Thank you for booking your business portrait session with me! I look forward to meeting you.
One of the most important questions you need to answer is… How do I prepare? What on earth to wear? Choosing outfits for a business portrait can be challenging, but certainly dictate the quality of the final product. Basically, you want to dress in your best! Think of it like dressing for church, a nice dinner, or a special occasion of any kind. Even if you are going for more of a casual look, there are basic elements to consider. Ask yourself, “Who is my audience?” and dress based on what you are trying to convey with your desired target audience and advertising channels (website, LinkedIn, brochures, etc.).
In general, below are some tips on how to prepare for your session (for both men and women).
- Hair styled neatly.
- Glasses clean and in good repair. (If you do not always wear glasses, it’s a good idea to opt for contacts or go without glasses. But if you typically wear glasses for your business, then by all means, you should wear them for your sesson). If you have multiple pairs, bring them along for different looks.
- Your hands will be in the images. Be sure fingernails are clean and groomed.
- Get a good sleep the night before.
- Avoid alcohol the night before.
- Be prepared to relax, come with a positive attitude and have fun so that your personality shines through.
General Clothing Tips (Office, Corporate, Multiple people):
- First decide on the tone of your outfits; business casual? Formal? Etc and ensure the group chooses their outfits based on the mood you are going for.
- Next, pick a colour palette for your outfits. Choose one colour to work as your main palette and ask members to wear it someplace within their outfit. Then you can fill in the rest with neutrals (greys, beige, brown, navy, jeans, etc.). But just stick to two of the neutrals, not all of them. Consider beige or navy or grey as an alternative to black or white.
- Split up the colours. You don’t want the same colour all on top. To avoid looking matchy-matchy and blending together, mix colours in to bottoms, shoes, and the accessories.
General Clothing Tips (both men and women):
- Bring 2-3 different looks for the shoot for a typical session. (Top half, eg. shirts, blazers, ties, etc.) Use this opportunity to be photographed in multiple looks for different places you will use the photo.
- Clean and pressed is always best. Clean, freshly-pressed shirts look sharp. You look like a person that comes prepared for the task at hand. Don’t show up with a rumpled shirt and expect it to be “fixed in post”.
- Make sure at least one is a solid-colored shirt.
- Newer shirts that aren’t faded and don’t have frayed edges on the collars are a must. If your wardrobe looks tired, so will you.
- Don’t bring all black or white items as they don’t photograph well. Opt for medium to dark tones such as medium to dark grey, blue or navy.
- Add a pop of colour in at least one of your looks.
- Solid colors photograh much better than patterns. If considering a pattern, choose small or medium patterns with monochromatic colour schemes.
- If you sometimes wear a blazer or suit coat, bring it as an option, (same with a tie for men). We will mix & match your looks. Fun, non-business-like options also exist on jackets and can look very nice in a headshot to add interest, layers and texture. You many even want to consider leather as it photographs well and definitely makes a statement!
- We will take full-body portraits, so be sure to match the pants to top half. Waer a nice belt. Don’t disregard footwear. (Which should also be clean and tidy)
- Try your clothes on before coming to the photo shoot. Make sure they fit and that you like the way you look in them. If you don’t like the way you look in the mirror, you likely won’t be satisfied with your portraits.
Tips for Men:
Grooming:
- If you are going to get a haircut, have it done at a few days ahead of your appointment.
- Make sure nose hairs are trimmed.
- Eyebrows should be trimmed or plucked the way you like.
- Unless you normally wear a beard, have a good shave the morning of your photo.
Clothing:
- Business casual dominates the landscape. And yet, we still see many folks opting for a suit and tie. Whether or not you wear a full suit and/or tie will depend on what is favored for the people that will be looking at your photo. You can always bring these items along and we can do some images with, and others without. It’s nice to have variety and options in your gallery.
- Stay away from huge patterns in your tie and shirt. Solid shirts with a small patterned tie look very sharp. Make your statement with your colors rather than your patterns.
- Do not wear a white t-shirt under an open-collared shirt. This results in a very distracting white triangle that draws the eye first when the viewer looks at your photo.
Tips for Women:
Grooming:
- I would suggest doing hair very soft and romantic so that you look natural. Loose curls photograph beautifully and much nicer that straight, pulled- back, smooth styles. Be sure to bring a brush or comb, especially if your shoot is outdoors as the wind can be nasty!
- Even if you don’t normally wear makeup, it’s a good idea to use powder to control shine, mascara to bring out your eyes, and something to add a bit of color to your lips. Bring powder and lipstick for touch-ups during the shoot.
- A fresh manicure is recommended. Wear neutral coloured polish that does not distract.
- Take the time to do your hair and make-up just right. Make yourself feel beautiful!
I have a great connection for hair & make up, she will travel to you and does both. Her prices are below. Be sure to mention that you are a client of Becky Fleury to receive these prices.
Mhei Alcos; IG @la.estetica.beauty ph. 204.384.9582
$150 for both hair & make up (with lashes) For hair only; $85. For makeup only; $95 with lashes
Wardrobe
- Shirts are a great way to introduce pops of color. Consider jewel tones like emerald or sapphire blue. Purple, green, red or orange can work well too. If you want something more neutral, a medium to dark grey can work.
- Consider texture if you want something besides a solid consider texture. If you have to have some kind of print pattern, keep it small or low contrast.
- Jewellery can be great as an accent, texture or splash of color. Opt for shorter necklaces as they may be cropped. Less is more on jewelry. Simplicity looks classic and stunning. But here again, stay with your personality and consider your audience.
All in all, bring along some choices and together we can choose what will look best for your business portraits. I look forward to creating some beautiful portraits with you!