What clothing to wear for a portrait/headshot session

1. Simple clothes: For typical portraits, I recommend clothing without any typography, graphics, recognizable brand logos, really vibrant colors, or distracting patterns. Feel free to bring different sets of clothing if you’re unsure what to wear or want multiple options. Consider bringing clothes with different necklines for headshots, especially when bringing alternate clothing options.

2. Ironed clothes: Think of what you want to wear a few days before the shoot to ensure it’s clean and ready to go the day of. Don’t forget to iron your clothes. Wrinkles can make portraits look unprofessional and be tricky to remove in Photoshop.

3. Coordinating clothes as a group: Discuss coordinating clothing beforehand if you’re to be photographed with others. You don’t all need to match – make sure you don’t end up with five people wearing black and one wearing red (unless it’s intentional of course

What is Moiré and How it Can Ruin Your Photos

When taking pictures, you might have encountered strange rainbow patterns in photographs that contain a lot of fine detail. These patterns are known as “moiré” (pronounced “more-ay”), and they can cause plenty of headaches for photographers. In this article, we will look at what moiré is, what causes it, and how you can reduce it both in camera and post-processing software.

What is Moiré?

Moiré pattern occurs when a scene or an object photographed contains repetitive details (lines, dots, etc) that exceed sensor resolution. As a result, the camera produces strange-looking wavy patterns. Avoiding these types of patterns is preferable.

How to prepare hair and make-up

1. Make-up: Generally, light natural make-up is worn for headshots and corporate or promotional portraits. But I’m leaving this up to you. Let me know if you’d like a make-up artist for the shoot; they would be available at an additional cost.

2. Lips, nails, hands: Ensure you have some chapstick to avoid dry/cracked lips. Gloss photographs well, but make sure it’s not glittery. Make sure your nails are clean, and your hands are not dry.

3. Hair & facial hair: You should come hair-ready, but bring hair ties/bands to try out different looks. You should also bring a brush or comb if your hair is as out-of-control as mine is when I wake up. Shaving mid-shoot to change your facial hair is possible; bring a shaving kit.

Accessories to wear for a photoshoot

1. Glasses: You’re unsure whether to wear glasses or contacts. Bring glasses! That way, we can do variations with or without.

2. Jewelry: Bracelets, necklaces, and earrings can be distracting – if you decide to bring some, keep it relatively simple.

Retouching in portraits and headshots

My goal is to make you look like you on your best day. That doesn’t start with retouching in Photoshop; it starts with my choice of lenses and lighting. Some lenses stretch, others compress. Lighting can be controlled to go from harsh lighting with glare to a soft, even look. Shadows can be used to control what is visible or not. All these decisions are important and come before any Photoshopping.

Now, here’s my stance on retouching. I find it acceptable to remove skin blemishes and pimples that are present on the day of the photoshoot. I think that as soon as the retoucher’s hand is visible in the photograph, it’s already gone too far.

I also think photographers should speak more openly about it with their subjects. When you come into my studio to have your portraits and headshots taken, we can go through a few of the shots together, and you can tell me if there are some things you want me to take care of post-production.

 Final Preparation Checklist

1. Clothing: Choose outfits that reflect your style and fit well. Avoid loud patterns and logos. Iron clothes for a neat appearance.

2. Hair and Makeup: Aim for a natural look. Style your hair as you prefer, but bring items for touch-ups.

3. Accessories: Select simple, elegant jewelry. Bring glasses if you usually wear them.

4. Night Before:

   • Ensure a good night's sleep for a fresh look.

   • Stay hydrated for vibrant skin.

5. Day of Shoot:

   • Eat a light meal or snack for energy.

   • Bring personal grooming items for any last-minute adjustments.

   • Consider any props or personal items you'd like in your photos.