A professional headshot on your website or Linkedin is frequently the first chance for people to see who you are. A great headshot will showcase your personality and what you are trying to convey: – I am an expert in my field. – I am damn good at what I do. – I am approachable and friendly. – I am worth investing in. – I am the best candidate to hire. – I am a badass.
But great headshots don’t appear out of thin air. They take a little bit of prep work to make your personality shine. Like all things in life, you get what you pay for. Taking the time and money to put your best face forward will, in turn, help people invest their time and money into you.
THE WEEK BEFORE YOUR HEADSHOTS
APPOINTMENTS: haircut/color, nails, waxing, spray tan, etc. These appointments should be made 3-5 days before your headshots to ensure your services settle in. To get your skin in shape before your photos: – Elevate Esthetics Parlor – facials, waxing, spray tans – RM Skincare – facials, waxing – AesthetiCare MedSpa – facials, laser treatments, botox – TanTara Tans – mobile spray tan – Airbrush by Rada – mobile spray tan – Recreating Rays – spray tan
HYDRATE AND MOISTURIZE YOUR SKIN!
THE DAY BEFORE YOUR HEADSHOTS
NO ALCOHOL OR OVERLY SALTY FOODS. This will further dehydrate your skin and show in your photos.
GET PLENTY OF SLEEP. Under-eye patches only do so much!
PRACTICE YOUR SMILE! I’m serious about this. Look in a mirror, smile, see which angles you prefer, and compliment yourself on what you see. Practice speaking to yourself kindly.
PREPARE YOUR CLOTHES. Iron or steam the clothing you’re going to wear. Keep them on hangers, so they are ready for your session. If you wear glasses, give them a deep clean.
Suppose you are like me and prefer athleisure 99% of the time. In that case, I recommend visiting a stylist to understand your fashion identity and what looks best with your personality and body type. When you feel comfortable and confident in your clothes, it shows. If you feel uncomfortable and unconfident in your clothes – that is all you’ll see in your pictures. It will be a game-changer for you! Styling professionals to help you look your best: – Ladybird Styling Lab – Style A La Mode
THE DAY OF YOUR HEADSHOTS
HIRE A PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP ARTIST. I cannot stress this enough. You will use these images to promote your best self to the world. Even if you feel confident with your makeup abilities, these professionals know what looks best on camera with professional lighting. This takes a stressful part of your to-do list off the table on the day of your headshot session. If you are hiring me to come in and do headshots for a large group of your employees, I recommend hiring a makeup artist to be on-site with us to do touch-ups as people come through. This reduces redness and shine (which means there is less retouching to do, and you get your photos back faster!).
TRUST ME. I will lead you through poses and guide you to ensure your body language conveys precisely what you want your headshot to say to the world.
NO NEGATIVE SELF-TALK ALLOWED!
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!
A well-styled space makes for incredible photos, and the converse is equally valid. If you have a storefront, great! Let’s use it. Otherwise, here are some frequently used options:
Your Location If you have a space you run your business out of, we’ll use that more often than not! Let me know what your space looks like and if we’re using it, make sure all clutter is cleared and your space is clean, so your photos look the best they can!
My Studio Located inside the Livestock Exchange Building inside the Stockyards side of the West Bottoms, we have access to my studio backdrops, a small desk setup, a green velvet couch, and a comfy egg chair.
Peerspace Rentals There are studios, offices, kitchens, and whole houses – options for every aesthetic vibe you could hope for.
Home Studio List These gorgeous homes are available for hourly rentals, Airbnb style.
Hotels & Event Spaces Using a business as a photo location is subject to business owner/management approval and location fees. I’ve had clients rent a room at the Crossroads Hotel and Loews Hotel for photo access. Nurseries like John’s Greenhouse and Family Tree Nursery allow for paid photo permits scheduled in advance.
Outdoor Landmarks I am not exaggerating when I say I could photograph portraits outside the Nelson-Atkins Museum or the Kauffman Performing Arts Center all. damn. day.
AFTER YOUR SESSION
You will select your favorite five (5) images for final edits. You can purchase more photos for final edits for an additional fee per image. For large groups or offices (10+ people): you will select your favorite two (2) images per person for final edits.
Your images are color-corrected and retouched (light skin smoothing, blemish removal, and teeth whitening). A natural zhuzh. I will not alter the shape of your face or body.
Additional skin retouching or object removal requests after the gallery is delivered are available for an additional fee.
Your gallery will let you download high-resolution and web-resolution images for your website and social media use.
