Executive Portrait and Headshot Style Guide
This is a set of guidelines we’ve found produce the best results for executive portraiture. We hope you find the information useful.
A Good Headshot:
Depicts a relaxed, confident you
Catches you in a natural state
Communicates something about your style and personality
Is a portrait you are proud to show to people
A Bad Headshot
Was taken with an iPhone
Is a snapshot taken of you on vacation that you cropped around your head
Looks like you prepared for a glamour shot with too much makeup and over-styled hair
Clothing is the most important factor in your headshot, but it is definitely not the focus. With proper clothing, your face commands attention and clothing itself becomes secondary. Wearing the wrong clothing takes attention away from where you want it – on you and on your face.
Dress in the fashion that you feel best represents both you and your company.
For a formal business portrait, dress as you would if you were making a presentation to your most important clients or associates.
For a more casual portrait, you still want to wear something that looks upscale and smart. Perhaps a blazer, a sweater over a button-down shirt or a blouse.
DON’Ts – Things to avoid:
Light colors that approximate flesh tones such as beige, tan, peach, pink, white, and yellow.
Solid black. It photographs flat, and lacks detail and dimension.
Light-gray suit
Turtlenecks
You might want to consider avoiding red.
MEN
Think classic. Pick your favorite suit that fits you well and is preferably a classic dark color like navy blue or gray. Choose a suit that doesn't bunch up when you button it or sit down in it and a shirt and tie that match each other and the suit.
Don't choose anything with bold, distracting patterns or colors. Clothing with tight grids or a small herringbone pattern can have a moiré pattern effect on camera, so avoid grid-like patterns. Thin stripes that are a little further apart are okay. Ties look best when their tone lands between the suit and the shirt- so a light shirt, a dark suit, and a tie in a shade somewhere between them. Some ties are too shiny- try to avoid really reflective, shiny silk ties.
For a more casual portrait where you’re not wearing a tie, choose a non-white shirt if possible: white shirts without a jacket and tie to break them up can lose detail in the color and folds. And if you wear a button-down shirt, it's best to wear a jacket or sweater of some kind to layer the look. If not, choose a darker color shirt or something with pockets or details to avoid it looking like a head floating on a blank, boxy shirt, and unbutton a button or two, or choose one without a collar and a medium or low neckline. And make sure we can't see your undershirt beneath the button-down shirt: wear a V-neck or no undershirt at all…
Grooming for men
Grooming usually means using just a little powder to cut down the shine, and tidying up your hair. Shave early in the day to let any razor-burn dissipate and allow nicks to heal before the shoot. For a late-day portrait session, if you have a heavy beard, a touch-up shave at mid-day is recommended, especially to mitigate five-o’clock shadow. Don’t cut your hair the day before your shoot! It will look like you just got a haircut.
WOMEN
Choose a professional suit or outfit that has a classic look: you shouldn’t be able to tell what decade it is in the photo. Don’t choose anything with bold, distracting patterns or colors, unless you can layer a blazer or sweater over it so not much of the pattern is showing.
Clothing with tight grids or a small herringbone pattern can have a moiré pattern effect on camera, so avoid those grid-like patterns. Thin stripes are okay. Darker shades are more flattering and slimming, but remember – black is not always the best color. Alternatives include navy, dark-gray, chocolate, forest green, deep teal, eggplant or a rich caramel.
Try not to wear stark white unless it’s under something, such as a suit jacket, cardigan, or sweater. Try to pick something that falls well on your shoulders and flatters your neckline. V-necks accentuate the neckline and generally look best on women. Just don’t choose something with too low of a neckline: no cleavage. No turtlenecks. They tend to make people look like they have no neck at all in photos.
Short sleeves or tank tops should also be avoided: executive headshots look better without bare arms, but it can work for a model's comp card or an actor/entertainer headshot.
For jewelry, a headshot with no jewelry at all is preferred. Alternatively, try something small, classic, and not very reflective or flashy. Earrings shouldn’t dangle more than an inch from your earlobe. You don’t want the attention to be drawn to your jewelry, instead of to you. Women should wear a solid suit and a light blouse. Wear something that looks good from the waist up.
Hair and makeup for women
If you do your makeup yourself, do your makeup how you usually wear it for an average day, or possibly a nice dinner. Do not wear heavy makeup; a close headshot will show clumps of mascara or dark lipstick. Choose light to medium eyeliners, eye shadows, and lipsticks that are only a shade or two darker than your skin tones. This brings your features out in a subtle manner without making it look like you're wearing lots of makeup. Avoid caking on heavy foundation. No shiny eye shadows or lip gloss: too much shine is distracting on camera and looks wet.
Skin blemishes, pimples, and even wrinkles can be retouched. It won’t be overdone.
How much is too much? Everyone is different, so it depends on how much make-up you usually wear: you want your headshots to be easily recognizable as how you generally look in person. For some people, that means wearing your make-up exactly how you usually wear it, for others it's wearing a little more, for others a little less. If you don't wear much makeup every day, don't do your makeup like a high fashion model for your photos.
If you are doing your own hair, remember to bring some hair product (if you use it,) a hairbrush or comb and a blow dryer to the session.
How to prepare for your headshot
Prepare for your headshot by taking care of yourself in the week leading up to your headshot. Avoid drinking alcohol or smoking, and drink plenty of water for a few days and on the day of your headshot. This will make your skin very hydrated to fill in lines, wrinkles, and under eye circles, and give you a healthy glow. Get plenty of sleep the night before your photo so you're rested and ready to go.
Hair: Don’t cut or dye your hair right before the shoot. Freshly colored hair can look too vibrant and unnatural on camera- drawing more attention to your hair than your face. A new haircut also looks its best after at least a week, and colored hair looks more natural after 1-2 weeks’ worth of shampooing.
Teeth: If you want to whiten your teeth before your session, start as early as possible and use a natural whitening method, or have your teeth whitened with your dentist. A quick emergency whitening method that works for many people is to mix some toothpaste with about 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of food-grade hydrogen peroxide, and about 1/2 teaspoon of water. Polish your teeth with this mixture and it should quickly whiten your teeth a shade or two. But don't use this method more often than once a month- baking soda is abrasive and can wear away at your enamel if used too frequently. (And retouching is also a much safer option!)
Beards: If you have a beard, trim it evenly so it’s nicely groomed. If you’re going clean-shaven, get a good shave that morning. The best rule of thumb for facial hair is to commit to your look; either a beard, mustache, or nothing at all. Anything scruffy or stubbly in between is not advisable. Darker colored beards tend to be accentuated in photos- trim it well so it's not too thick.
FINALLY…
Relax and remember to have some fun Don’t take it too seriously! It maybe a little difficult after all these do's and don'ts, I know. We’ll make the experience as relaxing as possible! Don’t let the camera mess with you; you mess with the camera!