It’s been awhile since we last talked about headshots. These recent photos that have come in are great examples of what your headshot could look like! If you’re thinking of getting a headshot done soon, here are five secrets to getting the perfect headshot.
1. Wear clothes that fit well and suit you
No matter what your headshot is about: casual or corporate, its important that you look and feel comfortable in what you’re wearing. This goes for size and colour. For corporate profile headshots, wear a shirt and coat that fits you well. It’s worth investing in a good one that can last you a few years! Tejas’ shirt and coat is a pretty good fit for him as you can see his light blue cuff just peaking out under his coat sleeve. It’s also a great colour! We have a few backdrops and lighting options at our studio so you can switch up the look and feel of the photo by taking shots against different coloured backdrops or with slightly warmer or cooler light.
We also usually encourage our clients to also bring a second set of clothes so there’s some variety to choose from. This means you get to take both casual and corporate headshots in one session!
Read more: How To Build A Lasting Impression With The Right Outfit Colours
2. Light make up and tidy hair
Yes, light make up works wonders for your headshot. We also emphasise the term “light” because the purpose of make up is simply to enhance your natural features instead of completely change your look. After all, a headshots session is to photograph the person that you are. There’s only one! So celebrate that. 🙂 Headshots in general don’t require heavy amounts of make up unless you need it to portray the occupation you might have if its in performing arts or something that requires heavy make up as an art. It also helps to show up to a headshot session with hair that is neatly styled to frame your face (not pull attention away from your face). Think about it this way: If you put a lot of effort into your outfit, you’d want to dress your face and hair up to match as well! This goes for men too. We offer hair styling and make up services for headshots at our studio too! Just let us know in advance so we can book the make up artist and hair stylists’ time.
Check this out: Portrait Session for an Artist
3. Using suitable lighting
There’s a common assumption that “corporate headshots” mean using studio or artificial lights, where it either looks real fancy or really fake (depending on how you imagine it!). Studio lights are great because the settings can be changed to work in a way that will give you the outcome you want. But we’ll admit: we do love working with natural light as well because it really brings out the natural skin tone of a person. It also makes them look very approachable, kinda like this photo here. We shot this at our clients’ office near a large window.
Also watch: All You Wanted to Know About A Portrait Session: Lighting
4. Supporting props and furniture
Some people need a series of lifestyle shots as well, and here is where props and furniture come in handy. We have plenty of this in our studio. It really depends on the look you’re going for. If its a minimalist and clean look that you’re going for, then we’ll take your shots with a plain background and experiment with a variety of positions that you are comfortable with. If its a lifestyle or cosy and casual look that you’re going for, then feel free to pick and choose what you like from our collection of props and furniture pieces!
5. Avoid text on clothes.. unless you want to make a point
We usually don’t advise coming for a photoshoot with clothes that have brand names or random text on it – unless you’re the brand ambassador! This is because having words on your clothes tend to distract the viewer from what the photo is really about, which is… YOU! Also remember these photos are probably going to be used for a few years and for a variety of reasons. So you may not always resonate with the brand or the words that are on your clothes in future. However, there are clever ways to use text on clothes in your photoshoot. Perhaps you do intend to make a statement about yourself, which reflects the kind of philosophy or approach that you take towards your career. If so, bring that shirt along and we’ll take a few shots! For example, this gentleman here is a digital marketing consultant who needed headshots specifically to include in a presentation deck for a big client pitch. In this context, we love the catchy and witty idea he had for this photo. We also took other shots of him with more versatile outfits too of course.
So now you know! Of course, as headshot photographers we also take into consideration things like finding the right body positioning, finding the right camera angle, and more. But these five areas generally do make up what a great headshot can be. Most importantly, relax and BE YOURSELF!
