When you get a professional headshot taken, getting the maximum return on investment can be difficult no matter who you are. However, for many women, there’s even more to consider to get the balance just right.
From outfit cuts, fabrics, colors, and seasonal trends to hair, makeup, and accessories—not to mention poses and pre-shoot care—many considerations and careful planning go into getting the perfect professional headshot.
Among all these considerations, a few stand out as the most important. If you’re preparing for a professional headshot and want the top tips presented clearly, you’re in the right place!
If you want to remove the pressure, click here to find out how AI can generate a professional headshot for you right from the comfort of your sofa.
Professional Pressures
In an ideal world, we women would just roll out of bed, brush our teeth, and show up for our professional headshot photo shoots as ourselves.
If that’s your style, and you feel powerful and confident doing so, go for it! For many women, however, the reality is that a certain amount of extra effort in hair, makeup, and clothing choices is expected of us—and that effort can reap rewards in the workplace.
If you’re looking to get ahead in this way, or if you’re just hoping to love your professional headshot at the end of a tiring photo shoot session, the following tips will help you look your best.
A headshot ahead
Before we delve into these tips, it’s important to discuss how the right headshot—and the right presentation—can be a powerful tool for furthering one’s career.
Not everyone chooses to include a picture with their application or attach an image to an online profile. Choosing not to include an image, however, obscures a significant part of who you are. Stand out from the crowd and help potential employers put a face to your name by using a headshot.
The best of the bunch
Not just any headshot will do. Just as the right headshot can help you get to the next stage in some opportunity, a bad headshot could result in an instant rejection.
A good headshot should be taken with attention paid to grooming and appearance, using a high-quality camera, in good lighting, and with a pleasant expression.
The following tips will help you achieve such a headshot.
The List: 5 Professional Headshot Tips for Women
1. Dress to impress
There are two key components to a professional headshot. The first is your beautiful face—we’ll get to that in a moment. The second is your outfit, which is typically visible from the shoulders up, although more of the torso can occasionally show too.
There’s much to consider when putting together an outfit for any special event. Getting a professional headshot is no different and can arguably be one of the most critical events you’ll dress up for because headshots represent your personal brand.
That said, there are several factors you should consider when deciding what to wear for your headshot. These include style choices and color choices as well as a list of common mistakes to avoid.
Style
Considerations for the style of outfit fall into three basic categories—cut, trend, and professionalism. In general, a working professional’s attire is the best choice for a professional headshot. A fitted shirt blouse, often layered with a blazer, is a classic look.
A fitted but not too tight outfit in this style tends to avoid cyclical and seasonal trends in fashion. As the prototypical business “uniform,” this look is appropriate for many settings.
That said, it’s always a good idea to scope out the norms for women in your field. Some industries allow for more casual looks, with shirts or cardigans. Other industries allow for more creative expression, such as a flowy outfit. Matching the tone of your field shows an understanding of the industry trends employers are looking for.
Color
Similar factors are at play regarding the colors that you select for your outfit. You should consider industry norms and general guidelines for flattering a form, as well as the most common professional palette that most women in your field opt for during a professional photo shoot.
The most common colors used in professional headshots are those that line the shelves at business attire stores. These include black, light gray, dark gray, navy, cream, and some browns.
If your industry has room for more scope with colors, consider colors that suit your personal brand and those that are personally flattering. Brighter, bolder colors tend to present a bold and confident persona while more muted colors convey professionalism and reliability.
You may have favorite colors or a set of flattering colors that make certain features in your face stand out. Balance these personal preferences with your professional goals and industry norms to shine your brightest.
What to avoid
In line with the points outlined above, there are a few clothing choices that you should generally avoid in a professional headshot. Avoid tops that are low cut or have a see-through fabric. Visible bra straps are an obvious no-no.
In addition, cameras can sometimes struggle to make sense of complicated patterns, creating strange illusions in a photo. Patterns can also appear to morph the body in unflattering ways. In general, avoid patterns, including stripes.
These are all, of course, generic advice points. If bright and bold looks or more sinuous forms are the norm in your field, feel free to follow those trends.
2. Simple and sleek accessorizing
When it comes to choosing accessories for professional headshots for women, less is more. Sharp, sleek, and professional tends to be the overall goal for such an image, presenting the impression of being personable and competent.
Facial focus
Many women opt not to wear any accessories beyond a jacket layer in their photos. This puts the focus on the face and doesn’t distract from your features.
Not all that sparkles
For women who want to wear jewelry of some kind, simple huggies or studs in the ears can be flattering to the face and bring some shine to the eyes. Some women choose to signal that they’re married by wearing their wedding band.
Again, the principle is simplicity. The general rule is to stay away from flashy, sparkly, or chunky jewelry. Jewelry made of plain, matching metals helps bring harmony to your headshot and minimizes the appearance of overdressing.
3. Fresh, simple hair and makeup
Simple and flattering hair and makeup can produce a great headshot. As always, the goal is to add a sense of freshness and glow. Save your favorite bold eye makeup for a night out on the town.
Makeup products
The right makeup for a professional headshot can be tricky to achieve. Makeup that targets your weaker spots—under-eye circles, redness, and blemishes—while enhancing your overall glow is your ultimate goal.
Skin-tone products such as concealers and BB creams are great options. And a dash of mascara never hurts.
Whether or not to apply lip color depends widely on the profession you’re in. Look at the professional headshots of established and successful women in your field and follow suit. As long as you’re comfortable with what you’re wearing, you’ll be fine.
Makeup depth
Whether to wear heavy makeup depends somewhat on how you have your headshot taken. With pictures taken at home with a smartphone, too much makeup can come across as grainy or dried.
Professional photographs can often smooth out this texture in post-editing. If you want to avoid an overly smoothed or filtered look, it can be best to go easy on makeup products in the first place. On the other hand, some full faces with a little more makeup look great under bright professional lights.
Thus, it’s good to know ahead of time how your photos are going to be taken, whether you’ll have good lighting, and whether post-photography editing software will be used.
Hair
For your hair, three points come to mind: cleanliness, professionalism, and a flattering style. The most important thing you can do is have freshly washed and styled hair.
Women tend to have their hair styled in one of two ways in headshot photo shoots. Hair can be worn down or up, the latter in a classic updo such as a bun or ponytail. The back of your head doesn’t matter much because no one will see it. If some hair is brought to the front or flattering strands are placed around the face, that’s fine. You can also go for a slicked-back look when your headshot has a full facial focus.
Again, look at what other women in your field tend to go for and weigh that against the looks that make you feel most confident.
4. Preparation is key
A successful headshot photo shoot requires a certain degree of planning, some that starts days or even weeks ahead of the big day.
Of course, if you use an AI headshot generator, you can avoid most of the prep work. But if you choose to forge ahead in the old-fashioned way, here are some tips to keep in mind as the day of the photo shoot approaches.
Ahead of time
In the lead-up to your headshot, prioritizing good routines can help your hair, face, and smile look their best and ensure you feel confident. Try to get plenty of sleep, eat skin-friendly foods, and keep any regular skin- and hair-care habits going.
Don’t change your skincare or makeup products if they’re working well. Skin can take some time to adjust to a new combination of ingredients. Also, consider deep-conditioning hair treatments as well as trims to keep your hair looking fresh.
Practice hair and makeup looks that you might want to wear on the day of your shoot. If you find yourself unsatisfied with the end result, consider enlisting friends or professionals who can help you practice ahead of time and give you a hand with styling you on the day of the shoot.
The day before
On the day before your shoot, wash your hair, do all your self-care routines, and do your best to get a good night’s sleep.
Prepare for the next day by ironing your clothing and laying out your outfits and any accessories you plan to wear. It’s also a good idea to prepare an extra suit just in case.
Finally, have all of your beautification tools ready. Remember to pack them if you’re not doing your own makeup at home.
The day of the shoot
On the day of your headshot, give yourself extra time at all stages so you’re not rushing or pressured during the day.
Schedule extra time to do your hair and makeup. Allocate plenty of time to get to your photo shoot. You do not want to ruin all of your efforts with rushing and pressure.
Take hair and makeup tools in case you need a refresh right before the shoot. Also, don’t forget to take your alternate outfits with you.
Most of all, smile brightly and show the camera your sparkling personality!
5. Posing practice… Or let AI do it
The final part of planning, which is sometimes overlooked with headshots, is practicing to get comfortable in front of a camera.
Many women, when unfamiliar with posing naturally and comfortably, tend to produce an awkward grimace when the lens is focused on them and are unsure what to do with their posture, angles, and limb position.
Practice makes perfect
If you’re getting a headshot done with a professional, you’ll often be guided into the best angles and poses. In the interim, however, it can’t hurt to practice snapping away with a bright natural smile and suitable poses.
Grab your smartphone, practice some poses, and see what you like! If there’s no one around to help you out, you can take pictures on a timer, or even just practice in the mirror before bed! You can also read our guide to posing for headshots.
Or let AI do it…
The best AI headshot generators, like Portrait Pal, take all the stress out of posing. This software has been specially trained to generate images that show the subject at the most flattering angles and with a professional, engaged expression.
If you’ve tried to strike a pose or flash a smile and been frustrated with what you see, consider avoiding this process altogether and have AI do it for you—and do it better!
Just upload a few images of yourself from your gallery, and AI can generate a series of professional headshots of you without you having to worry about the makeup, hair, or poses.
Wrapping up
Getting a great professional headshot taken, or generated, can be an important part of career advancement. Headshots can be used on applications, social media profiles, job-seeking profiles, and more.
The best tips—a refresher
First, carefully pick the outfit you’ll wear in your headshot. In most cases, a tailored or casual professional suit in a basic professional color palette will work best. Avoid bright patterns and sheer looks.
Second, keep any accessories small and simple. Stick to plain metals and save overly sparkly or chunky jewelry for when you want to have fun.
Third, use your makeup and hair to convey a bright, engaged personality. Base the amount of makeup you use on the camera’s quality, and make sure it’s tastefully applied. For your hair, choose a well-groomed updo or, if you wear your hair loose, make sure that it’s smooth, nicely brushed, and doesn’t obscure your face.
Fourth, play the long game and adopt healthy habits in the weeks before your headshot to ensure your hair, skin, and teeth are looking their best. Find what works and stick to those habits and products.
Fifth, play around in front of the camera or a mirror to get used to producing a headshot-worthy expression and powerful pose on demand. If that’s not working, consider using AI to generate your headshot without all the pressure involved with a studio shoot.
And finally, of course, have fun!