Are you planning to get new business portraits done? Here are several tips and suggestions to help make your next business headshot session a success:
• Let your photographer know ahead of time what kind of look you want. What are your expectations and intentions?
There might be a hundred ways to photograph you. Which “you” do you want people to see? Polished professional, friendly and casual, classic conservative, cool and trendy, or something else?
• Does your company have guidelines for business portraits? Some companies have very specific rules for pose, background colour and lighting style. Be sure to send any such guidelines to the photographer ahead of time.
• The worst time to schedule a photo session is first thing in the morning when people need time to relax after the morning commute. Other bad times are during a person’s lunch break, immediately before big meeting, or at the end of the day when people are in a hurry to leave.
Clothing
• Always bring alternative choices of clothing (jackets, shirts, ties). Make sure your clothes are clean and pressed and that they fit well. It’s important that you feel good in the clothes. How you feel is reflected in your face.
• Suit jackets should be a darker tone with no bold patterns. A darker-toned jacket will always keep attention on your face. By contrast, light-toned jackets, bold patterns and bright colours will be too distracting and can quickly date the photo.
• Common jacket colours are black (although sometimes black can be too strong), darker blue, darker grey or charcoal. Darker shades of green, burgundy and teal can also work well. Brown, beige, tan, taupe and other similar colours are just too bland. If you work for a real estate company that uses bright red or yellow blazers then you have my sympathy.
• Strong colours worn against a white background can look too jarring. If you’re planning on being photographed against a white or light-toned background, try wearing lighter colours or pastels.
• A brown corduroy jacket is okay if you’re a high school teacher stuck in the 1970s.
• Unless you’re an entertainer, shiny or glittery clothing is best left in your closet.
• Shirts and blouses should probably be a medium to darker tone of a solid colour. No strong patterns, no florals and no neon-bright colours, especially if worn without a jacket. Patterns can quickly date a picture. Strong patterns also look less formal, less business-like.
A white shirt or blouse can be worn under a jacket. But without a jacket, a white shirt always looks unfinished and will distract from your face.
• Avoid shirt colours like beige, tan, taupe and brown unless you’re trying for a boring, bland look.
• For portraits without a jacket, a long-sleeved shirt or blouse should be worn. You may have the arms of an athlete but short sleeves will be out of season for half of the year. Long sleeves also help keep attention on your face.
• Without a jacket, a shirt or blouse should have some sort of collar. Collarless shirts tend to look unfinished and unprofessional. For women, a collarless blouse worn under a jacket is fine.
• If you wear all black, you risk looking like a lounge singer or a vampire.
• Wearing all white is okay if you’re a chef or tennis player. Even then, please bring a change of clothes.
• Don’t even think about turtlenecks, bulky sweaters, sports jerseys or outdoor jackets.
• No low-cut necklines, strapless tops, tank tops or puffy collars. No Christmas sweaters with elves and reindeer. However if your company happens to make low-cut, strapless Christmas sweaters with dancing reindeer then we might consider using it for one photo. But still bring a change of clothes.
Accessories
• Ties are optional depending on your business style. Ties can have moderately bright colours or patterns if desired. But avoid ties with text or logos. If you choose to wear a tie, bring several with you. Changing ties is an easy way to add a bit of variety to the pictures.
• Bow ties only look good on young boys no matter what your spouse may tell you. But if your company sells bow ties then we’ll happily have you wear a bow tie.
• Wearing a scarf might be a possibility but be very sure to have other non-scarf options. A scarf can emphasize a double chin, a weak chin or a short neck. A scarf can also distract from the face.
• It should go without saying but: no sunglasses, no hats, no hoods. I once photographed a company president who insisted on wearing sunglasses and a hat. Really. The company paid me a second time to return and re-shoot the business portrait after the executive came to his senses.
• Large jewelry and other accessories can quickly date a picture and distract from your face. Choose with care. Remember that a business portrait is not a fashion photo. A business headshot is about your face and expression, not your jewelry.
Face, Hair and Makeup
• Any haircut or hair colouring should happen at least a week before the photo session. Bring a hair brush or comb with you.
• Avoid spray-on and self-tanning products. These always look bad in a portrait. There’s no need to tan before a portrait. If you’re returning from a vacation or holiday weekend with a sunburn or dark tan, please postpone your photo session. It’s impossible to retouch deeply tanned or sunburned skin.
• No fake eyelashes. These aren’t appropriate for a business portrait.
• No glittery, shiny or sparkly makeup. Don’t wear anything that gives you a “glow.” No bright red lipstick, no “smoky” eyes.
• If you have oily skin, there are many inexpensive brands of facial towelettes and cleansing wipes you can use to remove the shine from your face prior to photography. Men, don’t be worried that some of these wipes are sold as “makeup removers” because they also remove oil, clean your face and refresh your skin. You can buy these at drug stores, grocery stores, Walmart and Amazon.
• Makeup should be lightly applied because a portrait can easily reveal crooked lip liner, flaky powder and clumpy mascara. A natural appearance is best for a professional look. Bring makeup and powder for touchups. Or better yet, ask us to have a makeup artist attend your photo session.
• There are makeup products often called “HD powder” (where HD means High Definition). One well-known brand is “Make Up Forever HD Microfinish Powder.” With some kinds of flash photography, especially direct flash, this type of powder can be disastrous if used incorrectly.
After being applied to your face, HD powder is invisible to the naked eye and to video cameras. But due to the silica content of the product, camera flash can reflect from it and reveal white blotches where the powder was applied. If you decide to use this type of powder, please apply it extremely sparingly and only on the spots were you really need it.
Also beware of makeup that contains titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, both of which can cause a whitish appearance.
• For some men, if the portrait is scheduled for late afternoon, it may be necessary to bring a razor to the office to avoid a “five o’clock shadow.” It is impossible to retouch or remove facial hair and stubble.
Eyes and Smile
• If you already use eye drops to clear your eyes then drops might be used for your portrait. But if you don’t currently use eye drops, please do not start prior to your portrait. People react differently to the various brands of drops and not all brands are effective for all people. Our retouching can minimize any eye redness.
• Wearing eyeglasses is not a problem unless they’re tinted and obscure your eyes. If you want, we can do photos both with and without glasses. Eyeglasses that turn dark outdoors cannot be worn in outdoor portraits.
If a photographer asks you to remove the lenses from your eyeglasses to prevent glare then you’ve got the wrong photographer. A professional photographer won’t ask you to do this because it isn’t necessary.
• You will be asked to smile at least a little bit. Don’t panic. A smile need not be a toothy grin. A friendly appearance is important and that comes not just from the mouth but also from the eyes. A business portrait is about showing a positive, confident attitude.
• Be sure to leave yourself enough time to arrive calmly and to be photographed. Rushing in frazzled and then hoping to hurry out because you’re running late will be evident in your face.
• All portraits receive some minor retouching such as brightening the eyes and teeth, removing a few stray hairs and cleaning dust, dandruff and loose hairs from clothes.
No one sees themselves as others do. Overly retouching a portrait should be avoided. A portrait should show you in your best light not your best dreams.
