PHOTO SHOOT GUIDELINES

Throughout your career you’re going to need to have a corporate portrait or headshot taken for a press kit, the company website, the annual report or a dozen other reasons. What you wear and how you prepare for your photo shoot will determine how effective and professional your resulting photo will be. The following tips are general photo shoot guidelines for an in-studio photo session for a professional portrait or business headshots.

General Guidelines:

• Set aside some time to carefully select the outfits that you are going to bring to the photo shoot. Bring a couple of wardrobe choices.
• Hang your outfits on hangers and place them in a garment bag.
• Arrive in the first outfit that you’d like to be photographed in.
• Get enough sleep prior to the photo shoot.
• Come with a clean and moisturized face if you’re having your make-up done at the studio. If you’re doing your own make-up, please go for the natural look and bring your make-up kit with you.
• Make sure you’ve got your hair styled before arriving at the photo shoot. A natural looking style is always good.
• Arrive at least five minutes prior to your scheduled session.
• Enjoy your photo session and have a great time.

Corporate Look for Women:

• Use tailored suit jackets that fit your body perfectly. Have complimentary bottom and shoes. Gray, blues, black with tailored details are great accents for this type look.
• For blouses underneath the jacket, think shiny. Silky fabric looks great on camera. A solid colored top or silky accents always add interest to the photo. Flattering colors for all skin types: Eggplant, Indian Teal, True Red and Mellow Rose
• Bring simple earrings, bracelets, and necklaces with you. They add interest to most photos. If you don’t normally wear jewelry, this will not apply to you.
• Proper undergarments are always advisable.

Business Casual Look for Women:

• Wrap dresses or tops that wrap around your waist are a flattering cut for any type of body or shape.
• V-Necks are an excellent choice as they always elongate the neck. A complimentary colored tank top that goes underneath the top can also add dimension to your outfit.
• Use a casual jacket or blazer that fits your body perfectly. Jackets and blazers are always a good choice for layering.
• Think shiny. Silky fabric looks great on camera. A solid colored top or silky accents always add interest to the photo.
•  Bring simple earrings, bracelets, and necklaces to the shoot. They add interest to most photos. They may or may not be used, but having the option to use them takes a lot of stress off of you. If you don’t normally wear jewelry, this will not apply to you.
• Belts are always great to have for the occasional medium shots.
• Proper undergarments are always advisable.

Corporate Look for Men:

• Tailored suit with sharp dress shirt is what we are after.
• For ties, bring at least three options, all which compliment or can be used with the shirt(s) you are bringing. Red, blue, purple and black ties are good colours for this photo shoot.
• For a more polished look with style, feel free to bring suit vest or a couple of  pocket squares.
• Flattering colors for dress shirts are usually French blue or purple in combination with a dark gray, navy blue or black suit jacket.
• Very busy multi color prints, stripes (big or small), neon colors, all white, and all black—are not the best choices for a photo shoot, unless discussed with the photographer prior to your session.

Business Casual Look for Men:

• Dress shirts are always a great choice as the photographer can always dress it up or dress it down. Bring an undershirt if this is necessary.
• If you normally wear a tie, bring at least three options, all which compliment or can be used with the shirt(s) you are bringing.
• Jackets and blazers with a casual shirt underneath are great for a more relaxed look.
• Flattering colors for men are usually French blue or purple in combination with a dark gray, navy blue or black jacket.
• Bring outfits that fit you the best and make you look sharp.

For more styling guidelines for men click here.

Most importantly come with spirit of fun and adventure. Enjoy your photo shoot. To see more samples of these types of photos, go to our Business Headshots Section.

If this post has made you want to update your headshot click here and we’ll be in touch!