Most people show up to a headshot session having thought about their outfit and not much else. The ones who look most natural in their photos usually did a few small things in the 24–48 hours before that made a real difference.

None of this is complicated. It's just easy to forget when you're booking weeks in advance.

The week before

  • Get your haircut 5–7 days before, not the day before. Fresh cuts can look slightly stiff or show trim lines. A few days of natural growth makes it look like yours.
  • Touch up hair colour if needed. Do this at least 4 days out so it settles.
  • Try on your outfit options and check them in natural light. Look for lint, loose threads, creases, and fit issues — all of which are much more visible in a high-resolution studio photo than in your mirror.
  • Avoid trying new skincare products. Your baseline skin is what you know. New products can cause unexpected reactions or temporary redness.

The night before

  • Get a good night's sleep. Under-eye shadows and puffiness are real and visible — and while retouching can help, starting from a rested baseline is better.
  • Stay hydrated and avoid excess sodium, which causes facial puffiness. This applies to alcohol too.
  • Lay out everything you're bringing — outfit options, accessories, lint roller, makeup for touch-ups — so the morning of is smooth.
  • Don't try anything new with your hair or skin. This isn't the morning to experiment.

The morning of

  • For men: shave or tidy your beard the morning of, not the night before. Morning shaving gives the cleanest result.
  • Apply makeup as you normally would for a professional context. Natural coverage that looks like you. Heavy foundation or strong contouring can read as artificial under studio lights.
  • Avoid eating anything that might stain if you're wearing white or light colours.
  • Give yourself buffer time. Arriving stressed and rushed shows. Arriving 5–10 minutes early and settled makes a visible difference in your first shots.

On nerves: Almost everyone is nervous before a headshot session, including people who are photographed regularly. It's completely normal. The first few minutes on set are always the roughest — tell us it's your first time or that you're nervous, and we'll spend more time settling in before we start shooting. It goes away faster than you think.

What to bring

  • Two to three outfit options — more is better than less, we'll narrow it down on set
  • A lint roller
  • Touch-up makeup if you use it
  • Your glasses if you wear them regularly
  • Any specific accessories that are part of your everyday professional look

On the day itself

We tether the camera to a laptop so you can see your shots in real time as we take them. This is genuinely reassuring for most people — you can see exactly what we're capturing and redirect if something isn't working. By the end of the session, most clients leave surprised by how natural their photos look.

The whole process takes 20–120 minutes depending on your package. You'll have images within 24 hours. See our Studio Policy for details on rescheduling and cancellation.

Book your session: Individual headshots from $250. See all packages →