Recently I had my dear friend Christina from Lulu Photography do my professional headshot for my online social media profiles. We got some good photos, but I am having trouble picking out a fav. Believe it or not, I actually did some serious googling about what kind of clothes to wear and poses etc… And here are some of the tips I have come across that I thought was helpful:
- Stay away from clothing colors that are too close to your natural skin tone.
- Avoid clothing with bold patterns. Seems obvious but people often forget that the simplest things in photos can distract attention. Also, patterns can date a photo.
- Collared, round, scope and V necks are usually safe bets.
- Keep jewelry to minimal and simple, the photo is about you, not your accessories.
- Bright color clothing are generally okay for ladies, but guys would look better in subtle hues.
- When in doubt, contrast light with darker colors, and know what colors compliments your skin tone. For example, if you have light hair and light colored eyes, go with lighter color clothing. If you have olive/darker complexion, clothing in bold colors will compliment you better than pale color options. In general, the best colors are medium shades of blue, gray, red and green.
- Smile and show a little teeth!
- When it comes to the background, don’t choose anything busy, and also try to avoid the typical elementary school photo background. It’s the 21st century folks, you can get creative with some textures backdrops!
- Change outfits. Variety in the portraits will allow you to use them for different purposes. For example, for my Facebook page, I will use a more light-hearted, less serious looking photo, versus for my LinkedIn profile, I will want a photo with a nice suit jacket and less smiley photo.
- Try different angles, you never know certain angles can be surprisingly flattering.
- Guys: don’t forget to groom!
- Ladies: go easy on the makeup. Just because you’re getting your professional portrait done, doesn’t mean you should go crazy on the makeup. As a professional makeup artist, I actually recommend my clients to get their makeup as close to their natural every day wear makeup as possible, as these portraits are meant to look like the everyday you, not the glamour shot version!
- If possible, get a blow-out before having your photos taken. Having a professional tame those crazy strays while keeping your hair on point will ensure your photos are the best reflections of you, without overdoing it.
Do you have some tips for head shots that you’d like to share? Send them my way.
What do you think of my headshots?
Faraway Universe 