• acting
• headshot
• Hudson Valley
• Business Headshot
• Clean Professional
• Commercial Headshot
• corporate
• makeup artist

It’s actually pretty easy to find a photographer that will take a headshot for you.  They’re everywhere.  The question is whether or not they’re good enough to capture who you are in a single shot, and edit it to look fantastic, professional.  Is it going to be good enough for you to land your next big gig?  Here’s 5 tips to help you get the best out of your headshot session so you can come away with some amazing shots.

1. Don’t Drink

It’s funny how much this comes up.  Either clients come in slightly hungover, or to take the edge off and nervousness they come in having had a few mimosas, or maybe a shot or two of tequila.  I get it, most people are nervous when they’re getting their picture taken.  Th

ey don’t want their pictures to look nervous.  You know what’s worse in a picture though?  Red eyes, or slightly closed lids.  Alchohol is a depressant and while you might not notice it, it changes your face in a few ways.  First if you’re hungover, you’ll have bags under your eyes, they’ll probably be a bit red, and your skin won’t look as good as it shoot.  If you drink right before the shoot, you can end up with rosy cheeks, and droopping eyelids.  That’s not pretty either.  Save the drinking part for after.  Hell if you bring some for me, I’ll have a drink with you after the shoot.

2. Relax I got this

No really I do.  I’ve been taking peoples picture since I was a kid, and I’ve been doing it professionally for over 10 years now.  While each one of my clients is special in their own way, I promise I can get great shots of you.  Seriously.  During the shoot I’ll show you the pictures either on the back of my camera if we’re outside, or on my computer as we’re shooting the in the studio.  You’ll be able to see what’s working, what’s not, and I’ll direct you on how to make it better.  I’m also a wiz in photoshop, so if there’s something on your face that you don’t like, it’s probably really easy for me to clean it out.  Now I’m not a magician, so I won’t be drastically changing the way you look, but you didn’t want that anyways.

I also will walk you through my portfolio when you get there on the day of the shoot, so you can tell me what you like and what you don’t like.  That way we get you the perfect headshot for what you’re after.

3. Figure out what you want to wear a few days before the shoot

By figuring it out a few days before the shoot, you won’t be all stressed out the day of deciding last minute what you want to wear.  Also I always have my clients bring a few different options so I can help you pick out what looks best.  Because I’ve been doing this for so long, I can quickly tell what’s going to work for your skin tones, and look very quickly.

4. Be sure to shave or wax before the shoot

Ladies don’t worry I won’t call you out if you have more hair than other people.  If you don’t want it to show up in your pictures though you should get a wax a few days before the shoot.  That will give your skin time to rest, and you wont show up with red skin.  Men if you want a clean shaven look I would suggest shaving 3 hours before the shoot.  That will also give your skin time to rest, and any razor burn to subside.

5. Hair and Makeup (Men too!)

Just hold on a second there guys.  I know the men thought they were getting out of this one.  The thing is there’s a big difference between a headshot, and a family picture you might get taken.  That means that your face is going to be the star attraction.  I know men don’t want to think about getting their makeup done, but I’m telling you it can make a huge difference.  And the great part is that it won’t even look like you’re wearing makeup.  That’s what professional makeup artists are trained to do when it comes to guys.

Now for the ladies it’s even more important.  There’s a huge difference between then kind of makeup you were every day, and the look you want to present for a corporate headshot.  There’s also a difference in a makeup artist who knows what her products are going to look like under studio lighting.  You don’t want a makeup artist that doesn’t understand that certain colors get washed out when you photograph them, so having someone who understands this is key to getting a great shot.  I can’t stress how important it is to hire a makeup artist who has worked on set before.  Hell you might even think you do a fantastic job at your own makeup.  I can understand that, but I’m telling you bringing in a professional can make a shot go from meh, to wow.