Tips for a successful portrait session

You’re excited about the up-coming photo and videoshoot to promote your business.  After all, you’ve done your research and found a professional photographer who has great reviews and can work within your budget.  The new video and photos are going to take the website to a new level and can also be used to create a new series of social media posts.  So now you can sit back and let the photographer do all of the work.  Right?

Here are a few things you can do, to make your shoot go smoothly, giving you the best possible results.

The most important thing you can to do to prepare for your shoot, is to dress appropriately. What passes for high fashion in the workplace, or a fabulous look for a night on the town, isn’t always appropriate for the camera.  Here are some dos and don’ts when dressing for a photo or videoshoot:

  • Avoid busy patterns.  Patterns generally do not look good on film and can look downright bad in video.  Stick with solids which are usually the best choice for either medium.
  • Keep your tones the same on top and bottom.  Dark top means dark slacks, a light shirt means a light skirt.
  • As for color, avoid the extremes of black on one end and white on the other.  Usually something in between, such as dark blue, brown, or gray, is a better choice.  Muted colors are always better than bright colors.
  • Avoid showing skin.  Arms are better in long sleeves and three quarter sleeves than in short sleeves or straps.  Long pants and skirts below the knee are recommended.  More conservative clothing choices make you look better, and make you look more professional.
  • Glasses:  If possible, it’s better not to wear glasses–reflection can be a big problem.  But if you need glasses to see, and don’t wear contacts, the photographer or videographer can work with them.

One final note: If your photographer is going to utilize chroma keying (shooting in front of a green screen) then definitely don’t wear green.  Green is generally a color to avoid anyway as the wrong tone can make you look sickly.

So, keep these tips in mind and with a few thoughtful wardrobe choices you can look like a polished pro!

If you need more information about your business portrait or headshot for linked in or any other social media platform, give us a call today. We are serving NJ and the Lehigh Valley PA.