How do I prepare for headshots?

In this video, I’m gonna give you my five top tips (plus a little bonus) on how to prepare for headshots. These are all really practical, simple things that you can do to make sure that you have extra kissable headshots results without having to bet big on the magical capabilities of your headshot photographer.

HOW DO I PREPARE FOR HEADSHOTS PHOTOGRAPHY? 

If you’re in the midst of planning your next professional headshot session, and you’re a little bit curious about things that you can do to take control of the planning process, then this blog will help you. I’m going to walk you through my five top tips, as well as a little bonus, to prepare for headshots. These are all of the things I advise my headshot clients to think about in the run-up to shoot day. Get each one right, and I guarantee you will feel a lot more confident when it comes to having those headshots taken on shoot day.

TIP 1: PLAN TO SLEEP 3 WEEKS BEFORE SHOOT DAY

Getting enough sleep is the oldest trick in the book for looking fresh and filled with vitality. If you’re burning the candle at both ends, it’s time to take control of your appointments and make sure that you get a lot more rest in the three weeks leading up to your headshot session. Reschedule that 8:00 p.m. Skype appointment. Make that weekend lie-in non-negotiable. Try to switch off screens at least one hour before you go to sleep and try and wait an hour after you’ve woken up before you switch then back on. Not only will a more rested you make a less anxious you when it comes to shoot day, but it’s also gonna show that you’ve had a lot of rest. Your skin cells will be a lot more glowing and you’ll have a little more of a sparkle in your eyes.

TIP 2: FEED YOUR HEART n SOUL FOR 2 WEEKS BEFORE SHOOT DAY

Can you add any more daily water in your intake? Do it! Can you switch out that takeaway with a home-cooked meal? Cook it. Can you think about cutting out foods that you know make you bloat, as well as reduce your alcohol consumption for the two weeks leading up to shoot day? You know what you put in your mouth, so you need to think about the foods that make you feel bad and the foods that make you feel good. Eat more of the latter.

TIP 3: TAKE EXTRA VARIATIONS OF OUTFITS

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve decided to go for a really quick, low fuss headshot service or a more complicated one. My advice here is basically to over-prepare for your headshots.

A good rule of thumb is whatever your photographer has told you to bring, try and double it. The reason I’m telling you this is that sometimes certain fabrics just read really bad. You can’t predict it. Sometimes they won’t work great under flash lighting. Sometimes they don’t look great in the natural daylight, and if you haven’t got a spare garment to switch it out, you’re gonna regret it, because that garment is gonna be on your body in every single one of your headshots.

Double up your shoes. So, if you’re gonna take one pair, take another pair. If you’re gonna take two pairs, take four, and up and up and up from there. Another good thing to pack is all of your work accessories. So, if you work from a laptop, bring that. Make sure that it’s been cleaned, same goes for your phone, headphones that go into your phone. Any little gadgets and things that you use regularly in work are gonna help, even if you just use them in a few frames. It’s great to have those options when it comes to selecting your images after your headshot session.

TIP 4: KNOW YOUR LOGISTICS 

When your photographer gives you a “call time”, that is the time that they’ve budgeted to start taking photos. You iron out in advance how long it’s gonna take for you to get to the call time location. You’re looking to arrive 10 minutes before the call time starts. A lot of really good photographers have to be extra strict when it comes to timing. They’re using the time to create money. So, every single minute counts on a photoshoot. Ask your photographer in advance of the exact route that you’re gonna be taking if you’re out on location and you’re walking around capturing headshots. A great way to prepare for this is to take some comfy shoes to change into when you’re walking, as well as any extras, like cold water and a fan if it’s gonna be a hot day or an extra layer to wrap up if it’s gonna be cold.

 TIP 5: LOOK IN THE MIRROR FOR A WEEK

For the whole week leading up to your shoot day, I want you to spend between two and 10 minutes every single day looking at yourself in the mirror. I promise you that this works. This is all about muscle memory. You’re gonna be doing work when you’re looking at yourself in the mirror. You’re trying to remember in your head what it feels like to hold your face in different positions. This could be a very serious smize. A big smile. Closed-mouth smile. Or poses to that effect. This is gonna help you massively with confidence when it comes to shoot day. Sometimes, what we think is our head is a great face actually looks pretty naff. So, you need to know a few different variations compared to your usual selfie pose.

BONUS TIP: TELL ALL OF YOUR VANITY SECRETS TO YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER BEFORE THE SHOOT

Part of recruiting a headshots photographer is to see how comfortable you feel around them, and the reason I’m telling you to do this is that you wanna be in a place where you feel comfortable being vulnerable with your headshots photographer. If you don’t feel like you can open up properly to your headshots photographer about all of the things that make you feel less than 100% confident, you probably haven’t booked the right headshot photographer.

Being really open and honest with your headshots photographer well in advance of shoot day about the things that you have hangups about when it comes to your physical appearance will give your headshots photographer plenty of time to plan around all of your little self-confidence triggers. The very act of sharing your posing weaknesses and physical hangups with your headshots photographer is gonna feel like a weight has lifted off your shoulders. So, doing this in advance of shoot day is already gonna make you feel a lot more prepared.

MAX OUT YOUR HEADSHOTS

In this episode of Mwah TV I mentioned my FREE checklist that helps you get the best return on your headshots investment.  Enter your email address here and I’ll send you your free copy. 

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