Professional headshots for your website are incredibly important, so that’s why I need to give you all of the tips and tricks for a sucessful headshot photoshoot from the perspective of a professional headshot photographer! First, let’s get into why professional headshots are important. A good first impression starts with a good headshot. Professional headshots are even more important when you’re launching a website. A professional headshot can introduce you to your audience, give an idea of your credibility and trustworthiness, and connect to your audience more!

Overall, professional headshots help you create a positive first impression with visitors and enhance your online presence and personal branding! A professional headshot shows you’re serious about your business and willing to invest in your brand.

Alyssa Michele Photo | Fresno Professional Headshot Photographer

Tips For Planning Your Wardrobe & Accesories

It’s important to wear comfortable, flattering clothes for your headshots. Besides being easy to coordinate with your website’s color scheme, solid colors are never a bad choice. However, subtle patterns like stripes or polka dots are also great options if you prefer a more subtle look! Don’t go overboard with flashy or distracting accessories because we don’t want to take away from you!

Simple accessories like small earrings, a dainty necklace, or even a stylish watch can make any outfit pop and go a long way!

To sum up, when choosing clothing and accessories for headshots, solid colors and subtle patterns are great. Wear clothes and accessories that aren’t too flashy or distracting, and give your photos a nice touch with simple jewelry or accessories!

Preparing For Your Professional Headshots

Prepping for professional headshots can feel like daunting task, but with the right preparation, you can make sure yours looks awesome and goes smoothly! A good headshot starts with good grooming. It is important that your hair is clean and styled. It’s definitely worth hiring a professional hair and makeup artist for your headshot! They know how to do hair and makeup in the best way for photoshoots, and can really change the game. If you need any local recommendations on high-quality hair and makeup artists in the area, let me know! Lastly, it is important to get a good night’s sleep before your shoot. This will help you look your best and ensure your feeling the best, too! If you’re tired or unmotivated, it will show in your photos.

A Checklist of Items to Bring to Your Shoot

Prepare for your headshot session by bringing the following items:

• Wardrobe changes – By changing up your wardrobe, you can create a variety of looks. It would be best to wear a professional outfit and then perhaps a business casual outfit if that’s what you want.
• Hair and makeup products – Make sure to bring any makeup and hair products to touch up your hair and makeup throughout the session if needed. There is nothing worse than accidentally smudging your eyeliner or mascara and not being able to fix it. Alternatively, if you wear fake eyelashes without backup glue, this could be your worst nightmare. Yikes!
• Fun Props – Any props you want for headshots. It could be anything from stylish glasses, books, your laptop, iced coffee, or anything else that fits your brand.

Communicate With Your Professional Headshot Photographer!

When getting headshots taken, it is super important that you share your goals with the photographer prior to your shoot! Understanding what the client wants helps the photographer deliver a better result. Make sure to let your photographer know if you have any preferences or concerns!

Your photographer should also see examples of headshots you love and are inspired by. This will allow the photographer to better understand your visions for your headshots, as well as your overall branding. You can do this by making a board on Pinterest and sharing it with your photographer!

Tips For Natural & Confident Posing and Expressions!

No matter what your profession is, your headshot should always be confident, approachable, and natural! To help you achieve this, here are some tips!

Start by practicing your poses and facial expressions in front of a mirror or with a friend or family member you feel comfortable with. It’ll help you feel more comfortable and confident for your photoshoot! Posing should be natural and comfortable, but it should also show confidence in yourself and your abilities! The goal of your facial expressions should be to appear friendly and approachable! Your headshots will look more friendly and inviting with a relaxed smile and open body language!

Selecting Your Final Images

Now for the fun part! You should consider a few things when picking the best headshots from your gallery. It’s important to think about lighting and composition. What do they feel like, and do they represent your brand or website? You should choose photos that reflect the message you’re trying to get across. When choosing images for your website, keep these tips in mind!

Optimizing Your Headshots For Your Website

For your headshots to be clear and high quality no matter what format (desktop, mobile, tablet, etc.) you must make sure they are sized and formated correctly. Keep in mind of the size of the headshot compared to the size of the device that may be used to view it. On a phone, for instance, an 800 pixel wide headshot might look blurry or pixelated. Additionally, headshots should be in a web-friendly format (JPEG, PNG, or GIF). This way, your images will load quickly and be optimized for the web!

So, Are You Ready to Hire Your Professional Headshot Photographer?

First of all, congrats! You made it through this guide and now you’re prepared for your professional headshot session! If you’re looking for a professional headshot photographer in the Fresno area, I’m definitely up for the task and ready to create a fun and memorable headshot expierience for you! Check out my portrait collection details here! You can also learn more about me on my about me page, or take a deeper dive into my “Meet Your Fresno Photographer” blog post! Think I’d be the perfect professional headshot photographer for you? Inquire with me here! I can’t wait to hear from you and give you professional images to better represent you and your brand!