THE BASICS

Unless you are a creative going into or are already in a creative field, I would suggest sticking with solid colors or simple prints for your outfits. Bright colors and bold patterns can be distracting so steer clear of them. You will want all of the attention on your face. You want your future employer or client to know who you are right off the bat thanks to your amazing headshot.

Make sure your clothes are hole free, freshly laundered, and ironed if need be. Wrinkled shirts will catch the eye and make you look unprofessional. Remember – this is the easiest way to put your best foot forward so even though it’s another step, iron out those wrinkles!

Stay away from branded clothing. Same as with patterns, seeing a brand can be a distraction in your photo. You also don’t want potential employers or clients to see you wearing a brand, especially if it’s one they dislike for some reason or other.

THE LOOK

You want to prepare yourself for your headshot session almost as much as you would for an interview. Where do you want to work? What is your dream job? What businesses are you expecting to apply for?

Ask yourself these questions. Then research what is the typical dress code for what you are looking at. Much like going into an interview, you’ll want your outfit to be one step above their typical attire.

Let’s say you’re a graphic designer and want to work at a design studio. Many studios have a more relaxed dress code, either casual or business casual. So if the places you want to apply have a casual dress code, you’ll want to have business casual outfits for your headshot.

LASTLY

You want the look to be you. Think of these as part of your personal brand. Let your personality shine! If you have an outfit that mostly fits this criteria but are unsure if it will work or not, don’t hesitate to ask me!

THE BASICS

The main thing is make sure to schedule any haircuts or dyeing a week or so before your shoot. Do not get a major hairstyle change the day before – if anything goes wrong you won’t have time to adjust or fix the problem.

Do make sure to wash and condition your hair the night before or the morning of. If your hair tends to be more dry, start deep conditioning a week before to add in more moisture. Bring a bottle of hair oil to spritz on your hair before the shoot to add some shine if it’s still looking a bit dry the day of the shoot. If your hair runs on the oily side, bring a bottle of dry shampoo and brush to the shoot. If your hair starts looking too oily a quick spritz and brush will help quickly take out oils.

RESEARCH & PRACTICE

If you are wanting to style your hair for the shoot, take the time to both research and try out potential hairdos. The reason you’ll want to try out the styles beforehand is for two reasons – so you know you’ll like how it looks and so that if you have issues putting it together, you won’t be panicking the morning of the shoot.

Pinterest and Instagram are great resources to get ideas for hairstyles. Pinterest is probably the better option since you are more likely to find tutorials on how to create whatever hairstyle you are interested in.

SIMPLE IS BETTER

Much like bright colors and prints with clothing, elaborate hair can be a distraction for headshots. I’m not saying you shouldn’t style your hair! Just don’t go for a wedding or prom-style updo.

MAKEUP & JEWELRY

THE BASICS FOR DOGS

Make sure your dog knows sit, stay, and is able to come on command. While you may want action shots, it will be easier on you and your pet photographer if your dog can follow these basic commands, especially if you want some some shots in a public area.

I highly suggest getting your dog professionally groomed. If you plan on having your dog get a cut, I would suggest planning for the appointment to be a week before the shoot just in case the fur needs to grow out any. If you trust your groomer though go ahead and schedule for the day before the shoot. But if the grooming does happen a week before, spend a few minutes the night before the photography session giving the pup a good brush down and use some spray on shampoo and conditioner that you won’t have to wash out.

Don’t want to pay for a groomer? Don’t worry, just make sure to give your dog a good bath the day before the session. Then do your best to keep the pup out of mud and puddles (which can be practically impossible I know!) This way your dog will have a great coat for the shoot and will be less likely to have a crazy hair day and end up looking like my pup Koda in the photo above!

BASICS FOR CATS

Brush your kitty the night before! You want their coat to be as smooth and shiny as possible for their day.

If you have a long haired cat definitely make sure there are no matted areas. Some cats can have extremely finicky fur so if they do have some that you can’t brush out, your best bet is to take them to a professional groomer to make sure the cut/grooming is done right. If your cat does end up needing a cut, try to schedule well in advance of your pet’s photography session so their fur will have a chance to grow back out. Make sure to keep up with grooming in the meantime so you won’t have to worry about new matted spots.

WHAT TO BRING

Pet photography is all about showing off your pet’s personality. Bandanas, fancy collars, outfits, if they have something and you like it (or they love it), bring it!

Make sure any article of clothing has been cleaned beforehand – if you look above you’ll see Koda’s bandana looks rather grungy and rather gross. Unfortunately people will be distracted and think if the bandana is dirty, the dog must be too. While you can’t control how clean your dog’s accessories are during a hike, you will have plenty of time to prepare for your pet’s photography session, so know what you want to bring and clean it!

Is your pup a working dog? Go ahead and bring their vest or other gear, give them a professional headshot or two!

Do they have a favorite toy? Do your best to have it cleaned beforehand and bring it. Toys are a great way to get your pet excited and to bring out their personality for the shoot. One of Koda’s favorite toys is a unicorn, which makes for some very adorable and hilarious photos of him.

Favorite treats are another must. While action shots are great, we will at times need your pet to stay in one place, therefore we’ll need something to reward them with. Plus if your dog makes a funny face when attempting to capture treats thrown at them that will make a perfect photo op!

Be sure to bring plenty of water too! Even an hour long session will make your dog thirsty so bring a bottle and a bowl for them (and you too!)

WHAT WE WONT NEED

Walking harnesses, spike collars, ID tags, things like this can be a distraction for the photo. I know you’ll need a way to walk your dog to the shoot and around the shoot, but keep in mind we’ll want to remove any harnesses and bulky ID tags before the shoot starts or between takes.

RIGHT BEFORE THE SHOOT

Want other great advice on how to prepare for a photo shoot? Read the other articles below!

Headshots FAMILY   COSPLAY

Be sure to check out my social media too!

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THE BASICS

Make sure your clothes are hole free, freshly laundered, and ironed if need be. Wrinkled shirts will catch the eye make and will cause people to focus on them instead of your family.

Stay away from branded clothing (think Nike with the huge swoosh). Brands catch the eye and will also distract people from the family. A superhero family is totally okay though!

THE LOOK

Coordinate! What do I mean by coordination? In the simplest terms it would be by color palette.

Let’s say you want to go with red. Now you don’t want everyone to wear the exact same color. Go with different hues of red for everyone – think maroon, brick, crimson, and magenta.

Mix and match – don’t just have everyone wear all red everything or all red shirts. Have someone wear red pants and a white shirt, another in a white skirt and red jacket, another person in a red and white pattern shirt with gray pants, etc.

Going further – don’t want to go with just one color? Pinterest is a great place to find lovely color palettes that you can use to base clothing off of. Something like teal, coral pink, gray, and white is a great palette to start with!

PATTERNS

Careful with patterns here. One person wearing a pattern can be distracting, now throw in three more and now all anyone wants to look at is everyone’s shirts! Best to limit to one type of pattern – such as a subtle plaid – or have one or two of the party with patterns while the others have more solid prints.

RESEARCH

As the photographer I will help direct and pose you for photos, but it never hurts for you to get some ideas beforehand. Looking through Pinterest and Instagram will give you great inspiration for various poses you can do and what you would like best to see for your own family photos.

Look to see how to use the location to your advantage. Want to have your photoshoot in the woods? Have some of the family climb a tree! Thinking about a shoot in a grassy field? Have the kids poke their heads out of grass behind you!

BE RELAXED!

The biggest thing to do for a family photo shoot is to have fun! While posing can get you some great shots, it’s often the candid shots that come out the best. Basically don’t feel like once you all have been placed in a pose that you have to grin and stare at the camera – relax, play with the kids, talk amongst each other, it’s the little moments that really make the best photos!

BRING PROPS

Want to include the family dog? We can get some great shots of her playing with the kids! Are you an outdoorsy type family? Turn the shoot into an outdoor picnic! Are you all geeks? Bring those lightsabers for some epic and hilarious shots your entire family will love!

MAKEUP, HAIR, & JEWELRY

THE BASICS

Depending on who you are cosplaying choosing a location for your cosplay photo shoot could either be a breeze or a dilemma. Obviously you want the location to be true to your character, but realistically how many medieval castles are there in Arizona?

This will definitely be something we discuss during the consultation period, but you’ll want to really get a good idea of what you want and find around 5 possibilities.

And remember – the location doesn’t have to be exactly the same as locations your character has been in. Maybe your character wasn’t shown in a winter setting with the outfit you cosplay, but if they realistically would have been found in such a setting and you really like it, go ahead and choose that spot!

Be sure to visit your locations beforehand too! The spot may seem perfect on Google Street View but what was once forest may have been hit by a fire, or that river may be in its dry season.

WHAT TO RESEARCH

One big thing to keep in mind if your shoot is in a park or other public location is what laws they have regarding firearms and other weapons. Even fake weapons can be expressly forbidden on such properties.

Some sites may even forbid photography (shocker!).

What sort of facilities does the spot have? This is especially important if you plan on changing cosplays or if there is a long shoot.

If a location you are looking into involves private property, you’ll need to contact the owners for permission to shoot first. If you are unsure how to go about this I will gladly help out!

RESEARCH, RESEARCH RESEARCH!

Do not leave this till last minute!

Instagram and Pinterest will be your friends here. Save any photos that you absolutely love. Don’t just stick to images of your character, look at other cosplay photo shoots (or even fan art!) as well. Another great source of inspiration are movie and video game promotional images. Create a folder of all images you save. Once you have a sizable amount, go through and cull them out. If there are similar ones, delete all but the best one or two. If you can’t decide which you like better between two similar poses, keep both.

Follow the genre! If your character is part of a horror genre, follow some instagram accounts who specialize in horror. Fantasy accounts are great for many medieval style cosplays. Doing so will give you some great ideas on how to add different elements and angles to really set your photos apart.

You’ll be amazed to know that there are even posing guides that are geared exclusively to cosplayers. Look for those and save any that apply to you and your cosplay.

Once you’ve created your dream album of shots, you’ll want to send me the finalized set before the shoot so I can get a good idea of what looks you are going for.

NOW TO PRACTICE

Don’t just research poses, practice them. Stand in front of a mirror so you can see how the pose looks for you. You’ll be able to see where you can make adjustments in the pose. Don’t just hold the pose, move through it or into it – many times the best photos are the ones that capture a moment from movement. Yes holding an axe like you are swinging it looks cool, but getting the movement of your hair and clothing really captures the act and looks much more genuine!

Practice lots of times so when cosplay photo shoot comes around you’ll be able to hit the poses instinctively and with ease.

DON’T FORGET YOUR PROPS!

Props are major parts of most cosplays – be sure to practice with them! If your prop is on the heavy side, make sure you can hold a pose with it for at least a minute so I will have time  to find just the right angle for the shots.

BUT WHAT IF MY COSPLAY HAS MAGIC OR DRAGONS?