1-2 Days Prior
To Shoot
Prepping The Space
We will want to have a staging area set up near the shoot area (but still out of the way) where we can lay out our various options of clothing, jewelry, and accessories as well as having any personal grooming supplies on-hand such as hair brushes and makeup kits. Generally a dining-room table works well for this purpose. Any areas we would potentially shoot in should be clean and camera-ready! If you’re not sure if you want to shoot there or not, assume we WILL want to shoot there. It’s better to have it all ready to go then have to stop the flow of the shoot to clean out a space.
Prepping Yourselves
I’m guessing that you’re probably not a model. You might not know which is your “good side” or be able to Smize™ (it’s so hard to control my lower eyelid independently!!!) and that’s okay! The secret to modeling is to bring YOU to the party. A good headshot shows off your unique personality, so let’s make it fun and you!
Create or find an upbeat playlist that is your JAM! Keep this for the shoot!
Watch the first 7 minutes of this video to learn to accentuate the jawline: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe3oJnFtA_k
Practice the Jawline technique in a mirror. (It’ll feel silly I know, but lean into that — that’s what the tunes are for!)
Drink lots of water! This will help your skin have a happy natural glow! Yeap… have another glass of water! Your goal is to pee clear tomorrow!
Pull out the clothes, jewelry, and accessories, and make-up you MIGHT want to use in the shoot. Part of the fun of the day of the shoot is playing dress-up, so feel free to go crazy. My mantra here is “Forget Less — MORE Is More!”
Tips For Choosing Clothing and Accessories
DO’S
Solid colors work great. Find options that compliment your skin and eye color!
Muted or subtle patterns add a lot of visual interest without being too distracting. Love these!
Textures are fun! Chunky-knits or sleek leather and other textures can really compliment without distraction.
Choose an outfit that you would wear on a First Date.
Choose an outfit that you would wear to an interview or an important business meeting.
POTENTIALLY AVOID’s
Avoid deep black-blacks as tops. They have a tendency to visually add weight in still photographs.
Avoid busy patterns. We want your face to be the star!
Avoid Chunky or Big Statement Piece Jewelry. Unless it’s part of your personal brand!
Avoid bulky scarves and turtle-necks. Bulking up around your chin or neck adds visual weight in still photographs.
Once I Get There
Gear Set-up
It typically takes 30 minutes to unload the gear and get everything set up for the shoot. Typically this will involve a couple of light stands and background equipment.
Take The Tour
I plan for 30 minutes to take a tour of the area we will be shooting. I can see what the light looks like and assess the best angles to work with that scene and plan the flow of the shoot based on the tour.
Playing Dress-Up
This is the funnest part for me! I love putting looks together and seeing everyone’s fashion styles… it just brings out the nerd in me! Expect another 30 minutes to review all of the clothing and accessory options and pin it down to which looks we will shoot during the session in which locations.
The Shoot
This is where the action happens! A typical professional headshot session lasts about a half-hour with 3 different outfit changes.
After The Shoot
Post-Processing
Image review is an extensive process. It generally takes about 1 week until you will see images for you to review and make final selections. I go through 3-rounds of review before I’ve boiled the images down to the best images from your session. After the images are whittled down I will go through 2 passes of post-processing. First to brighten eyes, adjust colors, and add contrast. Then secondly to remove blemishes and stray hairs.
Image Review
I do image review in-person or over Zoom where I can share my screen and walk you through images and we can see them individually or by “scene” to choose the right images for your space. This process generally takes under 1 hour.
Final Image Delivery
After images are selected for final retouching, I will go in and do a final retouch on all selected images. Delivery of final images takes about 1 week.