INDIVIDUAL HEADSHOTS

1. Remember, these are YOUR photos and should represent who you are in whatever profession you are in, while also showing your personality. Your headshot is your first impression and enables you to attract your potential employer or next customer. For example, if you love hot pink but are pursuing a traditional industry, wear your pink as an accessory.

• If your industry is casual, don’t wear a suit but don’t wear casual Friday attire either.

• If you are a florist, wear a print and style yourself creatively in terms of hair, make-up, and accessories.

• If you are young and starting a career in business or marketing, consider neutral colors with an accessory that you can take off for some pictures. Give yourself some variety.

2. COLORS & PATTERNS

We like color when it comes to individual headshots. You don’t have to worry about coordinating with anyone when you are doing individual shots. But if you like to wear black, wear black… remember to let YOUR personality show.

Based on experience, there are a couple of colors we recommend avoiding. We don’t recommend bright orange or red as it creates an odd cast on the skin. We also don’t recommend yellow on most people as it does not look good with their skin and hair coloring.

3. FIT & POSTURE (mostly for the women)

We recommend poses and angles that will be the most flattering for your body and outfit but certain clothing styles look better than others. We recommend trying on your outfit or outfits in front of an honest friend. Get them to look at you from multiple angles. Don’t forget to do a few of you sitting and a few of you standing. Then have them take a quick photo so you can see how you look.

Loose thick clothing (sweaters) or large sleeves can make your upper body look larger than it actually is. Tight clothing can cling too much to areas and become the focal point of the picture.

I always tell my clients to bring a blazer, cardigan, or layering item so we can style the outfit quickly, provide a variety of photos, and quickly make an outfit more flattering.

For posture, we recommend wearing a wedge or heel. They help most women stand taller and more confident. See the disclaimer about this down below in the Team Photo section.

COMPANY HEADSHOTS + TEAM PHOTOS

1. BUSINESS PERSONALITY

This seems like a step to look over but it is VERY important. These photos are going to be your first impression and will communicate more than how many people do you have in your company. They are showing personality, quality, and style.

If your business is casual (polos, nice jeans, and cute casual dresses) on a day to day, then that is appropriate for your group/team photo. If you wear suits and professional dress, then you need to stick to that style.

Communicate what you expect of your team. Give an example for both men and women.

2. COLORS & PATTERNS

I always recommend picking 3 colors from the business brand. As you will see with the group below, blues and grays are the brand of the business, and I knew it would look great with their website; however, we did have one employee who needed another color to not only compliment her but that also went well with the navy and grays.

When you ask a group of people to stay within a color palette, make sure to offer 3 colors so that everyone is not in the same color. That way, when I place people for the picture you won’t have clumps of only navy or only white.

3. PRINTS & PATTERNS

I always recommend subtle prints and patterns for team photos. Prints and patterns can easily date a photo within a year. They can also make the photo too seasonal. You want a timeless photo that can be used for awhile.

I recommend avoiding thin dark and white horizontal stripes. It creates a strange effect on the camera and distracts from the person.

4. SLEEVES + SHOES

WOMEN: We recommend women wear sleeves (we know not everyone agrees) for 3 reasons.

1. Cap, short, ¾, or long sleeves are flattering
2. Sleeves are considered more professional
3. Sleeves make the photo current for all seasons of the year

Large kimono sleeves can make the body look larger and most of our clients don’t like those shots.

If the majority of your team members are on the short side, I recommend wearing flats instead of heels or wedge. And the opposite is for my short ladies. If you are on the shorter side, absolutely wear a heel or wedge.

MEN: Decide if you are wearing short sleeves, suit coat/blazer, long sleeve button down. You don’t want one man in a suit coat and rest in polos.

Hair + Make Up

I always strongly encourage hair and make up to be done professionally. If your headshots are scheduled for later in the day, just let your make up artist know, and she will ensure that your makeup looks flawless until the time of your session. If you have to pick hair or makeup, I would definitely go with make up!

I hope this helps, and am looking forward to your headshots!

xoxo,

Kelsey