• I know this sounds silly, but you will take better pictures during your session if you have a strong understanding of your expressions. Practice your expressions in the mirror over and over again. That’s not to say that you should come in with a preconceived notion of what you want this picture to look like. You should be able to be coached into a number of different expressions during your session. There’s no limit to the number of pictures we take during a session. My job is to make sure that you have a huge variety of images to choose from. The more control you have over your expression, the more amazing shots of yourself you’re going to leave here with.

Rest

• Schedule your headshot session for a day that you can de-stress and get a good night sleep the night before. We all wear our stress and our sleep deprivation, and like ill-fitting clothing, they have no business making an appearance in a headshot session. As the photographer, there are a lot of things I have control over during our session, but if you come in tired and tense you’re at a severe disadvantage.

It’s all about attitude

• I can’t stress this enough, everyone is capable of an amazing photograph if they trust their photographer and they’re willing to give up control. I encourage all of my clients to stop by for a free consult. If you don’t click with me, don’t book me, but if you do book me, be coachable. I will help you get where you need to go with your headshot, and you’ll thank me on the way out the door. This only works if you leave all of your baggage at home. Don’t come in with a negative attitude. I promise you that if you come into my studio prepared and confident, you won’t leave without a great headshot. At 312elements photography we have a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Music

• Put together a playlist to listen to during our session. We have a CD player, and Ipod connection and Spotify at the studio. Put together a playlist of songs that inspire you. Just remember to keep it up-beat. Slow songs will drain the energy out of you. Workout playlists tend to work really well.

Moisturize

• A little moisturizer goes a long way in preparing your skin for a headshot session. Be sure to moisturize your skin well the night before your headshot session as well as the morning of your appointment. If you’ve hired a make-up artist for your shoot, do not apply any make-up before your session.

• This is photographer jargon that denotes the number of outfits you’d like to be photographed wearing during your headshot session. In most cases a photographers fee will increase for each additional “look”.
   
  Most of the time a corporate client will only need a 1-look headshot session. The corporate client looking for images of themselves to use on their website or for social media websites like LinkedIn or Twitter are looking to convey something very specific. The great majority of the time this message is confidence and approachability. The typical corporate client isn’t necessarily interested in displaying character diversity or range in the same way that an actor might. Don’t forget to check out our guide of what to wear for your corporate headshot session.
   
  Actors and models are often interested in additional “looks”. It really has a lot to with your casting. What roles are you usually cast in? What roles do you want to be cast in? We use different looks to help you with different casting options. The majority of our actors purchase our 3-look headshot package. With the 3-look package the session runs longer to accommodate the changes of clothes. These additional clothing changes offer the industry professional to show more range. Rather than having 1 headshot that they use for everything, they have the ability of choosing which headshot best showcases their ability to fit a specific role. It’s not uncommon for women to change a hairstyle and or make-up with each additional look. It’s also common practice for men to shoot their first look with a 5 o’clock shadow or beard and then shave for additional looks. As an actor, this is your only tangible marketing material, so for many people showing that diversity is like having an extra set of tools to land that next big part.

• The short answer is yes.  If you’re an actor and it’s been more than 2 years since your last headshot, you shouldn’t even have clicked on this. This is your own marketing tool and you should know better. However, if you’re not an actor and you’re online in any capacity then the answer is still yes. You have the power to dictate your online perception and failure to capitalize on that opportunity will result in a series of other missed opportunities.  Your headshot is your personal logo for your personal brand and should be treated as such. 
   
  There are a great number of online marketing tools these days and whether you’re connecting with peers and potential employers /clients on LinkedIn or you’re looking to find the love of your life on Match.com, you are being judged by your profile picture or lack there of.  When speaking of first impressions and perceived professionalism lack of a great headshot is akin to having grammatical errors in your resume. It’s the 21^st century and it doesn’t matter how great you look in that picture from your cousins wedding that you cropped your significant other out of, it just doesn’t cut it anymore. 
    
  312elements photography recommends that you update your headshot every 2 years.

• We offer our clients an amazing product that is truly second to none. We don’t just photograph people we educate them and more importantly we learn from them. The process is constantly evolving to ensure that no two headshots are exactly the same. We look at things differently. This is not just a photograph this is your personal logo. We don’t produce pictures, we capture your personality in an image and create powerful marketing tools designed to differentiate you from everyone else in your field. We are authentic in what we do and we believe that what we do makes a difference.

• We do occasionally travel for headshot sessions. It’s our opinion that our clients are best served in our studio located at 212 N. Sangamon. This is a controlled environment and the reason our product is unique has a lot to do with our studio, how we light our clients and the elements of the studio included in the shots. This cannot be replicated on location. That being said we do offer other products on location that can satisfy your needs as well. Especially if you have a unique working environment or you’re interested in executive portraits. Please note that headshots require a great deal of working space and not every space is conducive to headshot photography. All on location shoots include a site visit so that we can assess the situation and decide what we need to bring to deliver the service our clients have come to expect. Group discounts are available and all location shoots under $1000 in total value are subject to a $200 travel fee.

• Please feel free to bring as many outfits as you like. I can’t photograph you in it if you don’t bring it, so it’s better to err on the side of caution. Please don’t bring anything you don’t love or anything that doesn’t fit you well. If you want my opinion I’ll be happy to give it to you. If you’re truly torn and indifferent I’m happy to make the final decision. If you don’t have anything that you love in your closet, go shopping! Leave the tags on the garments and return them after the shoot. Please remember that you book your session by “looks”. If you booked a 1-look headshot session please understand that this means that you’ll only be able to be photographed in one outfit. If you’re not sure what a “look” is, please read more about “looks” here.

There are only a few hard and fast rules to this question. Follow these tips and you should be in good shape.

• Wear something you like. If you don’t have anything you like, go and buy something. Leave the tags on it if you want. We can work around it and you can return it later.
• Wear something that fits you well. Make sure it’s ironed if it needs to be ironed and keep your pets away from your clothes before you headshot session. Animal hair is not attractive unless it’s on an animal.
• Stay away from blacks and whites, as they are just too contrasty.  A black suit with a white shirt is my worst nightmare. Avoid this combo at all costs. While you’re at it, stay away from loud prints, as they’re too distracting.
• Earth tones and gemstones tend to make for the best color pallets. I’m also a huge fan of the color grey. It just works!
• Short sleeve/sleeveless shirts can be problematic. If you’ve got the arms for it, go for it, if you don’t love your arms, you’re probably not going to love the picture of you in the shirt.
• I recommend my corporate clients dress as they would for a client meeting. If it’s business casual, then a button down shirt or polo shirt is just fine. If it’s a suit and tie kind of industry, than rock the suit and tie.
• I recommend my actors keep things simple. T-shirts can be great.  Layers are great. Interesting necklines are great. Just don’t let the clothes outshine you behind the camera.
• Ladies, if you feel better in heels, wear your favorite heels. They wont be in the shot, but their presence will be made known in your smile.

• Unless you happen to sell jewelry I recommend keeping accessories to minimum. Earrings shouldn’t dangle. Small studs are great. Necklaces shouldn’t be “chunky” or “blingy”. These shots are headshots. Less is more. The product is you, not the fashion. The fashion is there to accentuate you and your features, and not be a distraction from them.

• A haircut is a great idea before a headshot session, just not the day before your headshot session. A little trim will help your hair look healthy in your images, however if possible cut your hair at least a week before your headshot session. Sometimes after a haircut we’re left with tan lines and hair that isn’t quite sure how it wants to be styled yet. By giving yourself a week you’ll have some time to learn how your hair lays best and how you want to style it. Also, if you happen to hate your hair cut, it will allow you ample time to reschedule with me if necessary and push your date back few weeks.

• If clean-shaven is your look then by all means shave. Shave like you’ve never shaved before. This is a special occasion and warrants a fresh razor or blade. Any hair left behind will show up on camera so do your best to get as clean a shave as possible. While you’re at it, take a look at your eyebrows and your nose hair too. Nobody wants a headshot with a uni-brow.
• If you typically wear a little scruff, then that’s cool too. Try and schedule shaving accordingly so that you have your preferred level of hair growth. Know your audience and be real about your ability to grow facial hair. If it doesn’t look good or you feel it won’t appeal to your target audience, shave it. Photoshop can do wonders for a lot of things, but more often than not, facial hair is not one of them.
• If you wear a beard, please make sure it’s properly groomed. A poorly groomed beard can imply laziness.
• Actors feel free to bring your razor to the studio and we can have you shave between “looks” to get a little bit of range in your shots.