1) Tense Up
The best headshots and portraits are the ones that look natural. Sitting straight as a ramrod with a big plastic smile plastered on your face is probably going to end up looking as fake as it feels.
2) Ask to See Every Picture After It’s Taken
This slows down the shoot’s momentum and makes it take way longer than it ever should. The beautiful thing about photography is that the capture is instantaneous and can be deleted just as quickly. It’s way easier and more time efficient to take a large group of photos and cherry pick the best ones than to nitpick over every single one. Remember, if you don’t like them, you can always take more!
3) Show Up Tired/ Hung-Over / Distracted
If you’re paying to have your headshots taken then why would you show up feeling any less than your best? Those dark rings under your eyes or that sick green hue reminiscent of the copious amounts of liquor you drank the night before are not going to turn out well in the finished result. Avoid this altogether by getting enough sleep and making the commitment to BE PRESENT.
4) Wear Large Logos and Busy Patterns
Is this photo session about you or your sponsors? Large logos in portraits beg the question of whether or not you’re getting paid to promote the brands that you’re wearing. Large logos distract the viewer from the true subject of the photo, YOU. The same goes for bright or busy patterns. That funky sweater might go over great with the ladies, but on print it might make people want to avert their gaze.
5) Expect the Photographer to do your Makeup in Photoshop
Going for the natural look is perfectly respectable; expecting the photographer to work miracles is not. If you are insecure about a particular aspect of your physique, come prepared for that. This will allow the photographer to limit their work to small touch ups that won’t leave you looking like a plastic doll.
6) Be Late
Being late is never advisable, but in a photo shoot, it can throw the whole session off. It takes a certain amount of time for the photographer and client to get comfortable with each other. Being late means that you’ll have less time to take the great photos that happen after the studio warms up.
7) Wear Unflattering Clothes
They say that the camera adds 10 pounds. That being said, if your clothes are hanging on you like a plastic bag, chances are that you won’t look your best in the photos. On this same note, wearing clothes that are too tight will also be obvious in the final prints. For the sake of your portraits, wear clothes that fit and that you feel comfortable in.
8) Pretend Like You’re Someone Else
While it’s great to step into a different character every once in a while, the day of your photo shoot is not the time to experiment with your identity.
