Headshots or Personal Branding
Session Guide
I'm so glad that you've booked your business headshots or personal branding portrait session with me. We are going to create some beautiful portraits that will help you to project your very best image. As a Calgary headshot photographer I want to make sure that that you are properly prepared for your photo shoot so I can capture you looking and feeling your best, so here are a few tips I hope will help you get ready for your session.
What to Wear to Your Session
Clothing Style
For a business or personal branding session I recommend coming prepared for three different looks - formal business, contemporary classic, and one of your choice. With this in mind, here are some guidelines to help you choose your outfits:
Bring one outfit that would be what you would wear in your more formal business setting. Select a suit or outfit that has a professional look. Something appropriate for an interview or important client meeting is ideal. A layered look with a jacket is perfect!
Bring one outfit that is more classic such as a tailored dress, or cocktail dress, or a dressy top and pants.
Bring two outfits of your choice. These outfits can vary depending on the image you are trying to project in your portraits. These outfits can be glamorous and elegant, or casual and comfortable, or a combination. If you aren't sure it's probably best to bring a few more contemporary classic outfits. We probably won't use both of these outfits, but it will give us some extra choices if we need them.
Choose fitted clothing. This is very important! Fitted clothing is more flattering in photographs than loose, flowing clothing. This is true for everyone, but even more so if you are a bit more curvy.
Necklines: V-necks look good on most women and accentuate the neck, creating a slimming effect. Just make sure the neckline does not plunge too low. Simple scoop necks are also acceptable. However, do not wear turtle necks, bows, or ties because they will make you look like you have no neck. Blouses with ruffles, or excessive bulk around the neckline can draw to much attention to your bust line, which will make you appear wider in your portraits. I also discourage bringing scarves.
Sleeve length: Avoid short sleeves and sleeveless tops for your formal business portrait. This is not considered a “professional” look. Business portraits look best without bare arms. You can however wear a short top underneath a jacket or cardigan, just make sure the arms are covered for portraits. If you want to vary your sleeves feel free to do so in your classic outfit and other optional outfits.
Bring well fitting undergarments that are appropriate for each outfit that you bring.
Business portraits look best with no jewelry at all, or something small, classic, and not very reflective or flashy. Do not wear dangly earrings. Again, you may want to save the jewelry until your optional outfits, but even then be careful not to make them too large or chunky or they will draw attention away from your face.
For indoor portraits you will not be wearing shoes so don't worry about bringing them. For outdoor portraits, bring comfortable walking shoes along with shoes to match your outfits.
The day before your session make sure you try on your outfits to make sure everything fits and looks great. Make sure that your clothing is cleaned, ironed, de-linted, etc.
Clothing Color
For Business Portraits and Personal Branding Portraits I generally use neutral colored backdrops, so most clothing colors will work well. Here are a few colors that I know photograph well and match my style and backdrops.
Dark, such as black, navy, or charcoal. I highly recommend bringing at least one dark outfit because they are flattering and work well with everyone. A dark suit jacket works great for the corporate portrait and a black cocktail dress is an excellent choice for your classic look.
Color. Most colors photograph well, except for hot neon colors so please avoid those colors. Some examples of colored clothing would be, a colored blouse under a suit jacket for a formal business portrait, a colored dress for a classic portrait, or jeans and a colored top for a more casual look.
Light and ethereal, such as light shade of nude, blush, light pink, white, cream, etc. These colors look beautiful in fabrics that are sheer, gauzy, or soft and are especially great colors if you want to project a soft, feminine image. Some examples of using light ethereal colors would be a light colored suit jacket along with a neutral colored blouse to create a softer business portrait. A light colored lace or chiffon dress would be lovely for your classic look. A sheer blouse layered over a tank top along with dress pants or leggings, or a gauzy blouse with jeans makes a great casual look.
Sparkly. Gold, silver, black, grey, champagne colors are lovely. This is a perfect choice if you would like to project a more elegant or glamorous image. Sparkly outfits work best for your classic or optional outfits. Some ideas include a beaded cocktail or evening gown, a glittery top or cardigan with dress pants, a sequin tank with leggings, or even a sparkly scarf or shawl that can be draped over a more neutral colored dress.
Please bring only solid color clothing. Patterns and prints are too distracting. They take attention away from your face and your eyes in the portrait. Instead, choose clothing with texture, such as beading, lace, or embroidery. This adds visual interest to your portrait without taking attention away from your face. Wearing layers is also another way to add visual interest. A patterned blouse under a suit jacket is fine.
If you are bringing a suit or suit jacket please bear in mind that clothing with tight grids or a small herringbone pattern can have a moiré pattern effect on camera, so stay away from grid-like patterns. Thin stripes are okay.
For other clothing ideas and tips, please see my Pinterest page.
Inspiration & Ideas
Colleen needed updated headshots for her corporate website. Her company colors were red and white so she wore those colors, as well as neutrals that would match. She also did some elegant and casual portraits for herself to give as gifts. Colleen had her hair and makeup done by my stylists.
Blessie was starting her own business and needed some headshots for her new website. Her website was going to be very minimalist so she chose to wear neutrals. We were able to mix and match several of her outfits so we were able to create a wide variety of looks. She also chose to do a few casual portraits for herself and her family. Blessie had her hair and makeup done by my stylists.
Anita was starting her own business and needed professional portraits for her new website, and to update her LinkedIn profile. She had blue on her website so she chose colors that would match. She wanted to look professional yet warm and approachable so we did a variety of clothing changes from formal business to dressy, to casual. She has lots of options to choose from. Anita had her hair and makeup done by my stylists.
Maggie just got a promotion at work and needed new headshots for her corporate website and to update her LinkedIn profile. She wanted to stay with neutral colors so that her portraits would be very versatile. Her first three looks were formal and business casual. For her last look she brought an elegant dress and we created some portraits for her to give as gifts. Maggie had her hair and makeup done by my stylists.
Tammy had this session gifted to her! She started with a professional look and a neutral headshot that she could use for her professional social media. She also did two other looks, one dressy and one casual and soft. Tammy had her hair and makeup done by my stylists.
Rosemarie came in for portraits to treat herself so she had fun creating a variety of looks that she could use for a variety of purposes. Her first look was a professional look. She also loves color so she wore a bright pink top which is a great casual business look. Her next look was an elegant dress and her final look was a soft, feminine casual outfit. Rosemarie had her hair and makeup done by my stylists.
Hannah needed images she could use to build her personal brand on Instagram. Her color scheme is has a lot of white, pink and blue. She wanted multiple images that had a similar look and feel that she could spread out over time on her Instagram feed. She wore one casual outfit that matched her brand and we created multiple poses for her. Hannah did her own hair and makeup for this session.
Ziga came to see me for headshots she needed for a contest she wanted to enter. She wore neutral colored clothing that would look great on several different background colors. Ziga had her hair and makeup done by my stylists.
Katie needed headshots for a dance school application. She wore two outfits on three different colored, yet neutral backgrounds. Katie had her hair and makeup done by my stylists.
Ann needed business portraits for her business website. She chose to do her portraits outside, so she only wore one outfit. To change up her look we did a variety of poses in a variety of different locations. The neutral colored outfit she chose was perfect to wear in a natural or cityscape environment. Ann did her own hair and makeup for this session.
Sharon wanted some new headshots for her website and her social media posts. We did her session in downtown Calgary during the summer and were able to go to two different locations. One was a plain wall for some neutral headshots, then we went to a garden area for more headshots and some other branding images. Sharon did her own hair and makeup for her session. She also wore one outfit but brought jackets and a hat to quickly change her look.
Other Preparations
Personal Grooming
Professional makeup is included in your session, but some people prefer to do their own. I cannot stress enough the importance of wearing makeup to your portrait session. It really does make a huge difference in how your portraits will look. If you don't normally wear makeup that's okay, however I highly recommend that as a minimum you wear a good foundation (not a tinted moisturizer) to even out your skin tone and cover any blemishes, as well as lip balm to make your lips look soft and moisturized. If you have chosen to do your own makeup please see my Makeup Tips page for additional information.
If you have chosen to use my professional makeup artist, please arrive to your session with a clean, lightly moisturized, but make-up free face, ready for the make-up artist to work her magic.
Professional hair styling (a wash and style) is also included in your session, but if you prefer to do your own I recommend wearing your hair in a style that is normal for you. Keep in mind that if we are doing an outdoor session that Calgary can be a windy place, so take that into consideration and come prepared for fix ups.
Haircuts should be done at least 2 weeks before your session. This gives your hair to grow back slightly. I don't recommend making any drastic changes at this time. Just stick with a trim and a color touch up if necessary. Don’t color your hair right before the shoot. Freshly colored hair can look too vibrant and unnatural on camera- drawing more attention to your hair than your face. Colored hair looks more natural after 1-2 weeks’ worth of shampooing.
Prepare for your portraits by taking care of yourself in the week leading up to your photo session. Avoid drinking alcohol or smoking, and drink plenty of water for a few days and on the day of your session. This will make your skin very hydrated to fill in lines and wrinkles, undereye circles, and give you a healthy glow. Get plenty of sleep the night before your photo so you're rested and ready to go.
Exfoliate! It will smooth your skin if you exfoliate a few times the week before your session, but DO NOT exfoliate on the day of your session! Use moisturizer on your skin daily, even your hands. Also use lip balm regularly the week before your session. This will also make you look healthy and glowing for your photographs.
Don't worry about any pimples or skin flare ups. These things happen! Having a great makeup application will hide any imperfections, plus your images will be fully retouched, so your skin will look beautiful in your finished portraits!
Tweeze your brows the day before your session.
If you want to whiten your teeth before your session, start as early as possible and use a natural whitening method, or have your teeth whitened with your dentist. If you don't have time, then rest assured that your finished portraits will be retouched which includes subtle teeth whitening.
Do not apply self-tanner. It will make your skin look orange in your portraits. If you normally get a spray tan book it a couple of days before your session.
Don't shave on the day of your session. If you want smooth legs and arm pits, shave 2-3 days before your session to give your skin time to recover before your session.
Don't forget about your nails. Get, or give yourself a mani-pedi. Choose natural or neutral colors that will go with all of your clothing and not be distracting.
Come to your session wearing something casual and comfortable, and bring the clothing you want to wear during your session separately. I also recommend coming to your session in a top, or blouse that zips or buttons up so that you can easily remove it once your hair and makeup are finished.
What to Bring To Your Session
Any additional clothing and accessories that we discussed in your pre-session consultation.
Your lipstick, and your lip balm or lip gloss for touch ups.
I sometimes use fresh flowers as props, and I always bring water and snacks, so if you have any allergies I need to be aware of please let me know.
Any personal props you would like included in your photograph, such as cell phone, laptop, books, etc.
For outdoor photo shoots please bring a comb, or hair brush and hairspray for touch ups. For in-studio photo shoots I’ll have these supplies on hand.
For outdoor photo shoots please bring comfortable shoes for walking. We will be walking around to various locations during your session so if you are not wearing shoes that are suitable for this please bring along an extra pair of comfortable shoes that you can slip into. For in-studio sessions shoes aren’t needed.
For outdoor photo shoots please bring a jacket. Outdoor sessions are scheduled 2 hours before sunset, so by the end of the session it can be cool, even in the summer, so bring a jacket. During the spring and especially in the fall the weather can be changeable here in Calgary, so please dress for the weather. You probably don't want to be photographed in bulky sweaters and coats, but bring one along so that you can slip into it when there is some down time during your session. I want you to be comfortable!
For outdoor photo shoots please be aware that your session will take place in fields with grass and various trees and flowers, so if you have any allergies you may want to take allergy medication before the session.
For in-studio sessions please be aware that cats live in my home, and although they won’t be around during your photo shoot you may be sensitive so please take medication or bring it with you. You don't want to be sneezing, itching and have red, watery eyes during your session.