6 Tips to Prepare Yourself For Corporate Headshots

HOW TO PREPARE YOURSELF FOR CORPORATE HEADSHOTS

Corporate headshots are an essential element in being able to portray a good image of your company.

When wanting to take corporate headshots it’s very important to consider and have a long think about the type of message you are trying to send and how you want to position yourself and your business to your audience, clients and potential clients, and then groom and dress yourself to match the message intent.

Here’s an example of some differentiation, so an Insurance firm might wear more corporate attire, so a suit and looking more serious, whereas a graphic designer might wear something more casual and fun that reflects their personality with their headshot.

Having corporate headshots help to humanise your business, they allow the opportunity for people to relate to you and get to know you a little more.

Preparing yourself for corporate headshots can be a little tricky and overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.

Here are 6 tips you can use to prepare yourself for corporate photoshoots; what to wear, your posture and other elements that will help give the best impression possible.

LOOKING GOOD

Before stepping under the lights and in front of the camera I find It very important to think about what your best side is, yep it’s a thing.

It’s important because from my experience there’s a lot of people out there who are super self-conscious of certain facial features.

As a portrait photographer and corporate photographer, I can assure you that photographers are accustom to this, so you should never feel embarrassed or ashamed to share what you’re self-conscious about with them.

This will make you more comfortable during the shoot and allow the photographer and yourself to communicate more effectively so they can cater to your needs and capture your better side.

SAY CHEEEEESSSEEEE… OR NOT

I’m sure after all the photos that have ever been taken of you, you know whether or not you smile with your teeth or not.

I certainly do not smile with my teeth.

Don’t worry too much about it, don’t overthink it because for professional headshots, smiling both with and without your teeth work just fine either way.

So smile whatever way that makes you feel the most comfortable as that will give you the most genuine look and feel about your corporate photo.

A forced smile is never good, we’ve all seen them. Forced smiles make you look really uncomfortable and disingenuous. Not only that it can send a bad message to your audience.

A ‘real’ smile is seen through the person’s eyes.

Here’s a tip to help with your smile: Try thinking of someone or something that makes you laugh. I think of scenes from the movie Drop Dead Fred, by thinking of something that makes you laugh, it will help you relax you and give you an amazing, genuine smile.

WATCH YOUR HAIR

Ok, so this tip is aimed more at the men when it comes to how to prepare yourself for corporate headshots.

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT colour or cut your hair right before the shoot.

Some shades of freshly coloured hair can look way too vibrant and be too distracting during the shoot.

It’s best to look as natural as possible and that goes beyond your facial expressions.

When styling your hair, make sure it’s groomed how you would normally present yourself.

Image is important and you want to give your audience, clients and potential clients to your business the most accurate image of yourself and what they can come to expect.

APPLYING MAKE-UP

This one is for the ladies. There’s a debate on whether hiring a make-up artist is a good idea or not.

The answer is, it’s completely up to you.

Just remember, you want your headshot or portrait to be easily recognisable to your audience, so you don’t want your make-up to overpower the headshot and be too distracting.

On top of that, cameras will pick up the clumps of mascara or dark lipstick you or the makeup artist applies, so just be a bit cautious with that.

DRESS FOR SUCCESS

Ok, so now that the hair and makeup are covered, let’s move on to another way on how to prepare yourself for corporate headshots.

Dress Code and the type of dress code you should keep in mind when preparing for a corporate photoshoot.

Let’s start with the men I would strongly suggest picking your favourite suit that makes you feel the most comfortable in a preferably dark colour, such as grey or navy blue.

You want most of the viewer’s attention to be on your face so bold or bright patterns and colours, as well as colourful and shiny ties, distract the viewer’s eyes away from your face way too much.

The attention has to go to your face.

If you don’t wear a tie, it’s best to wear a shirt with the top button undone with a jacket or some other kind of layer to break things up and add some texture to the shot.

Now to all the women…Your outfit choice is going to be much the same as the men. Choose a professional suit or a classic office-wear outfit.

Again, be very mindful not to pick any bold, vibrant or distracting patterns, BUT little pops of colour here and there will be alright, just don’t overdo it

When it comes to jewellery, wear anything that is subtle and classic, don’t wear anything blingy or flashy as it will distract viewers away from your face.

Even though I have mentioned a few suggestions on what you should wear in a corporate photoshoot, there aren’t strict rules for what you should wear so long as your outfit reflects your company.

STRIKE A POSE, WATCH YOUR POSTURE

Body language is the secret to looking confident in photoshoots.

With your posture in corporate photoshoots, try to keep your back straight and don’t hunch your shoulders, just don’t allow yourself to become too stiff and rigid.

Try not to put your hands in your pockets or cross your arms, despite your best intentions this is actually closed body language and will immediately make you seem unapproachable to your audience and viewers.

You don’t want that.

Take your organisations values and morals and let your photographer know so they can give you some direction on how to adapt your body language to them.

IN THE END

Having corporate headshots taken of yourself and your team gives your potential customers confidence in seeking more information about you personally and your business.

They also reassure your existing clients that there is a real person behind the products and services you provide.

To give the absolute best, the right, and a positive impression to your clients and potential clients make sure you combine all of the above tips and make sure they align with your company’s values.

Besides all that, the best thing you can do on how to prepare yourself for corporate headshots is bringing a happy and relaxed attitude to the photoshoot, it can be hard, but you can do it!

Liked what you read? Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts, I would love to hear your feedback. If you would like to read more check out my blog page here.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.