How to Prep For Your Shoot

Get your professional headshots from the best in the business!

Hiring the right photographer is the first step toward getting gorgeous, impactful headshots that will help boost your business success. At Vanessa Geise Photography, we take a client-focused approach to headshot photography. Our team will take steps to meet and exceed your expectations and provide you with headshots that present you in the best possible light.

Whether you are a young professional from Wilmington or a seasoned businessman from Downtown Charlotte, Vanessa Geise Photography is your best choice if you need quality headshots that reflect your personality or brand. Get in touch with us today!

So how do I prepare for a professional headshot?

Professional headshots are a powerful too for presenting yourself to potential clients or employers. Here’s what you can do to ensure effective end results from the shoot:

Communication is key

Since headshot sessions are usually quite short, you should share your thoughts with your photographer beforehand to make sure you’re on the same page. Let them know exactly what you’d like to get from the headshots, in terms of the overall look and feel you’d like to go for and other expectations you may have. The more you communicate with your photographer before the shoot, the easier it will be for them to meet your needs and produce great results.

Get some rest

You want to be as fresh and relaxed as possible on your shoot day. Although your photographer will most likely be able to remove dark circles during editing, you should get enough sleep on the night before if you wish to look truly well rested in your photos.

Plan your shoot day

While planning ahead can be challenging for any busy professional, try not to schedule any appointments that may conflict with your photo session. You want to make sure you’ll get to the studio on time and be focused during the shoot.

Be smart about clothing & accessories

Choosing the right outfit for a headshot session can be tricky. Still, there are some items that generally don’t work well in photos, such as reflective materials, turtlenecks, distracting colors, and over the top jewelry. You should also avoid all-white blouses or shirts as they can wash you out and cause significant loss of depth and detail.

Don’t go overboard with hair and make up

Classic hair and makeup generally works best in photos. Avoid dramatic colors and sparkly or shimmery products and apply some translucent powder to eliminate shine. As for the hair, keep it simple and choose a hairstyle that has worked for you before.

How should I prepare the night before a photoshoot?

It is entirely normal to be nervous on the night before your headshot session. Luckily, there are some tips you can follow to make sure you wake up refreshed and confident before your shoot:

• Get between 7 and 8 hours of sleep and avoid using your phone or computer before going to bed
• Remove all makeup and moisturize your skin before going to sleep to freshen it up and prep it for the shoot
• Consider not washing your hair if you’ve washed it the day before since clean hair can be harder to work with
• Reduce under-eye puffiness by using a cold compress or placing frozen spoons underneath each eye for a couple of minutes

1. Pick Out Your Clothes Early

I highly recommend working with your photographer to get suggestions on what to wear for your portraits. Some shoots have themes or specific lighting schemes in mind, and clothing can make a huge difference in elevating the images’ overall look. As a starting point, here’s my guide for what to wear for your portrait session which colors to pick for photos. Once you know what you should wear, make sure to assemble your wardrobe a few days before your session. Get items laundered, ironed, and anything else needed so that you’re not rushing at the last minute. Another helpful tip is to figure out how you’ll change your clothes on location,

2. Practice Hair & Makeup

If you’re getting your hair and makeup professionally done for your shoot, it’s worth doing a test run of both. Make sure both come out how you want; this way, you’re not worried about how your hair or face will look on the day of your photoshoot.

3. Gather Your Props

If you are utilizing props for your portraits, make sure to assemble them a few days before the shoot. You don’t want to be late for your session because you couldn’t find your baseball glove for your senior portraits. 

4. Eat, Drink, And Rest

Keep your body happy. This advice goes for life in general, but it’s essential for your portraits. Make sure to eat something, drink plenty of water, and get a good night’s sleep before your session. Your body will thank you! Photo sessions are a blast but can be exhausting, so you’ll want to feel comfortable and happy!

5. Shave 2 Nights Before

This tip mostly applies to facial hair or if you’ll be getting detailed shots of your legs. Shaving the 2 nights before your photoshoot will reduce any redness that may come from irritated skin. 

6. Get On The Same Page As Your Photographer

To have a successful photoshoot, it’s a great idea to share photo concepts with your photographer, so you are going for the same result. Pinterest boards are my favorite way to communicate concepts.

7. Pre-Plan Locations

It’s a lovely idea that you’ll show up, and awesome things will happen. But photoshoots take planning (as we’re learning here). Simply put, location matters. It helps bring context to your portraits. Studio or on location? A park or the mountains? Where’s the best park in Charlotte for pictures with graffiti?

8. Have A Back-Up Plan

Weather is unpredictable, and rain can ruin a shoot. To prepare for your photo session, check the weather the night before. If it looks bleak, contact your photographer and plan what to do if it rains on your photoshoot.

10. Know What Happens After The Shoot

You’re going to be exhausted but excited after your photo session. If all went well, the first question after the shoot would be, “When will I see my images?” Please talk with your photographer and learn their process. Make sure you know what to expect, so you’re not surprised later. For example, here’s my process after a portrait session:

1. Images will take about one week to do first-round edits.
2. An ordering session will then happen to pick which images are getting printed, delivered, and hung on the walls.
3. I do any remaining detailed edits on ordered images before sending them off to the print lab. These edits take about two weeks with product delivery taking another week after that. That’s three weeks total for those counting.
4. Once everything is delivered, and my clients are raving about their finished pieces, I send over a final contract. This contract confirms all items have been delivered, and my work as the photographer is complete.
5. I send over a feedback request to make sure my clients are satisfied and ask if there’s anything I can do better next time.

And that’s the list! That’s how to prepare for your photo session to have the best experience and images possible. I tried to make this as comprehensive as possible, but if I missed anything…hit that lil button and let’s talk!

xoxo,

Vanessa