Help! I booked my headshots and now I don't know what to do.

The moment you book your headshot session is exciting...and scary! What should you wear? How should you prepare? There are so many things! I'm here to help. Here are a few tips to help you feel prepared for our session together.

What do I wear?

As soon as you book your headshot, start going through your wardrobe. Simple and fitted is best. Think collared shirts, portrait necklines. Skip anything that is baggy, overly tight or revealing, too flowy, or a turtleneck style. Hang your headshot outfits up separately from your other clothing so they do not get wrinkled. Your shirt is the most important item. Very rarely does a headshot involve much more than your shirt and blazer or jacket. Bring maybe 2-3 shirts for a headshot.

If you are coming to me for a personal branding session, then we will have a few full-length photo options. Bring at least 5 outfits to a personal branding session- including a very formal outfit, and a very relaxed outfit. Please try to avoid large or busy print and logos. Small print or solid colors look best. Bring several shirts in the most flattering colors for your skin tone. I always advise my clients to bring a crisp white fitted collared shirt and dark pants. Everyone looks great in modern white and dark pants- especially if your photos are for a website.

Our love/hate relationship with our own skin.

Know what happens to me as soon as I schedule photos? Big ol' dry spots and/or acne. It's normal for all of us. Anticipating photos can be stressful, and the first place most of us show stress is in our skin!

Skip salty and sugary foods and drinks for a few days before your photo session. Drink a lot of water, and eat as many greens as you can stand. Your skin will thank you. Don’t get a facial, drastic haircut, eyebrow wax, or hair color within the 2 weeks before your session. Our bodies and hair need time to get over the shock of a change, and you do not want to cringe when you see your new hair color in your very nice headshot.

Nails, facial hair, and shoes.

Get a fresh manicure. Yes both men and women need clean fresh nails! If you have facial hair (and don't want to be photographed with it) shave the night before if shaving makes your face red for a while. If you wax any part of your face, do your waxing at least 2 weeks before your session. Bring 2 pairs of shoes for a headshot. Usually a dressy pair and a more casual pair are best. Why? Because we should all have that one pair of shoes that makes us feel great!

I can't make you totally happy if you don't know what you want.

If you don’t know what you want for your headshot, then the odds are lessened that you will be completely happy with the work I do for you. I LOVE to make people happy- I think most of us do! But I can't read minds. (If I could, I'd be playing the lotto from Bermuda!) Going into your session with a plan of what you want and a way to communicate what you want to me is key.

Sometimes the easiest way to figure out what you want is to make a list of what you do not want first. For example: if I were planning my own session, I would not want the dated light blue backdrop with the “laser beam” stripes across the backdrop from my school photos in the 1990s. If it were me, I’d prefer a white backdrop or environmental portrait where my smile is natural and I have lively eyes. Boom, now I know what I want by first listing what I did not want.

And look: I wore my favorite dress and broke my own rule but it had a portrait collar and I loved it.