualized thing that we do not like to recommend any specific look. Style your hair the way you would normally but go just an extra level above. For men we do recommend adding product to your hair. A little goes a long way. For women with long hair, we recommend to avoid ponytails and buns.
Accessories
We recommend taking your headshot without very minimal accessories. Accessories are nice but they can draw unwanted attention away from your face. Remember what the picture is about, it is not an earring commercial. Stick to simpler accessories.
Style
By style, we are referring to lighting style and background choices. There is a lot of flexibility here and again it all depends on the purpose of your headshot. Make sure that your photographer explains to you the differences in lighting and what effect they achieve. With studio backdrops, stick to neutral colors (white, grey and black). We do not shoot with colored backgrounds such as blue and brown unless they are part of your brand colors. We recommend neutral backdrops for a clean look that draws all focus to you. We recommend natural or on-location backdrop if you want more context and story to your headshot.
Other Tips
Stay hydrated and get a good amount of sleep the day before your headshot
Shoot with a headshot photographer, not a photographer
It’s all about the eyes! When taking and choosing a headshot. Pay attention to what your eyes are saying
Don’t be afraid to try different expressions. Not all of them will work but you won’t know what will if you don’t try
Make sure to review the images with your photographer before leaving a session