PRICING & PACKAGES

Personal Branding photos are often your first impression to your clients. Be prepared to look your best.
If you look your best, you're going to feel confident, and this will come out in your headshots. Here are some tips to choose the right clothes and be prepared so you get the best results.

2023 Prep & Style Guide

Personal Branding

DENVER PERSONAL BRANDING & HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPY

sleep

Sleep is the most important prep part for your session! It's no secret that a good night sleep will help you look healthy and refreshed and prevent those dark circles and bags under your eyes. 
Gently wash your face before the session to remove dirt and oil from your skin and to reduce shine. If you have dry skin, apply moisturizer the night before your session to give it time to absorb. Do not apply face lotion the day of your session - it will make your face shiny under the lights.

facial hair

A fresh hair cut is key to looking sharp; however, if you get it cut the same day as your headshot session, remember to rinse your hair and wash your face and neck so you do not have small pieces of hair on your face, neck, and ears.
Trim your ear, nose, and eyebrow hairs if needed.

If you shave daily, we recommend shaving within 4 hours of your session, before that 5 o’clock shadow starts to appear. You may want to book a morning session or bring your razor with you and shave at our studio. If you have a beard, make sure it’s neatly trimmed. If you have razor cuts or irritation, these can be removed in retouching.

Hair and makeup is not just for film and television. Studio photography requires professional studio lighting similar to the lighting used for professional video, so that shine on your nose and forehead or that redness from too much sun will be noticeable.

Makeup will significantly remove shine on your face, cover up blemishes, and balance out skin tone and color so you look your absolute best. Although makeup is recommended, the retouching we’ll do on your final selected images includes skin retouching that will reduce shine, balance out skin tone, correct complexion, and remove any blemishes and stray hairs.

If you plan on applying your own makeup, the most important thing is to wear a photo quality matte powder makeup that will reduce sine on your face. Also, try to balance out your skin tone and color, especially if you have red areas. It's not a bad idea to bring your makeup with you to your session for touch-ups.

If needed, we recommend women get a hair cut up to three days of your headshot session. If you have a hairstyle that requires moderate to complex styling, we recommend booking your session in the morning so your hair is still in it's best condition; this is especially important if you curl your hair or if your hair is prone to frizz later in the day. If you have a specific hair product you like to use, please bring it with you.

hair & makeup

Clothing 

Wearing proper fitting clothes is the most overlooked and one of the most important steps you can take to look your best in your headshot and in everyday life. Get that suit and those shirts tailored or buy fitted shirts and suits. For both men and women, off-the-rack shirts and jackets that are noticeably too big or too small for you will not be flattering for your body and will make slim people look slimmer and large people look larger. Overall, improper fitting clothes will result in a sloppy, unprofessional look, and there is not much we can do even in retouching to fix this. 

Consider choosing clothing and accessories with a timeless style, not trendy fashion that will be out of style in the near future and that will date your headshot, unless you plan on keeping it updated.

Pants and shoes do not matter; we only photograph your upper body.

Suits are common for most headshots we do and a suit will definitely make you look more confident. Even if you don't wear a suit for your daily work attire, if you own a well-fitting suit, we recommend bringing it and taking at least a few photos in it so you will have a more formal headshot if you ever need one. It's always better to be over-dressed than under-dressed.

Suit jackets are recommended for both men and women. Jackets are designed to give your body a flattering shape and frame your face. If you have a thin body-type, jackets will make your shoulders appear broader. If you have a larger body type, jackets will add a defined structure with vertical lines, framing the body and making it look neatly self-contained.

For jackets, especially women's jackets, choose one where the lapels create a 'V' shaped front, which is much more flattering than the straight up and down front (known as mandarin collars).

Women, we understand there are some jackets that don't button, however, we recommend wearing a jacket that does button. Buttoning your jacket will create the flattering 'V' shape front and also prevent the fabric from hanging loose around your body. If you don't have a jacket that buttons, we can use a small clamp in the studio.

Women, avoid blouses and jackets that have loose hanging fabric in the sleeves. If the fabric fills the area between your arms and torso, your body will appear larger than it actually is, especially with dark clothes.

Jewelry should be simple and professional. Necklaces are always a great addition, especially if you are wearing a low-cut top or deep V jacket. Thin chains are okay but can get lost in a photo. Thick or multi-strand necklaces, especially pearls, have proven to work well in headshots we've done. See our portfolio for examples.

Professional outfits for men: Suit with tie, suit without tie, dress shirt with tie, dress shirt without tie, sport coat with dress shirt, dress shirt with tie under v-neck sweater, dress shirt without tie under v-neck sweater.

Professional outfits for women: Suit jacket with button-up shirt, button-up shirt alone, suit jacket with blouse (silk shirt, bow-tie blouse, cowl neck blouse), cardigan with blouse, blouse alone, suit jacket with professional dress, cardigan with dress, dress alone.

Consider browsing high-end clothing catalogs for inspiration. The models in catalogs are professionally styled and you'll get a good visual of clothing and color combinations.

Professional outfits

masculine clothing

Men, if you will be wearing a button shirt without a tie for a more casual look, make sure you wear a v-neck under-shirt so it is not visible when your top buttons are undone.

Make sure your clothes are wrinkle and lint free before arriving. We do have a clothes steamer and lint rollers on hand if you need to use them, but keep in mind, the more time we spend preparing your clothes, the less time we have to shoot.