Your company booked a branding photo session! Now what? Here’s a guide to help you when prepping for your shoot - you can leave the rest up to us!

What to Wear

In most cases, you’ll want to wear your industry’s standard “uniform”: that could mean a suit jacket and tie or blouse/shell and jacket. Or it could mean a stylish top that matches your eyes. These days, I’ve seen fewer ties & jackets and more business-casual looks. Your outfit should help you look the part while flattering your features and not hiding or eclipsing them.

Clothing Fit The clothes you choose should be comfortable and fit well. Loose-fitting clothes can look bulky and less flattering in photos than they might in person. Uncomfortable clothes can be binding and that discomfort might just show up on your face. Be sure that clothing is wrinkle free.

Color & Pattern Yes, wear colors that you like and that people say look good on you. Solid-colors or very simple patterns/textures photograph best. Busy patterns and big logos are distracting and can take away from your photo as they will become the main focus. For teams, it may look great for all to wear company brand colors, for example shades of blue or accents of red in a tie or jewelry.

Jewelry Keep it to a minimum. There’s nothing worse for a close-cropped headshot than jewelry that screams for attention, unless your business is selling jewelry. I rarely include necklaces in business photos, but if I do, it’s a very simple chain with small pendant or a string of small pearls that hit the collarbone. Anything long could get cut off in a headshot photo. Earrings are usually either studs or small to medium hoops.

Hair Though I’d advise against any dramatic changes, get a fresh haircut, trim, or hair color touchup before your photo session. Trim facial hair so that beards and mustaches look neat.

Makeup Keep it similar to how you usually wear makeup during the day. With foundation, be sure to match the color of your face to your neck. Noticeable differences in skin tone will be distracting.

Timeline

SKIN: Drink plenty of water the entire week leading up to our shoot. This will keep your skin looking great for the camera.

HANDS: Your hands will show in some photos. Make sure to have a fresh manicure and moisturized hands.

HAIR: Schedule an appointment at your favorite salon for a trim or to touchup your hair color.

OUTFITS: Bring a couple of options to your session. Try on outfits you plan to wear to make sure everything looks good and fits well. Remove any tags that can’t be hidden or loose strings.

If you’re coming to the studio for your session, pack up what you plan to bring—including a couple of clothing options. Feel free to wear comfortable clothes to the studio and change here before the session.

Moisturize face, neck, and lips so that they look great on camera tomorrow.

Limit alcohol to avoid puffy or red eyes and please and get plenty of sleep. A good night’s sleep will ensure you are refreshed for your photoshoot.

Give yourself enough time to get to your session promptly.

We’ll select options from the outfits you bring. Bring your comb or hairbrush, Chapstick or touch-up makeup to freshen up between outfit changes.

If you’ve booked hair and makeup, let us know your preferred makeup style and if you have any skin sensitivities.

We’ll take a series of photos in each outfit. You will be able to see and select them right away.

Relax, I will show you how to pose and what to do.

Each person will have about 20 minutes of photography time and 5 minutes to select their photo from my laptop immediately after.

Final photos will be lightly edited and forwarded directly to my contact at your company.

For weekly tips on headshots and personal branding, follow my page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mo-lima-photography