Styling Your Headshot Portraits
As a professional headshot photographer at Noel Photography and Design, I often hear how overwhelming it feels for clients to prepare for their headshot portraits. From choosing what to wear and how to style their look, to logistical concerns like glasses glare and blemishes.
Headshots are a foundational image for a variety of purposes - both professional and personal. This blog takes a quick look at the best ways to plan ahead, and style your look, to create portraits for versatility and approachability.
THE PURPOSE OF YOUR PORTRAIT.
Before making any decisions about your portrait prep, it’s important to first decide how you plan to use your image(s):
• Is it a personal headshot designed to showcase your personality?
• Are you an employee, or future employee, creating an image for an employer?
• Does your portrait represent your brand and/or you as a business owner?
For a personal portrait think about how you would describe yourself, or how others tend to describe you. Incorporating your personality traits into your styling will help make your images feel most genuine.
When creating images for your business consider your brand’s identity and how your images will echo that. While a headshot portrait may only represent a handful or less of your company photos, this is a foundational portrait that should tie into your marketing seamlessly. Especially because it’s often the image your consumer sees first — making it your first impression.
To create a portrait as an employee, student, or job seeker, style your portrait for the opportunities you'll likely be stepping into. As an employee you may need to include items like your name tag/badge, color themes designated by your employer, or even uniforms, like a company polo.
DETERMINING fORMALITY.
You’ve established how you’ll be using your portrait. Now you can determine how formal, or informal, your attire should be:
• Formal
• Business Casual
• Casual
It’s important to select the correct formality level for your outfit so your portrait best represents you, your title, and\or brand. For example, if your everyday work attire requires you to wear a suit or blazer, you’ll likely want to take your portrait in that same level of formality. Alternatively, for someone who works in a creative field, a more relaxed and expressive outfit may better speak to who you are and what you do.
COLOR THEORY & PATTERNS.
Every client should explore if and how color can play a role in their portraits. Color creates an emotional impact and visual harmonies. It’s an incredibly effective tool in making personal features pop, evoking feelings, and connecting a person to their brand identity.
Neutrals, such as white, cream, tan, beige, navy, khaki, brown, gray or black, are often recommended as they’re the most versatile when it comes to using your image in various platforms. Not to mention, the vast majority of people look fantastic in some type of neutral. They are always a safe and timeless option. You might also consider pairing light or “dusty” colors with your neutrals to give just a soft pop of color.
On the other hand, there are plenty of applications where rich color, or even patterns, can enhance your portrait. If your brand identity is bright, joyful and cheery you may want to incorporate colors like bright yellow, orange or pink to convey those feelings. Perhaps you have a creative job, like a floral designer, where bold floral patterns would be on brand for your marketing. More generally, you may have specific colors that you know will complement your eyes, hair and complexion. All of which will enhance the overall look of your image.
LOCATIONS & SETTINGS
As a traveling headshot photographer, Noel Photography and Design offers in-studio and on-site portrait services. This allows clients to choose what works best for them, their employees, and the overall look you want to achieve in your portraits.
For many individuals the Noel Studio offers a quick “drop in” set up. It features a wide variety of timeless distraction-free backdrops, as well as simplistic lifestyle sets.
Larger groups often like to shoot on location with one of my traveling backdrops, or use the location itself as the setting for your images. This creates a convenient work flow for employees, and a personalized setting unique to your headshots.
FINISHING DETAILS
Many clients ask about finishing details for their photos. As part of your professional headshot service, Noel Photography and Design includes basic retouching in addition to creating my signature editing style. This typically includes light complexion smoothing and minor blemish removal. My goal is to make you look naturally yourself on your best day ever.
Clients wearing glasses have a few considerations. If your glasses have been coated with a non-glare coating glares are rarely an issue. Additionally, we can often minimize the amount of glare, or avoid it totally, by experimenting with lighting placement. However, if achieving absolutely no glare is important to you we may need to some specific extra preparations. This may include taking an additional set of portraits specifically for editing. (Additional fees may apply.) Alternatively, some eye care professionals will temporarily remove lenses from your frames specifically for portraits. This option is most ideal if you have more than one pair of glasses.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Booked your session with Noel Photography and Design? Contact Jen at the studio anytime for follow up questions about our shoot, or grab one of the resources below.
HEBRON’S LOCAL STYLIST PROFESSIONALS
Studio 315 | Got Hair | Mollie’s Country Cuts | United Hairlines (402-768-7446)
OUTFIT INSPIRATION
View Vision Board (Pinterest)
COLOR ANALYSIS
Take your prep a step further and schedule a professional color analysis using companies like House of Colour. Their stylists help pin down the best shades and colors for your specific complexion and features.