3 Tips To Help You Book Your Dream Headshot

May 28, 2019

Here is a story; You worked at your job for a while and you definitely are ready to move on - but your LinkedIn profile has seen more active days and your profile photo is from *cough*…a while ago. You are curious to know more about how to prepare for your headshot session.

So, here you are reading this. Good news! This article is here to help.

There are 3 things you need to mostly consider for your dream headshot session and they are all connected under the same umbrella: intent.

Intent is a beautiful thing. It truly is. Intent brings focus to our decisions and actions. Intent hones our perception and becomes a conductive line to our plans. So here’s how we will use intent to help you prepare your headshot session!

Lighting and all it’s wonders!

THE BIG QUESTION: Where do you want to your career to go?

Whether you are building a business, trying to fill your company’s vacant position or taking a higher leadership position in a different company, take a look at what is being done. Find a bridge between your personality and how others in the industry are selling their own brand.

1) A Tip on how to dress for your headshot

Although generally the suit and tie animal is facing general extinction in most industries, take a look at what leaders in other companies are wearing as an outfit in your industry. Typically, I advise my clients of 2 outfits, one relaxed business-like and one casual. Why? There are 2 stances you should have in your profile pictures, one for your public profile on LinkedIn let’s say, and one for internal profile with your teammates and clients.

From casual to….

Corporate!

I offer the explanation to my clients that the casual one mostly serve as looking ‘approachable’ to your team as it is one of the top qualities needed as a leader or as a part of the team.

An example: You work for a tech startup or a company: Visit the Facebook governance wesbite or it’s leadership page if you are in tech if you would like to work there. How is the CEO dressed? How is the CIO dressed? How is the CFO dressed? Take cues from where you want to go and build your brand from there.

But when in doubt, a light colored shirt and a sport jacket works wonders.

BONUS TIP

For make-up, the general rule is to avoid heavy makeup. I recommend to my clients to apply make-up you can typically wear everyday.

2) A tip for an outdoors vs studio photo session

This is one of the most complex decision for you but we have a ways. You should check 3 things.

Intent! Once again, intent is important. If the situation calls for bright colors because this is for a blog about holistic nutrition, then choose the one that fits your brand. In a pinch, nature always does the trick!

If your company policy asks for a specific color, then this is mandatory - we can’t go around it. Any special color might be an additional cost to you in the case you need a purple backdrop let’s say.

I typically recommend a neutral grey for most occasions as they typically fit everywhere. White backdrops can be also a safe bet.

Here is Melanie, a naturopath. We also took studio pictures but it did not work for her goal but these fit great. A lesson to always know what the intent is!

If outside fits your intent better make sure to have a rain check since gloomy weather don’t make for great portraits! Selecting the correct colors that will serve as your backdrop is also important.

BONUS TIP

Lookout for oranges and blues as they typically turn out great.

A nice color backdrop can be the perfect marriage between serious but colorful. Extra bonus points if you are a public personality!

3) A Tip on selecting your photographer!

First thing you should look for is consistency in style and in delivery. Do they all look similar and does the photographer has one or more image that looks like your intent? The you might have found the right one!

If you can get a good sense of how he works by his blog, videos of him and how fast he responds to your emails are typically good indicators of the level of service you should expect.

If your vision requires retouching, it should be natural looking (look for pores) - this should help with keeping makeup light.

BONUS TIP

Bring examples of what you want to your photographer - this really helps him imagine what you like and what type of lighting is desired!

We hope this will narrow down your selection. If you need more help or want to book your own headshot, don’t hesitate to visit our headshot gallery or contact me for a booking!

Talk soon,

YvensB