You may be wondering how you can prepare for your headshot photoshoot and ensure you look the best you possibly can on the day. Of course it’s up to your photographer to make sure you look good through lighting, angles, backdrops, and other photographic elements; however there’s still a few things in your control that will allow your photoshoot to be even better. Here’s a complete actors guide on how to prepare for your headshot photoshoot.

As a photographer with many years of experience photographing headshots, and hundreds of extremely happy clients, I want to share with you my personal tips when it comes to how you should prepare for your headshot in advance. This will teach you about what to expect from your session, what to do in your session, and how best to continue feeling confident after your session has concluded.

This comprehensive list will be your best friend over the next few weeks, so make sure to bookmark it in your browser and come back to when your photoshoot nears closer and closer. And if you felt this guide really helped you understand how to prepare for your headshot photoshoot, you can view my packages available and book a headshot session with me directly.

Now, let’s get into it. Here’s how to prepare for your headshot photoshoot.

Table of Contents:

• 1. Hair
• 2. Skincare
• 3. Make-up
• 4. Wardrobe
• 5. Sleep
• 6. Diet
• Photo examples
• Helpful Resources
• Book your headshots with Parenthesy

How To Prepare For Your Headshot Photoshoot

1. Hair

It may be tempting to change a hairstyle or get a fresh cut to feel and look a million bucks. If you decide to get a haircut for your headshot photoshoot, leave it no sooner than one (1) week before your session. This allows for a few things; you have time to recalibrate your brain around the way you used to wash, style, and shape it when it was this short before. It also allows the time to grow out a little bit and save us from that classic ‘I-just-got-a-haircut’ look.

On the day, how you style your hair is totally up to you, you can do as much or as little as you want – just remember that these are your headshots for casting, and not editorial glam shots for Vogue magazine. Sometimes less is more! I suggest that styling the hair with a soft wave or curl to frame the face is a great inclusion. Past clients have even been to the hair salon that day for a wash and blowdry. This is great especially if you are not confident in styling your own hair. Otherwise, it’s best just to arrive with washed, dry hair, ready to go when you get to location.

For those that have facial hair, again personal preference prevails. If your facial hair is iconic to your image, a fresh trim and clean up the night before the helps to create defined and well shaped features. Otherwise, clean shaven or stubble allows the viewer to see your facial features clearly, and can also be beneficial to your portfolio. There is always the option to shave on site, however do account for the time this may take during your session and we can custom create your booking to accomodate that.

If you cut yourself with a razor, don’t worry. That’s what our trusty friend Photoshop is for. Any nicks, grazes, cuts or errors can easily be removed in the edit suite.

2. Skincare

Don’t try any new facial cleansers/moisturisers!!! No matter how organic and skin-sensitive they advertise to be, surprising your skin with new and/or harsh chemicals will not do any wonders to your complexion right before a photoshoot! In fact, it’s more likely that introducing new care routines may even create an adverse affect to your skin. So if your current cleansing system is working and you haven’t had any troubles in the past 4 weeks with it, don’t tamper with it right before investing money into a photoshoot.

If there are any flare-ups, redness/soreness, or surprise pimples from stress-choccy-eating the night before, don’t worry, again, they can be very easily edited out. Again, your photographer will be capable of doing all of that in the edit suite, but let’s not prod the fire by using new skincare routines right beforehand.

I want to share with you a quick story – my good friend and recent client Andy Johnston booked a natural light headshot package with me in Melbourne, and made sure to book a few weeks in advance from the shoot date. Disaster struck just two weeks out when Andy came down with a severe and sudden case of chicken-pox. We knew he needed these headshots in preparation for some upcoming media needs, and I re-assured him that should we continue our plans to shoot, that any persistent poxes or irregular blemishes can be easily edited out. The shoot ended up happening on the original booking date, and continued as it normally would have after receiving a quality photographer’s reassurance. Because of this, Andy didn’t let the redness caused by the irritation of chicken pox affect his comfort on the day, and allowed us to complete a successful and quality headshot session.

With Andy’s permission, I have composited a short before-and-after comparison of the process I take to edit out blemishes that might similarly appear from acne or allergies. I hope this helps further reassure you that you can feel in safe hands knowing your image is well looked after with respect and consideration.

3. Make-up

Make-up can be a sensitive topic, and I’m going to advise carefully what I believe you should do surrounding applying make-up for your shoot.

Fundamentally, these are artists headshots, and the images captured should be able to tell a potential casting agent exactly what you look like without applying too many filters that make-up can create. Of course, a base foundation and some gentle bronzing always looks lovely and is appreciated, but like I said before in the Hair section, these aren’t editorial glam photoshoots, and as such, we won’t need the workings of a MECCA Michelangelo sculpting your facial features.

If you do wan’t to apply make-up, keep it super clean, and super minimal. That’s all that’s needed. We want to showcase your features and personality as a canvas to potential clients, for them to imagine building upon. Let’s not limit your castability by boxing your look into narrow categories!

On that note, keep eye colours to a thin, defining black or dark brown. Colours may be fun for the every day, but for headshots, let’s keep it simple and elegant.

For your lips; we love a paw paw moment, and a slight gloss or balm helps bring out a touch of natural colour in the lips, and also keeps them looking hydrated, fresh, and alive.

4. Wardrobe

I know how tempting a shopping spree sounds. But please bring in your actual wardrobe!

Another story for you – A few years ago I had a client come in for a series of promotional portraits and headshots. This person was prepared in all elements, and knew exactly what they needed for their branding and image. The only problem was that they brought an outfit from a high fashion clothing company purchased that morning, and wanted to return it in the afternoon to get their money back! Now of course, they looked incredible in the outfit – dressed to impress and looked a million bucks. Only problem was, we literally couldn’t capture anything. They couldn’t move about the space or play in their clothing because of the fear of breaking, tearing, or crinkling the outfit, because if the tag fell off, they couldn’t get their refund!
Now we still captured a series of great images, however we probably could have done more if they brought in pieces from their actual wardrobe. The moral of the story is, it’s better not to spend money on new outfits just for your photoshoot [unless you’re replacing a sweat-stained tshirt of a brand that you know already fits you well] and wear clothes that you know work for your branding.

Speaking of branding, I’ve written another guide all about branding and archetypes that you can read about here: https://parenthesy.com.au/utilising-archetypes-to-maximise-your-casting-potential/

Utilising Archetypes To Maximise Your Casting Potential.

Make sure you pick your outfits out in advance so you know exactly what you’re going to wear in the shoot. It’s a good idea to try bringing a wardrobe featuring clothing that can be an ‘every-day’ attire, or perhaps a ‘going out for dinner with the parents’ attire. Ultimately, we just want to see clothes that feel like you, and that you feel good in. Bringing two to three options is always appreciated, with a mix of combinations for tops, bottoms, or full length options to choose from. Wearing items that frame your face well such as crew necks, collared shirts, or low necklines allow the clothes to help highlight your facial features – it’s best to leave turtlenecks and overly stylised items for last and we can play with those options at the end if there’s time.

Another quick thing about wardrobe [and I don’t want to sound like a nagging parent], but being prepared with freshly washed clothes that have been steamed or ironed does wonders to your wardrobe. The first step of creating a great look for casting is presentability. Your smile and personality will always be your top seller, but a crisp, clean outfit is always appreciated, and, a quick steam of the clothes helps remove any distractions from your images.

Lastly, avoid stripes, brand logos, or large graphic patterns, as they can distract the viewer, and detract from your face.

5. Sleep

It goes without saying that a good night’s sleep does wonders to the body. I know that you’ll probably be excited and maybe a little scared as your headshot booking nears closer, however one of the most helpful ways to prepare your body for the session is getting a solid sleep the immediate few nights before your session.

It’s recommended for an adult to get around 7-9 hours sleep, however listen to your body and get as many hours you can to feel rested and ready. A good night’s sleep will also help you be more alert and receptive to the environment, and can give you the energy to play in the space and make some fun and bold choices. We’re here to create great images for you, and one of the best ways to do that is by feeling rested and ready for a big day ahead!

6. Diet

Your diet plays a huge role in your health and wellbeing – not just in making sure you look great, but also that you feel great. An excellent way to prepare for your headshot is to have a clean and consistent diet leading up to your session. I recommend the following:

• Drink plenty of water [recommended 2-4 litres per day]
• Consume a diet high in unprocessed vegetables and fruits
• Steer clear from too many high fat/sugar loaded foods
• Complete a few light exercises, stretching, or yoga that morning

Consuming plenty of water helps flush out all the bad stuff from your system, and by feeding your body with high quality fruits and veg helps restore the body’s natural balance. Too many processed fats and sugars can cause skin breakouts and acne, and by combining the above practices in additional to some light exercise, stretching, or movement to your day will help rewrite your body’s system and help you feel and look the best you can on your photoshoot day.

Photo examples

To help you better prepare for your headshot session, I’ve curated a series of photo albums with headshots from different artists in both natural-light environments, and artificial [studio] light environments. These can be found on the Pinterest boards below, so maximise on this content, and be sure to save these examples to your own channel. Creating moodboards in Pinterest is a great way to show your photographer what you envision for the shoot, and also helps you prepare your own look book for what you like most too.

Be sure to open these Pinterest boards now and save your favourite examples to your own boards.

Helpful Resources

Now you’ve scrolled through and saved your favourite Pinterest examples in the boards above and curated your own look-book, it’s good to understand how to prepare mentally for a shoot also.

I mentioned before another helpful guide that discusses archetypes and branding. I know you’ll value this guide as it discusses how to you can be ‘Utilising Archetypes To Maximise Your Casting Potential‘. It will help you discover what your archetypes and branding are and aid your continued learning on how to prepare for your headshot photoshoot.

Utilising Archetypes To Maximise Your Casting Potential.

Once you’ve completed reading it, you’ll be so fully ready for your next headshot session, and I can’t wait to discuss your discoveries in the studio together.

Book your next headshot session with me now.