If you’re standing in front of your closet the night before your work headshots, here’s the question I’d ask you first. What would you wear to meet the person who’s going to see this photo? For a chef introducing herself to diners, that might be a well-worn denim apron over a fresh shirt. For an insurance broker meeting a new client, it might be the navy jacket that already lives on the back of his office chair. Both are dressed for the job.
When I photograph professional headshots in Kawartha Lakes and the surrounding area, I want someone to see your photo, walk into your workplace and think, “Oh, there you are!” Here’s how to choose an outfit, makeup and setting that feel like you.
What to wear for a professional headshot
Start with collard shirt, blazer and dress pants/skirt. Try on your outfit, sit down and take a quick phone photo from the chest up. Does the collar sit the way you like? Can you turn slightly without the jacket pulling? If you keep adjusting something in the mirror, you’ll probably want to adjust it during the session, too.
I always recommend a blazer or cardigan as we can get more variety with your images, some with jacket, some without. Ensure the buttons can be done up. If you would like to wear a dress or skirt, please remember to also wear nylons to help with skin colour discrepancy.
For shoes anything goes as long as they are a closed toe style, makes sense with your industry (Running shoes vs dress shoes vs work boots) and clean.
Solid colours are an easy, tried and true starting point. Try a shade you already love wearing near your face, whether that’s forest green, burgundy, charcoal or soft blue. Earth tones, Solid black, white and grey are always a safe options. I recommend staying away from saturated or neon colours as the colours can reflect back onto your face.
I recommend staying away from very fine stripes and tiny checks as it can produce unflattering wavy patterns in a photo, especially when it’s resized for a website. If you love pattern, go big or bring a solid option along so we can compare. I also recommend staying away from velvet as it absorbs light as can be challenging to see details.
If you wear glasses at work, bring them. Give the lenses a quick clean and I’ll adjust the lighting and your angle as needed. If you don’t consider your glasses as part of you (People would be able to recognise you without them on), we can take some photos with and without.
I’ll also keep an eye on the little things that are hard to spot yourself, like a flipped necklace, hair out of place or a collar tucked under on one side.
What makeup should you wear for work headshots?
Makeup is optional. If you usually go bare-faced, come as you are. If a red lip or winged liner is part of how people know you, wear it. For anyone who wants a little definition and isn’t sure where to start, I’d suggest using products you already know and like.
Skin: If you wear foundation or tinted moisturizer, apply a light layer and check the blend down your neck in daylight. If your forehead or nose tends to look shinier than you’d like, bring blotting paper for a quick touch-up.
Eyes and brows: Your usual mascara or brow gel can help define your eyes in a small LinkedIn photo. If you wear glasses, check your eye makeup with your frames on.
Cheeks and lips: A little of your everyday blush and a lip colour you feel comfortable reapplying are easy choices. Bring your lipstick or balm with you.
White backdrop, workplace headshot or lifestyle branding photos?
A traditional headshot on a white backdrop gives you a clean, consistent portrait for LinkedIn, speaker bios and staff directories. It’s especially practical for a growing team because you can keep the same look when a new employee joins. For a group portrait, choose two or three colours everyone can pull from their own wardrobe. Navy, soft blue and grey, for example, give people room to dress individually while looking like they work together.
An environmental headshot is still a portrait of you. You might be looking at the camera from your counselling chair or standing at the kitchen pass. The setting adds context, but your face stays prominent enough for someone to recognise you.
With lifestyle branding photography, we widen the frame and show the work itself. Think of two photos taken minutes apart in the same kitchen. In the first, the chef looks at the camera with the tiled wall softly visible behind her. That’s her headshot for the restaurant bio. In the second, she’s folding ravioli, with her hands, the dough and the length of the prep table in view. That’s a lifestyle image for the restaurant homepage or a pasta class announcement. The same idea works for a broker walking a colleague through a sample policy or a therapist setting up the room before the first appointment. Explore lifestyle and branding photography.
What’s included in my studio headshot and team photo packages?
Individual studio headshots are priced per person and include three edited images per person. You have the option to choose your three favourites during the session. For on-site headshots, I require a minimum of 3 headshot bookings.
Small team photos include one edited group portrait of 3 to 7 people. Large team photos include one edited group portrait of 8 to 14 people.
All three packages include editing for details such as blemishes and wrinkles in clothing. I deliver your finished images through an online gallery with both high-resolution and web-size downloads. Your gallery stays live for two months from the delivery date.
If you’re planning headshots in Lindsay, Peterborough, Port Perry or elsewhere in Kawartha Lakes or Durham Region, tell me what you do and where your photos will appear. We can choose a setting and an outfit that fit both.