The Dreaded Corporate Head-shot

Commercial photography and the dreaded corporate head shot.

Good afternoon, my name is Sean McAloney of McaPhotos. As both a portrait painter and a photographer, I have taken thousands of these shots and I would like to share some things that I hope will make it a more pleasant experience for you. Preparation is the key.

·        Exfoliate your face the day before. You don’t have to spend a lot of money getting a facial at the spa, a simple scrubbing of your face at the end of a shower with a wash cloth, some soap, and lotion will do. This usually makes your skin a little reddish for a couple of hours, so make sure to do it the day before. This is a close-up of your face and you don’t want to look crusty.

·        Make-up - less is more. Use Lip gloss, eyeliner, and eye shadow, that’s it. Pores and minor skin abnormalities are easily corrected in photoshop. Under bright lighting, foundation often appears cakey and unless you are going to do your entire neck, hands, and whatever else is not covered by clothing, the different tones will be glaringly noticeable on camera. If you are going to use false lashes, cut them in half. Cutting lashes in half and applying them on the outside corner of each eye will give you a more a natural cat eye look.

·        I do not recommend getting your hair cut the day before. Freshly cut hair can be tough to manage, try and book an appointment a week before the shoot to give yourself time to retrain it.

·        If you are one of those men whose face easily gets irritated when shaving, do it the night before.

·        Teeth - don’t sweat over how white your teeth are or try to fit in some crazy bleaching procedure before the shoot. Teeth whitening is easily corrected in photoshop.

·        Clothing – wear solid colors. Digital computer screens are not flattering to patterns or pinstripes. If you plan on converting anything to black and white, forget about colors and focus on tones. If you don’t understand what I mean by tones, borrow a pair of rose or amber colored sunglasses from a friend. Looking through them will aid you in building the correct ensemble for B&W photography.

·        If you are self-conscious about your teeth, nose, ears, chin, hairline, etc. share that with the photographer.

·        Take a ton of selfies with your phone at all different angles and if you find one you like, share that as well with the photographer.

·        Get enough sleep the night before the shoot and make sure your hydrated, bags under your eyes and chapped lips are never a good look.

Think about what you want to express facially in a head-shot, and in some cases a big smile is not always necessary or the best choice. Consider what background elements you may want to include in a corporate portrait, this is more personal, you’re marketing yourself. Research photographs of others in your field on Google images and LinkedIn, but don’t be afraid of being different.