3 Steps To A Relaxed Headshot Session

Written By John Armato

One of the things I hear the most when consulting with a client is “just to warn you, I hate having my picture taken”. This is the most common reaction that I get when talking to people about what I do, or when I’m booking a session with someone. So, I thought I’d give a few tips here on how you can come in for a relaxed and fun session with Armato Photography.

Pick your wardrobe a head of time. To help reduce the stress of your shoot day, have the clothes you’d like to be photographed in dry cleaned, ironed, pressed and ready to go at least one full day ahead of time. This way you can grab your clothes and head out the door. I do see a lot of men come in with 3 or 4 outfits jammed into a backpack, then they start getting anxious as they see that their dress slacks and shirt look like an accordion. When picking out clothes for your session choose clothes that fit really well and that you feel like a million bucks in. If you’re trying to suck it in so you don’t bust a button, you are noting going to be able to relax. Choose clothing colors that are not too close to your skin tone. Stay away from super busy patterns or emblems that might date your wardrobe. Lastly, if you’re not sure of an outfit or two, bring em in, we can sort through together and try things in front of the camera to see how they work. Bring in what ever you think will be a great look even if you’re unsure.

Get plenty of rest and hydration. Be well rested the few nights before your session. This will help keep your mind at ease and keep you in good spirits with plenty of energy for the session. If you’re exhausted your going to drag through session waiting for the finish line. Hydration is super important. Drink plenty of water the week headed into your session. You’ll feel great and your skin and complexion will thank you! Try and not drink coffee the morning of your session. This will help keep your teeth nice and white for the camera. If your teeth are not as white as you’d like, we can do some digital whitening so don’t freak out and try and jam a weeks worth of whitening treatments into two days.

This is probably the most important factor when being in front of the camera. Come in with an open mind and be ready to have some fun and laugh. We’ll probably both be making silly jokes and laughing at ourselves. I believe interaction with my clients is the best way to get natural looking expressions. I hate posing people and then saying smile! If you’ve booked a session with Armato Photography, you didn’t just book a great photographer, you’ve booked a headshot and expression specialist. Together we will learn some new skills that will make you look confident and approachable in every photo you take whether it’s an Iphone vacation photo, a selfie in the mirror or you’re on the red carpet. I’m going to arm you with some new skills you can pull out every time you step in front of the camera. Keep an open mind to the skills we learn during your session. Some of them seem and feel a little silly but look amazing! This is why I shoot to a laptop during the shoot, so we can see whats going on with certain types of expressions. This also helps me gauge the direction we’re going and making sure you’re stoked with the images. The last part of this is to keep in mind that it’s my job as your coach and photographer to get you where you want to be. It’s not your job to get it right, it’s my job to nail it when it is right.

All right, so these are just a few tips that will help you prepare yourself for a relaxed and fun session with Armato Photography. Rest assured that if you keep an open mind, are willing to try a few silly techniques and let me coach and guide you to some killer expressions, you’re going to be the envy of all your colleagues when they see that killer new headshot. So if you’re ready to get rocking and get some new headshots, give me a call or book a session here,