Booking a professional headshot is one of those tasks people put off for months. Not because it is expensive or complicated, but because of one nagging question: what am I supposed to do before I show up?

At Photo Sheep, we have photographed thousands of faces, and we can tell you this with confidence: the clients who look the most relaxed on camera are almost always the ones who knew exactly what to expect. Preparation is not vanity. It is anxiety removal.

This guide walks you through how to prepare for a headshot session step by step, from two weeks out to the ten minutes before the shutter clicks. Read it once, bookmark it, and arrive knowing you have done everything right.

The Short Answer: Your 60-Second Prep Summary

If you only have a minute, here is everything that matters:

• Bring 2 to 3 outfits in solid, mid-to-deep colors (navy, charcoal, forest green, burgundy, dusty blue)
• Avoid tight patterns such as thin stripes, small checks, herringbone and fine tweed, which cause moire on camera
• Get your haircut 7 to 14 days before, never the day before
• Sleep 7 to 8 hours the two nights before, not just one
• Hydrate for 3 days, and skip alcohol and salty food the night before
• Steam or iron your clothes the evening before and bring them on a hanger
• No new skincare, no facials, no waxing within 5 days of the shoot

Now let us break it down properly.

Why Headshot Preparation Actually Matters

A headshot is a close-up. There is no landscape to distract the eye, no wide scene to hide in. The camera sees your collar, your hairline, your skin, and your expression, and nothing else.

That means small details carry enormous weight. A wrinkled shirt collar becomes the most visible thing in the frame. A haircut done the morning of the shoot looks stiff and unfamiliar. A shirt with pinstripes turns into a shimmering rainbow mess that no retoucher can fully remove.

The good news: every one of these problems is solvable in advance, and none of them takes more than a few minutes of planning.

Your Headshot Prep Timeline

Two Weeks Before the Session

1. Talk to your photographer. Tell us where the image will be used: LinkedIn, a company website, a speaker bio, an acting profile, a book jacket. The intended use changes the crop, the background, and the wardrobe advice. A five-minute conversation prevents a re-shoot.
2. Book your haircut or colour appointment. Aim for 7 to 14 days before the shoot. Fresh cuts settle into their natural shape after about a week, and colour roots look their best in that window.
3. Start (or keep) a simple skincare routine. Cleanser, moisturiser, sunscreen. This is not the moment to introduce retinol, acids, or a product you have never used.
4. Pull your wardrobe out. Try things on in daylight in front of a mirror. Photograph yourself with your phone in each option. What looks fine in the mirror often reads differently through a lens.

One Week Before

• No facials, peels, microneedling, or waxing. Redness and irritation take days to settle. If you want a facial, do it 10 to 14 days out, not 3.
• Men: decide on your beard plan. Clean shaven, trimmed, or full. Whatever you choose, trim 2 to 3 days before so it looks lived in rather than freshly cut.
• Check your eyebrows. Shaping should happen at least 3 days before to avoid redness.
• Start drinking more water. Hydrated skin photographs noticeably better. This is a three-day habit, not a one-morning fix.
• Avoid sunburn. Uneven tan lines around the neck and forehead are one of the hardest things to correct in post-production.

The Night Before

• Steam or iron every garment you plan to bring. Bring them on hangers, not folded in a bag.
• Skip alcohol and salty food. Both cause facial puffiness, especially under the eyes.
• Go to bed early. Aim for 7 to 8 hours. Two consecutive good nights beat one heroic attempt.
• Lay everything out. Clothes, shoes, a comb, lint roller, whatever you need. Morning stress shows on the face.
• Do not try a new hairstyle. The shoot is not an experiment.

The Morning Of

1. Eat a normal breakfast. Low blood sugar creates a tense, distracted expression.
2. Drink water, but do not overdo caffeine. Too much coffee makes eyes look tight and can cause visible jitter in longer poses.
3. Moisturise, then wait 15 minutes before makeup so it does not slide.
4. Apply a light translucent powder to the forehead, nose and chin. This is the single most useful step for men and women alike, because studio lights find every shine.
5. Arrive 10 minutes early. Rushing in breathless is the fastest way to look uncomfortable in the first twenty frames.

What to Wear for a Professional Headshot

Colours That Photograph Well

The rule is simple: the colour should support your face, not compete with it. Mid-tone and deep saturated colours work best because they create separation from the background and reflect flattering tone back onto your skin.

Colour	How it photographs	Best used for
Navy blue	Universally flattering, reads as trustworthy and professional	Corporate, LinkedIn, finance, legal
Charcoal grey	Neutral and clean, softer than black	Any industry, light or dark backgrounds
Forest or emerald green	Rich and distinctive without shouting	Personal branding, creative fields
Burgundy / deep plum	Warms most skin tones beautifully	Consulting, coaching, speaking
Dusty or slate blue	Approachable and calm	Healthcare, education, real estate
Pure white	Risky, can blow out and pull attention from the face	Only under a jacket or blazer
Neon and hot pink / lime	Reflects coloured light onto the skin, causing a tint	Avoid
Beige / skin-tone shades	Blends with the neck and face, looks washed out	Avoid

A note on black

Black is not forbidden, but it needs the right background. Against a dark backdrop it can turn your body into a silhouette with a floating head. If you love black, bring it, and let us pair it with a lighter or textured background.

The Pattern Problem: What Causes Moire

This is the section most prep guides skip, and it is the one that ruins the most photographs.

Moire is the shimmering, rainbow-coloured wave pattern that appears when a repeating fabric pattern interferes with the grid of pixels on a camera sensor. It is a physics problem, not a photographer error, and heavy moire is extremely difficult to remove cleanly in retouching.

Fabrics and patterns that commonly cause moire:

• Thin pinstripes and any narrow stripe under about one centimetre
• Small checks, gingham, houndstooth and micro-plaid
• Herringbone and fine tweed
• Densely woven shirting with a visible weave texture
• Fine knit ribbing across the chest
• Small repeating polka dots or geometric prints
• Some mesh, lace and sheer overlays

Safe alternatives:

• Solid colours (always the safest choice)
• Large-scale patterns where individual elements are clearly visible from across a room
• Soft textures such as cable knit, cashmere, brushed cotton, matte crepe
• Subtle tonal texture where the pattern is the same colour as the base fabric

If you are unsure about a garment, photograph yourself with your phone from about two metres away and zoom in on the fabric. If it starts to shimmer or produce faint colour waves, leave it at home. Originally covered on https://amylewisphotos.com.

Fit, Necklines and Sleeves

• Fit matters more than brand. A well-fitted high street blazer beats a baggy designer one every time.
• Shoulders should sit where your shoulders sit. Anything wider adds bulk in a tight crop.
• Choose necklines that frame the face. V-necks, scoop necks, open collars and crew necks all work well. Very high turtlenecks can shorten the neck.
• Long sleeves are usually safer than sleeveless for corporate headshots, because bare arms draw the eye downward in a three-quarter crop.
• Check the collar. A soft, unstructured collar will collapse under a jacket. Structured collars hold their shape.

Glasses, Jewellery and Accessories

• Glasses: bring them. If possible, ask your optician for a spare empty frame without lenses, or arrive with clean lenses and no anti-glare damage. Photochromic and transition lenses are a problem because they darken under studio lights. Tell us in advance if you wear them.
• Jewellery: keep it simple. Small studs or a single delicate necklace. Anything large or highly reflective competes with your face and creates hotspots.
• Watches and rings are usually out of frame in a standard headshot crop, so do not overthink them.
• Logos: avoid visible brand logos unless it is your own company logo and the shoot is branded.

What to Bring to Your Headshot Session

Pack this the night before:

• 2 to 3 outfit options on hangers, pressed
• An extra top in a different colour as a backup
• A blazer or jacket, even if you think you will not use it, because it instantly changes the register of an image
• Translucent powder and blotting papers
• A comb or brush, and any product you normally use
• Lint roller
• Glasses cleaning cloth
• Lip balm (dry lips are visible in close crops)
• Water bottle
• A reference image or two of headshots you like, if you have a specific look in mind

What to Avoid Before a Headshot Session

The short list of things that genuinely hurt the result:

1. Getting a haircut the day before or the same day. It always looks too sharp and too new.
2. Trying a new skincare product, facial or treatment in the final week. Reactions are unpredictable.
3. Heavy or matte-free makeup. Studio lights amplify shine and heavy contouring reads as harsh under directional light.
4. Self-tanner applied within five days. Streaks and orange undertones are extremely difficult to correct.
5. Alcohol and salty food the night before. Puffiness around the eyes and jaw.
6. Wearing something you are not comfortable in. Discomfort travels straight to the face.
7. Arriving late and stressed. Your first frames are always your tensest. Rushing means you burn through the warm-up period unprepared.

What Actually Happens During the Session

This is the part that causes the most quiet anxiety, so let us be transparent about it.

1. We talk first

Nobody gets pushed in front of a camera cold. We spend the first few minutes discussing where the images will be used, what you like and dislike about previous photos of yourself, and which outfit we will start with. This is normal and it is not wasted time.

2. Lighting and test frames

We take a few test shots to set exposure and check your outfit for moire and reflections. If something is not working, we catch it here, not after the session.

3. Direction, not guesswork

You will never be told to “just be natural” and left to figure it out. We give specific, physical instructions: shift weight to the back foot, body at roughly 45 degrees to the camera, head turned back toward the lens, chin slightly forward and down. These small adjustments do most of the work.

4. Live review

We show you images during the session, not only at the end. Seeing an image you like early on visibly changes how people hold themselves for the rest of the shoot. Confidence compounds.

5. Outfit changes and selects

A typical Photo Sheep headshot session runs 30 to 60 minutes and covers one to three looks. At the end, we review the selection together and you choose your favourites for retouching.

6. Retouching

Our approach is simple: we remove the temporary, we keep the permanent. Blemishes, stray hairs, shine, lint and a tired under-eye go. Your actual face stays. A headshot that does not look like you is a headshot that fails the moment you walk into a meeting.

Should You Smile in Your Headshot?

Yes, in most cases, but a genuine one. The distinction that matters is whether the smile reaches the eyes. A mouth-only smile reads as forced and is instantly recognisable. gatech.edu published something useful on the subject.

Practical guidance by use case:

• LinkedIn and corporate profiles: a warm, closed-mouth or light open smile builds trust
• Sales, coaching, real estate, client-facing roles: a fuller, open smile
• Legal, finance, academic, executive: a subtle smile or composed neutral expression
• Acting and performance: usually a neutral, open expression with a strong eye connection

We will shoot a range regardless, so you are never locked into one choice.

Common Headshot Mistakes We See Most Often

• Bringing only one outfit
• Wearing a fine pinstripe shirt (moire, every time)
• Cropping too tight because “it is just a headshot”, losing the shoulders that give the image structure
• Over-retouching until the skin looks like plastic
• Using a photo that is four years old and no longer resembles you
• Unpressed clothing, which is the most visible and most preventable mistake of all
• Forgetting to check hair from the side and back

Printable Pre-Shoot Checklist

When	Action
14 days before	Book haircut or colour, confirm shoot purpose with photographer
10 to 14 days before	Facial or any skin treatment, if you want one
7 days before	Haircut done, wardrobe tried on and photographed
3 days before	Eyebrow shaping, increase water intake, no new products
2 days before	Beard trim, early night, no sunburn
Night before	Steam clothes, no alcohol or salty food, 7 to 8 hours sleep
Morning of	Eat, hydrate, moisturise, translucent powder, arrive 10 minutes early

Frequently Asked Questions

What colours should you not wear for a headshot?

Avoid neon shades, which cast coloured light onto your skin, and beige or skin-tone colours, which blend into your neck and make you look washed out. Pure white is risky on its own but works well under a blazer. Black requires a background that provides contrast, so tell your photographer in advance if you plan to wear it.

What patterns cause moire in photos?

Thin pinstripes, small checks, gingham, houndstooth, herringbone, fine tweed, tight knit ribbing and small repeating geometric prints are the most common culprits. The rule of thumb is that if the pattern elements are smaller than about one centimetre, treat it as high risk and bring an alternative.

How long before a headshot should I get a haircut?

Seven to fourteen days. A cut needs about a week to settle into its natural shape. Same-day and day-before haircuts consistently look stiff and unlike your usual self.

How many outfits should I bring to a headshot session?

Two to three, plus a blazer or jacket. This gives you a formal option, a smart casual option and a backup. More than four tends to eat into shooting time without improving the result.

Should men wear makeup for a headshot?

Not makeup in the traditional sense, but yes to a light translucent powder on the forehead, nose and chin. Studio lighting exaggerates shine on every skin type. It takes ten seconds and makes a visible difference. We keep powder and blotting papers in studio. Originally covered on https://koby.photography.

How long does a headshot session take?

Most Photo Sheep sessions run between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on the number of looks and backgrounds. Add ten minutes for the initial conversation and outfit review.

I hate having my photo taken. Will that show?

Almost everyone says this, and almost nobody ends up looking uncomfortable in the final selects. The reason is direction. When you are given a specific physical task rather than being told to relax, self-consciousness has nowhere to go. It is the single biggest difference between a professional session and a colleague with a phone.

Can I bring someone with me?

Yes. A second opinion on outfit choice is genuinely useful, and many people feel more at ease with a friend or colleague in the room.

Ready to Book?

Knowing how to prepare for a headshot session removes about ninety percent of the stress. The remaining ten percent is our job, and we take it seriously.

Bring two or three pressed outfits in solid colours, arrive rested, and let us handle the rest. You will leave with images that look like you on your best ordinary day, which is exactly what a good headshot should be.

Book your headshot session with Photo Sheep and we will send you this checklist automatically when your date is confirmed.