ACTOR & CORPORATE HEADSHOTS

HEADSHOT PRE-SHOOT TIPS

Get ready for your session with these headshot pre-shoot tips.

MEN & WOMEN

Here are some suggested headshot pre-shoot tips to help you get ready for the day of the headshot session.

Sleep with an extra pillow – When you sleep, gravity pulls fluid around your lower eyelids, where the skin is soft and elastic, causing under-eye puffiness.
Chilled spoons also help with puffiness. The contour of the spoons will fit perfectly over your eyes, and the metal will remain cold just long enough to be effective in about 10 minutes.
Don’t starve on the day of the shoot.
Eat a power breakfast of oatmeal (not a sugar-laden instant variety) topped with chopped nuts, raisins, sesame seeds, and low-fat milk.
The long-burning carbs and protein will fuel your body and brain for hours. I don’t want you to lose your energy during the shoot or it will show in the photos.
Drink lots of water, carry it with you everywhere you go and drink it during the shoot.
Exfoliate your skin at least once a week and on the morning of the shoot.

Avoid the following items 72 hours before your photo shoot (They can cause flaky dry skin that will show in your photos)

Alcohol
Caffeine
Spicy Foods
Limit your salt intake.
Retin-A and Alpha Hydroxy creams (they can cause flaky, dry skin that will show up in your photos.)
Don’t get a haircut or trim the week of the photo shoot. It is not a good idea unless you know your stylist very well.

Follow these Headshot Pre-Shoot Tips, and you’ll be ready to have a fantastic session!

Don’t forget to read the WARDROBE TIPS page.

HEADSHOT PRE-SHOOT TIPS

MEN

If you want several looks from your sessions, arrive unshaven.
Bring shaving supplies and a face towel.
You will be able to shave midway through your session.
Bring your favorite hair products. Do not put them on your hair before the session. Wait until you discuss your looks with me.
Hide thinning hair with a haircut – It instantly makes you look younger.
If you are balding or have fine hair, remember that less is more.
Gravity causes longer hair strands to lie closer to the scalp, which exposes more skin on the top of your head.
By getting your hair cut shorter and more layered, you won’t see the scalp, which is the point. It’s an optical illusion.
Add some beer for fuller hair. A light lager also works. The yeast clings to each strand, making hair look fuller.
Any number of voluminous shampoos will also give body to your hair.

HEADSHOT PRE-SHOOT TIPS

WOMEN

It is a good idea to bring your own mascara to the shoot. I always use disposable applicators to minimize infection.
Dark hair roots will look even darker in the photos so refresh them a few days before the shoot.
If you trim your hair do it with enough time so your hair can “settle down” before the shoot.
Have your eyebrows professionally done if you can’t do it yourself, at least one week prior to your session. I may fine-tune them when you arrive, but I will not reshape them.
Fingernails and toenails should be well-manicured and the polish should look very natural.
Please avoid the new French manicure. Nowadays it is too white and that can be very distracting on camera. Remember you want your eyes and face to be the focal point, not your white nail tips.
If you are having your makeup professionally done by me, please arrive with a fresh face.
When doing your own makeup or having it done by someone else, please come make-up ready.
Bring your favorite brand of makeup to the photo shoot.
Don’t over-condition your hair before a shoot. Your hair must be dry before you arrive at the shoot.
Leave-in conditioner makes hair very unmanageable. So don’t use it on the day of the shoot.
Use Vaseline before bed and the morning of your shoot, to avoid dry lips.
Avoid tan lines.

It is a good idea to let me help you make the decision on professional makeup. I know what looks best on camera and I am used to applying makeup for my photographic lighting scenarios.

Get A Good Night’s Rest!!!

Hair & Makeup Headshot Pre-Shoot Tips for Corporate and/or Women Actor Headshots.

I feel it is to your advantage to look like you in your photos. That is why I suggest that you do your hair. Hair is usually a very personal choice and you know your own hair best. I would love to take your money and do your hair, but it doesn’t help you if you can’t replicate the same look. Your hair should look like your headshot when attending an audition or business meeting.

I feel the same way about makeup. But, this is where you can go wrong and a professional would come in handy. I can do your makeup or you may have another makeup artist do it.

I have makeup and hair products at hand, should you need some corrections.