Preparation Tips: How to Look Your Best on Camera

A professional headshot session can feel intimidating — even for people who are completely comfortable in the spotlight. The good news: a little preparation goes a long way. These tips come from photographing hundreds of professionals across the Bellevue and Seattle Eastside, from individual LinkedIn sessions to executive team shoots at companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Salesforce.

Follow the guidelines below and you’ll walk in ready. And don’t be afraid to experiment — it’s often the unexpected outfit or accessory that produces the best shot.

What to Wear

1. Match your wardrobe to your personality and your audience. Bring clothes that feel authentically you — but also consider who will see your headshot. A startup founder and a financial executive may choose very differently, and both are right for their context.
2. Stick to solid colors. Avoid busy patterns and logos. Patterns distract from your face. Logos date quickly and limit how you can use the photo. Solid colors keep the focus where it belongs.
3. Be thoughtful about black and white. Both can look sharp, but all-black or all-white tops can be tricky under studio lighting. If you default to black, try one option in a color that flatters your natural skin tone — you might be surprised.
4. Watch out for very bright or saturated colors. Bold colors can draw the eye away from your face. Some colors are so saturated that cameras reproduce them differently than they look in real life. Slightly muted tones tend to photograph more reliably.
5. Collars and fit matter — especially for men. A pinched collar or a gap between neck and collar (common after weight change) is very visible in headshots. Bring a properly fitting collared shirt and a couple of ties — a tie can visually correct an imperfect collar fit.
6. Don’t neglect the bottom half. Your lower half rarely appears in a headshot, but bring clean, pressed pants or a skirt that matches your top — you never know what the session will produce. If you’re wearing a suit, bring the pants.
7. Make sure undergarments work with your tops. A strapless or backless top requires the right undergarment. Think this through before you leave the house.
8. Everything should be clean and pressed. Wrinkles are not removed in retouching. Iron or steam collared shirts and jackets before your session — not the morning of, but the night before, so you’re not rushed.

Grooming & Appearance

9. Men: shave with timing in mind. If your session is in the afternoon or evening, shave closer to your session time to avoid five o’clock shadow showing up in photos.
10. Get a haircut 3–5 days before — not the day before. A fresh cut that’s had a couple of days to settle looks most natural. Bring a brush or comb for touch-ups between outfit changes. A little mousse or light hairspray helps control flyaways.
11. Skip the SPF foundation or powder. Products with SPF ratings reflect studio flash differently than regular makeup, often creating an uneven or glossy look. Use SPF-free formulas for your session day.
12. Keep jewelry simple. Headshots are about your face. Mismatched metals (gold earrings + silver necklace) are distracting. Simple studs, hoops, or a single necklace work well. Save statement pieces for character shots or personal branding work.
13. Glasses? Plan ahead. If you normally wear glasses, bring them. If the lenses aren’t anti-reflective coated, there may be some glare — but we can work with angles and lighting to minimize it. It’s worth a conversation before your session.

What to Bring

14. Bring more outfits than you think you need. More options mean more flexibility. Three to five looks is not too many. You can always leave things in the car.
15. Include one “just because” piece. A great leather jacket, a favorite scarf, a bold blazer, a fedora — grab the item that feels uniquely you and throw it in the bag. Some of the best headshots come from unexpected choices.
16. If you have props that represent you, bring them. You play guitar? Golf? You collect vintage cameras or do competitive boxing? Bring something that reflects who you are outside work. We may not use it, but if we do, the shot will be completely original.
17. Bring a makeup kit for touch-ups. A mirror is available at the studio. Having your own kit means you can freshen up between outfit changes without any guesswork.

Day-Of Mindset

18. You don’t have to know how to pose. Posing direction is included in every session — that’s part of what you’re paying for. Come in and let yourself be guided. The goal is always to capture you as an authentic, confident version of yourself — not a stiff or overly posed version.
19. Tell me what matters most to you. Need to be done in 20 minutes? Want to explore 5 different looks? Have a specific platform or use case for the photos? Say so at the start. Every session is flexible — but only if I know what you’re optimizing for.

Booking headshots for your whole team? See how John photographed the Monod Bio Team — or go straight to Group and Team Pricing.