Hello! Thank you so much for choosing Kara Hudgens Photography Co. as your headshot provider. Get ready for a relaxed, professional experience as we create compelling, true-to-life headshot images that capture you at your very best. This Style Guide contains tips for selecting a great outfit for your new photos and reminders for all the details that can really make your photos shine:
For business portraits, it’s nice to have a few choices that range in style and color. For example, for women, you may wish to have a professional look, a semi-professional look (featuring a richly textured sweater or simple blouse that could be worn in a business casual environment), and/or a relaxed look (casual long sleeved or short sleeved shirt). Bring a couple of options if you aren’t sure which one suits you best.
Plan Ahead!
THE WEEK Before your photo session
- Try to get plenty of sleep
- Drink lots of water and cut down on alcohol.
- Be sure to plan out your outfits (including accessories and shoes) a few days before your session. Make sure all clothes are clean and pressed and on hangers. For portraits, shoes should be clean and stylish, too.
- Do not use tanning beds during the week prior to your session.
- Do not schedule a facial during the week prior to your session.
You've got style!
Choose a great outfit
1. Style, Layer and Texture
Go for a classic look! Choose clothes that flatter your body type and make you feel great when wearing them.
- Layered clothing is attractive on everyone and photographs fabulously. Two textures in different pieces of your outfit adds interest.
- With both men and women’s styles, if you are wearing a suit, it should be tailored for a good fit.
- For men, if you aren’t wearing a jacket, consider a collared, button-down, solid-colored long sleeve shirt. This will frame your face, draw less attention to your neck, and has longer lasting style than a polo shirt. Don’t forget to make sure it’s freshly pressed! For more tips on men’s business portraits and headshot, review this Linked In article.
- For women, long sleeves and 3/4 length sleeves are flattering to the arms and photograph well. This is especially true for portraits on a darker backgrounds where lighter skin will stand out too much against the dark background and draw the viewer’s attention away from the face.
- Jewelry (in most cases) should be minimal, simple and elegant.
- Choose the right undergarments and make sure they don’t show through your outfit.
- Avoid trends that will make your photo look dated in six months!
- Avoid baggy clothing. Clothing that is too big will add weight. A fitted outfit will avoid a sloppy look.
- Avoid wearing any items with logos or wording unless it’s part of your branding.
2. Color
A solid color shirt works best. Patterns can pull the focus away from the face, and make the portrait look too busy.
- Think about the color of background that you’d like to use in your portrait or headshot. Light colored clothes look better on lighter backgrounds, and dark clothes look better on darker backgrounds.
- If you are using a black background, darker colors such as royal blue, green, dark gray or denim work well.
- Rich jewel tones like burgundy, emerald/forest green and earthy, muted blues, dark blues, and grays usually work across the board.
- For men’s business portraits, I recommend that your shirt have least some color, such as a light blue oxford cloth. White and cream shirts only work well if worn under a jacket.
- Consider colors that make your eyes stand out…
- blue eyes – consider grey/blue or pure blue
- green eyes – consider turquoise or green
- hazel eyes – consider either of the above
- Avoid overly bright colors like yellow and orange which can give your skin an unpleasant hue in a photo.
- Avoid bold, dramatic patterns, stripes or dots, clothes with logos, bright white undershirts, bulky clothing, including blouses with shoulder pads and reflective clothing
3. Necklines for Women’s Styles
If you will be able to change outfits during the photo shoot, bring a few different shirts with different necklines to see which works best with your face. While V-necks or turtlenecks can work well, if the V-neck is too low or the turtleneck too bulky they will probably not work well for a portrait.
- V-necks lengthen your neck, which is appropriate for broad faces
- Round necklines shorten your neck, which is appropriate for thin faces
- Square necklines make a square jaw more prominent
- Turtlenecks or scarves hide the neck and should be generally avoided but can also be skillfully used to hide worrisome areas
4. Hair & Makeup
Consider a hair cut a week or two before the session, but not a new hairstyle.
- Women, consider getting your brows cleaned up with a brow wax or threading.
- Women, if hair and makeup are not part of your session, consider having it styled at your salon before we shoot or apply your own makeup with a natural look that is slightly heavier than usual.
- **If you are having your hair and makeup done by the stylist at the studio before the shoot, make sure you arrive with clean, dry hair and a clean moisturized face.
- For business portraits and headshots, men usually look best with a clean shave or a freshly trimmed beard; also consider trimming your eyebrows.
- Make sure eyeglasses are clean.
Relax and have fun!
The Day of your photo session
Your comfort is a priority for me. When you are relaxed and having fun, you’ll naturally take better photos. If there is anything you need, just ask!
We will start the session with a quick review of where you might want to use your new headshots. While photographing, I will direct you on how to pose to ensure that we get the best shots.
If I am photographing tethered to a laptop, we will review images to get your feedback, preferences and make sure you are loving the headshot images. Usually, your preferred image selection can be done at the session. We’ll also talk about any specific retouching requests you may have.
Questions? I’m happy to help! Contact me at kara @ karahudgens.com or 704-756-2271.