HEADSHOT PREPARATION · ST. LOUIS
How to Prepare for Professional Headshots: A Complete Guide
Learning how to prepare for professional headshots does not require an elaborate routine. A little preparation simply gives us more time during your session to focus on expression, posing, and creating photographs you actually want to use.
You do not need to know your best angle, practice poses, or figure out how to smile for the camera before you arrive. I’ll coach those pieces during the session.
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BEFORE YOU ARRIVE
How to Prepare for Professional Headshots: 9 Simple Tips
1. Choose Clothing That Fits Your Professional World
Wear clothing that represents how you want clients, coworkers, or employers to see you. Solid colors and layers often photograph beautifully because they support your face instead of competing with it.
2. Bring More Than One Option
If your session allows wardrobe changes, bring a jacket, alternate top, or second look. One small change can take an image from formal to approachable.
3. Avoid Major Last-Minute Changes
The day before your headshot is generally not the ideal time to experiment with a dramatically different haircut or new skincare treatment.
4. Get a Normal Night of Sleep
You do not need a special beauty routine. Being rested and hydrated does more than most complicated pre-session tricks.
5. Give Yourself Enough Time
Arriving rushed after fighting traffic makes it harder to settle in. Build enough time into your schedule to arrive, check your clothing, and get comfortable.
6. Bring Your Glasses
If glasses are part of how people normally see you professionally, bring them. If you use multiple pairs, we can decide which works best on camera.
7. Know Where the Images Will Be Used
LinkedIn, a company website, speaking engagement, billboard, press release, or personal brand may each influence the expressions and crops we create.
8. Do Not Practice One Perfect Smile
A professional session should create expression variety. Rather than locking into one rehearsed smile, let me coach you through several options.
9. Do Not Stress About Posing
Posing is my job. I’ll guide shoulders, posture, head position, jawline, eyes, and expression throughout the session.
WARDROBE
What Should You Wear for a Professional Headshot?
Your wardrobe should support your professional identity rather than become the most noticeable part of the photograph.
A lawyer, realtor, engineer, physician, executive, actor, and entrepreneur may all make different wardrobe choices—and that is perfectly fine.
For a complete breakdown, see what to wear for professional headshots.
THE LAST 60 SECONDS BEFORE THE CAMERA
You Don’t Have to Show Up Camera-Ready
Getting ready for a professional headshot does not mean every hair, collar, jacket, and detail has to be perfect before you walk through the door.
I pay attention to those things during the session too. A collar sitting strangely, a jacket bunching in the wrong place, flyaway hair, or a tiny wardrobe adjustment is much easier to fix before I press the shutter than afterward.
We can take a minute, make the adjustment, and move on. There is no prize for arriving completely camera-ready.
You bring yourself. We’ll make sure everything else is behaving before we start.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE PHOTOGENIC
Your Job Is Not to Know What to Do
Most people I photograph are not models. Many walk in saying some version of, “I hate having my picture taken.”
That is exactly why guided posing and expression coaching are part of the experience.
I’ll watch posture, shoulder position, head angle, jawline, eyes, and expression while you focus on responding to one small direction at a time.
Read more about expression coaching for headshots and professional headshot posing.
WHAT TO BRING
A Simple Headshot Session Checklist
- Two or three wardrobe options when appropriate
- A jacket or layer for variety
- Glasses you wear professionally
- Basic hair or makeup items for touch-ups
- Examples of company headshots if matching an existing style
- An idea of where your photographs will be used
You do not need to bring posing inspiration from Pinterest or practice facial expressions in the mirror. We’ll build the photograph together in the studio.
READY WHEN YOU ARE
Preparation Should Make the Session Easier, Not More Stressful
Christian Berens Photography provides professional headshots throughout St. Louis and St. Charles County with guided posing and expression coaching from start to finish.
If you arrive with clothing you feel good in and an open mind, I can handle the rest.
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