Tips For Professional Headshots For Women

Golden Rule (TL;DR):

What you feel good in, always looks better than what you think you should wear.  Don't feel pressured to play dress up and treat your headshot as a fashion experiment. That's an easy way to derail your headshots and your uncomfortability will show in the photos.  Think about being the best version of yourself, not trying to be the most fashionable you can be.  If you purchase new items for your photoshoot, purchase items that you will wear professionally. 

In every photo session I can easily tell which clothing feels like you, because I can immediately see it on camera!

• Start With Solid Colors- Patterns and "busy" clothes look great when you want to look fabulous and chic sitting at brunch, but they can grab attention away from your face. For professional headshots, the person viewing the headshot needs to be drawn into the face and not get distracted by outfit choices, so solid colors in jewel tones and rich neutrals usually create a cleaner, more professional look.  We're not saying boring, you can still have your personality but we want to keep the focus on your face.

• Fit Is Key - Choose Well-Fitted & Tailored Clothes - Clothes that fit loosely will often make you look larger. Properly tailored tops will look flattering and professional. Avoid any tops that sit too slouchy.  Think angles that go in.  A beautiful flowy sleeve looks great when you're walking down the street, but when cropped can make you look bigger and rounder at the shoulder, where we want to draw the eye in and down!  Same with a blazer that is too small in the chest.  We want V shapes whenever possible.  **We want clothing that fits and cinches at shoulders, wrists and waists.

• How Low Should You GO? Avoid Low Cut Tops* - My male clients will never know the added complexity of what we discuss for female headshots!  When photographing headshots, we photograph halfway into the chest area. If you decide to wear a low-cut top, it could take the attention away from the most important part of the headshot: your face.   That being said, this is very personality based and the right neckline can balance feminine with professional. We will talk about this together, but generally we want to keep as much attention on your face whenever possible.

• Long Sleeves are Flattering - Short sleeves like to misbehave and can sit funky on the arms unless properly steamed or ironed. Short sleeve shows skin at the edge of a headshot, which may distract from your face.

• Put Proper Undergarments with your Outfit - Bra straps showing in your headshot is very unprofessional. Make sure the straps are properly tucked away and hidden and the best color choice for your clothing.

• Avoid See-Through Tops - When looking through your clothes, make sure to try the tops on. That shouldn't be your top selection if you can see your undergarments through the shirt. If you decide to stick with a see-through top, make sure to bring a blazer or your favorite top for layering.

• Vibrant Colors Stand Out - But Know Your Colors! - Depending on your profession, wearing vibrant colors will make your headshot stand out.  It's really helpful if you have worked with a stylist and you know the shades that complement your skin tone and professional image.  If you don't know your best colors, I can connect you with a recommended stylist!

• When In Doubt Darker Tops Can be Timeless - If you decide to stick with darker colors, besides black, navy blue is a particularly flattering, timeless option in photos.  The one caveat is for women with dark hair and eyebrows and/or darker skin.  There needs to be some balance and contrast.  So, if you have darker hair and eyebrows, a lighter color may be better OR we need to balance with a lighter accent color or more open garments so that it doesn't feel too closed and dark.  

• Avoid Tops that Blend with Hair / Skin Color - Darker clothes blend too much with dark hair. If you have pale skin, avoid tops that blend with your skin unless you plan to layer. Otherwise, it looks too washed out. Avoid pastel colors too, since they can blend into light backgrounds and flatten your look.

• Large Jewelry or Personal Items Can Be Distracting - Jewelry draws attention away from the face, but you can wear jewelry if it is minimal, simple, and timeless so it does not distract from your face. We do not recommend any larger pieces for your headshot.  As a general rule we leave it out, unless it's a personal piece that you we are all the time and it woudl not look like you without it.